Читать книгу Dance, Belle, Dance! - Beth Huffman - Страница 9

The first morning of school was great. Miss Rex asked us to stand up, face our classmates and introduce ourselves. She told us to share what we wanted to be when we grew up. I knew exactly what I wanted to say. I was pretty sure what Kylie would say too. Her row was called on before mine. I was a little worried because she’s so shy and she hates talking in class. She stutters when she’s really nervous. Her younger brother, Wesley, does the same thing.

Her voice was shaking when she said, “I w-w-want to be an artist.”

Miss Rex loved her answer and told her to bring some of her drawings to school. Kylie nodded that she would and quickly sat down. There was only one person in the room who made fun of her and that was Brooklyn. She was the meanest kid in our class. She was a bully. Nobody liked her. When Kylie was talking, she rolled her eyes like she was totally bored. I felt like smacking her. To make things worse, she moved her lips like she was stuttering. Miss Rex didn’t see it but I did. One way or another, I was going to get back at her.

I was ready the second she stood up. I turned around a little bit in my seat to look her straight in the eye. It was just far enough that Miss Rex couldn’t see the look on my face but Brooklyn could. I timed things perfectly. When she started to say she wanted to be a nurse, I faked a long and loud cough. It was impossible for everyone to hear her. She was so mad that her face turned red like a summer tomato. I just smiled at her.

When it was my turn to talk, I said, “I want to be an author. I want Kylie to draw the front covers on my books. She’s an amazing artist. She’s my best friend.”

When I sat down, Miss Rex said, “Class, this is a good time to teach you a new word. An illustrator is a person who draws the pictures in books. That’s what Kylie would be. How exciting if that really happens.”

I wish the school day could have ended right then. Unfortunately, I had to go to gym class next … with Brooklyn. I didn’t have a good feeling about it at all.

Miss Richmond was our gym teacher. Everybody loved her. She had this special way of making you feel like you mattered. Even when kids didn’t have enough energy to finish the relay races, she always said, “Good job! You did your best.”

Miss Rex walked us to the gym. She told us to stand in single file against the wall until Miss Richmond was finished teaching the class ahead of us. I felt this ache in my stomach when I looked across the gym floor. There was Miss Richmond talking to Mrs. Heldman. I heard her say how proud she was of the way the kindergarteners behaved. I also saw the only kindergartener who was jumping up and down. It was Belle.

I tried to turn around before she saw me but it was too late. She raced across the floor and hugged me around the waist. Everyone in the gym could hear her. “Macey, school is fun! Miss Richmond said I’m a fast runner.”

I tried to pull her arms away without hurting her. Miss Richmond saved me. “I know you’re excited to see Macey but you need to join your class now, Belle. It’s lunchtime.” That’s all it took. She held Miss Richmond’s hand and said, “We’re having hot dogs today. That’s my favorite. Mommy told me to eat everything on my tray but I’m not eating the baked beans.”

When Miss Richmond walked her back, Brooklyn had plenty of time to say whatever she wanted. She knew she wouldn’t get caught. “Oh, that was so cute, Macey. Your little sister hugged you. What’s wrong with her anyhow? She acts weird. Is she a loser like Kylie?”

The next thing I knew, I shoved Brooklyn so hard that her glasses went flying across the floor. I didn’t feel guilty at all. She deserved it. She put on a good show and acted like she was really hurt. When Miss Richmond ran over to see why she was crying, she said, “Macey pushed me on purpose. I don’t know why.”

Then Miss Richmond motioned for me to talk to her privately. “This isn’t like you, Macey. You get along with everyone. Why did you push her?”

“I couldn’t take it when she made fun of Belle and Kylie. She lied to you when she said that she didn’t know why I pushed her. She knows why.”

I could tell that Miss Richmond believed me. “At the end of class, I’ll need to take both of you to the principal’s office. Just tell Mrs. Basinger the truth. Don’t worry about anything that Brooklyn might say. You can’t control that. Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?”

“Yes.”

I’ll never forget climbing the 12 steps to the principal’s office. My legs felt so heavy. I had a feeling that I’d be the only one who got punished. Miss Richmond told us to sit in the secretary’s office, while she talked to Mrs. Basinger.

Brooklyn thought she could upset me with her threats. “You’re going to be in so much trouble when I tell the principal what you did, Macey.”

“Oh, I’m so afraid. You’re scaring me. Please stop.”

“Nobody pushes me around and gets away with it. You’ll be sorry.”

“I won’t be sorry at all. I should have pushed you harder.”

The argument ended when she was called into the principal’s office first. I was surprised that she wasn’t in there very long. I didn’t know if that was good news or bad news for me. When she walked out smiling like she’d won, I was pretty sure how things were going to end. I didn’t let on that it bothered me.

“Have a nice day, Brooklyn. It’s been fun spending time with you. We should do it again.”

When my name was called, Mrs. Basinger didn’t waste any time in asking questions. “Macey, you’re a leader in your class. Why did you do this? Fortunately, Brooklyn wasn’t hurt but she could have been. Tell me what happened and what you were thinking.”

For a few seconds, my mind went blank. The more I stared at the pale green tile, the dizzier I felt. I took a deep breath and said, “Miss Rex asked us to share something about ourselves with everyone. Kylie is my best friend and she stuttered when she gave her answer. She does that when she’s nervous. I could see Brooklyn making fun of her but Miss Rex couldn’t. So I was already mad when we got to gym class. Everybody knows she’s a bully and she always gets away with it. Then my sister saw me in the gym and hugged me. Brooklyn made fun of her. She said that Belle and Kylie are losers and act weird. That’s why I blew up.”

“Are you sorry at all for what you did?”

“Not really.”

“Do you think you should apologize to Brooklyn?”

“No.”

“Would you do things differently if you had the chance?”

“Not really.”

“Then you’ll need to miss recess for an entire week, starting this afternoon.”

“Okay.”

“Macey, I’m sorry that she said hurtful things. That was wrong. What bothers me is that you don’t seem worried about your actions.”

“The only thing I’m worried about is disappointing Miss Rex. I’m afraid she’ll think I’m a troublemaker and I’m not.”

“Then go ahead and return to class.”

I didn’t hurry back to my room. I had to stop and go to the restroom first. When I was washing my hands, I looked in the mirror and saw a few tears in my eyes. I quickly wiped them away. I didn’t want anyone to see me crying, especially Brooklyn. When I got to the room, I stood around the corner to hear what Miss Rex was saying. I was so relieved when she said, “Let’s line up for lunch now.” It gave me a chance to walk to my desk without drawing a lot of attention. When it was time for my row to get in line, I followed along.

As soon as Kylie and I started eating, she wanted to hear about everything. I said my stomach was too upset and I’d tell her on the bus. That didn’t satisfy her. “Macey, I know you’re in trouble because you stood up for me against Brooklyn. She made fun of my stuttering last year. I cried a lot at first but now I try to stay away from her. Just walk away.”

“I can’t, Kylie. She has no right to hurt your feelings. She shouldn’t be allowed to say terrible things about you and Belle and get by with it. I don’t even care about missing recess for a week. It’s worth it.”

“What are you going to say when you get home and your parents ask how your day went?”

“I think I’ll say that I learned where the principal’s office is.”

She couldn’t keep a straight face and neither could I. So we did what we always do. We cracked up laughing.