chapter 19

THE NEW PART

In the SWOOF, the Dragon computer is free. I find Ms. Blinny. She is on tiptoe. Roll of masking tape clamped in her teeth. She is trying to flatten a new poster to the wall. The poster wants to curl up. She uses both elbows, one shoulder. She tears a strip of tape. It floats back into her hair. Sticks. She says, “Mmm . . . mmm . . . mmaw!” Then she says, “Oh! Dropped the tape!” She leans out to watch it roll over my foot. Then . . . pop! The poster snaps up like a window shade. Hits her in the nose.

Her eyes close tight. Then she laughs a big laugh.

I dry my sweaty hands. Pick up the tape and help Ms. Blinny. We get that poster on the wall right. She says, “Here’s to teamwork!” She shakes my hand. Ms. Blinny does not seem to mind my sweat. Neither does Matt Drinker’s dog, Moonie. He kind of likes sweat.

I ask Ms. Blinny, “Is it okay if I talk now? I mean write? If I talk out my writing? Or write out my talking? On the Dragon?”

She says, “Yep. Clear schedule.”

I have figured out the best way for me to talk to the Dragon. I take two tissues. Tuck one under each earphone so I don’t sweat those up. Then I stack my fists into two potatoes on the desk in front of me. I rest my forehead on them. Helps me to shut off from the rest of the SWOOF. I can guess that I am a strange thing to see. Mammoth kid. Face on the desk. Talking away. Tissue ears. But the SWOOF is a safe place. Say something to tease somebody and Ms. Blinny will send you out.

Today I get a slow start. But then I tell this to the Dragon:

Okay umm well. I have been waiting to say it. But there is a new part of my story now. And that is Calvin Chumsky. He has come over to my house. I mean inside the crumbledown. Three days now. We are friends. Heard him say it to his parents.

So the way we got to be friends is this. Calvin came to my house. The first day was all by accident. Because of some chasing. The second day was not as much by accident. But still because of chasing. The third day well he came over on purpose. That was a day the lacrosse kids stayed to use the school field. Backseats of the bus were empty. So. All quiet at the cluster stop. And Calvin walked home with me anyway. He just wanted to. With me.

The earphone pops off my one ear. Makes me jump out of my sweaty skin. I look behind me. There she is again. Annalissetta Yang.

She says, “Hi. What are you writing today, Mason?” She pats one of her backward hands on my shoulder. Holds on to the Crocodile with her other. She says, “Looks like it’s going great on the Dragon, huh, Mason? Look at all your writing!” She swirls one arm.

I nod. I see a tissue waving by my eye. It is still stuck on the side of my head. I peel it off. Use it to mop up.

I tell Annalissetta, “Works pretty well for me. Talking to the Dragon. This kind of writing. Sorts it out for me. I guess I do have a story to—”

Annalissetta laughs out loud. Points at the computer screen. She says, “Mason, you’re still typing!”

I say, “Darn!” Then that word goes up on the screen. Big letter D there. I tell the Dragon to stop listening. Push the headset away from me. Annalissetta tilts her chin up. She has a sort of puh-huh-huh-huh kind of laugh. She gets that going. She is on and on about that.

Ms. Blinny looks up from her desk. She says, “Hey there, Annalissetta.” She smiles with her big teeth. Annalissetta shows little teeth back at her. The crooked smile. Ms. Blinny says, “How about you give Mason some space while he’s at the Dragon?” Ms. Blinny closes one eye at Annalissetta like she is saying, You already know this.

Annalissetta makes a circle mouth. She says, “Oh, oh, oh! Sure! Sorry I interrupted you, Mason.” She gives me another pat on the back. Then she shakes her hand. She says, “Boy! You sure are a sweater!”

I think this: Better I am a sweater than a gross-out. Funny thing how Annalissetta Yang just says what she says. She won’t waste time at finding words that are not the ones she is thinking. She uses the ones that come right up front.

Ms. Blinny says, “Annalissetta, you’re welcome to come back for the Dragon later. You have fifth period free, right? Will that work?”

Annalissetta says, “Yep! Okay. I get it. Privacy, privacy, privacy.” She rocks her head while she says it. Then she cranks the Crocodile around and heads out the door. Then I can’t see her. But my brain makes a picture. She is scooting down the hall. Pretty fast. Tell you what. My brain is probably right about that.