bars.
I take my jacket from the hook and put it on as Mrs. Brook pushes the bar on the door to the playground and it clanks open. The brightness outside hurts my eyes and the wind makes them water and the screaming on the playground stabs my ears. I suck my sleeve and walk fast to try to get away from it even though it follows me everywhere.
Caitlin! What are you doing so far ahead of me?
I’m walking. And you’re slow.
Usually when two people go for a walk together, Mrs. Brook says, they actually walk together.
Oh, I say, and keep walking.
Caitlin! Walk back to me. Please.
So I walk backward to her and stop. Now what?
Let’s walk next to each other. That’s what going for a walk together means. She puts her right foot out first then her left.
I do the exact same thing.
You don’t need to stare at my feet, she says. And you don’t need to match my exact stride or use your left foot when I use mine.
Then how is that walking together ? I ask.
We’re going to keep pace with each other because we’re talking to each other while we walk. Sometimes we’ll make eye contact too. That lets the other person know that we’re listening and interested.
What if we’re not interested?
She Looks At The Person and she opens her eyes wide and she speaks slowly. We’re going to act like we’re interested. Okay? We’ll use this time to observe people and maybe talk to them. We really need to work hard on making friends.
Why? I ask . Don’t you have any? Recess isn’t the best place to make friends.
I want to work on friendships for YOU. You’ll be going to the middle school soon and I want you to have some friends there.
Middle school is sixth grade, I remind her . That’s next year.
Actually you only have a few months left in elementary school. Sixth grade starts in August.
She’s right. Why does everyone say next year? It’s not next year. It’s this year. I suck on my sleeve some more even though I know Mrs. Brook doesn’t like me to.
There’ll be more group projects in middle school so you’ll have to learn to Deal With That. Having friends will help.
Can’t I Deal With It by being my own group?
Mrs. Brook shakes her head. This means no.
I keep sucking my sleeve.
Caitlin. Why don’t you try clasping your hands together or putting your hands in your pockets and squeezing them into fists or one of the other things we’ve talked about instead of sucking your sleeve?
I stop sucking my sleeve but I’ll go back to it later when she forgets because I’m persistent.
She nods at kids on the playground and tells me what they’re doing and how they’re feeling but I don’t know how she can tell. I don’t even know which kids she’s talking about. They all move around too fast. When she mentions the boy in the purple hooded sweatshirt I try to keep up with him and I wish I had a purple sweatshirt like that because purple is my favorite color and I think I might like a hood and it’s fun to watch the flying purple when he runs really fast.
Caitlin!
What?
You’re far ahead of me again. We’re supposed to be keeping pace with each other so we can talk.
Oh. I thought you were done talking.
Look in my eyes while we walk and talk. That will help you keep pace.
I keep switching my eyes away to give them a break but she keeps catching me.
Finally she says, There. That’s much better.
Except that my eyes hurt and my neck is stiff. How is that better?
When the bell rings Mrs. Brook tells me I have twenty minutes of recess with the little kids and then I have to go back to my classroom like they do. If you have any trouble go see one of the teachers.
Inside?
No. There are always at least three teachers on recess duty out here.
Really? I never see any teachers outside at big kid recess.
We always have several outside but they’re kept quite busy because there are a lot of kids on the playground at the same time.
I know. Too many. It’s way too loud.
CHAPTER 10
MICHAEL AND
I take my jacket from the hook and put it on as Mrs. Brook pushes the bar on the door to the playground and it clanks open. The brightness outside hurts my eyes and the wind makes them water and the screaming on the playground stabs my ears. I suck my sleeve and walk fast to try to get away from it even though it follows me everywhere.
Caitlin! What are you doing so far ahead of me?
I’m walking. And you’re slow.
Usually when two people go for a walk together, Mrs. Brook says, they actually walk together.
Oh, I say, and keep walking.
Caitlin! Walk back to me. Please.
So I walk backward to her and stop. Now what?
Let’s walk next to each other. That’s what going for a walk together means. She puts her right foot out first then her left.
I do the exact same thing.
You don’t need to stare at my feet, she says. And you don’t need to match my exact stride or use your left foot when I use mine.
Then how is that walking together ? I ask.
We’re going to keep pace with each other because we’re talking to each other while we walk. Sometimes we’ll make eye contact too. That lets the other person know that we’re listening and interested.
What if we’re not interested?
She Looks At The Person and she opens her eyes wide and she speaks slowly. We’re going to act like we’re interested. Okay? We’ll use this time to observe people and maybe talk to them. We really need to work hard on making friends.
Why? I ask . Don’t you have any? Recess isn’t the best place to make friends.
I want to work on friendships for YOU. You’ll be going to the middle school soon and I want you to have some friends there.
Middle school is sixth grade, I remind her . That’s next year.
Actually you only have a few months left in elementary school. Sixth grade starts in August.
She’s right. Why does everyone say next year? It’s not next year. It’s this year. I suck on my sleeve some more even though I know Mrs. Brook doesn’t like me to.
There’ll be more group projects in middle school so you’ll have to learn to Deal With That. Having friends will help.
Can’t I Deal With It by being my own group?
Mrs. Brook shakes her head. This means no.
I keep sucking my sleeve.
Caitlin. Why don’t you try clasping your hands together or putting your hands in your pockets and squeezing them into fists or one of the other things we’ve talked about instead of sucking your sleeve?
I stop sucking my sleeve but I’ll go back to it later when she forgets because I’m persistent.
She nods at kids on the playground and tells me what they’re doing and how they’re feeling but I don’t know how she can tell. I don’t even know which kids she’s talking about. They all move around too fast. When she mentions the boy in the purple hooded sweatshirt I try to keep up with him and I wish I had a purple sweatshirt like that because purple is my favorite color and I think I might like a hood and it’s fun to watch the flying purple when he runs really fast.
Caitlin!
What?
You’re far ahead of me again. We’re supposed to be keeping pace with each other so we can talk.
Oh. I thought you were done talking.
Look in my eyes while we walk and talk. That will help you keep pace.
I keep switching my eyes away to give them a break but she keeps catching me.
Finally she says, There. That’s much better.
Except that my eyes hurt and my neck is stiff. How is that better?
When the bell rings Mrs. Brook tells me I have twenty minutes of recess with the little kids and then I have to go back to my classroom like they do. If you have any trouble go see one of the teachers.
Inside?
No. There are always at least three teachers on recess duty out here.
Really? I never see any teachers outside at big kid recess.
We always have several outside but they’re kept quite busy because there are a lot of kids on the playground at the same time.
I know. Too many. It’s way too loud.
CHAPTER 10
MICHAEL AND
Similar Books
Mister Distraction (Distraction #2)
Stephanie Jean
In The End: a pre-apocalypse novel
Edward M Wolfe
In Their Footsteps & Thief of Hearts
Tess Gerritsen
InstructionbySeduction
Jessica Shin
Cowboy Jackpot: Valentine's Day
Randi Alexander
Death and the Cyprian Society
Pamela Christie
Whale Music
Paul Quarrington
Judgment Day -03
Arthur Bradley
The Forest House
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Falling Under
Gwen Hayes