Rhyme Schemer (5 page)

Mrs. Little isn't even a teacher

so why can she send me to Hartwick?

Life's mysteries

abound.

Suspended.

A word that can describe medicine.

The little bits of healthy mold

suspended

in pink goo

so that the kids like the bits enough

to swallow them.

Suspended.

A word that can describe stopping

like someone hit a pause button and you are

suspended

in time and space

your finger frozen inches from your

nose.

Suspended.

A word that can describe

me.

You should have seen Mom's face

when she came to pick me up.

Not red.

Not purple.

No forehead veins,

like Hartwick's.

She just smiled really big.

I'll deal with him
, she said

and then she laughed

but I know she wasn't really laughing.

Unless something

was funny

on her phone.

I dreamed about that smile last night

and woke up

shivering.

Mom hasn't talked to me

in 24 hours.

Dad is on call so he'll be back tomorrow.

Today is the first day

of three days

of not being allowed at school.

Is this what it means to be
dealt with
?

Isn't this sort of every kid's dream?

Missing parents.

No school.

Long weekend.

Is suspension really that big of a deal?

Paul says yes. It is a big deal.

But Paul never gets in trouble,

so how does he know?

The band is here tonight,

Petey and his friends

who all look the same.

They make sounds kind of like

the tornado did

but noisier

and less memorable.

Noisier Tornado.

That could be their band name.

I guess when you're suspended you're supposed to

think

about what you've done.

I am supposed to

think

shoving Robin under the sinks was

not cool.

I am supposed to

think

I'll never do anything like that

again.

You know what I really

think?

Petey shoves me under the sink

in the bathroom at home

All.

The.

Time.

No.

Big.

Deal.

No.

One.

Cares.

Get this.

As part of my punishment

Mom and Dad say Petey can't drive me

to school

anymore.

If I had known these were the

severe consequences

I'd face

I would have gotten suspended

a lot

sooner.

Intervention.

That's what Paul called it.

He's taking a nighttime college class.

It's for nerds who want to be psychiatrists.

It teaches them words like “intervention.”

When he said it, I thought he meant for me

but he meant for Petey.

He took Petey aside

while Petey rolled his eyes.

Paul told him to be a better big brother,

a better person.

Paul is the only one who sees Petey

as he is,

a King Kong jerk.

You'd think

Philip would see the King Kong jerk part, too—

but Philip is too busy

with football and girls

to notice anything

other than cheerleaders or boobs.

Paul told Petey to
watch it
.

Petey said
Watch THIS
.

And then punched a wall.

Paul rumpled my hair.

I think my getting suspended bothered Paul

more than anyone else.

More than

me.

Well.

My notebook is not lost.

Guess who found it?

Shrimpy Robin.

His face is like a dog

with a juicy bone.

Whatever.

No one can hear your heart beat fast

when you are jagged stone.

Mrs. Little put 50 pounds of books

in my arms.

Shelve them
, she said.

Her mouth was tight,

puckered

like a cat

('s

butt).

This is part of the punishment.

Not just suspension.

Becoming Mrs. Little's slave

for two weeks

after school.

So boring

I might

die.

I did not die.

But now I might.

Robin made copies of some pages from my

notebook.

COPIES.

Gave them to everyone.

EVERYONE.

Guess who's going to get to watch his nose

EXPLODE OFF HIS FACE?

At least Robin didn't copy my secret

about messing up the books.

And at least he didn't copy Petey's crying secret.

Even with Petey in high school

he would still find out

from someone's big mouth.

I'm sure of it.

So now I'm worried

because Robin knows my secrets.

And I know he knows.

And he knows I know he knows.

And the way his smile curls like the Grinch

is no good.

That I know for sure.

Deep breaths.

Jagged stone turns to smooth rock.

Cold rock.

Rocks don't die.

Rocks have no feelings.

Rocks don't care.