get at it. At least Amelia smiled at him. That made him feel better.
AT LUNCH, HE wandered to the last table in the cafeteria where the banished few ate their meals. He took a seat next to a kid eating from a Star Trek lunch pail, wearing a Stargate T-shirt and reading a Star Wars comic book. Jack twirled his fork in some runny mashed potatoes, trying to think of what to do. How do you inform someone you have a living teddy bear in your backpack? Impossible. He had to tell someone, though.
“Hey, Jack,” Amelia bounced toward him in a blue, flower print skirt, balancing her tray in one hand. “What are you doing sitting way over here?”
“Shhh,” he whispered. “Sit down. I’ve got something to tell you.”
Her sudden seriousness gave away her thoughts. Jack could tell she sensed his tension and appeared to feel it herself. She seemed ready to sit with him when they were both startled by a sharp, scolding voice.
“Amelia,” Wendy barked. “You coming?”
“Yeah, yeah,” she answered breathlessly. “Just a sec’.”
“Hurry up,” Wendy tossed a condescending glance at Jack. Behind her, Jamie, Heather and Betsy glared down their noses. Wendy led her loyal followers to the table where Dillon and Mike had already taken their normal places.
“I…I gotta go,” Amelia backed away. “Why don’t you sit over here? There’s room at this table.”
He glanced at Dillon, who scowled back at him. “No. I don’t think so.”
DURING THE LAST recess of the day, Jack thought he would have another chance to spill his guts. He waited near the exits while Amelia chatted and strolled with her so-called friends. She noticed him and flashed a big smile.
“Hi, Jack!”
He waved expectantly but didn’t say anything. Amelia’s friends wouldn’t let him.
“Eeeewwww, Amelia!” Wendy hissed. “Gross!”
The other girls chuckled in agreement.
“What?” Jack heard Amelia stand up for him while they ambled to the jungle gym. “There’s nothing wrong with Jack.”
“I guess,” he heard Wendy say. “He’s kinda cute, but he’s really weird.”
He had no idea what Amelia said next. She said something, though, then separated from the group and jogged toward him.
“After school,” she squinted at the bag he had clutched against his chest. “I’ll meet you right here. Then we can talk about what you have in that backpack of yours.”
She didn’t give him time to show his astonishment, though the grin on her lips said it all. She knew he was hiding something. But how? Then he figured it out. He wasn’t so good at acting nonchalant. The way he hugged his bag, people must have thought it was his last possession on earth. He peeked to make sure nobody had noticed, sliding the straps over his shoulders.
WHEN THREE-NINETEEN finally arrived and the bell rang, Jack waited at his desk for the room to clear. In the hallway he took his time, stopping to untie and retie his shoes (which must have looked strange, since his checkered Vans were slip-ons), then pausing to drink from a faucet. Then he decided he needed to stall longer and dodged into the restroom despite not actually having to go. Though nobody was in there, he acted casual just the same. Soon his nerves got the best of him and he forgot where he was, focusing yet again on the creature in his backpack.
“Okay, little guy,” he slipped the bag off his shoulders and opened it to see the mottled fur, the spellbindingly reddish-brown eyes with jade-colored spots just below them. “I’m going to show you to Amelia, and I don’t want you to disappoint me again, you understand? If you just lay there like a dead fish I’m gonna…”
A toilet flushed. Jack shut his mouth. He grew hot with embarrassment. The door on the last stall creaked open and out stepped Lenny Nakashima. Nice kid. Jack’s age. Quiet. Kept to himself.
“Oh, hi. I was just…” Jack tried to cover his tracks. Lenny stood frozen as if he’d seen an alien. His stare
AT LUNCH, HE wandered to the last table in the cafeteria where the banished few ate their meals. He took a seat next to a kid eating from a Star Trek lunch pail, wearing a Stargate T-shirt and reading a Star Wars comic book. Jack twirled his fork in some runny mashed potatoes, trying to think of what to do. How do you inform someone you have a living teddy bear in your backpack? Impossible. He had to tell someone, though.
“Hey, Jack,” Amelia bounced toward him in a blue, flower print skirt, balancing her tray in one hand. “What are you doing sitting way over here?”
“Shhh,” he whispered. “Sit down. I’ve got something to tell you.”
Her sudden seriousness gave away her thoughts. Jack could tell she sensed his tension and appeared to feel it herself. She seemed ready to sit with him when they were both startled by a sharp, scolding voice.
“Amelia,” Wendy barked. “You coming?”
“Yeah, yeah,” she answered breathlessly. “Just a sec’.”
“Hurry up,” Wendy tossed a condescending glance at Jack. Behind her, Jamie, Heather and Betsy glared down their noses. Wendy led her loyal followers to the table where Dillon and Mike had already taken their normal places.
“I…I gotta go,” Amelia backed away. “Why don’t you sit over here? There’s room at this table.”
He glanced at Dillon, who scowled back at him. “No. I don’t think so.”
DURING THE LAST recess of the day, Jack thought he would have another chance to spill his guts. He waited near the exits while Amelia chatted and strolled with her so-called friends. She noticed him and flashed a big smile.
“Hi, Jack!”
He waved expectantly but didn’t say anything. Amelia’s friends wouldn’t let him.
“Eeeewwww, Amelia!” Wendy hissed. “Gross!”
The other girls chuckled in agreement.
“What?” Jack heard Amelia stand up for him while they ambled to the jungle gym. “There’s nothing wrong with Jack.”
“I guess,” he heard Wendy say. “He’s kinda cute, but he’s really weird.”
He had no idea what Amelia said next. She said something, though, then separated from the group and jogged toward him.
“After school,” she squinted at the bag he had clutched against his chest. “I’ll meet you right here. Then we can talk about what you have in that backpack of yours.”
She didn’t give him time to show his astonishment, though the grin on her lips said it all. She knew he was hiding something. But how? Then he figured it out. He wasn’t so good at acting nonchalant. The way he hugged his bag, people must have thought it was his last possession on earth. He peeked to make sure nobody had noticed, sliding the straps over his shoulders.
WHEN THREE-NINETEEN finally arrived and the bell rang, Jack waited at his desk for the room to clear. In the hallway he took his time, stopping to untie and retie his shoes (which must have looked strange, since his checkered Vans were slip-ons), then pausing to drink from a faucet. Then he decided he needed to stall longer and dodged into the restroom despite not actually having to go. Though nobody was in there, he acted casual just the same. Soon his nerves got the best of him and he forgot where he was, focusing yet again on the creature in his backpack.
“Okay, little guy,” he slipped the bag off his shoulders and opened it to see the mottled fur, the spellbindingly reddish-brown eyes with jade-colored spots just below them. “I’m going to show you to Amelia, and I don’t want you to disappoint me again, you understand? If you just lay there like a dead fish I’m gonna…”
A toilet flushed. Jack shut his mouth. He grew hot with embarrassment. The door on the last stall creaked open and out stepped Lenny Nakashima. Nice kid. Jack’s age. Quiet. Kept to himself.
“Oh, hi. I was just…” Jack tried to cover his tracks. Lenny stood frozen as if he’d seen an alien. His stare
Similar Books
