6

Things Are Going to Change

With the taste of Cafeteria Carol’s chicken noodles still fresh in his mouth, Albert stood proudly at the front of room 12B, holding Buster’s artwork above his head for all to see. The picture had inspired him to share his story, and he felt wiser having told it.

“What did you say the drawing was called again?” said Vex, who simply wanted to hear Albert say “pee-pee” once more.

Mr. Bambuckle chuckled. “You, dear Albert, are a rather fine teller of stories. What a marvelous way to commence our afternoon session.”

Albert’s cheeks flushed with pride. “It must be all the reading I do.”

“I’m certain that helps,” said Mr. Bambuckle, “though telling your own story is quite a different ball game.”

“What ball game?” said Sammy, who was dreaming of playing soccer.

“What’s your story, Mr. Bambuckle?” said Vinnie White, winding a brown curl of hair around her finger.

“Yeah,” said Ren Rivera. “We know that you’ve been to lots of places, but where are you from?”

“Stop wasting time with pointless questions!” said an impatient voice at the door. “You should be learning algebra.” It was Mr. Sternblast.

“Dear Mr. Principal, please, come in,” said Mr. Bambuckle.

Mr. Sternblast strode to the front of the room with fire in his steps. “Listen up,” he barked. “I have some important news.”

The students listened closely.

“There’s going to be a crackdown. We can’t allow classes like this to continue with such airy-fairy nonsense lessons. I’m bringing in someone to help me clean up this school for good. I’m bringing in someone who will boost our grades. I’ll get that promotion if it’s the last thing I do! Things are going to change, and discipline will be the new order!”

Miffy dared to raise her hand.

“Yes, Armstrong?”

“I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

Mr. Sternblast narrowed his eyes and glared around the room. “I haven’t forgotten the little stunt that someone in this class pulled.” He looked at Scarlett. “You can’t get rid of good teachers like Miss Frost in my school without consequences. It cost me a better job with more pay. I don’t know how you did it, but I’m sure it was you. Be warned—all of you! Things are about to change around here, and you’re not going to like it. Not one little bit!”

Miffy wished she hadn’t asked.

“Now where’s that wretched teacher of yours?” said Mr. Sternblast. “He was here a moment ago… This crackdown can’t come soon enough!”

The storeroom door at the back of the classroom opened, and Mr. Bambuckle stepped out, holding a brightly-colored glass teacup. “Would you care for some Himalayan tea, dear Mr. Principal?”

Mr. Sternblast spat his response. “I don’t drink with my enemies!” He stormed back through the door, his words lingering like a bad smell.

Comforted by the reassuring presence of Mr. Bambuckle, Scarlett stood up and walked to the front of the room. The eyes of her classmates followed her, looking on not with judgment but with fondness and understanding. “I want to say sorry,” she said bluntly.

Mr. Bambuckle stepped back and sipped his tea, allowing the conversation to take its own course.

“Why are you apologizing?” asked Victoria.

“For making Mr. Sternblast angry,” said Scarlett. “I’m so glad we have Mr. Bambuckle back, but I don’t want our class to be picked on for what I did.”

Sammy Bamford laughed in gentle support. “Mr. Sternblast is angry all the time. It’s not your fault. Besides, he’s always picked on us.”

“But this is different,” said Scarlett. “I’m the one who made Miss Frost disappear. I’m the reason Mr. Sternblast didn’t get the other job. And I’m the reason he hates us so much.”

Albert stood up. “And that makes you remarkable, Scarlett. Don’t you get it? You did something truly brave. You’re the reason Mr. Bambuckle is back. You’re the reason we’re learning so much. And you’re the reason wonderful things are happening to us.”

Mr. Bambuckle took another sip of his tea. Beneath his sparkly blue jacket, his heart beat a fraction louder.

“That’s right,” said Harold. “You and Vex and Victoria made things fun again.”

Vex managed a half smile, though his sacrifice of working long hours in his father’s car lot was beginning to take its toll. He rubbed his eyes and rested his head on the desk, pretending to scribble on a piece of paper.

Scarlett was overwhelmed with the feeling of support from her classmates. She tightened the red ribbon in her hair, then clasped her hands to her chest. “You’re really not angry at me?” she said.

“Of course not!” sang a chorus of voices.

“We can handle whatever comes our way,” said Carrot. “As long as we stick together.”

Mr. Bambuckle’s heart beat louder again. The students were beginning to band together. This, he knew, was the first step in unlocking their true potential.

Vex raised his head and yawned. “Yeah, yeah…lovey-dovey.” His joke was light, but it couldn’t hide the dark rings that were appearing under his eyes.

“Lovey-dovey!” Slugger burst out laughing and slammed his hand onto his desk, cracking it through the middle. “Oops.”

“LOL,” said Sammy.

Carrot sighed.

A flash of blue darted in through the open window and circled the room, chirping brightly.

“Dodger!” cried Myra.

The blue jay flew swiftly into Mr. Bambuckle’s pocket, vanishing in an instant.

“Where was Dodger?” said Ren. “What was he doing outside the classroom?”

“Dear Ren, as much as I would love to tell you, I simply cannot at this time.”

“Dodger makes such great entrances,” said Miffy.

“Which reminds me,” said Mr. Bambuckle, “for homework tonight, I would like you all to come up with an imaginative way to enter the classroom.”

Name: Vinnie White

Entry: Walk in normally, sit down normally, take your books out normally, look at your teacher normally, then let out the loudest cat meow you can muster. If you get any weird looks, lick the back of your hand and sniff the air.

Name: Damon Dunst

Entry: Wear dark gray clothes and pretend to be your teacher’s shadow. Lie on the floor and wiggle awkwardly so it looks like you’re mirroring their movements. If that’s too much effort, simply walk in singing a romantic song to your sweetheart.

Name: Albert Smithers

Entry: Teleport yourself in using advanced technology.

Name: Slugger Choppers

Entry: Smash through the wall on a giant wrecking ball. Jump off at the right time and land in your seat (if it’s still there). Note: Not for the super-squeamish type. Note for Mr. Bambuckle: I used a hyphen!

Name: Miffy Armstrong

Entry: Somersault in like a Cirque du Soleil acrobat. Do a triple backflip with a twist and land perfectly in your chair. It sounds hard, but it’s really quite easy.

Name: Sammy Bamford

Entry: Catch an airplane and skydive from twelve thousand feet. Open the parachute and steer it toward the classroom, landing on the roof. Crawl in through the air-conditioning duct and slide out of a hatch positioned directly above your desk. Land silently in your seat before anyone notices.

Name: Victoria Goldenhorn

Entry: Wear a pointy hat and dive into the room like an arrow. It beats riding a noisy bike!

Name: Harold McHagil

Entry: Never leave. Camp inside the classroom. Every night. Every weekend. Build a little campfire. Roast marshmallows. Go fishing in the bathroom sink. Use your desk as a backup shelter. Hang your dirty washing over the desk. Go to the toilet in... Oh, that’s kind of a problem.

Name: Peter Strayer

Entry: Don’t enter the classroom. Be somewhere else.

Name: Myra Kumar

Entry: Enter the room on a giant waterslide. Charge your friends a dollar each to have a turn. Make tons of money and retire early. Move to San Diego and spend your days reading books by Tim Harris.

Name: Scarlett Geeves

Entry: Sit on an extra-large paper airplane and have a friend toss you through the open window. Do a couple of loops and crash-land on your desk.

Name: Evie Nightingale

Entry: Being small has its advantages. Disguise yourself as a piece of dust and float in with other pieces of dust. Try not to get stuck in anyone’s eye. Being blinked out is not much fun.

Name: Carrot Grigson

Entry: Saw a hole through the roof and ride a giant pigeon to your desk.

Name: Vex Vron

Entry: Dig a tunnel from the playground to the classroom and pop up under your desk. This will also provide you with a place to nap and allow quick access to the playground at lunchtime.

Name: Ren Rivera

Entry: Paint yourself the same color as the classroom wall. Once camouflaged, wait until everybody else comes in, then slowly peel yourself off the wall and take your seat as if it were a completely normal thing to do. Note: Take as long as you like before you peel—good detectives never miss an opportunity to spy!