Read Online Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lynda Mullaly Hunt
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must admit. All I have to do is remember not to move it. I wish it really did hurt; it would be easier.
He sees me when I walk in and it isn’t long before he comes over to ask me what has happened. I have practiced the story all the way to school. About how I tripped over my cat on the stairs and fell.
“You have a cat?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
He nods. Then he glances down at my sling. “Is it a new cat?”
“No, we’ve had that cat forever. A regular member of the family,” I say, feeling like I’m starring in a commercial for something I’d never eat in a million years.
He has a weird look on his face when he asks, “What’s its name?”
“Whose name?”
“Your
cat.
”
I panic. “Pork Chop” pops out of my mouth.
He laughs. “Pork Chop the cat, huh? I bet the dogs in the neighborhood like that.”
I’m nervous and embarrassed. Wondering why I have to be so weird. Wondering why I now have to watch the mind movie in my head of a furry, meowing pork chop with a tail.
But when the rest of the class sits down to do their writing assignments, he says I can read a book. I stare at the letters and watch them dance and move on the bright white page. My eyes ache and my head hurts.
Mr. Daniels watches me, so I look down at the page and remember to turn it every once in a while. With my eyes closed, I watch bright movies of me flying—one of my favorite movies. In this one, I’m flying just above the water—my stomach almost touching it. Racing toward a castle filled with blue light.
I open my eyes a bit to watch the others write. I look at the page again. I even try to read some. I really do. But I can’t help wondering why Mr. Daniels keeps looking over at me.
CHAPTER 17
M i s f i t L u n c h
I watch Albert sit at his desk and stare at the pages of a book. I know he’s not reading. His eyes don’t move at all. I see he has a new bruise on his jaw and decide I’ll go over and talk to him.
“Hey,” I say.
He looks up.
Then something comes out of my mouth that I don’t expect. “Do you want to sit with Keisha and me at lunch?”
“Why?”
“Well, you sit alone and we sit alone—but together, too—so I thought that we could all sit alone together.”
“That isn’t a logical conclusion. Clearly, if we are all together—”
“Yeah,” I interrupt. “I know. It was a joke. So, you want to?”
“Well . . . I suppose so. I guess I’ve got to eat somewhere,” he says.
• • •
Albert leans his chair back as he shakes his empty carton of chocolate milk to let the drops fall on his tongue. “I wonder who decided that a half pint of milk was enough.”
“Why don’t you just buy two?”
He puts his chair down and stares.
“Can’t you just ask your mom for extra money in the morning?” I say, readjusting my fake sling. This thing is a pain.
“I don’t have to ask for money. It’s kind of prepaid.”
And then I realize all at once. Of course. How stupid can I possibly be? Albert doesn’t have many clothes and he gets a ticket from Mr. Daniels every morning. I guess I never thought about it before. He must get one of the free lunches. I hope I didn’t upset him, so I say, “I’m sorry.”
“About what?”
“Well, about . . . well, you know. That you get the free lunch.”
He shrugs. “There are worse things. Than a free lunch, I mean.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“It disturbs my mom, but my dad says he wants to leave his mark on mankind with one of his inventions, and she says he should get a real job. They fight about it a lot, actually.”
I’m really surprised he told me that and I decide to never tell another soul about it.
“Hey,” says Keisha, sitting down.
“Hey,” I say, and Albert nods.
“So, Albert,” Keisha says. “I watched
Star Trek
because you are always spouting off about it. The special effects are not that special. Kind of pathetic, actually. Like a first-grade puppet show.”
Albert looks horrified.
Keisha laughs as
He sees me when I walk in and it isn’t long before he comes over to ask me what has happened. I have practiced the story all the way to school. About how I tripped over my cat on the stairs and fell.
“You have a cat?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
He nods. Then he glances down at my sling. “Is it a new cat?”
“No, we’ve had that cat forever. A regular member of the family,” I say, feeling like I’m starring in a commercial for something I’d never eat in a million years.
He has a weird look on his face when he asks, “What’s its name?”
“Whose name?”
“Your
cat.
”
I panic. “Pork Chop” pops out of my mouth.
He laughs. “Pork Chop the cat, huh? I bet the dogs in the neighborhood like that.”
I’m nervous and embarrassed. Wondering why I have to be so weird. Wondering why I now have to watch the mind movie in my head of a furry, meowing pork chop with a tail.
But when the rest of the class sits down to do their writing assignments, he says I can read a book. I stare at the letters and watch them dance and move on the bright white page. My eyes ache and my head hurts.
Mr. Daniels watches me, so I look down at the page and remember to turn it every once in a while. With my eyes closed, I watch bright movies of me flying—one of my favorite movies. In this one, I’m flying just above the water—my stomach almost touching it. Racing toward a castle filled with blue light.
I open my eyes a bit to watch the others write. I look at the page again. I even try to read some. I really do. But I can’t help wondering why Mr. Daniels keeps looking over at me.
CHAPTER 17
M i s f i t L u n c h
I watch Albert sit at his desk and stare at the pages of a book. I know he’s not reading. His eyes don’t move at all. I see he has a new bruise on his jaw and decide I’ll go over and talk to him.
“Hey,” I say.
He looks up.
Then something comes out of my mouth that I don’t expect. “Do you want to sit with Keisha and me at lunch?”
“Why?”
“Well, you sit alone and we sit alone—but together, too—so I thought that we could all sit alone together.”
“That isn’t a logical conclusion. Clearly, if we are all together—”
“Yeah,” I interrupt. “I know. It was a joke. So, you want to?”
“Well . . . I suppose so. I guess I’ve got to eat somewhere,” he says.
• • •
Albert leans his chair back as he shakes his empty carton of chocolate milk to let the drops fall on his tongue. “I wonder who decided that a half pint of milk was enough.”
“Why don’t you just buy two?”
He puts his chair down and stares.
“Can’t you just ask your mom for extra money in the morning?” I say, readjusting my fake sling. This thing is a pain.
“I don’t have to ask for money. It’s kind of prepaid.”
And then I realize all at once. Of course. How stupid can I possibly be? Albert doesn’t have many clothes and he gets a ticket from Mr. Daniels every morning. I guess I never thought about it before. He must get one of the free lunches. I hope I didn’t upset him, so I say, “I’m sorry.”
“About what?”
“Well, about . . . well, you know. That you get the free lunch.”
He shrugs. “There are worse things. Than a free lunch, I mean.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“It disturbs my mom, but my dad says he wants to leave his mark on mankind with one of his inventions, and she says he should get a real job. They fight about it a lot, actually.”
I’m really surprised he told me that and I decide to never tell another soul about it.
“Hey,” says Keisha, sitting down.
“Hey,” I say, and Albert nods.
“So, Albert,” Keisha says. “I watched
Star Trek
because you are always spouting off about it. The special effects are not that special. Kind of pathetic, actually. Like a first-grade puppet show.”
Albert looks horrified.
Keisha laughs as
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