because they were throwing in celery and onions and you couldn’t hang on to no celery or no onion.
“I’m fixing to drown up in here!” Robby McRabbit called out.
“That’s ’cause the water is too cold to swim in!” said Bo Bear, and he started a fire under the pool.
When the water got a little warmer it made Robby McRabbit feel good and he started moving better.
“I think I’m getting it!” he said, noticing that the water was getting a little too warm.
After a while the water got really hot andRobby McRabbit was jumping around and hollering, but it was too late. He was soon Robby McRabbit stew and the hit of the picnic.
After all the dancing and the eating was over Bo Bear sat with his friends drinking Kool-Aid and listening to some jams.
“Rabbits are good to have at picnics,” he said. “But don’t they make your breath stink?”
He got an “Amen” behind that.
CHAPTER NINE
The Attack on Fort Sumter!
I n the lunchroom. The service counter had peas, green beans, some nasty-looking spinach, rice, something that looked yellow and round, spaghetti, chicken tenders, fish sticks, chilled pears, and cookies. I settled on the fish sticks and spaghetti. I looked around and saw LaShonda and Bobbi sitting together and went over.
“Yo, what you doing?” I asked LaShonda.
“She’s painting the first ten prime numbers on my fingernails,” Bobbi said. “I would have her paint the next ten on my toenails but they’re too small.”
“You don’t have any toenails,” LaShonda said, holding up her nail polish. “You have toenails on your big toes but your other nails are too small to be called real nails. They’re just like tiny spots on top of your feet.”
“That is seriously stupid,” I said.
“What are you eating?” Bobbi pointed to my plate.
“Fish sticks and spaghetti,” I answered.
“That doesn’t look like a fish to me,” Bobbi said. “It doesn’t have a tail, it doesn’t have eyes, and it’s rectangular. If you threw it in the water, it wouldn’t swim, and if you walked down the street it wouldn’t follow you home. And I’ve never heard of a fish called ‘stick.’ And now you’re going to put it in your mouth and eat it. Now
that’s
weird, Zander.”
“It looked better than the chicken tenders,” I said.
BLAM! BLAM!
I was trying to think of something else to say when we heard the noise coming from the other side of the lunchroom. Everything got quiet for a second and then it came again.
BLAM!
I looked over the table and saw kids clearing out from near the window.
“Come on, punk!” It was Alvin McCraney pulling off his shirt. “Bring it! Bring it!”
He was facing off with Kambui about four feet from the far wall.
I started across the floor as fast as I could. I didn’t want Kambui getting into any fights in the lunchroom. I was almost to them when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was a body coming toward me.
I couldn’t tell who it was but then I saw another blur as two guys clashed, knocking a girl down as their bodies crashed onto a table. I could see the second body. It was Cody.
I turned back to where Alvin was still standing, his shirt half off and his face pale and twisted with anger. His mouth fell open as he saw Cody and Billy tangling big-time.
I got between Kambui and Alvin and held my hands up. From the corner of my eye I saw some of Alvin’s friends move behind him. It looked like the war was about to begin.
“What’s going on here?” A man’s voice. Then again, slower. “What is going on here?”
“Nothing.” Alvin McCraney was putting his shirt back on.
“Cody?!” Mr. Culpepper watched as Cody and Billy untangled themselves.
“Nothing, sir,” Cody said.
“Your father would not appreciate your fighting in the lunchroom, Cody,” Mr. Culpepper said. He was puffed up so that his neck looked bigger than his head.
“No fight, sir,” Cody said.
“Okay, then,” Mr. Culpepper said. “Let’s see if you
“I’m fixing to drown up in here!” Robby McRabbit called out.
“That’s ’cause the water is too cold to swim in!” said Bo Bear, and he started a fire under the pool.
When the water got a little warmer it made Robby McRabbit feel good and he started moving better.
“I think I’m getting it!” he said, noticing that the water was getting a little too warm.
After a while the water got really hot andRobby McRabbit was jumping around and hollering, but it was too late. He was soon Robby McRabbit stew and the hit of the picnic.
After all the dancing and the eating was over Bo Bear sat with his friends drinking Kool-Aid and listening to some jams.
“Rabbits are good to have at picnics,” he said. “But don’t they make your breath stink?”
He got an “Amen” behind that.
CHAPTER NINE
The Attack on Fort Sumter!
I n the lunchroom. The service counter had peas, green beans, some nasty-looking spinach, rice, something that looked yellow and round, spaghetti, chicken tenders, fish sticks, chilled pears, and cookies. I settled on the fish sticks and spaghetti. I looked around and saw LaShonda and Bobbi sitting together and went over.
“Yo, what you doing?” I asked LaShonda.
“She’s painting the first ten prime numbers on my fingernails,” Bobbi said. “I would have her paint the next ten on my toenails but they’re too small.”
“You don’t have any toenails,” LaShonda said, holding up her nail polish. “You have toenails on your big toes but your other nails are too small to be called real nails. They’re just like tiny spots on top of your feet.”
“That is seriously stupid,” I said.
“What are you eating?” Bobbi pointed to my plate.
“Fish sticks and spaghetti,” I answered.
“That doesn’t look like a fish to me,” Bobbi said. “It doesn’t have a tail, it doesn’t have eyes, and it’s rectangular. If you threw it in the water, it wouldn’t swim, and if you walked down the street it wouldn’t follow you home. And I’ve never heard of a fish called ‘stick.’ And now you’re going to put it in your mouth and eat it. Now
that’s
weird, Zander.”
“It looked better than the chicken tenders,” I said.
BLAM! BLAM!
I was trying to think of something else to say when we heard the noise coming from the other side of the lunchroom. Everything got quiet for a second and then it came again.
BLAM!
I looked over the table and saw kids clearing out from near the window.
“Come on, punk!” It was Alvin McCraney pulling off his shirt. “Bring it! Bring it!”
He was facing off with Kambui about four feet from the far wall.
I started across the floor as fast as I could. I didn’t want Kambui getting into any fights in the lunchroom. I was almost to them when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was a body coming toward me.
I couldn’t tell who it was but then I saw another blur as two guys clashed, knocking a girl down as their bodies crashed onto a table. I could see the second body. It was Cody.
I turned back to where Alvin was still standing, his shirt half off and his face pale and twisted with anger. His mouth fell open as he saw Cody and Billy tangling big-time.
I got between Kambui and Alvin and held my hands up. From the corner of my eye I saw some of Alvin’s friends move behind him. It looked like the war was about to begin.
“What’s going on here?” A man’s voice. Then again, slower. “What is going on here?”
“Nothing.” Alvin McCraney was putting his shirt back on.
“Cody?!” Mr. Culpepper watched as Cody and Billy untangled themselves.
“Nothing, sir,” Cody said.
“Your father would not appreciate your fighting in the lunchroom, Cody,” Mr. Culpepper said. He was puffed up so that his neck looked bigger than his head.
“No fight, sir,” Cody said.
“Okay, then,” Mr. Culpepper said. “Let’s see if you
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