assignment for you."
He picked up a pen and wrote on a scrap of paper, glancing at the first few pages of Haunt Fox as he wrote.
"Look at these words." He handed the paper to Travis. Five words in a list.
Travis didn't know any of them.
"Young." McQueen pointed at the first one. "Say it."
They went over each word together. Young, night, summer, hunt, branches.
They did the list forward and then backward, McQueen pointing and Travis repeating until he could do them all without a hitch.
"Nice job," said McQueen.
"But that's not reading. I just memorized them."
"Right. We call that word recognition. Keep them with you all day. Write them on your hand with your finger. Link the look and the sound and the feel together.
Make friends with them. Once you absolutely know them for sure, anytime, anywhere, then go through the first chapter and use your eraser to uncircle them."
"But I circled like five hundred words. It'll take me years to learn them five words at a time."
"Teacher?" McQueen raised his eyebrows.
"You."
"Don't forget it. Learn those five, uncircle them, and keep circling into the next chapter. Friday morning, back here. Same time."
The hallway was still mostly empty, and Travis sat on the floor in front of his locker and opened the book. Long lines of words tromped across the pages like columns of ants. McQueen found the swamp in those words, and he took Travis there with him. Not just into the nighttime snowstorm, but into the fox itself, moving through the winter woods and hearing and smelling that mysterious animal world. The lines of ink on the page were a secret code. For the first time, Travis wanted to crack it. More than anything.
"Travicus! What've you got there?"
Travis flipped the book cover side down as he scrambled to his feet.
"Why are you here so early?"
"Just had some breakfast," said Velveeta. "Gotta get my recommended daily amount of vitamins and minerals. But you're never here early - weird number one. And you're sitting on the floor, reading - weird number two.
It's Bradley's influence, isn't it? He's been sucking you away from the church of the home workless?"
"No." Travis put the book in his locker. "I just got here early."
"Because you love school so much, right? Me, too.
Can't wait for another day of learning. Let's go get smart."
They walked together to Ms. Gordon's room. Velveeta's scarf of the day was golden and brown with some dark greens, faded like they were underwater.
Every day he looked forward to seeing her scarf. So far she hadn't repeated one time.
Velveeta was still in McQueen's office having her individual conference when the lunch bell rang, so Travis got to the table first.
"Hey," said Bradley, sitting across from him. "Mind if I sit here?"
Travis shrugged and took a bite of pizza.
"So." Bradley ripped the Velcro on his lunch box.
"Chad Cormick said Velveeta's your woman. He said you'll beat the crap out of anybody who looks at her."
Travis stared at Bradley. That sounded a lot better than "crazy bluefish," even if it wasn't true.
"So she is, right? Your girlfriend?"
"I told you before. We're just friends."
"Hi, boys." Velveeta's voice popped behind Travis.
"Were you talking about me?"
Travis choked on a bite of pizza as Velveeta set her tray down next to his.
Bradley knocked on the table and said in a deep voice,
"Hey, open up." Then he answered himself in a nasal voice.
"What's the password?"
He switched back to the deep voice - "Password?
Oh, man, I forgot" - and continued to rattle lines about a password back and forth in the two voices.
"Bradley!" yelled Velveeta, waving her hands in front of his face. "Are you okay?
Are you having a seizure?"
"No," said Bradley in his normal voice. "It's from a game, the old Halo. It's funny."
"You're a freak show," said Velveeta. "But entertaining."
"Do you play?" Bradley asked.
"No," said Velveeta. "Is that what you do for fun?"
"I can't right now. I'm cut off ."
"Why?"
"Because it drives
He picked up a pen and wrote on a scrap of paper, glancing at the first few pages of Haunt Fox as he wrote.
"Look at these words." He handed the paper to Travis. Five words in a list.
Travis didn't know any of them.
"Young." McQueen pointed at the first one. "Say it."
They went over each word together. Young, night, summer, hunt, branches.
They did the list forward and then backward, McQueen pointing and Travis repeating until he could do them all without a hitch.
"Nice job," said McQueen.
"But that's not reading. I just memorized them."
"Right. We call that word recognition. Keep them with you all day. Write them on your hand with your finger. Link the look and the sound and the feel together.
Make friends with them. Once you absolutely know them for sure, anytime, anywhere, then go through the first chapter and use your eraser to uncircle them."
"But I circled like five hundred words. It'll take me years to learn them five words at a time."
"Teacher?" McQueen raised his eyebrows.
"You."
"Don't forget it. Learn those five, uncircle them, and keep circling into the next chapter. Friday morning, back here. Same time."
The hallway was still mostly empty, and Travis sat on the floor in front of his locker and opened the book. Long lines of words tromped across the pages like columns of ants. McQueen found the swamp in those words, and he took Travis there with him. Not just into the nighttime snowstorm, but into the fox itself, moving through the winter woods and hearing and smelling that mysterious animal world. The lines of ink on the page were a secret code. For the first time, Travis wanted to crack it. More than anything.
"Travicus! What've you got there?"
Travis flipped the book cover side down as he scrambled to his feet.
"Why are you here so early?"
"Just had some breakfast," said Velveeta. "Gotta get my recommended daily amount of vitamins and minerals. But you're never here early - weird number one. And you're sitting on the floor, reading - weird number two.
It's Bradley's influence, isn't it? He's been sucking you away from the church of the home workless?"
"No." Travis put the book in his locker. "I just got here early."
"Because you love school so much, right? Me, too.
Can't wait for another day of learning. Let's go get smart."
They walked together to Ms. Gordon's room. Velveeta's scarf of the day was golden and brown with some dark greens, faded like they were underwater.
Every day he looked forward to seeing her scarf. So far she hadn't repeated one time.
Velveeta was still in McQueen's office having her individual conference when the lunch bell rang, so Travis got to the table first.
"Hey," said Bradley, sitting across from him. "Mind if I sit here?"
Travis shrugged and took a bite of pizza.
"So." Bradley ripped the Velcro on his lunch box.
"Chad Cormick said Velveeta's your woman. He said you'll beat the crap out of anybody who looks at her."
Travis stared at Bradley. That sounded a lot better than "crazy bluefish," even if it wasn't true.
"So she is, right? Your girlfriend?"
"I told you before. We're just friends."
"Hi, boys." Velveeta's voice popped behind Travis.
"Were you talking about me?"
Travis choked on a bite of pizza as Velveeta set her tray down next to his.
Bradley knocked on the table and said in a deep voice,
"Hey, open up." Then he answered himself in a nasal voice.
"What's the password?"
He switched back to the deep voice - "Password?
Oh, man, I forgot" - and continued to rattle lines about a password back and forth in the two voices.
"Bradley!" yelled Velveeta, waving her hands in front of his face. "Are you okay?
Are you having a seizure?"
"No," said Bradley in his normal voice. "It's from a game, the old Halo. It's funny."
"You're a freak show," said Velveeta. "But entertaining."
"Do you play?" Bradley asked.
"No," said Velveeta. "Is that what you do for fun?"
"I can't right now. I'm cut off ."
"Why?"
"Because it drives
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