chapter 16

ANNALISSETTA YANG

Tell you what. A crooked smile is not always a bad one. Annalissetta Yang, well, she is just made like that.

I met Annalissetta last year. She was new in Merrimack. So a teacher introduced her to the class. Then she wrote Annalissetta’s name up on the whiteboard. I couldn’t read it. But I could hear and see that her parents are very fond of letters. And if she ever wrote one of those acrostic poems from her name, well, that would be very long.

Me knowing Annalissetta kind of has to do with Benny dying. But I am the only one who knows that. Started with me staying home for one whole week after the funeral. Coming back to school after was not so good. Seemed like there were other people besides the lieutenant who wanted to ask me questions. About Benny Kilmartin. The way I could tell this was because of the way kids stared. And whispered. And did not ask or talk about Benny at all. Stayed like that right up to the last day of fifth grade.

So then last year was the beginning of sixth grade. And there I was. Starting at the new school without my best friend. And tell you what. I missed him bad. Ms. Blinny knew that. She said to remember Benny with all my heart. She said to believe I would make new friends too. So I started saying hello to everyone in the halls. If you are looking right at someone’s face you should say something. And besides, I liked it when Ms. Blinny greeted me so friendly. That all felt new. So I tried for more new. But Ms. Blinny is pretty and she doesn’t sweat. And nobody had questions for her about her friend who died. So maybe she’s better at it.

Anyway, I tried it. Said hello to that group of girls. The ones who seem like they are tied to each other with fishing line. They ducked chins. Bumped shoulders. They went by. Funny thing. There is always someone else coming down a school hallway. People parade. Then one day, I’m helloing and next thing I know, I’m saying hello to Matt and Lance. Matt pulled his lips inside out at me. Crossed his eyes. Lance turned backward in the hall and called out, “Hey, Buttle, if we want to hear anything out of you, we’ll squeeze your head.” He showed me his middle finger. Lance loves to do that.

Something about that whole thing made me miss Benny all over again. I didn’t want to look at Matt and Lance so I looked down at the floor. Walked on. That’s how I crashed into Annalissetta Yang. Or she crashed into me.

Annalissetta walks with a green rolling thing called a Crocodile. On four wheels. It helps her. Like for support and balance. And it works. You might not believe me when I say it, but that girl goes pretty fast with that thing. I think that was part of why we crashed. Annalissetta is a tiny girl. She went down.

I figure if you knock something over you better pick it up. Well. Big mistake. I reached down for Annalissetta’s little arms. Thought maybe it would help if I got her upright again. Steady on that Crocodile. She said, “Naw-uh. You can’t pick me up.”

I said, “Why not?”

She said, “I am capable. I can do things for myself. So if you help me when I don’t need help, you underestimate me.”

I said, “I do?”

She said, “Yeah. And that insults me.”

I said, “Oh. Sorry.” Then I wondered who told Annalissetta Yang all of that.

I stood like a stalled-out dozer. She struggled up. Tell you what. Not easy for her. Her legs keep a bend to them. Like tight muscles or something. Kids in the hall saw that. Saw me standing there. Not helping. They did not think good of me. But I knew they didn’t hear her say that part about naw-uh, and you insult me.

I do not know how to do right for something like that.

Annalissetta was okay. Good thing. But when she tried to go on her way, she couldn’t. That Crocodile was stuck.

She tried pushing. She said, “What the heck! What the heck!” Then she said, “Oh, I know. I have too much darn friction.”

I saw what it was. Red knob on one wheel. Must have gotten too tight. Somehow. Knew I could put that right. So I reached. But then I stopped. I asked her, “If I fix it, would that insult you?”

She said no it would not. She smiled her funny smile. Crooked. Way up high on one side and not at all up on the other. Tiny teeth. She said, “I can’t turn that thing. So, if you could, help me out. Please.”

So I fixed it. Easy. And then Annalissetta thanked me. Then she took off. Rolling pretty fast. There is something to like about that.

I see her lots. She comes to the SWOOF. And now I learn this: She is a Dragon user. Helps her like it helps me. Different reason though. Her hands curl up. I know why because she told me. She said that is trouble with her muscles. That is because she has cerebral palsy.

That is a tougher trouble than my troubles. But I think this: I don’t have to feel too bad for Annalissetta. That’s because she does not feel bad for herself.