Akeelah and the Bee by James W. Ellison

the ruckus in the back of the auditorium. “Um, okay…. Next contestant.”
    Dylan took the mike. Akeelah glanced up and saw a very frustrated Mr. Welch coming down to the stage. He gestured to her urgently, but she ignored him. He turned to the Judge.
    His voice cracking with embarrassment, he said, “Excuse me, I’m sorry. One of the speller’s mothers needs to speak with her. I’m afraid it’s rather urgent.”
    The Judge nodded and regarded Mr. Welch coolly. “This is irregular.”
    “I understand that.”
    “Well, if she’s not back onstage by her next turn, she’s disqualified.”
    “Oh, she’ll be back. This will just take a minute.”
    He frantically gestured to Akeelah, who glanced over at the smirking Dylan. She then turned to Javier and he gave her an encouraging but wan smile. Humiliated, she got to her feet and slunk off the stage, her hands held stiffly to her sides. Javier followed her with his eyes, looking very concerned.
    Tanya, Akeelah, and Mr. Welch stood just outside the
auditorium’s rear door. Dr. Larabee followed them a moment later.
    “Mrs. Anderson, I swear we thought you were onboard with this,” Mr. Welch said.
    Tanya turned on Akeelah, speaking through clenched lips. “You wanna tell me what’s going on? I never signed any consent form. You’ve got some explaining to do, young lady.”
    Akeelah nervously looked at Dr. Larabee, who seemed as perplexed as Mr. Welch. Then she looked down, ashamed. She wished she could shrivel into nothing. Disappear from this world forever.
    “I signed Dad’s name to it,” she said finally, in a small voice.
    “You did what?” Tanya said, her voice rising. She was so enraged she took a threatening step toward Akeelah, who shrank back.
    “How do you think I felt when your friend Javier’s mother called to see if I needed a ride to USC? I didn’t know what she was talking about, or who she was. I felt like a fool.”
    “I’m sorry, Mama. I just wanted to do the bee. I had my heart set on it.”
    “And you were willing to do it by lying to me? Going behind my back all this time? How can I ever trust you again?” She let out a breath of sadness, anger, and disappointment. “Say goodbye to your friends, Akeelah, ’cause this is your last spelling bee. You are grounded.”

    She grabbed Akeelah by the hand to leave, but Mr. Welch intervened.
    “Mrs. Anderson, I beg you to reconsider. Akeelah’s doing this as much for Crenshaw as for herself. If she wins, there’s so much we’ll be able to accomplish for the school. New textbooks, needed repairs, some important hirings.” He turned to Dr. Larabee. “Josh, please… tell Mrs. Anderson how you’ve been working with Akeelah and how gifted she is. She deserves this opportunity.”
    Dr. Larabee stood there, trying to make sense of what was happening. He looked into Akeelah’s desperate eyes and then felt the heat of Tanya’s anger and sense of betrayal. He had a decision to make and it was not going to be an easy one.
    “No,” Dr. Larabee said, shaking his head. “Mrs. Anderson’s right. Akeelah doesn’t deserve to go to the bee this year. She lied to her mother and that’s unforgivable.”
    “What?” Mr. Welch stared at his friend, openmouthed. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Yes, Akeelah made a mistake, but doesn’t she deserve a second chance?”
    “Dr. Larabee,” Akeelah said. “Please….”
    He turned to her and said solemnly, “You have to learn to respect your mother’s wishes.” He then trained his gaze on Tanya, and after a pause said, “I apologize if we contributed to any anguish you’re feeling, Mrs. Anderson.”
    Tanya took a moment to size up this tall, dignified stranger before responding. “Who are you exactly, sir?”
    “My name’s Joshua Larabee, ma’am. And I’ve been helping Akeelah prepare for the spelling bee.”

    “You mean while she was supposed to be going to summer school?”
    “I’d been told that our lessons were taking the