Lone Bean (4 page)

Chapter 7
Maybe Bad Isn't So Bad

“G
ood morning, Chrysanthemum,” said Gabrielle one morning when she slid next to me in line.

We'd been hanging out for a couple weeks, and she should've known my name by now. I reminded her in my most serious, I-mean-business tone of voice, “My name is Bean.”

“Don't you think Chrysanthemum is a much prettier name for a girl?” she asked, all excited like she had come up with some great idea.

“No!” I yelled back. “And don't call me that!”

“Well, I just thought it might be nice if you used your pretty name and maybe wore a dress once in a while.”

“No way,” I said. I looked down at my jeans with the rips in the knees, my favorite Mickey Mouse sweatshirt, and my dirty sneakers. “I'm Bean and this is how I dress.”

“Fine,” she said. She pouted her lips and turned away.

I crossed my arms and marched to the back of the line so I wouldn't have to stand anywhere near her. I stomped past Carla and Sam without even a glance and stood behind Tanisha. The line started to move, and I dragged my feet all the way to the classroom.

“Good morning, everyone,” said Ms. Sullivan. “Please take out your math books and turn to page fifteen.”

I pulled out my book, but before I could open it up, I got hit in the head with a crayon. I spun around in my seat and spotted the culprit. Terrible Tanisha was chucking broken crayons! She is such a bully. I turned around and tried to focus on the first math problem.

Then another crayon hit me smack in my head. Now I was really steamed. I turned around to give her my meanest, dirtiest, nastiest glare, but—
smack!
A green crayon hit me right in my eye. Well, not really in my eye because, luckily, it was protected by my glasses.

Now, this made me so mad that I forgot how scared I was of her. I grabbed my box of pencils and erasers and stuff and scooped up all the broken bits of crayons at the bottom. I pulled my arm back like a baseball pitcher and hurled all of them at her as hard as I could.

“Chrysanthemum, what do you think you are doing?”

I froze at the sound of Ms. Sullivan's voice. I felt everyone's eyes were glued on me.

“Um . . . nothing,” I said. “And it's Bean, remember?”

“Since you can't seem to remember the rules, maybe staying in for detention at recess will help refresh your memory,” she said, looking sternly at me. “We do not throw crayons or anything else in this classroom.”

I had never gotten a detention before, ever!

“But Tanisha was throwing crayons at me and one hit me in the head and then in my eye, well not my eye, but only because I wear glasses.” Ms. Sullivan was still mad, so I kept talking. “And she wouldn't stop, so I—”

“Bean, that's enough.”

“But, Ms. Sullivan . . . ,” I groaned as I dropped my head onto my cold desk. Then she called on Stanley, who was raising his hand.

“It's true,” he said timidly. “Tanisha started it. She was throwing crayons. One hit me too.”

“I wasn't throwin' nothing,” Tanisha growled.

I turned around in my seat and gave Stanley a big thank-you smile. It was supercool of him to have my back, even though Tanisha would definitely clobber him after school.

“Thank you, Stanley,” Ms. Sullivan said. “Looks like Bean and Tanisha will both be in detention during recess.”

“But,” I said, “that's not fair. She started it.”

Ms. Sullivan ignored me and said, “Everyone please get back to work.”

The room settled down, but I couldn't do my math problems, because Tanisha was glaring at me from across the room with fire in her eyes.

The rest of the morning was awful. All I could think about was detention, as I watched the hands of the clock move. Finally, the bell rang and everyone jumped out of their seats, like they always do before Ms. Sullivan could even say, “Recess!”

“Okay, ladies,” Ms. Sullivan said to me and Tanisha. “Stay in your seats while I take the rest of the class to the playground.”

I stood up, though, and walked toward her. “I can't stay in for recess because . . . um . . .” I stopped for a second and tried to think of a good excuse. Then I remembered Gabrielle's asthma. “The doctor said I need fresh air or . . . um . . . my lungs will explode and then I'll puff up like a balloon and maybe even die.”

“Bean, when you break the rules, you must pay the consequences,” Ms. Sullivan said to me, like she didn't even care about my lung problem. “Sit down, because you are staying in for recess.”

And just like that, she left the room and so did all the kids and I was left all alone with Terrible Tanisha. I hoped Ms. Sullivan would come back soon. I'm not a scaredy-cat, but Tanisha is c-r-a-z-y CRAZY!

“I'm gonna make you wish my name never came out your mouth,” Tanisha said. She circled my chair and poked me with her pencil.

“You started it.”

“I'm gonna make your life miserable,” she said. She shoved me to the floor. But just as her fist flew at my head, the classroom door swung open.

“What is going on in here?” bellowed Ms. Sullivan.

I kept my mouth shut, because I knew that if I tattled again, Tanisha was gonna kill me for sure.

“Bean, answer me,” she said, like she knew Tanisha had knocked me down.

“I fell,” I said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“All right, then,” said Ms. Sullivan said as she sat at her desk. “Get back in your seats. I want you to write
I will not throw crayons
twenty-five times.”

I didn't want to get in any more trouble, so I moved quickly. I pulled out a paper and started writing in my squiggly, not-so-great handwriting.
I will not throw crayons. I will not throw crayons.
Tanisha started writing too, but every time Ms. Sullivan looked away, Tanisha stared at me with an I'm-going-to-kill-you kinda look.

“I have to use the bathroom, but I'm going to leave the door open and I don't want any more trouble. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Ms. Sullivan,” I said, wishing she wouldn't leave us alone again.

Just as she stepped out of sight, another crayon came flying through the air and hit me in the back of my head.

I will not throw crayons. I will not throw crayons.
I kept writing.

Tanisha got up from her seat and started moving around the room. I tried to focus on writing, but I couldn't help but sneak a peek. I spotted Tanisha squirting paste onto Stanley's chair. When I looked again, she was chomping on a huge piece of bubblegum. She blew a huge bubble and then stuck it right in Gabrielle's spelling book. Next, she hopped over to Aisha's desk and drew hearts that said, “I Love Stanley!” on it with a red marker.

Now, I know it's not a good idea to write on tables and put gum in books and paste on chairs, but you have to admit it was kind of funny and really brave of her. I would never have the nerve to do stuff like that.

Tanisha saw me smile, and I guess it made her not want to kill me so bad, because she left me alone. She rushed to her seat right as Ms. Sullivan came inside, and we both got back to writing.

It took forever to finish twenty-five lines of
I will not throw crayons,
but I got the last one done just as the bell rang and everyone came into the room.

I spent the rest of the day waiting for someone to mention Tanisha's pranks, but no one did. Stanley went home sick after lunch, so the paste on his chair dried up. We had already had spelling in the morning, so Gabrielle didn't notice that the pages of her book were all stuck together. I saw Aisha scrubbing her desk with a tissue, but she must have been too embarrassed to say anything.

A crayon flew through the air and hit Sam right in the back of the head.
Ha!
Served her right for stealing my best friend. I looked over at Tanisha and she was smiling. Our eyes met and she winked at me. I smiled and winked back. Maybe Tanisha wasn't so bad after all.

Chapter 8
The Dinosaurs Are Closed

T
GIF! That means “Thank God it's Friday,” and boy, do I love Fridays! Mostly, I think they are great because it's almost the weekend, but today was even better because my class was going on a field trip to the Natural History Museum!

When Ms. Sullivan first told us about the trip, I was a little worried. I mean, who was I gonna sit with on the bus? Not Carla. Not Stinky Stanley and definitely not Terrible Tanisha. But then I had a great idea. Since Mom has Fridays off from work, I asked her to be a chaperone and—guess what? She said yes! My mom is the best.

As soon as I woke up, I got dressed and headed to the bathroom. I bumped right into Mom.

“Good morning,” she said with a weird look on her face.

“How come you're wearing your hospital scrubs?” I asked.

“Baby, I have some bad news.” She knelt down in front of me and looked right into my eyes. “I got a call from the hospital and they need me to come to work.”

“But you don't work on Fridays. It's your day off.”

“I know, but Nurse Johnson and Nurse Manning are both sick.”

“Can't you tell them that you're sick too?” I pleaded.

“No, baby, I can't. That wouldn't be true, and besides, they need me,” she said. “I already called the school to let them know.”

“But you promised.”

“I know and I'm sorry.” Mom gave me a hug. “I'll make it up to you this weekend. Maybe we can go for ice cream, just you and me.”

“I hate ice cream,” I said as I stomped off to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and dragged my feet downstairs to the kitchen. Dad was at the table eating scrambled eggs.

“Can you chaperone the school trip today, Dad?” I asked, squeezing him so tight around his shoulders that he couldn't lift his fork to his mouth.

“Sorry, baby. I have classes all day at the college.”

I slumped down in a seat at the table between Rose and Gardenia and scooped a spoonful of eggs into my mouth.

“Come on, Bean. We're gonna be late,” Rose said.

“Bye, girls! Have a good day,” Dad called as Rose dragged me and Gardenia out the door.

“Doubt it,” I groaned to myself.

I was not so excited for the trip anymore and not so thankful that it was Friday. ISMIF! That stands for “I'm So Mad it's Friday!”

“See ya later,” Rose said as she dropped me off at the number 3 spot on the playground.

I waved good-bye to her and got on the line. Right as I passed Terrible Tanisha, she stuck her foot out to try and trip me. Luckily, I spotted it just in time and hopped over it. Tanisha stuck her foot out again when Gabrielle skipped past. She's not as quick as me, so she tripped. She stumbled and scuffed her shiny shoes on the pavement. I couldn't help but giggle when she pulled a little cloth from her purse and began polishing them.

Ms. Sullivan called roll and then we walked over to a big yellow bus. I had a pit in my stomach. Who was I gonna sit next to?

Gabrielle was the first to get on the bus, then John, then Sam. When it was finally my turn, I climbed up the big, huge steps. Luckily, I spotted an empty row right behind Ms. Sullivan. Sitting alone wouldn't be too bad. At least I wouldn't have to beg someone to let me sit next to them.

Tanisha was the last to get on. She looked around and there were no more empty rows. She was gonna have to sit next to someone.

“Please find a seat, Tanisha,” called Ms. Sullivan. “Time to go.”

I crossed my fingers and hoped that she wouldn't sit in my row. But sure enough, she plopped herself down next to me and stared right at me. Take a picture, it will last longer, I thought to myself, but I didn't dare say it out loud. Instead, I leaned my head against the cool window and watched the cars and trucks and motorcycles zoom by.

We pulled up to the Natural History Museum, and, boy, did that change my mood. I had never seen dinosaurs in real life, and Ms. Sullivan said that they have a room full of them. I was excited!

Everyone piled out of the bus in front of the big white building, and we all lined up by the stairs. A lady met us. She said, “I'm Ms. John,” which was funny because John is a man's name. She was also wearing a red bow tie, which was really funny because ties are definitely for men, not women. She talked in a low whispery voice that didn't go up and down like normal people's do and she never stopped talking the whole time, not even when she was walking. And she refused to answer my questions, even when I raised my hand and waved it around right in front of her.

We looked at junk in glass boxes that Ms. John called artifacts. B-o-r-i-n-g BORING! But, then I saw something shocking. Right there in broad daylight was a clay sculpture of a naked lady, about the size of a Barbie doll, on a table. Tanisha came up beside me.

“That's your favorite thing in the whole museum!” she teased.

“No. I'm just looking at it because it's old and it's art, you know.”

“Don't look at her boooooooobies!” While no one was looking, Terrible Tanisha dropped a tissue on the naked statue's head.

I tried my hardest to stop myself from giggling, but I couldn't. The statue was almost all covered, except for the feet, and she looked like someone dressed as a ghost on Halloween.

When I turned, Tanisha was nowhere to be found. I didn't want anyone to think I had done it, so I hightailed it out of there.

At lunch, we sat around a long table in the cafeteria. I sat at the very end, right next to Sam, who sat next to Carla, who still was acting as if I didn't exist.

“This trip is pretty great, huh?” I said to Sam, but she didn't hear because she was too busy listening to Carla.

Ms. Sullivan and Ms. John passed out brown-paper-bag lunches with carrots—
yuck
—cheese sandwiches—
yum
—and cookies—
double yum!
Just as I finished my sandwich, I noticed Tanisha wasn't across from me anymore. I peeked under the table, and there she was, with a big smile on her face. We both popped up just as Ms. Sullivan called, “Finish eating and throw out your trash.”

Everyone got up to go . . . except Sam. She tripped and tumbled to the floor. Her shoelaces were tied together! Everyone laughed as she struggled to untie them and collect her lunch from the floor. I laughed harder than anyone else, because I knew who had done it. I turned and looked right at Tanisha and she grinned at me. I know she's mean, but she is kinda funny.

“Ms. Sullivan, can I go to the bathroom?” I asked.

“Sure, Bean. Take a partner and meet us by the stairs.”

I looked around. I had no one to be partners with and this was an emergency! I really needed to pee.

“Renee, will you go to the bathroom with me?” I asked.

“I don't have to go,” she said, and then just walked away.

“Sam, will you go with me to the bathroom?”

“Naw, I just went,” she said.

I don't think she understood how serious this was. I really had to go to the bathroom. I crossed my legs and wiggled around as I looked for someone else.

“I'll go with you,” said Tanisha, and she started marching toward the bathroom. I had no other choice at this point, so I followed her. I burst through the door of the bathroom and into the first stall.
Ahh!

Tanisha was at the sink pumping pink, foamy soap into her hand. She kept pumping and pumping till it looked like a pile of cotton candy.

“Cool,” I said, and squirted a pile of pink into my hand too. I rubbed my hands together and stuck them under the water to wash them, but not Terrible Tanisha. She slapped her hand onto the mirror, covering it with pink bubbles.

“Your turn,” she said as she started pumping another pile of soap into her hand.

“No, thanks. My hands are already clean.”

I pushed the button on the hand dryer, and hot air blew like a tornado and dried my hands. When I turned around, both mirrors were covered in soap bubbles and Tanisha was standing in a stall shoving toilet paper into the toilet.

“Come on,” she called. “Help me out.”

I went closer and watched as she threw piles and piles of paper into the water. I grabbed a handful of those paper toilet-seat covers and dropped them in too. She gave me a high five and—
flush!
The paper churned and gurgled in the toilet, and then water started exploding everywhere.

Tanisha howled with laughter, but I spun around and ran as fast as I could out of the bathroom, down the main hall, and to the stairs. I didn't stop till I almost crashed into Ms. Sullivan and the rest of the class.

“No running in the museum,” scolded Ms. John.

“Yes, ma'am,” I said. My heart was still pounding, but I tried to stay calm as we walked through the butterfly exhibit.

“Attention, please, museum patrons,” a loudspeaker announced. “Due to a flood in the main hall, the dinosaur and fossil halls will be closed for the remainder of the day.”

No way! Now I would never get to see the T. rex, the triceratops, or the flying one that I don't remember the name of. This was all my fault. I dragged my feet through the rest of the museum, not even looking at anything. Well, maybe I peeked a little in the mammals' hall, which was filled with funny-looking cavemen who looked like they were about to kill a stuffed bear.

At the end of the day, we got on the bus and headed back to school. Tanisha sat next to me again, but I just ignored her. I leaned against the window, closed my eyes, and just felt sad. Clogging the toilet was a really b-a-d BAD idea.