Chapter 2 #2
Seconds later, I heard their voices from the darkness say, “Good night, princess.”
I touched my cheek where they kissed it and it was Hailey’s turn to make fake vomit sounds.
Coming out of my daydream, I pick at some fluff on the reading rug while waiting for class to begin.
It's day three of no Jayson or Julien at school. The rest of the kids arrive for class and sit down as well. Samantha and Jacinda Blanchard, her best friend, start giggling and talking about some boy they saw in the hallway. I hear them snicker about how his clothes look dirty and he must be poor. I really hate when they talk about people behind their backs. My mom says it’s bad to gossip about others, and I have to agree.
So, I just ignore them and start talking to Maria, who's sitting next to me.
Our teacher, Ms. Pauling, steps into the classroom, her hand resting atop the shoulder of a dark-haired boy.
His head hangs down, staring at the ground like he’s nervous to be in here.
He’s wearing a light blue long-sleeved button-up shirt and jeans.
I do notice that he has some brownish-black stains on the front of his shirt.
Samantha and Jacinda giggle loudly, and the boy’s head snaps up, a scowl on his face. He knows they are laughing at him.
“One, two, three, eyes on me,” our teacher chants the familiar words she uses to get our attention and our focus.
“One and two, eyes on you,” we all repeat back to her.
“Good morning class. I would like to introduce our new classmate, Ryder Cutton. Ryder is from Virginia and will be joining us for the rest of the school year.”
Choruses of “Hi, Ryder,” and “Welcome, Ryder,” sing out from our reading rug.
“Since it’s November, and Ryder has not been here for the past three months, who would like to be his class buddy?
As class buddy, you will help show him our class policies, lunchroom procedures, where the bathrooms and water fountains are located, and help introduce him to all the other students at recess.
Any volunteers?" Ms. Pauling looks at us expectantly.
I immediately raise my hand. “I can be his class buddy, Ms. Pauling.”
“Excellent, Elizabeth. Thank you.”
She instructs Ryder to sit next to me on the reading rug. I try to scoot over to make room for him, but Jacinda and Samantha refuse to move. Ms. Pauling doesn’t notice because she has turned around to get the box of our assigned reading books.
“Please move over and make room for Ryder,” I tell Jacinda.
She ignores me, and she and Samantha continue to giggle and point at Ryder’s stained shirt. Ryder frowns at them but doesn’t say a word.
I huff out an annoyed breath and decide to take matters into my own hands while Ms. Pauling’s back is still turned. I swivel around towards the girls, bend my legs, and then push them out like a plow, forcing Jacinda and Samantha to slide across the rug.
Before they even get a chance to say, “Ow!” I grab Ryder’s hand and pull him down next to me in the empty space I cleared for him.
The half smirk he gives me tells me that he appreciates what I just did for him, and he sits down cross-legged next to me.
Ryder has really pretty eyes. They’re this light color of brown.
They remind me of sunsets in the autumn when the sun sinks behind the forests in our backyard, making the red, orange, and yellow leaves glow.
Ms. Pauling turns around after hearing Jacinda’s loud “Ow!” “Is there something wrong Jacinda?” she asks in her stern teacher voice that says she won’t be happy if she finds any of us messing around on the rug and not sitting quietly.
“No ma’am,” Jacinda replies, and when Ms. Pauling turns her back once again, Samantha sticks her tongue out at me.
Our assigned reading books get passed out to us.
“Ryder, until you take the reading test so I can assess your reading Lexile level, why don’t you and Elizabeth go to the school library so you can pick out a book to bring back to class? I will let Mrs. Heard know you are coming.”
Mrs. Pauling looks at me. “Elizabeth, as class buddy, you can show Ryder where the bathrooms and fountains are on the way.” She points to the clock hanging on the wall. “Please be back in thirty minutes, no later.
“Yes, Ms. Pauling. Come on, Ryder.”
We get up and I take the hall pass Ms. Pauling holds out to me.
Our school isn’t very big since our town is on the outskirts of Raleigh, North Carolina.
We are close enough to Raleigh, so the drive isn’t that long to get into the city to shop or go to museums and parks, but it’s far enough out to be considered country.
“I’m sorry that Samantha and Jacinda were so mean to you.
Ryder shrugs, so I keep talking, pointing out stuff to him along the way to the library.
“That’s the boy’s restroom and the water fountain. At the end of the hall is the cafeteria and gymnasium. We usually go outside to play, but when it rains, we play in the gym.”
Ryder continues to silently walk beside me. At the end of the hallway, I pull open a heavy glass door and gesture for Ryder to enter.
“This is the library. It’s my favorite place.”
Seeing Mrs. Heard sitting at the curved librarian's desk in the middle of the large room, I wave. “Hi, Mrs. Heard!”
“Hey, sweetheart. Ms. Pauling said you were coming. It’s nice to meet you, Ryder. Let me know if you need any help finding a book. We’ll get a chance to talk more during library time on Friday.”
She lets us browse the shelves by ourselves and goes back to typing on the computer at her desk. Ryder is still being quiet, scanning the books on the shelves while watching me at the same time.
“So, what do you like to read?” I ask him.
He shoves his hands inside the pockets of his jeans and shrugs his shoulders again. I decide to try a new tactic. I grab a My Little Pony picture book from the shelf and hand it to him.
“I'm sure you must like magical horses. Who doesn’t like talking rainbow unicorns?”
I try to act very serious when I say this, but the horrified look he gives me when I place the book in his hand is just too funny. It gives me the encouragement I need to continue teasing him.
“What about this one?” I say, handing him When the Crayons Quit. “Crayons get such a bad rap. Everybody is like ‘Oh, crayons are for babies. Colored pencils and markers are for big boys and girls.’”
I keep shoving books at him until he gives in to my silliness and plays along.
“Nope. These books are way too mature for me. Do they have The Hungry Caterpillar or books about the American Girl dolls? The ones about Josephina and Felicity are my favs.” I notice Ryder’s voice is deeper than Jayson’s or Julien’s.
I look at him in shocked horror. “You know the names of American Girl dolls?”
“Yeah. Like I said, they’re my favorites.”
Well, okay then, I think. Who am I to judge? I walk over to the American Girl book section and take a couple off the shelf. Ryder clutches his stomach and bends over laughing hysterically.
“I’m just messin’ with you, Elizabeth.”
I put my hands on my hips and give him a piercing look. He gazes up at me and starts laughing all over again. Wiping tears from the corners of his eyes, he straightens up and grins at me.
“I have two sisters. My little sister, Brea, collects them. Our living room is covered in American Girl dolls. They’re actually very scary,” he explains with a shudder.
“Sounds like your sister and my sister will love each other. She has these dolls with huge eyes that freak me out.”
Mrs. Heard finds us and acts like she's about to ask us why we are in the little kids’ picture book section. Instead, she hands me a paperback.
“Elizabeth, this finally checked back in, and you were next on the waitlist.”
She hands me Where the Red Fern Grows. I do an imaginary fist pump. It’s been checked out of our public library forever, so I asked Mrs. Heard to put me on the waitlist for it here at school.
“Thanks so much, Mrs. Heard!
Ryder sees what she handed me. “I’ve been wanting to read that one. My older sister said it was really good.
I hand the book to him. “Here. Take it.”
My offer takes him by surprise. “No. You should keep it. I’ll go find something else to read.”
“Seriously. Take it. I can read it after you’re finished.” I push the book back at him.
“How ‘bout we share? Deal?” He holds out his hand for a shake.
“Deal.” I take his hand and pump it hard once.
“You’re really a nice person, Elizabeth. Thanks for helping me today.”
“No prob.”
“Hey you two. It’s time to head back to your class. I’ll let Ms. Pauling know you’re on your way.”
“See you on Friday, Mrs. Heard!” I grab Ryder’s hand and we make our way back to our classroom.
The rest of the school day goes by quickly.
Ryder and I talk a lot. He’s really smart and funny.
I tell him all about Jayson and Julien and how he’s going to love them, and we are all going to be the best of friends.
At recess, I introduce him to most of the third graders I know, and some fourth graders, too.
He tells me about his old friends and school in Virginia.
His dad opened an auto shop in town. He explains he was helping his dad change the oil for his mom’s minivan in the driveway this morning and that is how his shirt got stains all over it.
I feel bad all over again that Samantha and Jacinda were so mean to him earlier.
Once school is dismissed, I find Hailey at the pickup line to load onto our bus to go home, when Ryder steps next to me
“Hey.” He gives my shoulder a bump.
“Hey you! You ride this bus too? You must live in our neighborhood. What street?”
“Our new house is on Fallen Brook Drive.”
“That’s where we live,” Hailey pipes up.
“Ryder, this is Hailey. My sister I told you about.
I turn to Hailey. “Hales, this is Ryder. He’s in my class and I’m his class buddy. He has a little sister, Brea, that loves American Girl dolls.”
That fact gets her excited. “Really? How many does she have?”
Ryder tilts his head up toward the sky to do a mental calculation
“About fifteen.
“What! I only have three!”
Hailey must be super impressed because as we load onto the bus, she begs Ryder if she can come over to his house and meet his sister.
“Why don’t you guys walk home with me when we get off? Brea should already be home. She’s in kindergarten, so doesn’t go here yet.”
Ryder motions me and Hailey to sit in the seat next to him.
“Aisle or window?” he asks me. This boy is just so sweet.
“Aisle, please. Thanks.”
Hailey sits next to the window with Ryder sitting between us. I put my backpack down on the floor. Ryder takes Where the Red Fern Grows out of his and opens it. He bumps my shoulder again and leans over.
“Want to read with me?”
“Sure. Thanks.”
Again, so sweet. And I seem to say thanks to him a lot. Halfway home, I remember that I promised Jayson and Julien they could climb across the tree when I got home, and I would meet them in my room.
“Um, Ryder? Do you mind if we drop by my house first before we head to yours?”
“Lizzie,” Hailey whines, “we said we would go to his house so I could meet his sister. American Girl dolls,” she emphasizes gravely, like it’s a life-or-death situation if she doesn’t get to see them.
Ryder suggests, “How about this? We can drop by my house first. I promise we won’t be long. My mom’s home. If your mom is okay with your sister staying there, we can leave her and head back to yours. My mom can call your mom to ask.”
Hailey likes that idea very much and readily agrees. I’m sure Jayson and Julien won’t mind if I’m a little late.
“Where have you been?” Jayson says as soon as I open my window for them to climb in.
“Who’s that?” Julien asks when he climbs in to see Ryder standing behind me.
Ryder gives a head tilt and a “S’up” in greeting. Jayson and Julien look at me, look at Ryder, then me again, and back to Ryder.
“You guys sound so much better and look much better, too." I reach my arm back to pull Ryder beside me.
“This is Ryder. He joined our class today. I’m his class buddy.
Oh! And he lives right down the street. His dad owns a new auto shop, and they have this awesome car in their garage.
It’s black with a yellow stripe down the middle.
Ryder’s dad let me sit in it. His dad’s car is amazing!
It has this really big thingy sticking up from the hood.
” I make hand motions, trying to express the size and shape of the thingy.
“That’s called a supercharger,” Ryder helpfully interjects.
“His dad let Ryder and I sit in the front and rev the engine. It was so freakin’ loud! Every time I pressed the gas pedal down, the car and windows would shake. It was so awesome! You guys have got to come see it.”
I really want the twins to like Ryder and welcome him into our group. I see Jayson sizing him up as much as a nine-year-old can. Julien does the same, then holds his fist out
“Any friend of Liz’s is a friend of ours.”
They all fist bump and my insides warm. Our group of three is now a group of four. Me and my three princes.