jump rope with Karen and Margarita.
Dad looked at his watch and back at us. It was his first day of work. Before we'd left Roxbury, he'd gone and got another haircut. I was glad he was starting work before he went completely bald. “You want me to walk in with you?”
“No way,” I said, grabbing my backpack. “Come on, Aeisha.”
Aeisha followed me out of the car, and then we both stood there and looked at Dad. We'd both tried to dress normal so we could blend in. Aeisha had on jeans and a green polo shirt underneath her winter jacket, and I had on a blue T-shirt and brown corduroy overalls. The only thing that stood out on us was our shiny and unmarked new sneakers, which were a must for any first day at school.
Dad looked at us and nodded. “Okay?”
“Okay.” I turned around. “Come on, Aeisha.”
We tried to walk toward the front door of the school slowly but the other kids pushed us along faster. All around us I could feel people staring at us, and I tried hard to ignore them. Then I heard some tall boy with red hair say, “Move along, stupid new kids,” but before I could turn around to ask him who he was calling stupid, he was gone and we were inside the building. Aeisha and I stood in the middle of a hallway that had a marble floor with black and white squares on it. I could tell people were still staring at us because that hot prickly feeling that I had felt in the restaurant the day before was back.
“Kind of like being a movie star,” Aeisha said, nodding to herself. She looked at the piece of paper she had in her hand. “You're on the second floor and I'm down this hallway.”
“I know that.” Dad had gone over our schedules with us that morning.
“You want me to —”
“No way,” I said, cutting her off. Why was everybody treating me like I was a baby? “I'll see you after school.”
“Okay. Meet me right here. We have to take the number eight-oh-eight school bus and—”
“Yeah, yeah. See you later, Aeisha.” I turned around and joined the crowd headed up the stairs in the middle of the hallway. This time I moved as fast as everyone else so no one would say anything. I knew from my schedule that my homeroom was number 213 and that the teacher's name was Mrs. Woodstein. When I got to the classroom, I saw a girl with long, flat brown hair leaning against the wall beside thedoor. The only reason I noticed her at all was because the girl had attitude. She had on tight jeans and a colorful tie-dyed T-shirt, and she was slouching against the wall like it was her wall and she belonged there. I expected her to take out a cigarette at any minute and blow a puff of smoke in the air, just like the tough kids at my old school, who always hung out behind the building or in the second-floor bathroom. The other thing that made me notice this girl was that she didn't stare at me. She just looked at me and looked away like I was nobody special.
“That's Maria Poncinelli,” I heard someone say from behind me. I looked and saw another girl with blue eyes and the frizziest brown hair I had ever seen.
“What's her problem?” I asked.
“She's the mayor's daughter,” the girl said, disappearing into the classroom before I could ask her what that meant. I looked back at the girl against the wall. Maria Poncinelli didn't look like a mayor's daughter. I couldn't imagine her being a model citizen.
I was kind of glad to see there was somebody at this school like Maria Poncinelli. It gave me hope that this school just might be able to accept someone as unusual as me. Unfortunately, that hope faded as soon as I walked into the classroom. Everybody stopped talking and laughing and stared at me as I walked over to Mrs. Woodstein's desk. I wished I'd got lost trying to find the classroom. I wished I'd stayed outside with Maria Poncinelli. I even wished I'd let Dad or Aeisha walk me to homeroom. Most of all, I wished I was back at my old school in my old neighborhood, where I could know that people
Dad looked at his watch and back at us. It was his first day of work. Before we'd left Roxbury, he'd gone and got another haircut. I was glad he was starting work before he went completely bald. “You want me to walk in with you?”
“No way,” I said, grabbing my backpack. “Come on, Aeisha.”
Aeisha followed me out of the car, and then we both stood there and looked at Dad. We'd both tried to dress normal so we could blend in. Aeisha had on jeans and a green polo shirt underneath her winter jacket, and I had on a blue T-shirt and brown corduroy overalls. The only thing that stood out on us was our shiny and unmarked new sneakers, which were a must for any first day at school.
Dad looked at us and nodded. “Okay?”
“Okay.” I turned around. “Come on, Aeisha.”
We tried to walk toward the front door of the school slowly but the other kids pushed us along faster. All around us I could feel people staring at us, and I tried hard to ignore them. Then I heard some tall boy with red hair say, “Move along, stupid new kids,” but before I could turn around to ask him who he was calling stupid, he was gone and we were inside the building. Aeisha and I stood in the middle of a hallway that had a marble floor with black and white squares on it. I could tell people were still staring at us because that hot prickly feeling that I had felt in the restaurant the day before was back.
“Kind of like being a movie star,” Aeisha said, nodding to herself. She looked at the piece of paper she had in her hand. “You're on the second floor and I'm down this hallway.”
“I know that.” Dad had gone over our schedules with us that morning.
“You want me to —”
“No way,” I said, cutting her off. Why was everybody treating me like I was a baby? “I'll see you after school.”
“Okay. Meet me right here. We have to take the number eight-oh-eight school bus and—”
“Yeah, yeah. See you later, Aeisha.” I turned around and joined the crowd headed up the stairs in the middle of the hallway. This time I moved as fast as everyone else so no one would say anything. I knew from my schedule that my homeroom was number 213 and that the teacher's name was Mrs. Woodstein. When I got to the classroom, I saw a girl with long, flat brown hair leaning against the wall beside thedoor. The only reason I noticed her at all was because the girl had attitude. She had on tight jeans and a colorful tie-dyed T-shirt, and she was slouching against the wall like it was her wall and she belonged there. I expected her to take out a cigarette at any minute and blow a puff of smoke in the air, just like the tough kids at my old school, who always hung out behind the building or in the second-floor bathroom. The other thing that made me notice this girl was that she didn't stare at me. She just looked at me and looked away like I was nobody special.
“That's Maria Poncinelli,” I heard someone say from behind me. I looked and saw another girl with blue eyes and the frizziest brown hair I had ever seen.
“What's her problem?” I asked.
“She's the mayor's daughter,” the girl said, disappearing into the classroom before I could ask her what that meant. I looked back at the girl against the wall. Maria Poncinelli didn't look like a mayor's daughter. I couldn't imagine her being a model citizen.
I was kind of glad to see there was somebody at this school like Maria Poncinelli. It gave me hope that this school just might be able to accept someone as unusual as me. Unfortunately, that hope faded as soon as I walked into the classroom. Everybody stopped talking and laughing and stared at me as I walked over to Mrs. Woodstein's desk. I wished I'd got lost trying to find the classroom. I wished I'd stayed outside with Maria Poncinelli. I even wished I'd let Dad or Aeisha walk me to homeroom. Most of all, I wished I was back at my old school in my old neighborhood, where I could know that people
Similar Books
