Read Online Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Green - Free Book Online
Authors: Matthew Green
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principal about a boy who sounds a lot like Tommy Swinden except his name is Danny and he is in second grade. The principal sounds worried. She uses the word situation three times when talking about Danny. When adults use situation a lot, it means that things are serious.
The principal’s name is Mrs Palmer. She’s an older lady who doesn’t like to punish kids or give out consequences, so she talks to Mrs Hume a lot about alternative ways to make the students behave. She thinks that if she makes a kid like Tommy volunteer in a kindergarten classroom, he will learn to behave.
I think that just gives Tommy Swinden a chance to be mean to even smaller kids.
Mrs Hume thinks that Mrs Palmer is crazy, but she doesn’t tell Mrs Palmer. But I’ve heard her say it more than once to other teachers. Mrs Hume thinks that if Mrs Palmer would just give a kid like Tommy Swinden detention more often, he might not try to bowl kids like Max in the bathroom.
I think Mrs Hume is right.
Max’s mom says that the right thing is usually the hardest thing. I don’t think Mrs Palmer has learned that lesson yet.
I walk down the hallway and check the Learning Center, but Max isn’t there either. Mrs McGinn is working with a boy named Gregory. Gregory is a first grader who has a disease called seizures. He has to wear a helmet all the time just in case he falls on his head when he’s having a seizure. A seizure is a like a combination of a temper tantrum and getting stuck.
Maybe if I had figured out a way for Graham to help Meghan with her temper tantrums, Graham would still be here. Maybe Meghan didn’t care about spelling. Maybe we needed to fix something even bigger than a spelling test.
Max is probably in the bathroom near the nurse’s office. He probably had a bonus poop after all. If that’s what happened, Max is going to be mad. That’s two days in a row that he had to knock on the door.
But Max isn’t in the bathroom either. It’s empty.
Now I’m worried.
The only other place where Max could be is in Mrs Riner’s office, but Max works with his speech teacher only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Maybe he’s working with her today for some special reason. Maybe Mrs Riner has to go to a wedding next Tuesday and won’t be able to see Max. It’s the only place he could be. But Mrs Riner’s room is on the other side of the school, and I’ll have to walk by Mrs Pandolfe’s classroom to get there.
I hadn’t thought about Graham for three whole minutes and I was starting to feel better. Now I’m wondering if Graham has completely disappeared. If I walk by the classroom, I wonder if I will look inside and see her still sitting behind Meghan. Maybe I will see just a few wisps left of my friend.
I want to wait until Max gets back to Mrs Gosk’s classroom, but I know I should meet him in Mrs Riner’s classroom. It would make him happy to see me, and, to be honest, I want to see Max, too. Watching Graham disappear makes me want to see Max more than ever, even if it means walking by Mrs Pandolfe’s classroom.
But I never get there.
Just as I’m passing the gym, which separates the little kids’ side of the school from the big kids’ side of the school, I see Max. He is walking into the school, passing through a set of double doors that lead to the outside. It doesn’t make sense. It’s not recess time, and those aren’t even doors that lead to the playground. They face the parking lot and the street. I have never seen a kid go through those doors.
Mrs Patterson walks in behind him. She stops as she enters the building and looks left and right, like she was expecting to see someone waiting by the doors.
‘Max!’ I say, and he turns and sees me.
He doesn’t say anything, because he knows if he does, Mrs Patterson will start asking questions. Some adults talk to Max like he’s a baby when they ask him questions about me. They say, ‘Is Budo with us right now?’ and ‘Does Budo have anything he wants to say to
The principal’s name is Mrs Palmer. She’s an older lady who doesn’t like to punish kids or give out consequences, so she talks to Mrs Hume a lot about alternative ways to make the students behave. She thinks that if she makes a kid like Tommy volunteer in a kindergarten classroom, he will learn to behave.
I think that just gives Tommy Swinden a chance to be mean to even smaller kids.
Mrs Hume thinks that Mrs Palmer is crazy, but she doesn’t tell Mrs Palmer. But I’ve heard her say it more than once to other teachers. Mrs Hume thinks that if Mrs Palmer would just give a kid like Tommy Swinden detention more often, he might not try to bowl kids like Max in the bathroom.
I think Mrs Hume is right.
Max’s mom says that the right thing is usually the hardest thing. I don’t think Mrs Palmer has learned that lesson yet.
I walk down the hallway and check the Learning Center, but Max isn’t there either. Mrs McGinn is working with a boy named Gregory. Gregory is a first grader who has a disease called seizures. He has to wear a helmet all the time just in case he falls on his head when he’s having a seizure. A seizure is a like a combination of a temper tantrum and getting stuck.
Maybe if I had figured out a way for Graham to help Meghan with her temper tantrums, Graham would still be here. Maybe Meghan didn’t care about spelling. Maybe we needed to fix something even bigger than a spelling test.
Max is probably in the bathroom near the nurse’s office. He probably had a bonus poop after all. If that’s what happened, Max is going to be mad. That’s two days in a row that he had to knock on the door.
But Max isn’t in the bathroom either. It’s empty.
Now I’m worried.
The only other place where Max could be is in Mrs Riner’s office, but Max works with his speech teacher only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Maybe he’s working with her today for some special reason. Maybe Mrs Riner has to go to a wedding next Tuesday and won’t be able to see Max. It’s the only place he could be. But Mrs Riner’s room is on the other side of the school, and I’ll have to walk by Mrs Pandolfe’s classroom to get there.
I hadn’t thought about Graham for three whole minutes and I was starting to feel better. Now I’m wondering if Graham has completely disappeared. If I walk by the classroom, I wonder if I will look inside and see her still sitting behind Meghan. Maybe I will see just a few wisps left of my friend.
I want to wait until Max gets back to Mrs Gosk’s classroom, but I know I should meet him in Mrs Riner’s classroom. It would make him happy to see me, and, to be honest, I want to see Max, too. Watching Graham disappear makes me want to see Max more than ever, even if it means walking by Mrs Pandolfe’s classroom.
But I never get there.
Just as I’m passing the gym, which separates the little kids’ side of the school from the big kids’ side of the school, I see Max. He is walking into the school, passing through a set of double doors that lead to the outside. It doesn’t make sense. It’s not recess time, and those aren’t even doors that lead to the playground. They face the parking lot and the street. I have never seen a kid go through those doors.
Mrs Patterson walks in behind him. She stops as she enters the building and looks left and right, like she was expecting to see someone waiting by the doors.
‘Max!’ I say, and he turns and sees me.
He doesn’t say anything, because he knows if he does, Mrs Patterson will start asking questions. Some adults talk to Max like he’s a baby when they ask him questions about me. They say, ‘Is Budo with us right now?’ and ‘Does Budo have anything he wants to say to
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