After we left the nurse, we went to the main office. That’s where the boss of the school lives. His name is Principal.
Principal is a baldy.
He talked to us.
Then Lucille raised her hand. “My brother said that last year he had to come down here. And you yelled at him. And now he’s not allowed to beat up kids at recess anymore.”
Principal kind of laughed. Then he held the door for us to leave.
After that, we walked to the water fountain. And Mrs. let us get a drink. I didn’t get a long one, though. ’Cause kids kept tapping on me.
“Hurry up, girl,” they said.
“Yeah, only guess what? That’s not even my name,” I told them.
“Her name is Junie Bumblebee,” said Lucille.
Then she laughed. But I didn’t think it was a very funny joke.
After that, Mrs. showed us where the bathrooms were.
There’s two kinds of bathrooms in our school. A boys’ kind. And a girls’ kind. I can’t go in the boys’ kind, though. ’Cause no girls allowed, that’s why.
I tried to peek my head in there. But Mrs. snapped her fingers at me.
The only boy who got to go into the bathroom was the boy I can beat up. He was jiggling around very much.
Then he started running all over the place. And he was holding the front of his pants.
“William!” said Mrs. “Are you having an emergency?”
Then William yelled, “YES!” And he ran right in there.
The rest of us walked back to our room.
I touched Lucille’s fingernails. She said that her fingernail polish is named Very Very Berry.
“I would like to have my fingernails red, too,” I said. “But I’m only allowed to have the kind of polish that makes them look shiny. Its name is Clear. Clear is the color of spit.”
“I hate Clear,” said Lucille.
“Me too,” I told her. “And also I hate yellow—which is the color of the stupid smelly school bus.”
Lucille nodded her head. “My brother said when you ride home on the bus, kids pour chocolate milk on your head.”
Then all of a sudden my stomach felt very squeezy again. ’Cause I had to ride the bus home, that’s why.
“Why did you have to tell me that for, Lucille?” I said kind of grouchy.
After we got back to Room Nine, we did some more work. It was a game to help us learn each other’s names.
I learned Lucille. And also a girl named Charlotte. And another girl named Grace. Then I learned a boy named Ham—which we eat at Grandma Miller’s.
Pretty soon Mrs. clapped her loud hands together.
“Okay, everyone. Gather up your things. It’s almost time for the bell.”
Then I heard a noise in the parking lot. It was screechy brakes. And so I looked out the window. And I saw the school bus.
It was coming to get me!
“Oh no!” I said kind of loud. “Now I’m going to get chocolate milk poured on my head!” Then I chewed on my fingers.
“Get in line! Get in line!” said Mrs. “When we get outside, I want all of my bus students to come with me. The rest of you must go to the crossing guard.”
Everyone was lining up. I was the very last one.
Just then the bell rang and Mrs. marched out the door. Then everybody else marched out, too.
Except guess what?
I didn’t.