called after them. “Come back when you can come up with a real insult!”
Hamilton picked up his backpack and walked over to me. “Wow, Del,” he said, his eyebrows raised. “That was quick!”
I shook my head. “I can never come up with anything when
I’m
the one being picked on!” I admitted.
“What a jerk,” he said. “I don’t get guys like that. They feel better by making other people feel bad about themselves.”
I nodded, thinking about Ashley. She could never resist an opportunity to make me look silly in front ofother people. “Welcome to Sarah Josepha Hale Middle School,” I said.
“Well, you showed Bob,” Hamilton said. “I bet it will be a day or two before he makes fun of you again, Delphinium Bloom!”
I grinned at Hamilton. Then I had to look away. I felt suddenly weirdly self-conscious.
What is wrong with you, Del?
I thought. I focused on his feet, which today were encased in beat-up work boots.
“There’s one of him in every school,” said Hamilton. “And if you’re lucky, there’s only one.” He looked at me. “It’s not so easy having a weird name, is it?”
I shrugged. “Nah.” I thought for a moment. “But it beats a lisp,” I said.
Hamilton laughed and explained that his dad had picked his name. “He’s a history buff and he loves Alexander Hamilton. He’s his favorite Founding Father,” he added, his eyes lighting up.
I nodded. I didn’t know anyone who had a favorite Founding Father. In fact, I’d be surprised if I knew anyone, my college professor dad excluded, who could name them all.
Hamilton was not done extolling the virtues of his namesake. “He led soldiers into battle during the Revolutionary War, he founded the Bank of New York, he was the first secretary of the treasury, and he wrote most of the Federalist Papers,” he explained. I made a mental note to Google “Federalist Papers” when I got home. They sounded important. He smiled. “And he also founded the New York Manumission Society to help end slavery,” he said. “He was a man ahead of his time.”
I searched my brain for any random bits of Alexander Hamilton information I may have stored there. Yes! “Wasn’t he killed in a duel?” I asked.
Hamilton’s face clouded over. Yikes. Maybe that wasn’t the best factoid to start with. “Yeah. Aaron Burr shot him. What a loser.”
“Well, Alexander Hamilton sounds really great,” I said. I decided to change the subject before I said anything else upsetting. “My weird name is not quite as interesting as yours. I’m just named after a —”
“Flower, I know,” said Hamilton. I stared at him, startled, and he smiled at me. “I think Delphinium is a really cool name.”
I blushed from the roots of my hair to the tips of my toes. “Um … thanks,” was all I could come out with. I had never met another kid, let alone a boy, who had ever heard of delphinium before.
How random!
I thought.
Hamilton sighed. “I guess … You know, I don’t get to see my dad as much as I’d like to since Mom got remarried and we moved here,” he said. “So I think that makes me more mad when people make fun of the name he picked, you know?”
“Well, you don’t show it,” I said. “You seemed so cool about it.”
He laughed. “Oh, I was just trying to look cool,” he said. “I was pretty mad inside.”
My mind started racing.
Who was he trying to look cool in front of?
I wondered. I tried to remember who had been standing in the now nearly empty hallway … Penelope Peterson? Maria Gonzalez?
Hamilton threw his backpack over his shoulder and gave me a salute. “Bye, Delphinium. See you tomorrow.”
I watched him lope down the hallway, and smiled as he jumped up to hit the EXIT sign above the door at the end of the hall. I smiled all the way home, too.
I was in such a good mood I didn’t even complain when I had to set the table for the second night in a row because Rose still wasn’t home from rehearsal. And I didn’t say
Hamilton picked up his backpack and walked over to me. “Wow, Del,” he said, his eyebrows raised. “That was quick!”
I shook my head. “I can never come up with anything when
I’m
the one being picked on!” I admitted.
“What a jerk,” he said. “I don’t get guys like that. They feel better by making other people feel bad about themselves.”
I nodded, thinking about Ashley. She could never resist an opportunity to make me look silly in front ofother people. “Welcome to Sarah Josepha Hale Middle School,” I said.
“Well, you showed Bob,” Hamilton said. “I bet it will be a day or two before he makes fun of you again, Delphinium Bloom!”
I grinned at Hamilton. Then I had to look away. I felt suddenly weirdly self-conscious.
What is wrong with you, Del?
I thought. I focused on his feet, which today were encased in beat-up work boots.
“There’s one of him in every school,” said Hamilton. “And if you’re lucky, there’s only one.” He looked at me. “It’s not so easy having a weird name, is it?”
I shrugged. “Nah.” I thought for a moment. “But it beats a lisp,” I said.
Hamilton laughed and explained that his dad had picked his name. “He’s a history buff and he loves Alexander Hamilton. He’s his favorite Founding Father,” he added, his eyes lighting up.
I nodded. I didn’t know anyone who had a favorite Founding Father. In fact, I’d be surprised if I knew anyone, my college professor dad excluded, who could name them all.
Hamilton was not done extolling the virtues of his namesake. “He led soldiers into battle during the Revolutionary War, he founded the Bank of New York, he was the first secretary of the treasury, and he wrote most of the Federalist Papers,” he explained. I made a mental note to Google “Federalist Papers” when I got home. They sounded important. He smiled. “And he also founded the New York Manumission Society to help end slavery,” he said. “He was a man ahead of his time.”
I searched my brain for any random bits of Alexander Hamilton information I may have stored there. Yes! “Wasn’t he killed in a duel?” I asked.
Hamilton’s face clouded over. Yikes. Maybe that wasn’t the best factoid to start with. “Yeah. Aaron Burr shot him. What a loser.”
“Well, Alexander Hamilton sounds really great,” I said. I decided to change the subject before I said anything else upsetting. “My weird name is not quite as interesting as yours. I’m just named after a —”
“Flower, I know,” said Hamilton. I stared at him, startled, and he smiled at me. “I think Delphinium is a really cool name.”
I blushed from the roots of my hair to the tips of my toes. “Um … thanks,” was all I could come out with. I had never met another kid, let alone a boy, who had ever heard of delphinium before.
How random!
I thought.
Hamilton sighed. “I guess … You know, I don’t get to see my dad as much as I’d like to since Mom got remarried and we moved here,” he said. “So I think that makes me more mad when people make fun of the name he picked, you know?”
“Well, you don’t show it,” I said. “You seemed so cool about it.”
He laughed. “Oh, I was just trying to look cool,” he said. “I was pretty mad inside.”
My mind started racing.
Who was he trying to look cool in front of?
I wondered. I tried to remember who had been standing in the now nearly empty hallway … Penelope Peterson? Maria Gonzalez?
Hamilton threw his backpack over his shoulder and gave me a salute. “Bye, Delphinium. See you tomorrow.”
I watched him lope down the hallway, and smiled as he jumped up to hit the EXIT sign above the door at the end of the hall. I smiled all the way home, too.
I was in such a good mood I didn’t even complain when I had to set the table for the second night in a row because Rose still wasn’t home from rehearsal. And I didn’t say
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