Читать книгу Dance, Belle, Dance! - Beth Huffman - Страница 10

I wasn’t sure what to do when we went back to class and Miss Rex said it was time for recess. I didn’t know if I should stay in my seat or go straight to the principal’s office. When she dismissed everyone in my row, she stood right beside my desk. I knew then that I shouldn’t stand up.

Some teachers make it worse for kids who are already in trouble. They might say, “Everyone but Macey can go out for recess.” Miss Rex isn’t like that. She waited until everyone was gone. Then she handed me a tissue when she saw the tears that were dripping off my chin.

“Take a deep breath. I’m not going to scold you. I’m going with you to Mrs. Basinger’s office. You and I are going to talk privately about the problem with Brooklyn.”

She held my hand after I stood up. That made me feel a lot better. When we started up the steps, I said, “Miss Rex, my legs felt heavy when I was going up these this morning. Now they feel a lot better.” She didn’t say a word. I figured that meant I should keep my mouth shut the rest of the way.

Since Mrs. Basinger wasn’t in her office, I was hoping Miss Rex would say we’d go back to her room to talk. Instead, we went into a small room that had one desk and one chair. Even with the light on, the room seemed dark because there weren’t any windows. It felt a little creepy.

“Macey, sit down. I want you to listen very carefully to everything I say. I also want you to feel comfortable in telling me what you’re thinking. I want to know why you lost your temper and pushed Brooklyn so hard.”

“Kylie stutters when she gets nervous. She can’t help it. Brooklyn teased her all the time last year when we were at recess. She called her Stutter Girl. She always made sure that the recess monitor didn’t hear her. She makes fun of kids all the time. She always gets by with it and that’s not fair.”

“A lot of things in life don’t seem fair. What matters is how you handle tough situations. Let me ask you this. Did you see Brooklyn make fun of Kylie in class this morning?”

“Yes.”

“When she stood up to talk, I noticed your extra loud coughing. You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Yes. I’m fed up with her.”

“So tell me what happened after I walked all of you to gym class.”

“My sister is probably the wildest kindergarten kid that Mrs. Heldman has ever had. Mom and Dad are constantly telling her to calm down but it really doesn’t help. When she saw me in the gym, she ran over and hugged me.”

“Then what happened?”

“Belle finally let go of me when Miss Richmond told her it was time for lunch. When they were walking to the other end of the gym, Brooklyn acted like a big snob and said how weird Belle was. Then she said that Belle and Kylie are losers. That’s when I shoved her. I’m sorry if you’re disappointed in me but what was I supposed to do?”

“First of all, I’m not disappointed in you. I’m actually proud of you for defending Kylie and Belle. I just don’t like the way you went about it. Bullies want attention. When you shoved her, she got that attention she wanted. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“I understand but it still isn’t fair. She didn’t get in trouble at all.”

“You made your mistake by doing something that could have physically hurt her. The best way to defeat a bully is to ignore them. She wanted to get a reaction from you and she did. You shouldn’t have responded at all.”

“What good would that have done?”

“It would have taken away her power.”

“I need some more suggestions, Miss Rex. I really don’t think I can walk away from her when she says horrible things about Belle and Kylie.”

“Then tell a teacher or the guidance counselor. We’re trained in dealing with this. Nothing makes us madder than bullies.”

“Then why doesn’t she have to miss recess?”

“Don’t worry about her. I need for you to give me your word that you’ll use better judgment from now on. Do you promise?”

“I promise.”

“Good. I have high hopes for you. Don’t let me down.”

“I won’t.”

“Then I think it’s time for us to go back to class. Recess will be over in a few minutes. Do you have any questions before we leave?”

“Just one. This room feels like a prison. Is this where I have to stay?”

“It is. The time will go quickly. Bring some good books to read.”