knows I'd say, “No way—too babyish.” Anna definitely looked like the type of person I would not get along with.
When she finally reached the front of the class, she held out her hand and gave me a phony smile. “Anna Ban aster.”
“Hi,” I said. Up close, Anna seemed more like the class snob than the class pet. She had on a gold necklace and a bracelet, both with her name spelled on them. At my old school, you learned fast not to wear gold around where everybody could see it—it would get stolen easy. I figured this was like that kid who left his bike on the lawn all night. I'd checked first thing that morning and the bike was still there. The kid was practically
giving
it away, but no one cared. And from the way Anna was looking at me, I could tell she was sizing me up. I wondered why she had volunteered to show me around. “Just call me Ola.”
“Okay, Ola.” Anna had barely touched my hand when the bell for first period rang, and she dropped it like a hot potato. “Come on, I'll get you to your first class.”
I followed Anna. I felt relieved I'd gotten through homeroom.
As we stepped out the door we were joined by two of Anna's friends, Daphne and Diane. They were twins, and both had long brown hair that went all the way down to the middle of their backs. They weren't wearing dresses, but, like Anna, they had necklaces and bracelets with their names on them, too. It was like they were part of some secret club and Anna Banaster was the president. Daphne and Diane did everything Anna told them to do.
“She's gotta go to history, room B-six,” Anna ordered, passing me off. “I'll pick her up after that.”
Then Anna just walked away. The last thing I noticed before following Daphne and Diane was Maria Poncinelli, still leaning against the wall outside of homeroom but with a big smirk on her face.
Daphne and Diane didn't say anything to me, but every once in a while one of them would glance at me real fast, then look away. It didn't take me long to figure out that they were scared of me. When I moved my hand to hitch my school bag higher, both of them moved a little further away. Normally I would think that this was very funny, but this time I didn't. I hadn't given them
any
reason to be scared of me — not yet, anyway. Normally this would be a good situation to take advantage of, but for some reason I felt like I needed to put them at ease and show them that I was a regular person, just like them.
“Hi,” I said experimentally.
Daphne and Diane looked at each other before answering me. Finally they mumbled hi in my direction whilemoving an inch further away from me. That really bothered me. When we reached room B-6 I went inside without saying anything to them, and I made sure I was out of the classroom before Anna Banaster could show up to take me to my next class. I wasn't going to waste any more of my time making people I didn't even like feel better about me.
The rest of the day went just as bad until lunch. Most people didn't seem to care about me one way or the other, but there were a few who kept staring at me. Nobody except the teachers said much of anything to me. In the schoolyard, I went looking for Aeisha to see if the same thing was happening to her, but I couldn't find her. Finally I sat down at a bench in a corner of the schoolyard. I remembered what Mama had said about people needing time to adjust to us, and I wondered how long that was going to take. This whole move had been one big mistake.
“Hey”
I looked up to find the girl with the frizzy hair from my homeroom standing next to me. She was wearing a huge red-and-white striped poncho with big side pockets.
“What'd you do with them?” she asked, sticking her hands into the pockets.
“With who?”
The girl rolled her eyes. “You know—Anna Banana and the ding-dong girls.”
I shrugged.
The girl sat down beside me. “It's kind of hard to get rid of Anna.”
“Not if you're me,” I said seriously. I'd seen
When she finally reached the front of the class, she held out her hand and gave me a phony smile. “Anna Ban aster.”
“Hi,” I said. Up close, Anna seemed more like the class snob than the class pet. She had on a gold necklace and a bracelet, both with her name spelled on them. At my old school, you learned fast not to wear gold around where everybody could see it—it would get stolen easy. I figured this was like that kid who left his bike on the lawn all night. I'd checked first thing that morning and the bike was still there. The kid was practically
giving
it away, but no one cared. And from the way Anna was looking at me, I could tell she was sizing me up. I wondered why she had volunteered to show me around. “Just call me Ola.”
“Okay, Ola.” Anna had barely touched my hand when the bell for first period rang, and she dropped it like a hot potato. “Come on, I'll get you to your first class.”
I followed Anna. I felt relieved I'd gotten through homeroom.
As we stepped out the door we were joined by two of Anna's friends, Daphne and Diane. They were twins, and both had long brown hair that went all the way down to the middle of their backs. They weren't wearing dresses, but, like Anna, they had necklaces and bracelets with their names on them, too. It was like they were part of some secret club and Anna Banaster was the president. Daphne and Diane did everything Anna told them to do.
“She's gotta go to history, room B-six,” Anna ordered, passing me off. “I'll pick her up after that.”
Then Anna just walked away. The last thing I noticed before following Daphne and Diane was Maria Poncinelli, still leaning against the wall outside of homeroom but with a big smirk on her face.
Daphne and Diane didn't say anything to me, but every once in a while one of them would glance at me real fast, then look away. It didn't take me long to figure out that they were scared of me. When I moved my hand to hitch my school bag higher, both of them moved a little further away. Normally I would think that this was very funny, but this time I didn't. I hadn't given them
any
reason to be scared of me — not yet, anyway. Normally this would be a good situation to take advantage of, but for some reason I felt like I needed to put them at ease and show them that I was a regular person, just like them.
“Hi,” I said experimentally.
Daphne and Diane looked at each other before answering me. Finally they mumbled hi in my direction whilemoving an inch further away from me. That really bothered me. When we reached room B-6 I went inside without saying anything to them, and I made sure I was out of the classroom before Anna Banaster could show up to take me to my next class. I wasn't going to waste any more of my time making people I didn't even like feel better about me.
The rest of the day went just as bad until lunch. Most people didn't seem to care about me one way or the other, but there were a few who kept staring at me. Nobody except the teachers said much of anything to me. In the schoolyard, I went looking for Aeisha to see if the same thing was happening to her, but I couldn't find her. Finally I sat down at a bench in a corner of the schoolyard. I remembered what Mama had said about people needing time to adjust to us, and I wondered how long that was going to take. This whole move had been one big mistake.
“Hey”
I looked up to find the girl with the frizzy hair from my homeroom standing next to me. She was wearing a huge red-and-white striped poncho with big side pockets.
“What'd you do with them?” she asked, sticking her hands into the pockets.
“With who?”
The girl rolled her eyes. “You know—Anna Banana and the ding-dong girls.”
I shrugged.
The girl sat down beside me. “It's kind of hard to get rid of Anna.”
“Not if you're me,” I said seriously. I'd seen
Similar Books
