This Place Has No Atmosphere by Paula Danziger Page B

Wilcox.
    Where’s Hal when I need him? He’s being interviewed and tested by the space psychologists.
    “Excuse me,” I say. “See you all in class. I’ve got to go somewhere.”
    I turn and start walking away.
    “Where are you going?” Starr asks. I just walk away.
    Mr. Wilcox arrives and announces that school is about to begin.
    I continue to walk to the door.
    “Aurora,” Mr. Wilcox calls out, “I’d like to speak to you.”
    “Later,” I say as I walk out. “I forgot something at home.”
    There’s no way that I’m going to stop until I get out of this building.
    “Ten minutes, Aurora,” Mr. Wilcox yells. “Be back by then.”
    I look at my watch, even though I don’t plan to be back in ten minutes—or ten hours—or ten days—or ten months—or ten years.
    Who does he think he is? He can’t boss me around. I won’t even be in his stupid play.
    Why did he say he was so impressed with my acting ability and then not give me the lead?
    I slam the door as I leave the building.
    As soon as I walk out the door, I stop.
    There’s no place to go.
    I can’t go home.
    I want to go shopping—to buy myself something nice to make up for what I’m feeling. Grandma Jennifer would say that’s not the right way to handle my problems, but who cares? Anyway, once more, it makes no difference what I want. There’s nothing to buy anyway, and if I go to the general store, they’ll ask why I’m not in school.
    On the moon it’s like everyone is a truant officer.
    This is a small town and everyone knows everyone else’s business. There’s not even another town where I can go to escape.
    To leave the bubble, I’d have to get a space suit. I can just see me walking up to the Bureau of Space Suits or whatever it’s called and saying “Hi. I’m in a really lousy mood. How about letting me suit up and go for a little walk in the dust?”
    Maybe I should just try to sneak out of the bubble without a suit and fry or freeze to death.
    I should just quit the stupid play and forget about it.
    I did promise to see this through. But that promise was made when I thought that I was going to play Emily.
    Aaarg. I just don’t understand how Mr. Wilcox could do this to me.
    I wish I could go over to my grandparents’ house and talk to them while Grandma Jennifer makes brownies.
    There is no place to go.
    No place but back to school.
    I’m just going to have to deal with this myself.
    Mr. Wilcox, watch out! Here I come!

CHAPTER 26
    M r. Wilcox, watch out! Here I come!
    I keep saying that to myself as I stand outside the door, but it’s going to be very hard to walk into the classroom.
    Everyone’s going to be staring at me.
    I don’t even know if I can talk to Mr. Wilcox without crying.
    It’s not just that my feelings are hurt. It’s also that I’m angry, and when I’m angry I cry.
    I was really counting on the play to help me feelbetter about having to be on the moon, and now it’s just another thing that makes me feel terrible.
    I open the door a little.
    The older kids are working at their computer terminals and Starr is reading to the little kids.
    She’s doing my job. It’s my turn to work with the Eaglettes today. I was so upset that I forgot, and being with the kids is something that I’m really beginning to like doing.
    Back on earth it would have been so “toady” to be with little kids. Up here it’s not. I’m glad, because I really like working with the Eaglettes. At this moment I’m glad there’s something that I still like.
    I’m not sure how to handle this—whether to march up to Mr. Wilcox immediately, or do my job and talk to him later.
    In some ways I’d love to get all this over with, to let Mr. Wilcox know how I feel, but it’s not fair to Starr to let her do my job. It’s not easy making the right decision. I’m not even sure there is one right or one wrong decision in all this.
    Mr. Wilcox is at his desk holding an individualized writing conference with Vern—barfburger and