فصل بیست و ششم

Chapter 26

“We’ll get you at lunch, Chalkers,” Robbie whispered as Bradley returned to class.

“You’re late,” said Mrs. Ebbel.

He sat at his desk—last seat, last row—and looked at the chart on the wall next to him. Of course there was no gold star next to his name. He had already done three things wrong: First, he had knocked over a girl and made her cry. Second, he was late getting back to class. And third and worst of all, his name was Bradley Chalkers. As long as his name was Bradley Chalkers, he’d never get a gold star. They don’t give gold stars to monsters.

They beat up monsters. He looked around at Jeff, Robbie, Russell, and Brian. He had to concentrate very hard to keep from crying.

The worst part wasn’t getting beaten up. The worst part was that he knew everyone would love it so much. He imagined the whole school—the boys, the girls, and even the teachers—standing by and cheering as Jeff’s gang took turns hitting and kicking him.

When the bell rang for lunch, he slowly took his paper sack out of his desk.

“We’ll be waiting for you outside,” Jeff said to him.

Bradley watched him walk out the door. He walked slowly toward the front of the room, then suddenly dashed out the other door and into the hall.

“Bradley! Come back here!” Mrs. Ebbel yelled.

He kept running. So what if he got in trouble? What difference did it make?

He pulled on the door to the library. It wouldn’t budge. The library was closed during lunch.

He tried to think of somewhere else he’d be safe.

“There he is!” said Doug, stepping out of the auditorium.

Bradley turned and ran back the way he had come. He rounded a corner, then stopped and made a quick and desperate decision.

He opened the door to the girls’ bathroom, closed his eyes, and stepped inside.

He opened his eyes. Luckily, the room was empty.

He held his breath and listened. Nothing could be worse than being beaten up inside a girls’ bathroom. They’d probably stick my head in a girls’ toilet, he thought.

He waited. He didn’t hear anything.

He looked around. The floor and the bottom half of the walls were covered with green tile. There were two white sinks and a paper towel dispenser. There were three toilets in three separate stalls. Each stall had a door. It looked very much like the boys’ bathroom. Girl toilets appeared to be the same as boy toilets. He was disappointed.

He couldn’t risk going back out into the hall. He leaned against one of the stalls, reached into his brown paper sack, and took out his roast beef sandwich.

Someone was opening the door! He quickly put the sandwich back in the bag and hopped into a stall, closing the door behind him. He stood on the toilet so his feet couldn’t be seen.

He listened.

He heard a person walk across the tiled floor and then enter the stall next to him. He covered his mouth with his hand as he heard some familiar but very private sounds.

At last the toilet flushed and he heard the person zip her pants and walk across to the sink. He heard the sound of running water, and then a paper towel pulled down from the dispenser. Finally, the bathroom door opened and shut.

He exhaled, hopped off the toilet, stepped out of the stall, and froze.

Two girls were staring at him. One was the girl who had used the toilet next to him. The other had just entered. He wondered which was which. Then he heard the loudest scream he’d ever heard in his whole life. That answered his question.

He darted past them, opened the door, and flew into the hall.

He rounded a corner, came to a door, and pounded wildly on it until it opened.

“Bradley?” said Carla.

“Hello, Carla.” He held out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to see you today.”