by Rob Buyea
I felt bad for James, watching him have this meltdown. “It’s okay,” I said, “you can keep the pictures, James. Bye.”
More yelling and crying and screaming. I hoped he would calm down soon, but I had to leave. I wanted to go. I didn’t like seeing that.
The whole situation upset me, and I think that was what gave me the courage to say something. We had just gone out into the hall when Lexie started right in.
“Like, what a weirdo. We better fix him up with Jessica. She’s the weirdest one in our class.”
“Just stop it!” I exploded. “Why do you always have to be so mean? You’re nice in the room with them. Why do you have to be mean now?” Fighting back tears, I turned and ran down the hall.
“He likes cows,” Lexie yelled after me. “Maybe he should date a cow like you, then.”
Hot tears streamed down my cheeks. I ran upstairs and into our bathroom. Jessica was there.
“Are you okay?” she asked as I came through the door crying.
Here was my true friend. I knew it now.
“I’m sorry I’ve been mean to you, Jessica. I won’t do it again.”
She walked over to me and we hugged. I felt better.
Dear God,
It’s Danielle. I know now that Jessica is my real friend. I pray that you can help Alexia not be so mean. And I pray for James. He was awful upset today. Please help him feel better and learn to handle when time is up. Thanks. Amen.
Alexia
Like, Peter knew what he was doing out there on that soccer field—hitting me with that Frisbee. So, like, I was constantly reminding him that he had killed our plant. “I told ya so,” I kept telling him. Yesterday he told me to stop annoying him.
Peter’s always picking on me. I bet it’s because he likes me. Like, all the boys think I’m pretty. They like my fancy clothes and sparkly lip gloss. They sure don’t look at Danielle. Like, she got so upset with me. She’s never yelled at me before. Must be she’s getting braver as she gets fatter. I’ll have to fix things with her again.
I do like going to the Collaborative Classroom. I don’t have to worry about things down there. The kids in that room love you no matter what. It’s nice. Teach had a good idea with that one. Joey likes my feather boas. I always wear them to his class so he can see them. Like, I think I’m going to ask if I can put some lip gloss on Emily. I think maybe she’ll like it. Like, every girl should try some lip gloss.
december
Peter
Last month Mr. T told us we had to read some stupid book and go spend time with the retards. That was what I thought at first, anyways. That was what I had always thought. The Collaborative Classroom was where the retards went to school. I guess it was James who made me change my mind. I mean, The Summer of the Swans was okay—sort of—but the Collaborative Classroom wasn’t what I thought at all.
The kids were actually pretty cool, especially James. If something spilled on the floor, or if there was a bunch of objects spread out on the table, he could tell you how many there were just by looking at them. I mean it, he could tell you immediately. No counting required. No matter how many there were—312 forks, or 813 Legos. He always got it right. And James was kind of cool to hang out with. He gave me low fives—not high fives, because eye contact was tough for him—and we played games. I liked going to see him.
So I liked Mr. T’s next idea. He never ran out of ideas.
“Okay, guys. Here’s the deal,” he told us in December. “We’re going to have a holiday party like every other class, but it’s going to be different.”
“Of course,” I blurted out. “That’s no surprise.” I do that sometimes, open my mouth before thinking. A lot of times, actually. Everybody—even Mr. T—cracked a smile, because I was right.
“You’ll form small groups and work to create a center focused on a certain holiday. It might be Christmas, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah.” Mr. T kept going with the directions, but I didn’t catch most of it. I was thinking. Then I did that blurt-out thing again.
“Mr. T, can we invite James and his friends to our party?”
Everyone was quiet and looked at me. Then Jessica said, “That’s a great idea.” And the rest of the class agreed. Mr. T had a smile stretched across his face. He just nodded. And I thought I saw him wipe at his eyes. I don’t know why he did that, though.
Jessica
Act 4, Scene 1
I chose Ramadan as my holiday. I wanted to research something I knew very little about. I ended up in a group with Anna, Danielle, Jeffrey, and Alexia. Alexia wanted to be with Katie, Wendy, Natalie, and Heather, but Mr. Terupt didn’t go for that. If he was looking for trouble, he got it.
Our task was clear. When Mr. Terupt announced the project, he said, “Your centers will need to include a research component, a game, an arts and crafts activity, and food. Your center will need to operate all by itself, because you’ll be visiting the other centers when people come to visit yours.”
My group started talking about who could do what, but Alexia didn’t let that go on too long. “Like, you need to do the research, Jessica. ’Cause like, you’re the smartest. Anna’s too stupid to read that stuff.”
Anna stared at the floor. She used to do a lot of that, but not as much these days. It wasn’t just her head that went down this time—her entire body sagged after Alexia’s nasty comment. Alexia looked at Jeffrey next, but she didn’t have the nerve to say anything. Then she smiled at me and Danielle. She got nothing in return from me, but I could see Danielle half smiling.
Jeffrey and I collaborated on the research, while Anna and Danielle were in charge of designing the arts and crafts activity. I wanted to work with Jeffrey. I had shared my secret with him, and he needed another chance to share his with me. Anna and Danielle had done fine together with the plants, so I knew they’d work well together this time. Plus, I hoped Danielle would become friends with Anna despite her grandmother’s warnings. Alexia named herself as our group manager. According to her, she was responsible for overseeing all of our work. Or as she put it, “Like, I’ll just watch and make sure everybody is doing what they’re supposed to do. I’ll be, like, our manager.” I think she meant boss.
We went along with Alexia’s grand plan because it was easier not to have her involved in our tasks. But that wasn’t good enough for Alexia. No, she tried her best to get everyone mad at each other. That’s what she was all about.
Act 4, Scene 2
One day during project time I was meeting with Jeffrey and Anna, discussing how to put our center together. Danielle was nearby organizing the arts and crafts materials that she and Anna had been working tirelessly to create. Then Alexia made her move.
“Like, don’t you guys think Danielle should be in charge of the food?” Alexia said loud enough for Danielle to hear. I braced myself for what was coming next. “I mean, just look at her. Like, she’s so fat, she must be good with food.”
Danielle hurried out of the room. None of us said or did anything. It was as if we thought pretending nothing had happened would make everything better. It didn’t. My turn to be hurt came next. Alexia didn’t spare me.
Act 4, Scene 3
Jeffrey and I decided that making a trivia game about Ramadan was the perfect way for people to learn about our holiday and what we’d researched. It took loads of work. We had just finished writing all our research as questions on the trivia cards.
Enter Alexia. She must have just come from the bathroom. She wore fresh shiny lip gloss and chewed on a new piece of gum. She paraded over to us with an exaggerated hip motion in her jean skirt and zebra tights, bent down, and grabbed some of the trivia cards. She looked them over, but I don’t think she read any of them. She snapped her gum that she wasn’t supposed to have.
“Like, nobody’s gonna understand these questions.” She stared right at me. “Nobody ever understands you, not with all your stuck-up words. Like, you just want to make everyone else feel stupid. You think you’re so smart.” She f
licked the card at me.
That wasn’t true. I didn’t try to do that.
Act 4, Scene 4
Enter Mr. Terupt.
“Alexia.”
I looked up. I didn’t even know he was there. Alexia didn’t, either. She spun around, alarmed.
“I think it’s time for you to follow me.”
He escorted her out of the room. They were gone for a while.
Act 4, Scene 5
Enter Mr. Terupt, without Alexia. Where was she?
“I need to talk to the four of you now,” he said, looking at Jeffrey, Danielle, Anna, and me. We sat down in our project area.
“I’ve watched Alexia be unpleasant to all of you. I hoped that one of you was going to stand up to her and tell her to stop. You didn’t.”
I looked down. I knew I should have done something. I wasn’t strong like the friends in my books.
“If you let people get away with being mean, they’re going to keep being mean. You need to stick up for each other. Even Alexia isn’t tough enough to make fun of you—not if all four of you stick together.”
I could feel Mr. Terupt’s eyes on me. He leaned forward, trying to peer up into my face. He tried to make eye contact with each of us. We all stared at the floor.
“You should be disappointed,” he said. “You should stand by each other. That’s what being friends is all about.”
Still, we sat quiet. Anna wiped her eyes. So did Danielle.
“Don’t sit and pout,” Mr. Terupt said. “That won’t help anything. You need to keep working. Learn from this and don’t make the same mistake again.”
Exit Mr. Terupt.
Act 4, Scene 6
What was Jeffrey thinking? I wondered. What were Danielle and Anna feeling?
“I’m never talking to Alexia again,” Danielle said.
“Me, neither,” Anna added.
“That’s no better,” I said. “We don’t have to be friends with her, but we can’t shut her out. We have to be bigger people.” I looked down again. I felt as disappointed in myself as Mr. Terupt did in all of us. I wasn’t brave enough.
LUKE
Our bathroom is positioned directly across the hall from our classroom. Who cares, right? I’d never thought anything of it until the day I felt trapped out there. I saw the shakedown (dollar word), all compliments of Peter.
I was in the classroom working on my holiday center. All my materials were spread out on the floor, and I was busy calculating the proper dimensions for my gameboard. Mr. Terupt was on the other side of the room checking in with a different group. I didn’t notice Peter. I stretched out on my belly and worked the math. The soles of my sneaks pointed up—a great invitation for mess-around Peter. I never felt a thing. He’s definitely sneaky. I sometimes wonder what’s the likelihood (dollar word) Peter will grow up to be a world-famous thief. I had no clue anything was even happening until I heard the giggling and Peter said, “Hey, Luke, what kind of sneaks are those? Elmer’s?”
I popped my head up. “What are you talking about?”
“Better be careful. If you try to go anywhere in those, you might get stuck.”
I looked back at my feet. Mess-around Peter had struck. The bottoms of my sneakers were completely covered in Elmer’s glue.
“You jerk,” I said, without any real authority. Truth is, I didn’t really care. It wasn’t worth getting upset over. Besides, I’m sort of used to Peter’s antics. I thought they were always harmless. I untied my shoes and placed them next to me—bottoms up, of course—until I finished my math. Peter’s victory celebration was cut short by my easy solution. Maybe I don’t get upset with Peter because I know I’ll always outwit him. This drives him nuts, and I love it.
Once I finished my calculations, I grabbed my sneakers and headed to the bathroom. Mr. Terupt was still busy with a different group so he didn’t see any of Peter’s shenanigans or me leaving the classroom. I held my shoes under the sink and washed off the glue. Then I wiped the soles dry with a paper towel and put my sneakers back on. I pushed the bathroom door open and quickly jumped back inside. I was trapped.
Mr. Terupt was having a conference with someone out in the hall. I pushed the door open just a crack to see who it was.
“You’ve done it your way,” he said. Mr. Terupt had his back to me. He was leaning forward, talking to the person against the wall. “Now you’ll do it my way.” He straightened up and folded his arms. He meant business. And that was when I saw who it was.
Black and purple streaks covered her cheeks, a combination of her makeup and tears. Alexia—crying. I had never seen or heard of Alexia crying before.
“I like you, Lexie. I want some of your classmates to like you, too. I’m trying to help. I want you to be friendlier [dollar word]. I will not tolerate your meanness anymore.”
Wow! Was this really going to work?
“Go into the bathroom and wash your face. Come back when you’re ready. Is there anything you want to say before I go back in?”
Alexia stormed past Mr. Terupt without looking at him, and without saying a word. Mr. Terupt let out a big sigh and shook his head. Then he walked back into the classroom. I wonder what he was thinking. I decided not to say anything about my sneakers. It didn’t seem important. Mr. Terupt had more serious matters on his plate, like discipline (dollar word).
I waited a few minutes before following Mr. Terupt into the classroom. I didn’t want it to seem obvious that I’d been eavesdropping, but I was eager to tell somebody about what I had just seen. That’s why I think I walked into the classroom a little rushed and wasn’t really paying attention. Even if I had been, it probably would have happened.
I’d barely walked through the door before I stepped in a puddle of water. My feet went up and my arms flew out. I flailed like an ostrich trying to catch its balance. Somehow I managed to stay upright after sliding across the linoleum floor to the carpet. Mr. Terupt was having a serious conversation with Jessica, Danielle, Jeffrey, and Anna, so he didn’t see any of this. But Peter, Ben, Nick, and some of the other guys rolled around in hysterics. I knew what they had done. Or should I say what Peter had done. He likes to put his thumb over the opening of the drinking fountain (dollar word) and push the button. It’s another one of his infamous stunts. This one makes the water shoot all the way to the door. That was how the puddle miraculously appeared on the floor. Whether Peter meant to have the water on the floor, or if it just ended up there after he sprayed someone else, I don’t know. Either way, it doesn’t matter. I didn’t have time to do anything about it, because someone else came through the door just after me.
She must have been making her rounds, going from class to class, just to visit for a few minutes. Today was her unlucky day. Mrs. Williams took one step into our classroom and hit the water. I felt sorry for her. She was wearing a navy blue suit (a jacket and skirt) with high heels. She wasn’t able to keep her balance. Her foot shot way out to the side as soon as it touched the puddle. I thought she was going to do a split, but then her other foot touched the water and slid forward. Mrs. Williams fell backward with her arms grabbing empty air. She landed smack on her back, right in the water, with her legs stuck in the air. That was when I saw my principal’s underwear.
I couldn’t believe it. I knew I shouldn’t keep staring but I couldn’t look away. We all gawked at her multicolored flower underwear. And that’s not the best of it—or the worst of it, if you’re Mrs. Williams. Her underwear was a bit discombobulated. In other words, she had a wedgie! It was unbelievable! I’ll never forget it, not as long as I live. I swear it. It was the day I saw my principal’s underwear, and more.
Mr. Terupt rushed over to help her. The rest of us fought to keep from laughing. It was our principal, after all. Even Peter wasn’t snickering. He actually looked nervous.
“Mrs. Williams, are you okay?” Mr. Terupt said, helping her to her feet. “Peter, get some towels to wipe this water up.”
Why did he pick Peter? Because he knew Peter
’s antics led to the water being on the floor. I’m sure it was his way of letting Peter know he knew.
“I’m okay,” Mrs. Williams said, brushing herself off and smoothing out her clothes. “Sorry for the interruption.” She turned and left. How embarrassing! As soon as the door closed behind her, the laughter and whispers started.
“Clearly this can’t happen again,” Mr. Terupt said. “We’re lucky Mrs. Williams didn’t get hurt, or that someone else didn’t, either. I expect we won’t have water pooled on the floor like that again.” Mr. Terupt looked directly at Peter after saying this. Yep, he knew. He shook his head, then walked over to his desk.
I thought for sure this event would be unequaled (dollar word) by any other for the rest of the year. Little did I know that something much bigger was coming our way.
Alexia
Teach was like, “Alexia, I think it’s time for you to follow me.”
I went into the hall with him. He closed the door behind us. Teachers had done this stuff with me before. It was like, no big deal.
I didn’t even give Teach a chance. “They’re being so mean to me,” I blurted out. “They won’t let me do anything. Jessica thinks, like, she’s the boss.”
But this is where Teach was different again.
“Wrong,” he said. “Stop.”
“But—”
He put both hands up. “Just stop,” he said.
I was quiet. He looked right at me.
“You’re lying. And I don’t like liars,” he said. “You’re being mean. And I don’t like mean people.”
I felt real tears coming. I didn’t want to cry. Not for real. I squeezed my teeth together and scrunched my eyes. I held my purse hard with both hands.