فصل چهلم

Chapter 40

Bradley’s mother took his temperature and told him he was normal.

“I am not!” he argued.

“He’s not normal,” Claudia agreed. “He’s bizarre.” Bradley felt as if his stomach were tied in a knot. Every time he thought about Carla, he felt the knot pull tighter.

“I hate her! I hate her!” he repeated as he slowly walked to school. When he said he hated her, the knot in his stomach loosened just a little bit.

He sat at his desk in the back of Mrs. Ebbel’s room—last seat, last row.

“Hi, Bradley,” said Jeff, sitting down next to him. “Where were you yesterday? Were you sick?” He didn’t answer. Jeff wasn’t his friend. He didn’t have any friends.

“Bradley!” called Mrs. Ebbel. “Will you come here, please?” He dragged his feet to her desk. “I was sick yesterday,” he told her. “Call my mother if you don’t believe me.” Mrs. Ebbel waved that away. “I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your book report,” she said. “It made me want to read the book.” “Huh?”

“Miss Davis gave it to me yesterday,” Mrs. Ebbel told him. “She explained how she accidentally ripped it.” He stared at her, amazed, then noticed his book report, taped together, lying on Mrs. Ebbel’s desk. At the very top, in red ink, was the word Excellent!

“I gave you a gold star,” said Mrs. Ebbel.

He picked up his book report and ran back to his desk.

There it was—next to the name “Bradley Chalkers”—a gold star! He slowly sat down as he stared at it. It seemed to shine brighter than all the other stars.

The knot in his stomach jerked tight and he had to look away. The star reminded him of Carla.

She’s such a liar, he thought. She said she accidentally tore it up when I was the one who did it. I hate her. He shoved his book report in the back of his desk.

The knot loosened.

He walked all recess. The other boys called to him from the basketball court, but he pretended not to hear them. He just kept walking.

Okay, he decided. I’ll go see her at lunch. I’ll just say good-bye to her, that’s all.

“Everyone was looking for you to play basketball,” Jeff said when he returned to class. “I told ‘em you were still sick from yesterday.” “I’m not sick,” said Bradley. “I’m normal.”

When the bell rang for lunch, he walked to Mrs. Ebbel’s desk to ask for the hall pass.

“Yes, Bradley?” she said.

He couldn’t talk. The knot in his stomach was so tight it choked off his vocal cords.

He stuck his hands in his pockets and walked outside. He sat in a far corner of the playground. Twice he thought he saw Carla. The first time it was a third-grade girl. The second time it was a tree. His stomach was too knotted up to eat anything.

“I saw Carla,” Jeff told him after lunch. “I went to her office to say good-bye. She said she’d like to see you. She said she’d wait in her office after school for you in case you wanted to talk to her. She asked me to tell you that.” Bradley closed his eyes until the knot loosened.

“Don’t you even want to say good-bye to her?” Jeff asked.

He shook his head.

He could picture her waiting in her office for him. He’d walk in and she’d say, “Hello, Bradley. It’s a pleasure to see you today. I appreciate your coming to see me.” She might even kiss him again.

When the final bell rang, he walked directly home. The knot inside him tightened with every step he took. I hate her! I hate her! I hate her!