Read Online Swan Place by Augusta Trobaugh - Free Book Online Page A

apron pocket and gave it to me. And she sat right there and looked at me for a long time. When she finally spoke, it was in a very low voice—almost a whisper.
    “I guess there’s always someone like Michelle in every class in school,” she said. “But this is going beyond foolish teasing and the way almost all little girls pick on somebody or other at some time.”
    “Did you ever have someone like that in your school?” I asked.
    “Of course,” she said. “But it was just some harmless teasing me about my freckles, and it only lasted a little while.”
    “What did you do?”
    “I didn’t do anything. And I think that’s why it didn’t last long.”
    “Huh?”
    “When I told my mama about it, she said that if I didn’t pay any attention at all, the teasing would stop. I guess it’s only fun if the person getting teased acts upset about it.”
    “That makes sense, and I can ignore it. But what can I do about Michelle lying and getting me in trouble? How on earth can I stop her?”
    “You tell the principal the truth,” Aunt Bett said.
    “That won’t help. She doesn’t believe me,” I said miserably.
    “Why not?”
    “I guess it has something to do with Michelle’s father being so important, or something.”
    Aunt Bett sighed, and a bitter little look of some kind flickered through her eyes.
    “Well, then. We’ve bumped into that ‘them’ and ‘us’ thing, I guess. So what we have to do is make sure you’re someplace during lunch where you have a witness who can testify that you didn’t do or say anything to Michelle. Then the principal would have to believe you.”
    Why, that was nothing short of brilliant!
    “Wow!” I said, and Aunt Bett blushed a little.
    “Do you have a favorite teacher?” she asked me.
    “Oh yes—Miss Madison,” I answered. Aunt Bett brightened visibly.
    “Well then, why don’t you go see her tomorrow—and ask her if you can eat your lunch in her room. That way, you don’t have to go outside or be around Michelle at all. And if she tells any more lies about you, Miss Madison will be your witness.” Aunt Bett looked at me hard.
    “But this is only for a little while, Dove. You can’t let Michelle make you hide forever. And when you’re around her again, no matter what she says and no matter how much it hurts you, you just pretend you didn’t hear her. If you don’t act upset, she’ll lose interest pretty soon and start picking on somebody else.”
    “That’s a good idea, Aunt Bett,” I said. “A very good idea.” We sat in silence for a few minutes, and I could tell that Aunt Bett was proud of herself for coming up with such a good idea.
    “Sometimes I think the boys have things easier,” she added. “They have trouble, they just settle it with their fists. But girls can’t do that.” I was surprised to see that she had tears in her eyes.
    “I’m sorry this happened to you,” she added, simply. I saw that bitter little look flicker through her eyes, and I thought once again about what terribly mean things Michelle had said about her. It almost broke my heart. Took me a few minutes to realize that it was just love hurting me again! Would it never stop?
    The next morning, I got up real early and took Molly and Little Ellis to Aunt Bett’s so I could walk to school and get there ahead of classes. I was praying that Miss Madison would be there early too, so I could talk to her without anyone else being around. I got to school before anybody, and I was sitting and waiting in the back row of seats when she came into her classroom.
    “Dove!” she said, surprised. “Is anything wrong?” I got up and followed her to her desk and while she put her papers into her drawer and took off her sweater, I told her everything about what Michelle was doing. When I came to the part about Miss Frazier, I was very careful. I know better than to speak ill of a principal to a teacher—any teacher. And I told her about what Aunt Bett had suggested and why I