it.”
He had no idea if what he said made sense or not.
“Mr. Umbridge,” said Mr. MacFarland. “Does that mean you have the right to do anything you want in order to pursue happiness? If smoking marijuana makes you happy, do you have the right to smoke marijuana?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s supposed to be bad for you.”
“Is that something the government should decide? Or should people be allowed to make their own choices? Cigarettes are bad for you, but they’re not illegal. Alcohol is bad for you. Even television is bad for you. What if it was discovered that television caused severe brain damage? Should the government be allowed to make it against the law to watch television? Miss Peters.”
“I don’t think they could ever make television illegal. It’s just like cigarettes. The cigarette companies are too powerful. Too many people would lose their jobs and …”
When the bell rang, David quickly left his seat and hurried out the door so that Tori Williams wouldn’t try to say good morning to him.
“Y OU WANT to go with us to the park after school today?” Mo asked David at lunch. “We’re going to watch criminals pick up trash.”
“See, every Wednesday criminals come to the park and pick up trash,” Larry explained.
“Robbers and murderers,” said Mo.
“Well, I don’t know if there are any murderers,” said Larry. “I think they are mostly drunk drivers and shoplifters.”
“Oh, I thought there’d be murderers,” said Mo, obviously disappointed.
“Well, maybe there are a few murderers,” said Larry.
David figured Larry didn’t want him along. “Sorry,” he said. “I can’t make it. Besides, I don’t think I should be around murderers when I still might be cursed.”
“The curse is gone,” said Larry. “The lemonade took care of that.”
“I just want to be careful,” said David. “You said three days was the standard waiting period.”
“You just want to be cursed so you don’t have to ask Tori out on a date,” said Mo.
“Bullshit,” said David.
Larry and Mo looked oddly at him. For some reason it sounded strange to hear David say “Bullshit.”
He felt odd about it too, and blushed right after he said it.
A FTER LUNCH he headed toward P.E.
“Hello, Mr. Ballinger,” said Tori, hurrying alongside him.
“Hi,” he muttered, looking down at the ground.
“I liked what you said in homeroom,” she said, “about happiness. Having to be sad in order to be happy.”
“Yeah, well, I just had to say something,” he said, then walked quickly away from her and into the boys’ locker room.
“Bye, David,” he heard her say behind him.
He walked down the row of lockers. Lately he had begun to dread gym. He felt very vulnerable there, especially when changing clothes. So far he’d beenleft pretty much alone, except for being called a few names. But he was constantly afraid that Roger and some of his friends might try to steal his clothes or put a jockstrap over his face.
He tried not to run around too much during soccer. He didn’t want to sweat too much because he didn’t want to have to shower. When he returned to the locker room, he quickly changed his clothes, then went to the bathroom and splashed his face with cold water.
“Your brother’s got more guts than you do,” said Roger Delbrook. He was combing his hair in front of the bathroom mirror. “Sure Glen beat him up, but at least he fought back. That’s more than you ever do. You just stand there like a pile of—”
The gym teacher entered the bathroom.
David headed outside. He saw Tori Williams coming out of the girls’ locker room. He quickly turned before she spotted him.
“W HAT’S WITH you and Ricky?” asked his mother. “He said he hated you.”
“I don’t know,” said David. He was sitting at his desk doing his homework.
“I think you should go talk to him.”
“I’m doing my homework,” said David.
He wondered if Glen had really beaten up
He had no idea if what he said made sense or not.
“Mr. Umbridge,” said Mr. MacFarland. “Does that mean you have the right to do anything you want in order to pursue happiness? If smoking marijuana makes you happy, do you have the right to smoke marijuana?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s supposed to be bad for you.”
“Is that something the government should decide? Or should people be allowed to make their own choices? Cigarettes are bad for you, but they’re not illegal. Alcohol is bad for you. Even television is bad for you. What if it was discovered that television caused severe brain damage? Should the government be allowed to make it against the law to watch television? Miss Peters.”
“I don’t think they could ever make television illegal. It’s just like cigarettes. The cigarette companies are too powerful. Too many people would lose their jobs and …”
When the bell rang, David quickly left his seat and hurried out the door so that Tori Williams wouldn’t try to say good morning to him.
“Y OU WANT to go with us to the park after school today?” Mo asked David at lunch. “We’re going to watch criminals pick up trash.”
“See, every Wednesday criminals come to the park and pick up trash,” Larry explained.
“Robbers and murderers,” said Mo.
“Well, I don’t know if there are any murderers,” said Larry. “I think they are mostly drunk drivers and shoplifters.”
“Oh, I thought there’d be murderers,” said Mo, obviously disappointed.
“Well, maybe there are a few murderers,” said Larry.
David figured Larry didn’t want him along. “Sorry,” he said. “I can’t make it. Besides, I don’t think I should be around murderers when I still might be cursed.”
“The curse is gone,” said Larry. “The lemonade took care of that.”
“I just want to be careful,” said David. “You said three days was the standard waiting period.”
“You just want to be cursed so you don’t have to ask Tori out on a date,” said Mo.
“Bullshit,” said David.
Larry and Mo looked oddly at him. For some reason it sounded strange to hear David say “Bullshit.”
He felt odd about it too, and blushed right after he said it.
A FTER LUNCH he headed toward P.E.
“Hello, Mr. Ballinger,” said Tori, hurrying alongside him.
“Hi,” he muttered, looking down at the ground.
“I liked what you said in homeroom,” she said, “about happiness. Having to be sad in order to be happy.”
“Yeah, well, I just had to say something,” he said, then walked quickly away from her and into the boys’ locker room.
“Bye, David,” he heard her say behind him.
He walked down the row of lockers. Lately he had begun to dread gym. He felt very vulnerable there, especially when changing clothes. So far he’d beenleft pretty much alone, except for being called a few names. But he was constantly afraid that Roger and some of his friends might try to steal his clothes or put a jockstrap over his face.
He tried not to run around too much during soccer. He didn’t want to sweat too much because he didn’t want to have to shower. When he returned to the locker room, he quickly changed his clothes, then went to the bathroom and splashed his face with cold water.
“Your brother’s got more guts than you do,” said Roger Delbrook. He was combing his hair in front of the bathroom mirror. “Sure Glen beat him up, but at least he fought back. That’s more than you ever do. You just stand there like a pile of—”
The gym teacher entered the bathroom.
David headed outside. He saw Tori Williams coming out of the girls’ locker room. He quickly turned before she spotted him.
“W HAT’S WITH you and Ricky?” asked his mother. “He said he hated you.”
“I don’t know,” said David. He was sitting at his desk doing his homework.
“I think you should go talk to him.”
“I’m doing my homework,” said David.
He wondered if Glen had really beaten up
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