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had been successfully avoided.

Until one week later.

Hi, Bryce. Brought you some more eggs.

Wow.

- Thanks.

- Did your family like the first batch?

Do you even have to ask?

Great. See you at school.

BRYCE:
What I hoped would be

a one-time event...

...was just the beginning of a life consumed

with lies, intrigue and deception.

Every morning

I'd be on the lookout for Juli...

...so if she happened to come, I could whip

the door open before she knocked.

Thanks.

BRYCE:
Then I'd dump the eggs

before anyone noticed.

And why? Why couldn't I just face her?

Why couldn't I just say:

"No, thanks. Don't want them.

Don't need them. Give them to the snake"?

Was I really afraid

of hurting her feelings...

...or was I just afraid of her?

Now, you wanna make sure you get it...

JULl:
When Mrs. Brubeck first suggested

hatching eggs as my science project...

...I was less than excited.

That is, until I saw my first sign of life.

Is that it?

- That's the embryo. Heh.

TRINA:
Wow.

- It looks like a bean.

- It does.

Let's try the other ones.

JULl:

Suddenly it felt real.

All the eggs were alive.

There were, like, little bean babies

inside every one.

On the day of the fair,

all six chicks hatched.

What are the odds?

This year's top prize goes to Juli Baker...

...for her wonderful project:

"A Chicken is Born."

JULl:

I won first place.

And that was cool,

but all I really cared about were my chicks.

There you go. There you go, guys.

JULl:
My mom wasn't crazy

about us raising chickens.

But I begged and pleaded.

I told her I would take care of everything.

And I did.

Where's Clyde?

Clyde?

Hey, Clyde. What's the matter?

Are you okay? Aren't you hungry?

Come on. Come here.

What's wrong, baby?

Come here.

Hey, you're not Clyde. You're Clydette.

Mom!

JULl:
As it turned out, my hens

laid more eggs than we could eat.

At first we tried to keep up...

...but after a month of boiling,

frying and deviling...

...like that movie The Blob,

we were being overtaken by eggs.

Then opportunity in the form

of our neighbor, Mrs. Steuby, knocked.

STEUBY:

Hello, dear.

If you ever have any extra,

I'd be happy to buy them from you.

- Really?

- Certainly.

And I happen to know that Mrs. Helms

would be interested as well.

- Great.

- Nothing like fresh eggs.

- Thanks, Mrs. Steuby.

- You bet, dear. Bye.

JULl:
Between Mrs. Steuby and Mrs. Helms,

my egg overflow problem was solved.

Then I realized that Mrs. Loski

deserved eggs too.

But I didn't think it would be right

to charge her.

She had been such a good neighbor,

lending us supplies when we ran out...

...giving my mother a ride

when our car wouldn't start...

...it was the least I could do.

Besides, if I happened to run into Bryce,

that wouldn't be the end of the world.

Hi, Bryce.

JULl:
By the third time I brought eggs over

to the Loskis...

...I realized Bryce was waiting for me.

Waiting to pull open the door and say,

"Thanks, Juli. See you at school."

And in return,

I got a few moments alone...

...with the world's most dazzling eyes.

Thanks, Juli. See you at school.

JULl:

It was a bargain.

Until the day it wasn't.

It was two weeks after the sycamore tree

was cut down...

...and I was just starting

to feel normal again.

Hey, Juli. Right on schedule.

Yeah, well, neither rain nor sleet.

- Huh?

- You know, the mailman thing?

Oh. Right.

So, um, will you start

riding the bus again?

I don't know.

I haven't been up there since...

It doesn't look so bad anymore.

It's all cleared away.

Well, um, I better get ready for school.

Guess I'll see you there.

See you.

JULl:

Maybe Bryce was right.

Maybe it was time

I started riding the bus again.

After all, didn't he just tell me

he wanted me to?

Could it be that Bryce Loski

actually misses me?

[DOOR OPENS]

Juli? What are you still doing here?

I was just thinking.

It's pickup day. The cans are in front.

I know. You need some help?

No. Maybe I'll do it later.

Are those my eggs?

Yeah. Yeah, I dropped them.

They're not broken.

Why are you throwing them away?

Don't you want them?

It wasn't me.

My dad didn't think it was worth the risk.

Risk? What risk?

Salmonella.

What? He's afraid of being poisoned?

Well, Juli, I mean, look at your back yard.

It's a complete mess.

It's, like, covered in turds.

That's not true.

I clean up after my girls every day.

We just didn't wanna hurt your feelings.

Have you always thrown them away?

You know, Mrs. Steuby and Mrs. Helms

pay me for my eggs.

- They do?

- They pay me 60 cents a dozen.

I didn't know.

How could you?

I'm sorry.

No, you're not.

BRYCE:

It didn't take me long to realize...

...that I'd traded in my old problems

with Juli Baker...

...for a whole set of new ones.

It was actually worse having her mad at me

than having her annoy me.

The way she ignored me

was a constant reminder...

...that I'd been a jerk.

Then one day I was coming home

from playing basketball with Garrett...

...and things got weird.

CHET:
Don't be so timid.

Come on, you won't hurt them.

JULl:
Like this?

CHET:
Yeah, that's it.

BRYCE:

My grandfather.

All I ever saw him wear was slippers.

Now, where did he get those work boots?

I couldn't stop looking over there.

And the more I looked, the madder I got.

My grandfather had already said

more to Juli in one hour...

...than he'd said to me in the whole time

he'd been living with us.

I was pretty sure

I'd never seen him laugh.

And what was his deal with Juli Baker?

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

Hi, Grandpa.

Juli told me about the eggs.

You know, Bryce...

...one's character is set at an early age.

I'd hate to see you swim out so far

you can't swim back.

Sir?

It's about honesty, son.

Sometimes a little discomfort

in the beginning...

...can save a whole lot of pain

down the road.

BRYCE:
When it came to holding a grudge,

Juli Baker was truly impressive.

All week I tried to approach her

at school.

She'd always find some way to duck me.

And whenever she was in her yard,

Grandpa was always there with her.

Finally, one Saturday I saw my opening.

My grandfather had gone into town

to buy some Bengay.

I guess the yard work

was starting to get to him.

BRYCE:

It's looking real good.

Thanks. Chet did most of it.

I'm sorry for what I did.

I just don't get it, Bryce.

Why didn't you just tell me?

I don't know. It was dumb.

And I shouldn't have said anything

about your yard, either.

It wasn't right.

Maybe it's all for the best.

I mean, look, I learned so much from Chet,

it's amazing.

You're lucky.

I don't even have grandparents anymore.

Oh.

I feel sorry for him.

He misses your grandma.

Can you believe it?

He says I remind him of her.

- What?

- I know. That's what I said.

But he meant it in a nice way.

Something about her spirit.

Yeah.

Well...

Good luck with the grass.

I'm sure it'll come up great.

Thanks.

I guess I'll see you around.

I guess so.

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