“Ahhhh!” I try to scream as Bob walks away with his backpack on his shoulders. “You forgot MEEEEE!!!!!!”

My cardboard heart sank.

“Bob!” I tried again, even though I knew it was useless. “BOB!”

He disappears around the corner, his backpack bouncing behind him. My little heart sinks.

I am a science project. I am supposed to sit on a table and be admired. That was my entire purpose, not to mention I’m worth half of his science grade.

Then, I look at myself.

Three perfectly decorated panels. A hand drawn diagram of the solar system. A glitter covered title that had taken Bob two hours because he insisted the glitter made it “more scientific” and, right in the middle, a picture of Pluto with a tiny speech bubble that said “I STILL COUNT.” I look like a project worth 100 points.

“This cannot be happening.”

I had approximately six hours until the science fair started. Six hours to get myself from his room to Bob. Unfortunately, I had no legs. Or arms. Or motor. Or any means of movement whatsoever.

I sighed as deeply as a cardboard trifold possibly could.

I thought as I heard a pair footsteps coming towards me. “Maybe Bob came back!”

My hope lasted approximately two seconds as a pair of sneakers stopped in front of me. It was Mrs. Jenkins, Bob’s mom.

She looked at me.

I looked at her. Not that she knew I was staring at her. She looked at the empty doorway. Then back at me.

“Oh, Bob,” she sighed. I could practically hear the disappointment in her voice, as she picked up my display board and carried me toward the science fair.

“Wait!” I wanted to scream. “Bob’s gotta be the one to bring me in!”

But Mrs. Jenkins didn’t know that. The bad side of being someone’s science project was that I couldn’t communicate with people. She carefully placed me in the back of the car and started driving towards school.

“There you go.” She said, and then she walked away after we got to school. She placed me next to a sign that said Bob’s name and left.

I stared at the other 50 or so projects surrounding me. There was a volcano, a robot, and something involving a potato and several wires that I did not entirely understand.

I looked toward the doors where students were beginning to arrive.

“Come on, Bob,” I whisper. “You’d better remember me this time.”

Because if he didn’t…

I had a feeling I was going to have to save his grade myself.