you intending to be insubordinate as well as sloppy? At VCA we don't come to Sunday school with our hair looking like a rat's nest."
A couple of boys giggled. Tianna got up and bolted from the room. She didn't come back.
Miss Garrett cornered me right after class. "You realize," she said, leaning over me, her perfume nearly smothering me, "that I meant no harm. Your cousin must understand we have standards of behavior here."
I squirmed and jerked my head in a nod. I had to get out of there and find Tianna.
"That's fine, then," Miss Garrett said, patting my shoulder. "You'll tell her for me. I won't report her for missing Sunday school."
I nodded again and ran.
Lisa, Muthoni, and Amy were waiting for me in a little knot on the porch.
"I've got to find Tianna," I said, pushing past them.
"I know," said Amy. "We'll help. We were just waiting for you. Muthoni and I will search around here. Lisa, you look beside the path and stuff."
"I'll go to the dorm," I said and took off, then stopped to yank off my Sunday shoes and socks so I could run faster. The slap, slap my bare feet made on the packed dirt of the path sounded loud as I ran downhill.
"Looking for a rat's nest?" Sabrina Oats called as I tore by her and some other kids. Their laughter followed me as I ran.
Tianna was sitting on her bed, stuffing things into a gym bag. "I'm getting out of here," she said as soon as I walked in.
"Miss Garrett said to tell you she was sorry," I said. Well, she did, sort of, I told myself. Besides, I had to calm Tianna down.
"Everybody hates me," she half yelled. "Mr. Jackson washed my mouth out with soap. They feed me glop and humiliate me, and that Sabrina Oats geek stole my food." She glared at me. "So tell me why I should stay."
"Lisa, Muthoni, and Amy don't hate you," I said. "They're trying to be your friends. So am I. And Jesus loves you, too. Besides, where would you go?"
There was a long pause, then she said, "I guess you're right." She shrugged and looked down. After a second she looked up, shook her hair out of her eyes, and almost yelled, "I'm telling you right now, if it doesn't get better, I'll find a way to get out of here!" She looked at me for a second, then frowned. "You wouldn't tell me how to get out of here even if you knew, would you?"
"I don't really know, anyway," I said, looking away from her. I didn't, not exactly. "Besides, if you tried to fit in a little it wouldn't be so bad here. All you need to do is brush your hair, and don't swear, and clean up when we're supposed to, and junk."
"Don't you bug me, too," she said and walked out. She went and sat at the edge of the yard and looked down over the valley.
When I followed her, she said, "Leave me alone, OK?"
"You sure you're all right?" I asked.
She nodded and looked straight ahead, so I left her. Back inside I looked at her messy bed. The part of the verse that said, "Help each other with your troubles," ran through my mind.
OK, Jesus, I'll try. Then I started to make Tianna's bed.
Tianna came back in just as I was finishing. She gave me a funny look, then went over and got her brush out. She stood there holding it, not brushing her hair.
Sabrina Oats walked in. "Hi, Rat's Nest," she said. "I know, I'll just call you Rat for short. Bitten anyone lately?"
"I told you last night not to hassle me," Tianna said, swinging around to face Sabrina. "I meant it, ditz brain."
"Tsk, tsk," said Sabrina. "The beast is becoming enraged."
Esther Miller interrupted. "Sabrina, don't. It's not funny."
My mouth fell open. Esther Miller was standing up to
Sabrina Oats! Sabrina whirled on her. "Stay out of this," she said, her voice low and mean.
"Sabrina," Esther said, "don't bug her, please."
"What's the matter, you afraid of her? Well, I'm not afraid of that," Sabrina said, jerking her head toward Tianna.
"I'm not scared," said Esther. "It's just that we're supposed to be Christians and she isn't and she's here all by herself." Esther said it all in a
A couple of boys giggled. Tianna got up and bolted from the room. She didn't come back.
Miss Garrett cornered me right after class. "You realize," she said, leaning over me, her perfume nearly smothering me, "that I meant no harm. Your cousin must understand we have standards of behavior here."
I squirmed and jerked my head in a nod. I had to get out of there and find Tianna.
"That's fine, then," Miss Garrett said, patting my shoulder. "You'll tell her for me. I won't report her for missing Sunday school."
I nodded again and ran.
Lisa, Muthoni, and Amy were waiting for me in a little knot on the porch.
"I've got to find Tianna," I said, pushing past them.
"I know," said Amy. "We'll help. We were just waiting for you. Muthoni and I will search around here. Lisa, you look beside the path and stuff."
"I'll go to the dorm," I said and took off, then stopped to yank off my Sunday shoes and socks so I could run faster. The slap, slap my bare feet made on the packed dirt of the path sounded loud as I ran downhill.
"Looking for a rat's nest?" Sabrina Oats called as I tore by her and some other kids. Their laughter followed me as I ran.
Tianna was sitting on her bed, stuffing things into a gym bag. "I'm getting out of here," she said as soon as I walked in.
"Miss Garrett said to tell you she was sorry," I said. Well, she did, sort of, I told myself. Besides, I had to calm Tianna down.
"Everybody hates me," she half yelled. "Mr. Jackson washed my mouth out with soap. They feed me glop and humiliate me, and that Sabrina Oats geek stole my food." She glared at me. "So tell me why I should stay."
"Lisa, Muthoni, and Amy don't hate you," I said. "They're trying to be your friends. So am I. And Jesus loves you, too. Besides, where would you go?"
There was a long pause, then she said, "I guess you're right." She shrugged and looked down. After a second she looked up, shook her hair out of her eyes, and almost yelled, "I'm telling you right now, if it doesn't get better, I'll find a way to get out of here!" She looked at me for a second, then frowned. "You wouldn't tell me how to get out of here even if you knew, would you?"
"I don't really know, anyway," I said, looking away from her. I didn't, not exactly. "Besides, if you tried to fit in a little it wouldn't be so bad here. All you need to do is brush your hair, and don't swear, and clean up when we're supposed to, and junk."
"Don't you bug me, too," she said and walked out. She went and sat at the edge of the yard and looked down over the valley.
When I followed her, she said, "Leave me alone, OK?"
"You sure you're all right?" I asked.
She nodded and looked straight ahead, so I left her. Back inside I looked at her messy bed. The part of the verse that said, "Help each other with your troubles," ran through my mind.
OK, Jesus, I'll try. Then I started to make Tianna's bed.
Tianna came back in just as I was finishing. She gave me a funny look, then went over and got her brush out. She stood there holding it, not brushing her hair.
Sabrina Oats walked in. "Hi, Rat's Nest," she said. "I know, I'll just call you Rat for short. Bitten anyone lately?"
"I told you last night not to hassle me," Tianna said, swinging around to face Sabrina. "I meant it, ditz brain."
"Tsk, tsk," said Sabrina. "The beast is becoming enraged."
Esther Miller interrupted. "Sabrina, don't. It's not funny."
My mouth fell open. Esther Miller was standing up to
Sabrina Oats! Sabrina whirled on her. "Stay out of this," she said, her voice low and mean.
"Sabrina," Esther said, "don't bug her, please."
"What's the matter, you afraid of her? Well, I'm not afraid of that," Sabrina said, jerking her head toward Tianna.
"I'm not scared," said Esther. "It's just that we're supposed to be Christians and she isn't and she's here all by herself." Esther said it all in a
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