Jack Adrift Read Online Free PDF Page A

playground and funeral. That’s right, I reminded myself, I’m the Respect Detective. I’d better get busy. I dutifully checked the playground to make certain all the kids were respectful. A few kids had stopped running for the door and had turned back to point at the limousines. They craned their necks and jumped up and down to get a better look at the casket. Just when I thought I might have to turn them in to Mrs. Nivlash, the gym teacher blew his whistle and threatened to jab their eyes out with a red-hot needle if they didn’t get a move on. They bolted for the door.
    After we filed back into the school and returned to our seats, I raised my hand. “Miss Noelle,” I said after she called on me, “I’m having trouble with the assignment. It’s easy to write about my life as it really is, but I’m kind of stuck on writing about the life I wish for.”
    She smiled. “You mean to tell me you don’t know what to wish for in life?” She crossed her hands over her heart and made a cheerless, turned-down-mouth clown face. “That is heartbreaking,” she whimpered with mock despair. Behind me there were a few laughs.
    Suddenly I felt panicked inside and realized that to her, and to others, I must have appeared shamefully pathetic. But I wasn’t pathetic—my wish was just too personal to share.
    â€œDon’t get all bogged down in reality,” she said, snapping out of her act. “Let your imagination run wild. Cut
loose. Think of what a wonderful life it would be if you could get everything you wanted. Or if you could be great at everything you attempted. Be smarter, wiser, bigger, more clever … more handsome …”
    My cheeks and ears reddened. I could hear a few more snickers behind me but then I was saved when Mrs. Nivlash’s voice flooded the room. “Good afternoon, students and staff,” she announced. “I just want to wish you all a great school year and, to kick it off, I have decided to allow you a privilege unheard of in any other school across America. I am allowing you to chew gum.”
    Our class let out a cheer, and down the hall I could hear the echoes of the other cheering classrooms full of kids. My heart began to pound. Slowly I looked around the room. Everyone was thrilled. They were all talking about gum. Chewing gum. Buying gum. Swapping gum. Bubble gum. Hot gum. Licorice gum.
    â€œBut of course,” continued Mrs. Nivlash as her voice rose, “this is a privilege that must be constantly earned. So if you are respectful of the school and dispose of your gum properly, then you may continue to enjoy the privilege for the entire year. But if I find one piece of gum stuck anywhere, then the privilege will be revoked. I know many of you think that when I’m not looking you can stick it wherever you wish, but watch yourself. I have appointed a student Respect Detective who will secretly
be my eyes and ears among you—and he’ll be watching. So, enjoy your privilege and I look forward to a great year.”
    â€œI wonder who the snitch is?” I heard one kid ask another.
    â€œI don’t know,” he replied roughly, and pounded his fist into his open hand. “But my dad always says, ‘The only good snitch is a dead snitch.’”
    Suddenly I began to get the creepy feeling that being the Respect Detective was not going to be appreciated by the other kids.
    And I felt worse once I returned home. Betsy was in the kitchen eating an avocado half-filled with wine vinegar. It was her favorite snack and made her breath so acidic she could melt the head off a toothbrush.
    â€œCan I ask your advice about something?” I asked timidly.
    â€œSure,” she replied and spooned a curl of avocado out of its shell, slipped it into her mouth, then washed it down with a sip of vinegar.
    I told her about being named Mrs. Nivlash’s Respect Detective. “Do you think it’s