at the straw, watching me the whole time. “So where’d you go during math?”
I told him about being sent to James’s office, then Mrs. Wimple’s not-so-subtle remarks after class. “I don’t want to be Puck, and she knows it.”
Ty rolled his eyes at me. “You’ll be great. Don’t worry about it.” He chewed on his straw.
I waited a few seconds to see if he’d say anything else, but he didn’t. Was his day as bad as mine? Giving up, I went to the counter and ordered two scoops of strawberry. It was a flavor that could go with nearly anything. If Ty wanted some, he could have a bite. I carried my cup to the table and sat, then tried to change the subject to get Ty talking.
“Something is definitely up with Saber and Mauri. They treat Dezzie like she’s a pet. I’m surprised they haven’t put a leash around her neck.” A knot of irritation pulled tight in my middle. “It’s even gotten worse since we got in that fight.”
“What do you mean?” Ty slurped at the straw. A burbly sound came from the cup—he was almost finished.
“Dezzie doesn’t want to talk to me, so she hangs out with them even more. She follows them around and talks Shakespeare all day. They’re totally using her brains to pass English.”
“Why do you care?” asked Ty. He rattled the empty container on the tabletop.
Honestly, I didn’t know. I mean, cheating is wrong, so there was that part of it. They were taking advantage of her. But plenty of other kids cheated and it didn’t bug me. I guess because she was my sister.
“Is there anything else going on?” Ty asked.
I swallowed a heaping spoonful of strawberry and immediately got brain freeze. I winced. “What do you mean, ‘anything else’? I think this is enough to deal with, don’t you?”
Ty’s face pulled into a funny, tight expression: eyebrows scrunched, mouth in a thin line pulled down at the corners. “I don’t know. What about KC and those guys? Aren’t they around all the time?”
I shrugged and went for more ice cream. My spoon scraped against the paper bottom.
“I guess they’re around,” I said, when I’d swallowed again. “But they don’t seem very interested in Dezzie. At least, not like Saber and Mauri.”
Ty fiddled with his straw. “Maybe you’re making a big deal over nothing. I mean, you guys are in a fight, right? Maybe that’s making you more worried than you should be.”
“Maybe, but I don’t think so,” I said.
“She’s a smart kid,” he said in an offhanded way. “She’ll be fine.”
But that was the problem—even though she’s smart, Dezzie is still a kid. Ty wasn’t going to be able to help with the situation—at least not while he was in this prickly mood—so I decided to let it go.
After a few minutes, Ely and Judith came in. Judith smiled and said hi, and when she thought I wasn’t looking, I saw her glance from Ty to me and back to Ely with a raised eyebrow. What was going on?
“So what’s up with English?” Ely asked. The way he attacked his bowl of chunky lumpy chocolate you’d think he was excavating an ancient burial ground—he ate around each white chocolate chunk, almond, and brownie bit.
“Dude, why do you eat it that way?” Judith asked. She gestured toward his bowl with her spoon. “You’re dismantling that poor dessert.”
“Saving the best parts for last,” Ely muttered, all his concentration on separating the chocolate ice cream from a partially buried brownie cluster. He raised his eyes to me. “English. Spill.”
I turned to Ty for help, but he was watching Felix, the best scooper at the Spoon, as he attempted to double stack blue bubblegum and what appeared to be cake batter for a little kid. The top flavor—cake batter or perhaps vanilla?—wobbled, but Felix smooshed it with his ice cream paddle and it held. Victory!
“Now Wimple wants me to play Puck.” I paused.
“And you’re surprised by this?” Judith asked. “I don’t know why you can’t just
I told him about being sent to James’s office, then Mrs. Wimple’s not-so-subtle remarks after class. “I don’t want to be Puck, and she knows it.”
Ty rolled his eyes at me. “You’ll be great. Don’t worry about it.” He chewed on his straw.
I waited a few seconds to see if he’d say anything else, but he didn’t. Was his day as bad as mine? Giving up, I went to the counter and ordered two scoops of strawberry. It was a flavor that could go with nearly anything. If Ty wanted some, he could have a bite. I carried my cup to the table and sat, then tried to change the subject to get Ty talking.
“Something is definitely up with Saber and Mauri. They treat Dezzie like she’s a pet. I’m surprised they haven’t put a leash around her neck.” A knot of irritation pulled tight in my middle. “It’s even gotten worse since we got in that fight.”
“What do you mean?” Ty slurped at the straw. A burbly sound came from the cup—he was almost finished.
“Dezzie doesn’t want to talk to me, so she hangs out with them even more. She follows them around and talks Shakespeare all day. They’re totally using her brains to pass English.”
“Why do you care?” asked Ty. He rattled the empty container on the tabletop.
Honestly, I didn’t know. I mean, cheating is wrong, so there was that part of it. They were taking advantage of her. But plenty of other kids cheated and it didn’t bug me. I guess because she was my sister.
“Is there anything else going on?” Ty asked.
I swallowed a heaping spoonful of strawberry and immediately got brain freeze. I winced. “What do you mean, ‘anything else’? I think this is enough to deal with, don’t you?”
Ty’s face pulled into a funny, tight expression: eyebrows scrunched, mouth in a thin line pulled down at the corners. “I don’t know. What about KC and those guys? Aren’t they around all the time?”
I shrugged and went for more ice cream. My spoon scraped against the paper bottom.
“I guess they’re around,” I said, when I’d swallowed again. “But they don’t seem very interested in Dezzie. At least, not like Saber and Mauri.”
Ty fiddled with his straw. “Maybe you’re making a big deal over nothing. I mean, you guys are in a fight, right? Maybe that’s making you more worried than you should be.”
“Maybe, but I don’t think so,” I said.
“She’s a smart kid,” he said in an offhanded way. “She’ll be fine.”
But that was the problem—even though she’s smart, Dezzie is still a kid. Ty wasn’t going to be able to help with the situation—at least not while he was in this prickly mood—so I decided to let it go.
After a few minutes, Ely and Judith came in. Judith smiled and said hi, and when she thought I wasn’t looking, I saw her glance from Ty to me and back to Ely with a raised eyebrow. What was going on?
“So what’s up with English?” Ely asked. The way he attacked his bowl of chunky lumpy chocolate you’d think he was excavating an ancient burial ground—he ate around each white chocolate chunk, almond, and brownie bit.
“Dude, why do you eat it that way?” Judith asked. She gestured toward his bowl with her spoon. “You’re dismantling that poor dessert.”
“Saving the best parts for last,” Ely muttered, all his concentration on separating the chocolate ice cream from a partially buried brownie cluster. He raised his eyes to me. “English. Spill.”
I turned to Ty for help, but he was watching Felix, the best scooper at the Spoon, as he attempted to double stack blue bubblegum and what appeared to be cake batter for a little kid. The top flavor—cake batter or perhaps vanilla?—wobbled, but Felix smooshed it with his ice cream paddle and it held. Victory!
“Now Wimple wants me to play Puck.” I paused.
“And you’re surprised by this?” Judith asked. “I don’t know why you can’t just