Nick is excited about his new word. He is ready to take his plan to the next level by convincing more kids to say "frindle" instead of "pen." He knows exactly where and how he wants to get more attention for his new word.

In Mrs. Granger’s class, Nick raises his hand. “Mrs. Granger, I forgot my frindle,” he says. Before Mrs. Granger has a chance to answer, Nick’s friend John jumps in to say he has an extra one Nick can borrow. John rummages through his backpack. As he looks, he says the word "frindle" several times. When he finds a pen, he makes sure everyone in the class sees him tossing it over to Nick. Nick misses catching the pen—the frindle—on purpose, then takes his time picking it up off the floor.

By the end of this little show, everybody in the class knows that Nick and John are using a funny new word, and they also know exactly what the word means. At first the kids laugh, but Mrs. Granger glares at the room until everyone falls silent. It seems that she might yell at Nick and John, but she does not, probably because she does not want to encourage them with more attention. She just makes the class do the day’s work as usual.

At the end of the class period, however, Mrs. Granger calls out to Nick. “I’d like to have a... word with you,” she says, putting extra stress on the word word. Nick knows exactly which word Mrs. Granger is talking about, but he pretends he does not.

Mrs. Granger looks at Nick sternly. “It’s a funny idea, Nicholas, but I will not have my class disrupted again. Is that clear?” she says. Nick does not say whether it is clear or not. He just pretends he has no idea what is upsetting Mrs. Granger. Mrs. Granger does not give up. To remind Nick of his “performance” with John at the beginning of class, she holds up her pen.

Nick knows this is one battle Mrs. Granger cannot win. “But I really didn’t have a frindle with me,” he says. Inside his head, he is pleased with himself for being brave enough to say this, but he refuses to let this feeling show on his face.

Mrs. Granger looks angry. She quietly sends Nick home. On the way out the door, Nick turns back and says, “And I promise I won’t ever forget my frindle again. Bye.”