back of the rim, bounced against the backboard, then dropped through the net.
“Great shot!” said Jeff.
“Way to go,” said Andy, patting him on the back.
At first he couldn’t believe it, but then he saw Carla’s book, lying on the ground at the base of thebasket.
No wonder
, he realized.
Everyone headed for the water fountain. Bradley went along, too, even though he wasn’t thirsty. But then, once he got there, he realized he was thirsty. He just hadn’t noticed.
“Good game, Bradley,” said Brian.
“You just have to stop passing to people who aren’t on your team!” said Dan.
“Maybe you should give the rest of us on your team black eyes too,” said Robbie. “Then you’ll know who to pass to.”
Everyone laughed, even Bradley.
He and Jeff were the last two left at the water fountain. Everyone else had already started back to class. As they drank, their eyes met and they broke up laughing.
“How
did
you get the black eye?” Bradley asked after he stopped laughing.
“Melinda,” said Jeff.
Bradley nodded. “She’s strong,” he said.
“Oh boy, you can say that again,” said Jeff.
They laughed again.
“My book!” Bradley suddenly exclaimed. He ran back to the basketball court where he’d left it.
Jeff shook his head as he watched Bradley run away.
Life’s weird
, he thought.
He walked into the boys’ bathroom and splashed his sweaty face with cold water. He had to hold the faucet down with one hand and splash his face with the other.
Colleen Verigold walked in.
He stared at her.
She looked around, then screamed and ran outside.
Jeff watched the door swing shut behind her.
34 .
Life was too weird for Jeff to return to class.
Anytime you want to talk again
, Carla had said,
please feel free to come and see me. Even if you just feel like getting out of class for a while
.
He hoped she had really meant it. He had a lot he wanted to say to her, beginning with “I’m sorry.”
He slowly walked to her office. He hoped she wasn’t with somebody else. He knocked.
Carla opened the door and smiled when she saw him. “Hello, Jeff.”
He smiled. “Hi, Carla. I’m—”
He stopped because he saw somebody else sitting at the round table.
“I believe you two know each other,” said Carla.
Jeff lowered his eyes. “Hello, Colleen,” he muttered.
Colleen Verigold covered her face with her hands.
“You don’t mind if Jeff joins us, do you, Colleen?” Carla asked.
Colleen shook her head with her hands still over her face.
Jeff awkwardly sat down. “Mrs. Ebbel doesn’t know I’m here,” he said.
“I’ll write you a note,” said Carla.
Colleen peeked out from between her fingers. “I’m not supposed to be here either,” she said.
Carla turned to Colleen. “So what’s the big emergency? Can you say it in front of Jeff?”
“He already knows,” said Colleen. She looked at Jeff. “You better not tell anybody!”
“I won’t,” Jeff promised.
“Tell anybody what?” asked Carla.
“Colleen walked into the boys’ bathroom,” said Jeff. “I was there washing my face.”
“Jeff!” Colleen exploded. “You just promised you wouldn’t tell!”
“Oops,” said Jeff. He blushed. “It was only Carla. You were going to tell her anyway, weren’t you?”
Colleen smiled at him. “I didn’t go there on purpose,” she explained to Carla. “It was an accident.”
“I don’t believe in accidents,” said Carla.
Colleen stared at her in amazement. She wondered how Carla knew she had gone in after Jeff on purpose. She turned to Jeff. “I’m sorry for saying hello to you when you didn’t like it.”
“That’s okay.”
“Anyway, how was I supposed to know you didn’t like it? You always said hello back.”
“I know. I can’t help it. Whenever anybody says hello to me, I always have to say hello back.” He looked at the picture of the green monster with six hands hanging on the wall. “If a big scary monster said, ‘Hello, Jeff,’
“Great shot!” said Jeff.
“Way to go,” said Andy, patting him on the back.
At first he couldn’t believe it, but then he saw Carla’s book, lying on the ground at the base of thebasket.
No wonder
, he realized.
Everyone headed for the water fountain. Bradley went along, too, even though he wasn’t thirsty. But then, once he got there, he realized he was thirsty. He just hadn’t noticed.
“Good game, Bradley,” said Brian.
“You just have to stop passing to people who aren’t on your team!” said Dan.
“Maybe you should give the rest of us on your team black eyes too,” said Robbie. “Then you’ll know who to pass to.”
Everyone laughed, even Bradley.
He and Jeff were the last two left at the water fountain. Everyone else had already started back to class. As they drank, their eyes met and they broke up laughing.
“How
did
you get the black eye?” Bradley asked after he stopped laughing.
“Melinda,” said Jeff.
Bradley nodded. “She’s strong,” he said.
“Oh boy, you can say that again,” said Jeff.
They laughed again.
“My book!” Bradley suddenly exclaimed. He ran back to the basketball court where he’d left it.
Jeff shook his head as he watched Bradley run away.
Life’s weird
, he thought.
He walked into the boys’ bathroom and splashed his sweaty face with cold water. He had to hold the faucet down with one hand and splash his face with the other.
Colleen Verigold walked in.
He stared at her.
She looked around, then screamed and ran outside.
Jeff watched the door swing shut behind her.
34 .
Life was too weird for Jeff to return to class.
Anytime you want to talk again
, Carla had said,
please feel free to come and see me. Even if you just feel like getting out of class for a while
.
He hoped she had really meant it. He had a lot he wanted to say to her, beginning with “I’m sorry.”
He slowly walked to her office. He hoped she wasn’t with somebody else. He knocked.
Carla opened the door and smiled when she saw him. “Hello, Jeff.”
He smiled. “Hi, Carla. I’m—”
He stopped because he saw somebody else sitting at the round table.
“I believe you two know each other,” said Carla.
Jeff lowered his eyes. “Hello, Colleen,” he muttered.
Colleen Verigold covered her face with her hands.
“You don’t mind if Jeff joins us, do you, Colleen?” Carla asked.
Colleen shook her head with her hands still over her face.
Jeff awkwardly sat down. “Mrs. Ebbel doesn’t know I’m here,” he said.
“I’ll write you a note,” said Carla.
Colleen peeked out from between her fingers. “I’m not supposed to be here either,” she said.
Carla turned to Colleen. “So what’s the big emergency? Can you say it in front of Jeff?”
“He already knows,” said Colleen. She looked at Jeff. “You better not tell anybody!”
“I won’t,” Jeff promised.
“Tell anybody what?” asked Carla.
“Colleen walked into the boys’ bathroom,” said Jeff. “I was there washing my face.”
“Jeff!” Colleen exploded. “You just promised you wouldn’t tell!”
“Oops,” said Jeff. He blushed. “It was only Carla. You were going to tell her anyway, weren’t you?”
Colleen smiled at him. “I didn’t go there on purpose,” she explained to Carla. “It was an accident.”
“I don’t believe in accidents,” said Carla.
Colleen stared at her in amazement. She wondered how Carla knew she had gone in after Jeff on purpose. She turned to Jeff. “I’m sorry for saying hello to you when you didn’t like it.”
“That’s okay.”
“Anyway, how was I supposed to know you didn’t like it? You always said hello back.”
“I know. I can’t help it. Whenever anybody says hello to me, I always have to say hello back.” He looked at the picture of the green monster with six hands hanging on the wall. “If a big scary monster said, ‘Hello, Jeff,’
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