Lessons I Never Learned at Meadowbrook Academy by Liz Maccie

thing I recall was that Mr. Putzio set fire to his backyard and his house, and then our backyard and our house. The Putzio’s house was toast, but luckily for us, the fire department arrived just in time to save our bedrooms and the kitchen, but the living room was burnt to a crisp. That night, thanks to our insurance and the fact that all the cheap hotels were booked, we moved into the very ritzy Claremont Suites for an entire month while our house was being repaired. And that’s where I met Carlos.
    I saw him for the first time standing at the edge of the pool. He was a young boy, around my age. His skin was tan, and his hair was black and curly. His eyes were a shade of brown that I had never seen before, almost like caramel. I was very heavy, and I looked like a round beach ball in my bathing suit. Even though I felt horribly insecure, I didn’t want to leave the pool.
    When he dove into the water, I would imagine living at the bottom of the pool with him. I could be a mermaid and he could be a merman and we would live in a castle. He would bring me flowers and put them in my hair, and I would find precious pool jewels and make him a necklace. He would tell me I was beautiful, and I would believe him. When he came up for air one time, he noticed me staring at him. And I quickly turned away.
    I looked for the boy from the pool for the next couple of days, but couldn’t find him. I thought about him, dreamed about him, and even wrote in my diary about him. Then one night, my mother gave me and Anthony five bucks each to go to the arcade and get out of her hair for a few hours. Anthony took off, and I decided to bypass the arcade and do a little exploring instead. I loved sneaking into places where I wasn’t supposed to be. My father always said he thought I’d wind up working for the FBI one day.
    I turned a corner to a long hallway, where all the hotel’s ballrooms were set up for the next day. There were two weddings, a conference meeting for some pharmaceutical company, and “Bill’s Eightieth Birthday.” I looked around and quickly opened the door to the Grand Deluxe Ballroom. It was pitch-black inside. I found a light switch and turned it on.
    The room glistened and glittered with gold and crystal and what seemed to be diamonds. I had never seen anything so beautiful before. All the tables had elegant white linen tablecloths that draped to the floor and gigantic silk flower arrangements that soared up toward the ceiling. I walked over to one of the tables and looked at the flowers. They were cream with just a hint of pink. It almost looked like the flowers were blushing. I couldn’t help myself, and I reached out and touched one. It was soft and silky and expensive. I got up on a chair and reached for an inconspicuous petal just as I heard, “Cuidado!”
    Startled, I quickly looked over in the direction from where the voice was coming. It was the boy from the pool.
    He took a few more steps closer to me. “Tu hablas Español?”
    I shook my head. “I don’t know what you’re saying.”
    My heart was racing. I couldn’t believe I was actually talking to the boy from the pool. He was so cute, standing there in a pair of faded jeans and a green-and-white soccer jersey. I was waiting for him to make fun of me, call me fat, or throw something at me, the same way all the kids made fun of me, but he didn’t. He just stood there. Looking at me.
    Finally he said, “You no speak Spanish?”
    â€œOh…no, I don’t. I speak English. Do you speak English?”
    â€œUn poquito.” He smiled. “Who you are? I Carlos.”
    Realizing how silly I must have looked standing on the chair, I hopped down to the ground. “I Roberta. I mean, I am Roberta.”
    â€œThat good.”
    I just stared at him, searching my brain for something to say. “I know, hola?”
    â€œHola! Yes, hello! That good.” He smiled again