The Beast in Ms. Rooney's Room by Patricia Reilly Giff Page B

“Someone is very lucky,” he said in a loud voice. He stared at Drake Evans. “Someone better watch out that Ms. Rooney doesn't unmix her records.”
    Drake shoved Richard on the arm. “I don't believe you.”
    “Yeah,” Andrew said. “Richard's making that up.”
    Richard rubbed his arm a little. It probably would be black and blue by this afternoon. “Someone else should have been left back instead,” he yelled.
    But no one was paying attention to him now. Except for Kevin.
    Kevin licked his lips. “Are you sure?” he asked Richard.
    Before Richard could answer, about four kids began to yell at him to get off the field.
    Slowly Richard walked away.
    He wished he had never started that whole story.
    Not only was he a left-back. Now he was a left-back liar.

Chapter 3

    It was Monday again, a rainy day.
    Richard tried to wiggle his feet around in his sneakers. His socks were still wet from a puddle he had stamped on. His toes felt as if they were stuck together.
    The classroom door opened. Someone came in. Someone Richard had never seen before. She was tall and skinny. She had grayish skin the color of Emily Arrow's jump rope, and her eyeglasses were stuck up on her grayish hair.
    She was probably about eighty years old, Richard thought.
    “My name is Mrs. Paris,” she said. “I've just come from another school. I'm the new reading teacher.”
    Ms. Rooney stopped writing the boardwork. She put down her chalk.
    “I have good news for you,” Mrs. Paris said.
    “I'm going to take a few children for reading every day. Extra help for those who are having trouble.”
    Richard scrunched down in his seat. He could read about ten words.
    He'd probably be grown-up before he got into a book with a hard cover on it, he thought.
    Ms. Rooney pushed at her puffy brown hair and looked around the room. “That's wonderful,” she said.
    Richard scrunched down a little further. He stared at Matthew's neck.
    Ms. Rooney pointed. “Take Matthew.”
    Matthew slammed his notebook into his desk.
    Too bad for Matthew, Richard thought.
    “Alex Walker,” said Ms. Rooney. “And Emily Arrow.”
    Emily Arrow.
    Richard couldn't believe it. He thought Emily was the smartest kid in the class.
    Emily could add up numbers as fast as anything.
    But Ms. Rooney hadn't started reading groups yet. Richard hadn't heard Emily read.

    She was probably terrible. Worse than he was.
    Good. Terrific.
    “I think that's all,” Ms. Rooney was saying to Mrs. Paris.
    Richard shoved his tongue against his top tooth. It was still stuck in his gum like a little piece of cement.
    So what? He didn't have to go to reading.
    “Come, children,” Mrs. Paris said. “We'll go down to the Reading Room.”
    “Wait a minute,” Ms. Rooney said. “I think I forgot someone.”
    Richard didn't even wait to hear his name called. He pushed his notebook inside his desk.
    “I don't know how I could have forgotten Richard,” said Ms. Rooney. “Richard Best.”
    “Richard Worst,” Emily said.
    They followed Mrs. Paris down the hall. The Reading Room was full of junk.
    The pictures on the bulletin board were left over from last spring, when the other reading teacher was there. There were dirty-looking bunnies with cotton-pufftails, and tulips that didn't have any color left.
    All the windows were closed and the shades were down.
    “It smells in here,” Matthew said.
    Richard was surprised that Matthew could smell anything. “Like what?” he asked.
    Matthew raised his shoulders up in the air. “Sauerkraut, I think. Or asparagus.”
    “Smells like someone wet the bed,” Alex Walker said.
    Mrs. Paris poked at her eyeglasses.
    “Just take everything off the chairs,” she said.
    She went over to the windows, opened one a little, and began to snap up the shades.
    Richard slid into a seat at the big round table. Alex sat down on one side of him and Matthew on the other.
    Emily sat across from him. He tried not to look at her.
    There was a pile of drawing paper in