Someone else would probably have
laughed, but I don’t feel like laughing,
so I let myself cry for a while.
When I finally get back to class,
a note is waiting on
Mrs. Martell’s desk.
Please send Paulie
to the office, it says.
Mrs. Martell has kind eyes
when she tells me to
pack my things, since
the bell will probably ring
while I’m gone.
The words fall
like weights clamped
around my feet.