Alone at 90 Foot by Katherine Holubitsky Page A

up. She made him believe it was his parental duty to harass me. I also knew what Dad really thought of people like Mrs. Z. By the book. No exceptions. No time to listen to excuses. I’d seen Dad’s picture from high school. Just his long hair told me he wasn’t exactly the conformist type. I couldn’t help just a tiny smile.
    Dad tried to disguise his own. “What do you mean, Danny snapped?”
    So I told him about Wilson’s latest crime. About what an embarrassment he is to Danny. How at home, Danny is always ignored in favor of Wilson. How unfair it is and that I wished Wilson would never come back.
    Dad agreed that it wasn’t fair. But then, life often isn’t fair. Something I’d heard him say mega-times before. “You can’t change the world, Pam. All you can do is offer Danny your support.”
    Lifting two plates from the cupboard, I spooned out the Hamburger Helper.
    â€œStill,” Dad said, as I set it before him. “I can’t let this go unnoticed. I told her I’d deal with it.”
    We thought about this as we ate.
    â€œYou could ground me,” I suggested.
    â€œOkay. How about Sunday night? That still leaves your weekend open.”
    Thoughtful of him, but, “Aren’t we going to Nana’s Sunday night?”
    â€œOh, right. I forgot. Hmm. Monday then?”
    I considered it. “Yeah. I can’t see why not.”
    â€œGood. Monday it is.” Dad seemed relieved. We finished our supper. Dad stretched as he stood up. “And since we’ll be at home, why don’t you ask Danny for dinner?”
    â€œOkay. And maybe Mandeep?”
    Dad nodded.

EIGHT
    May 29th
    Danielle Higgins is lucky she’s got a perfect body. Because other than that, she’s nothing but a creep. She is rude. She’s insulting. And if there’s something she wants, she’ll crush and grind anybody that gets in her way. That includes our teachers.
    It’s like she doesn’t have a conscience. Like she figures the whole world is hers for the taking and all the rest of us should serve it up for her on our bended knees. And if we refuse, well, we just better watch out. I guess I’m lucky. She’s never mademe a target. She’s always looked right past me, or through me. I’ve never been any kind of threat. Like, no duh.
    Not that she has to have a particular thing against you. Sometimes she’ll pick on someone for no reason. Usually, just because she’s bored. It’s been Danny Kim this week. Nothing too direct, just these nasty little digs. Like when Wally gave us a math sheet, then left the room for a few minutes this morning, Danielle took one look at it and made this spluttery sound with her lips. No doubt, it was a bit beyond her. Bored, needing entertainment, she began to look around, chomping her gum, slapping her pencil eraser against her desk. Her eyes fell on Danny.
    â€œHey, Danny?”
    Danny, who was already half finished, looked up through a blur. “Huh?”
    â€œIs your dad out of work?”
    He blinked. “What? No. Why are you asking me that?”
    â€œJust wondering,” Danielle shrugged. She pretended to rediscover her worksheet.
    â€œWhy did you ask me that?”
    Pretty well the entire class was looking at her now. We all wanted to know.
    Danielle didn’t look up. “Oh, just the fact that your family couldn’t afford a new bike for yourbrother. Made me think money in the Kim house must be tight.”
    If it had been anyone else who had said it, nobody would have laughed. But because it was Danielle, half the class, all the boys, did laugh. It was beside the point whether they thought it was funny or not. It was the sexy Danielle who had spoken.
    I could see Danny wanted to club her, but he’s far too dignified for that. He went back to his worksheet.
    Danielle also plays teachers against one another. Like when she’s trying to bump up a mark. Like