Super Emma Read Online Free PDF Page B

Jared from teaching me a lesson, even though I was the one who embarrassed EllRay!
    “Yow,” Jared roars the second after EllRay’s fist hits his mouth.
    “Two against one, no fair,” Stanley squeals, but I don’t see him jumping into the fight to even things up.
    That’s Stanley, though.
    Suddenly, someone grabs me by the scruff of my neck just as if I were a kitten, and I am liftedoff Jared’s back. I am being held up in the air by only my sweater and the seat of my pants! I see EllRay go flying up in the air, too, and Jared scrambles to his feet.
    “Those two kids were beating Jared up—for no reason,” Stanley Washington tells the teacher who is holding me. “It was awful!” he adds, fake-shuddering.
    “Shut up, Stanley,” Jared cries. His upper lip is already getting puffy. He is starting to look like Daffy Duck, I am happy to see. I sway back and forth in the air like a battering ram, parallel to the ground.
    The person holding me—the playground monitor—finally plops me onto my feet. My legs are trembling so much that I can barely stand up. “She pulled out some of Jared’s hair,” a girl says, sounding amazed.
    Sure enough, a few wisps of brown hair are stuck to my hand when I manage to open it. Jared moans and touches the back of his head.“I’m practically bald!” he says. I wipe my hand on my pants.
    “Those two little kids
whomped
him,” some kid announces.
    “Nuh-uh,” Jared shouts, defending his reputation.
    EllRay is still dangling in the air like a great big Christmas ornament. “There’s not going to be any whomping on
my
playground,” the man holding him says, and EllRay sways a little.
    I gasp and take a wobbly step back.
    It’s the principal! The
principal
is holding EllRay Jakes up high in the air.

10
a Wish
    EllRay and I are in big, big trouble. We are sitting next to each other in the principal’s office. This is probably the only time in school history that third-graders have ever been sent to the principal.
    Oh, great, we’ll be famous—for
this
!
    The principal is in the outer office calling our parents. His office door is open, and we can kind of hear what is going on. But EllRay and I just sit here, kicking our feet against the legs of our chairs. EllRay won’t even look at me.
    I want to say,
“Thank you for trying to save me.”
    I want to say,
“I’m really sorry if I embarrassed you the other day
.”
    Instead, I say, “How is your action figure?”
    EllRay gives me an empty look.
    “You know,” I say helpfully, reminding him. “Your toy. The one with the bat wings, that Jared took.” But now I am starting to wish that I had kept my big mouth shut.
    “Oh. It’s fine,” EllRay says. He tries to smile, but then he goes back to kicking the chair.
    Jared is in the nurse’s office, even though he kept telling everyone that he was okay. But the nurse just walked by holding a bowl of ice from the cafeteria. I guess it’s for Jared’s swollen mouth. Our school nurse looks just like a regular lady. She doesn’t wear a uniform, or anything like that, but she does peek into the principal’s office as she passes.
    I guess she wants to see the rough, tough kids who were mean enough to hit poor Jared Matthews.
    Hah
.

    “All right,” the principal says, bustling into his office. “I’ve talked with both your parents.” He towers above us, looking down, hands on his hips. I sneak a peek at his face. He has a very large nose and a black beard. It is so fluffy thatI’m surprised words can get past his hidden lips. “Emma?” he says, turning to me.
    “Yes?” I croak.
    “Your mother told me some of what’s been happening. Jared’s threat and so on. You should have spoken to Ms. Sanchez about it, Miss.”
    Miss
. I’m really in trouble now. Or maybe he just can’t remember my last name.
    “Okay,” I say meekly. But I know that I would probably still be sitting here, in trouble, even if I
did
tell on Jared. Because Jared wanted a fight.
    “And