honesty.
“Well, I want you to stay away from Michelle altogether. I don’t want you to say anything to her. Do you understand?”
“Yes’m.” And I certainly did understand. Miss Frazier believed Michelle and not me.
“You may go now, but remember what I told you,” she warned.
“Yes’m.”
Going back to my classroom was awful hard to do, because when I came in, everybody looked at me, and especially Michelle, who smiled and tossed her head, as if to say “See what I can do?” I wanted to run, but I didn’t. I walked to my desk and sat down, and I didn’t even look at her again. That was the longest day of school I ever lived through in my whole life, and I couldn’t keep my mind on much of anything except what had happened. And what did her daddy being such an important person in our little town have to do with anything? Michelle out-and-out lied, but Miss Frazier believed her anyway. Why? I just couldn’t make any sense of it.
I was so glad when it was time to go home, and as I went up the steps to Aunt Bett’s house, my eyes started trying to sting. Aunt Bett was standing at the door, and Molly and Little Ellis were standing behind her.
“You sure you can manage all right with Molly and Little Ellis until Roy-Ellis gets home?”
“Yes’m,” I said. And Aunt Bett studied me hard.
“Is everything all right?” she asked, and I managed to nod my head. I didn’t dare try to say a single word, my heart was hurting so bad. So Molly and Little Ellis came with me and we walked home.
But the next day, I found out that Michelle wasn’t through with me yet. After recess, she told the teacher I’d stuck out my tongue at her, and Michelle’s friend confirmed the lie, so I wound up in Miss Frazier’s office again. This time, I was in tears, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.
“Dove, what have you done?” Miss Frazier accused, and I didn’t say a word, because I knew she wouldn’t believe me anyway. “Well, you will have to stay after school today. If you bother Michelle again, I’ll have to take stronger measures to get you to straighten up and behave yourself.”
So that second day back at school after spring holidays, I had to stay after school for a whole hour, and of course, I missed the bus and had to walk all the way home. When I got to Aunt Bett’s, she was standing out on the porch.
“Where have you been?” Aunt Bett demanded, but I was already so miserable, her angry tone didn’t bother me. “I was worried when I saw that you weren’t on the bus.”
“I had to stay after school,” I mumbled.
“What?”
“Just what I said. I had to stay after school.” Aunt Bett’s mouth was hanging open, and I wanted so bad to defend myself, but I had to be careful about not saying anything that would hurt her. But all of a sudden, my throat got so tight, I couldn’t speak. And a flood of water got in my eyes and all the blinking in this world wouldn’t take it away. Aunt Bett sat down on the top step and reached out for my hand.
“Talk to me, Dove. What’s wrong?” she asked, but I still couldn’t speak. And yet I knew the time had come to talk to somebody, anybody, because it was too much for me to carry all by myself. And I had no idea of how to put a stop to Michelle’s meanness.
So I told Aunt Bett about what Michelle was doing, but I said not a single word about what Michelle said about Aunt Bett’s trading pickles for clothes. I just said that Michelle was telling lies about me. I talked through hiccups and a runny nose and water rushing out of my eyes. Aunt Bett listened with her eyebrows drawn together. I finished up by telling her about how I had to stay after school. And for something I didn’t do. Why, I felt like throwing back my head and howling like an animal! Because what on earth was to be done about it? Michelle could go on lying and lying about me, and every single time, I would get into trouble.
Aunt Bett pulled a handkerchief out of her
“Well, I want you to stay away from Michelle altogether. I don’t want you to say anything to her. Do you understand?”
“Yes’m.” And I certainly did understand. Miss Frazier believed Michelle and not me.
“You may go now, but remember what I told you,” she warned.
“Yes’m.”
Going back to my classroom was awful hard to do, because when I came in, everybody looked at me, and especially Michelle, who smiled and tossed her head, as if to say “See what I can do?” I wanted to run, but I didn’t. I walked to my desk and sat down, and I didn’t even look at her again. That was the longest day of school I ever lived through in my whole life, and I couldn’t keep my mind on much of anything except what had happened. And what did her daddy being such an important person in our little town have to do with anything? Michelle out-and-out lied, but Miss Frazier believed her anyway. Why? I just couldn’t make any sense of it.
I was so glad when it was time to go home, and as I went up the steps to Aunt Bett’s house, my eyes started trying to sting. Aunt Bett was standing at the door, and Molly and Little Ellis were standing behind her.
“You sure you can manage all right with Molly and Little Ellis until Roy-Ellis gets home?”
“Yes’m,” I said. And Aunt Bett studied me hard.
“Is everything all right?” she asked, and I managed to nod my head. I didn’t dare try to say a single word, my heart was hurting so bad. So Molly and Little Ellis came with me and we walked home.
But the next day, I found out that Michelle wasn’t through with me yet. After recess, she told the teacher I’d stuck out my tongue at her, and Michelle’s friend confirmed the lie, so I wound up in Miss Frazier’s office again. This time, I was in tears, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.
“Dove, what have you done?” Miss Frazier accused, and I didn’t say a word, because I knew she wouldn’t believe me anyway. “Well, you will have to stay after school today. If you bother Michelle again, I’ll have to take stronger measures to get you to straighten up and behave yourself.”
So that second day back at school after spring holidays, I had to stay after school for a whole hour, and of course, I missed the bus and had to walk all the way home. When I got to Aunt Bett’s, she was standing out on the porch.
“Where have you been?” Aunt Bett demanded, but I was already so miserable, her angry tone didn’t bother me. “I was worried when I saw that you weren’t on the bus.”
“I had to stay after school,” I mumbled.
“What?”
“Just what I said. I had to stay after school.” Aunt Bett’s mouth was hanging open, and I wanted so bad to defend myself, but I had to be careful about not saying anything that would hurt her. But all of a sudden, my throat got so tight, I couldn’t speak. And a flood of water got in my eyes and all the blinking in this world wouldn’t take it away. Aunt Bett sat down on the top step and reached out for my hand.
“Talk to me, Dove. What’s wrong?” she asked, but I still couldn’t speak. And yet I knew the time had come to talk to somebody, anybody, because it was too much for me to carry all by myself. And I had no idea of how to put a stop to Michelle’s meanness.
So I told Aunt Bett about what Michelle was doing, but I said not a single word about what Michelle said about Aunt Bett’s trading pickles for clothes. I just said that Michelle was telling lies about me. I talked through hiccups and a runny nose and water rushing out of my eyes. Aunt Bett listened with her eyebrows drawn together. I finished up by telling her about how I had to stay after school. And for something I didn’t do. Why, I felt like throwing back my head and howling like an animal! Because what on earth was to be done about it? Michelle could go on lying and lying about me, and every single time, I would get into trouble.
Aunt Bett pulled a handkerchief out of her
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