FIFTEEN

Mrs. Hooping-Koff was carrying red and green square blocks, and she dropped one off in front of every student. “This is modeling clay,” she said. “I thought we would work in clay today.”

I picked up my clay and sniffed it. I liked the smell, but my hand started to shake.

“Do I have to?” I asked the teacher. “I don’t think I’ll be any good at it.”

“I’m sure you won’t be, Rex,” Mrs. Hooping-Koff replied. “But you have to overcome your fear.”

She frowned at me. “Look at you. Your hands are shaking.”

“My hands are shaking, too!” Luke Puke cried and held up his hands. “Look. I have chills. I have to see the nurse.”

“The nurse quit,” Mrs. Hooping-Koff told him. “She said you made her sick.”

“But I have the chills!” Luke insisted.

“Work with the clay,” our teacher said. “It will warm you up.”

“But clay gives me a rash,” Luke said.

Mrs. Hooping-Koff ignored him. “Listen up, class,” she said. “Soften the clay with your hands. Then form it into anything you want. Anything at all. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.”

Junkfood John raised his hand. “Mrs. Hooping-Koff, can I have another piece of clay?”

“Why do you need another piece of clay, John?”

“I ate mine,” he said.

Junkfood John had green stuff on his lips and a chunk of clay stuck to his chin.

“Try not to eat this one, too,” Mrs. Hooping-Koff said, giving him some more clay.

“Oh no. My nose dripped again,” Rob Slob said. “My clay is all wet and sticky. Can I have another piece?”

Mrs. Hooping-Koff dropped another chunk of clay on the table in front of him. “Use a handkerchief, Slob,” she said.

“I don’t have one,” Rob said. “But it’s no problem.” Then he pulled the front of Wacky Jackie’s shirt to him and blew his nose into it.

We all worked with the clay for a while. My hands were shaking. I always get nervous when I can’t decide what to make.

My clay slipped off the table and landed on top of my shoe. I tried to pull it off, but it stuck to the laces.

What if I can’t get it off? What if everyone sees it and laughs at me? What if I can’t walk?

I have a lot of nervous thoughts.

“Hey, check it out!” Wacky Jackie called, and held up her clay creation.

“What is that?” Mrs. Hooping-Koff asked.

Jackie grinned. “It’s a body part! Guess what it is?”

“Put that away!” our teacher screamed. She grabbed it from Jackie’s hands and frantically smushed it back into a ball.

Cranky Frankie chuckled. “Good one, Jackie.”

The teacher stood behind Brainy Janey. “What are you making, Janey?”

Janey held up her clay. It was a perfect square cube.

“It’s a pyramid,” Janey said. “The ancient Egyptonians used modeling clay to build their pyramids.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Mrs. Hooping-Koff said.

“I looked it up once,” Janey replied. “I believe they kept their chariots inside the pyramids. You know. Like a garage. So the chariots wouldn’t be out in the rain.”

“Rain in the desert. Very interesting,” our teacher said. “But, Janey, you’re holding a cube. It isn’t shaped like a pyramid.”

“It’s a hidden pyramid,” Janey replied. “The Egyptonians hid their pyramids inside giant cubes so the pyramids wouldn’t get wet.”

She’s such a brainiac.

It’s no wonder she gets straight C-minuses on her report cards. Janey is tops in our class.