Because of Mr. Terupt (7 page)

I popped my head up. “What are you talking about?”

“Better be careful. If you try to go anywhere in those, you might get stuck.”

I looked back at my feet. Mess-around Peter had struck. The bottoms of my sneakers were completely covered in Elmer’s glue.

“You jerk,” I said, without any real authority. Truth is, I didn’t really care. It wasn’t worth getting upset over. Besides, I’m sort of used to Peter’s antics. I thought they were always harmless. I untied my shoes and placed them next to me—bottoms up, of course—until I finished my math. Peter’s victory celebration was cut short by my easy solution. Maybe I don’t get upset with Peter because I know I’ll always outwit him. This drives him nuts, and I love it.

Once I finished my calculations, I grabbed my sneakers and headed to the bathroom. Mr. Terupt was still busy with a different group so he didn’t see any of Peter’s shenanigans or me leaving the classroom. I held my shoes under the sink and washed off the glue. Then I wiped the soles dry with a paper towel and put my sneakers back on. I pushed the bathroom door open and quickly jumped back inside. I was trapped.

Mr. Terupt was having a conference with someone out in the hall. I pushed the door open just a crack to see who it was.

“You’ve done it your way,” he said. Mr. Terupt had his back to me. He was leaning forward, talking to the person against the wall. “Now you’ll do it my way.” He straightened
up and folded his arms. He meant business. And that was when I saw who it was.

Black and purple streaks covered her cheeks, a combination of her makeup and tears. Alexia—crying. I had never seen or heard of Alexia crying before.

“I like you, Lexie. I want some of your classmates to like you, too. I’m trying to help. I want you to be
friendlier
[dollar word]. I will
not
tolerate your meanness anymore.”

Wow! Was this really going to work?

“Go into the bathroom and wash your face. Come back when you’re ready. Is there anything you want to say before I go back in?”

Alexia stormed past Mr. Terupt without looking at him, and without saying a word. Mr. Terupt let out a big sigh and shook his head. Then he walked back into the classroom. I wonder what he was thinking. I decided not to say anything about my sneakers. It didn’t seem important. Mr. Terupt had more serious matters on his plate, like
discipline
(dollar word).

I waited a few minutes before following Mr. Terupt into the classroom. I didn’t want it to seem obvious that I’d been eavesdropping, but I was eager to tell somebody about what I had just seen. That’s why I think I walked into the classroom a little rushed and wasn’t really paying attention. Even if I had been, it probably would have happened.

I’d barely walked through the door before I stepped in a puddle of water. My feet went up and my arms flew out. I flailed like an ostrich trying to catch its balance. Somehow I managed to stay upright after sliding across the linoleum floor to the carpet. Mr. Terupt was having a serious
conversation with Jessica, Danielle, Jeffrey, and Anna, so he didn’t see any of this. But Peter, Ben, Nick, and some of the other guys rolled around in hysterics. I knew what they had done. Or should I say what
Peter
had done. He likes to put his thumb over the opening of the drinking
fountain
(dollar word) and push the button. It’s another one of his infamous stunts. This one makes the water shoot all the way to the door. That was how the puddle miraculously appeared on the floor. Whether Peter meant to have the water on the floor, or if it just ended up there after he sprayed someone else, I don’t know. Either way, it doesn’t matter. I didn’t have time to do anything about it, because someone else came through the door just after me.

She must have been making her rounds, going from class to class, just to visit for a few minutes. Today was her unlucky day. Mrs. Williams took one step into our classroom and hit the water. I felt sorry for her. She was wearing a navy blue suit (a jacket and skirt) with high heels. She wasn’t able to keep her balance. Her foot shot way out to the side as soon as it touched the puddle. I thought she was going to do a split, but then her other foot touched the water and slid forward. Mrs. Williams fell backward with her arms grabbing empty air. She landed smack on her back, right in the water, with her legs stuck in the air. That was when I saw my principal’s underwear.

I couldn’t believe it. I knew I shouldn’t keep staring but I couldn’t look away. We all gawked at her multicolored flower underwear. And that’s not the best of it—or the worst of it, if you’re Mrs. Williams. Her underwear was a bit
discombobulated. In other words, she had a wedgie! It was unbelievable! I’ll never forget it, not as long as I live. I swear it. It was the day I saw my principal’s underwear, and more.

Mr. Terupt rushed over to help her. The rest of us fought to keep from laughing. It was our principal, after all. Even Peter wasn’t snickering. He actually looked nervous.

“Mrs. Williams, are you okay?” Mr. Terupt said, helping her to her feet. “Peter, get some towels to wipe this water up.”

Why did he pick Peter? Because he knew Peter’s antics led to the water being on the floor. I’m sure it was his way of letting Peter know he knew.

“I’m okay,” Mrs. Williams said, brushing herself off and smoothing out her clothes. “Sorry for the interruption.” She turned and left. How embarrassing! As soon as the door closed behind her, the laughter and whispers started.

“Clearly this can’t happen again,” Mr. Terupt said. “We’re lucky Mrs. Williams didn’t get hurt, or that someone else didn’t, either. I expect we won’t have water pooled on the floor like that again.” Mr. Terupt looked directly at Peter after saying this. Yep, he knew. He shook his head, then walked over to his desk.

I thought for sure this event would be
unequaled
(dollar word) by any other for the rest of the year. Little did I know that something much bigger was coming our way.

T
each was like, “Alexia, I think it’s time for you to follow me.”

I went into the hall with him. He closed the door behind us. Teachers had done this stuff with me before. It was like, no big deal.

I didn’t even give Teach a chance. “They’re being so mean to me,” I blurted out. “They won’t let me do anything. Jessica thinks, like, she’s the boss.”

But this is where Teach was different again.

“Wrong,” he said. “Stop.”

“But—”

He put both hands up. “Just stop,” he said.

I was quiet. He looked right at me.

“You’re lying. And I don’t like liars,” he said. “You’re being mean. And I don’t like mean people.”

I felt real tears coming. I didn’t want to cry. Not for real. I squeezed my teeth together and scrunched my eyes. I held my purse hard with both hands.

“You’re acting like the meanest girl I’ve ever seen,” he said.

I couldn’t help it. The tears came. I was really upset. I looked down at the floor.

“I’m not being unreasonable, Lexie.”

I was like, Yes, you are. But I didn’t say anything.

“I’m telling you the truth, and sometimes the truth can hurt.”

I kept my head down. I pulled a tissue from my purse and wiped my eyes. He was being a bully.

“I know you’re not mean deep down inside,” Teach went on. “So stop acting like you are. Miss Kelsey has told me some amazing things about you in her room.”

He didn’t get it. Nobody was gonna be my friend. I know, because that’s how it was before. Kids made fun of me, because of my clothes, because of how I talked. Leopard Lexie and Lexie Like, they called me. And then one day in third grade I attacked back. I yelled at some girl like Mom and Dad yelled at each other. And after that, no one wanted to be friends with her. It didn’t matter that what I said was a lie. They ditched her and became my friends instead. Just like that, I became the leader. All of a sudden I was getting all kinds of attention, unlike at home. Mom was around, but usually too upset over Dad (’cause he was never around) to worry about me. And then last year, she, like, hit her limit,
and threw Dad out of the house. Mom told me then, “Alexia, don’t let people push you around like your father did to us. You take charge and fight back.” So there’s no way I’m going back to being nice. Nobody’s gonna make fun of me again.

I don’t remember anything else Mr. Terupt said. I was too mad to listen.

I
hate
you, Mr. Terupt.

“D
id it help?” I asked Jessica one day in our Ramadan group. We were just doing some research on the computer.

“What?” she asked.

“Did tellin’ help, like Ida B?”

“I think it helped a little,” she said.

I stared at the computer.

“I’m listening,” she said

“You won’t tell anyone?” I said.

“I won’t tell,” she said. “Promise.”

“ ’Cause nobody knows any of this. I just moved here last year, halfway through the school year, and nobody knows anything about me.”

“I won’t tell,” she said again.

I’m not sure why I believed her, but for the first time ever, I told someone my secret.

“My brother’s name was Michael. The football cards were his. He was older than me. He had Down syndrome and leukemia, and was real sick, so my parents had me in order to save him.”

I could feel Jessica looking at me after telling her that last part, but I kept starin’ at the computer.

“They gave Michael my stem cells—special cells that can turn into anything else in your body—hoping that they would become what Michael needed. It worked for a while, but then he got sick again. He was in and out of the hospital a lot, so that’s how I learned about kids with special needs.”

I stopped. The computer was quiet. Jessica hadn’t pushed anything on the keyboard. She was listenin’.

“Then the summer before fourth grade I gave my bone marrow to Michael. It was his last chance. Everything else had failed.”

I stopped again. My throat was tightening around the lump in it. It was gonna be hard to tell the rest.

“What happened?” Jessica said.

“It worked, but not fast enough. Michael got sick before his body could fight the cancer off.… I didn’t save him.”

The screen saver bounced around. I stared at it. Then Jessica said somethin’ no one had ever said to me before.

“It’s not your fault, Jeffrey.”

I got up and walked to the bathroom. I had to.

I
never had a teacher stick up for me before. I’d get picked on and made fun of, and my teachers never did anything. Maybe because I never did anything, either. I didn’t cry or get upset, I just stayed quiet. Maybe it seemed like it didn’t bother me, but nobody’s got skin that thick.

Mr. Terupt did something. I loved him for that. He wasn’t real happy about it, though. He wanted us to do the sticking up for each other. I didn’t know if I could do that. But with Jessica and Danielle by my side, I knew I’d try. Mr. Terupt was right about that.

Things were much easier in our group after the whole Alexia incident. She came back quiet and remained quiet for the rest of the day, and every day after that. I knew she was feeling bad. A lot of girls had felt the same way because of
her, so I figured it was only fair. But it bothered me, too. Mom has always told me, “We don’t have enough days to waste being upset or sad. You’ve got to be happy and have fun, Anna.” I think Mom’s positive attitude is pretty amazing—especially after all she’s been through—and I think she’s right. We weren’t mean to Alexia, but we left her alone. I hoped she’d be different now that Mr. Terupt had held a conference with her.

During the time we worked on our center, I found the courage to do something I hadn’t ever done before. One day during recess—while doing some stick sketching in the dirt—I took a deep breath and plunged ahead.

“Would you guys like to come over to my house for a playdate?” I asked Jessica and Danielle.

Jessica looked up. “I’d love to,” she said. She glanced at Danielle, who kept her head down and continued sketching. Danielle’s really good at drawing, so I thought maybe she just wanted to finish her sketch.
Snap!
Her stick broke in half. “But I’ll need to check with my mom first,” Jessica added.

“Me too,” Danielle said, but she still didn’t look up. “Let me ask my mom.”

“You don’t have to come over if you don’t want to,” I said to Danielle.

“No! I want to,” she said, looking right at me this time. I believed her. Then she looked away. “But I need to get permission.”

The recess whistle blew. Danielle had drawn three girls holding hands in the dirt. I smiled. They both wanted to come over. I just hoped their mothers said yes.

T
he holiday centers turned out great. It was a lot of hard work, especially with Alexia in our group, but Mr. Terupt took care of her. She wasn’t the same after that. She became real quiet—which helped us get our center put together smoothly.

Jessica and Jeffrey completed the trivia game. They came up with some really great questions. Luke loved playing it when he visited our holiday. He said he learned a lot from it, which Mr. Terupt was happy to hear.

Mr. Terupt hung around our center because of the cookies. I made them, even after what Alexia said about me. My mom and grandma helped me find a recipe that used cumin, which is a spice. The three of us spend a lot of time together
in the kitchen. It was the perfect opportunity to ask about going to Anna’s. But … I just couldn’t get myself to do it.

The best part of our holiday centers day took place when our Collaborative friends visited. That was Peter’s great idea. Some of the games were hard for them, but we all helped. They were able to do the crafts and eat special foods, like my cookies. James liked our craft project where you had to cut thin strips of paper and staple rings together to make a long chain. The chain is a calendar to help you count down the days of Ramadan, which can be twenty-nine or thirty days long. Our chain included way more links than that because our guests kept adding them. “One hundred thirty-seven,” James said after eyeing the chain for just a few seconds. Then he started attaching more links.