such as clean the toilets, which is really my brother Mark’s job, but I don’t mind if it means my kitten can have the best, because she deserves it!
Actually, I went a little overboard on my essay, making it almost two pages, but I didn’t think Mrs. Hunter would mind, because I was pretty sure the details about how I would earn the extra money to pay for Mewsette’s bed and collar were important in describing my future goals.
I was reading over my essay and checking for spellingerrors when Mrs. Danielson, who teaches the fourth-grade class next door to ours (the one Prince Peter is in), opened the door to our classroom and said, “Mrs. Hunter, may I see you for a moment?” and Mrs. Hunter said, “Yes, of course.”
Then she turned to our class and said, “Time’s up, everyone. Would you please pass your essays to the left, and, Rosemary, would you please walk along the end of each row and gather everyone’s papers and put them on my desk?”
Mrs. Hunter left the classroom to go out into the hall to talk to Mrs. Danielson while we passed our essays to the left. Rosemary got up and waited at the end of each row until she’d gathered all the essays.
But instead of putting them all on Mrs. Hunter’s desk, like Mrs. Hunter had asked her to, Rosemary shuffled through the essays until she found one in particular. Then she began reading aloud from it in a babyish voice.
“‘My future goal is to be the best cat owner that I can possibly be…’” Rosemary read, trying not to laugh. She was doing a better job than most of the class, who startedlaughing right away. They were laughing because Rosemary was making her voice all high and squeaky-sounding, like she was imitating someone. At first I couldn’t figure out who she was trying to imitate, but a second later it became clear. “‘…when I adopt my kitten from the litter of Lady Serena Archibald, who is a purebred long-haired blue colorpoint Persian. I intend to name this kitten Mewsette—’”
Me! Rosemary was imitating me ! Did she think I really sounded like that? I do not sound like that. My voice is NOT that high and squeaky.
I could feel my cheeks turning bright red. But I was more mad than embarrassed this time. Because I knew I didn’t really sound like that. Also, I knew my essay was good. I’d worked really hard on it. What was her essay about, anyway? Being mean to kids who were littler than she is while playing kick ball? Picking on the New Girl?
“Oh, ha-ha, Rosemary,” I said, in a loud voice. Standing up for yourself when others are being mean to you is important, especially when it’s your first day of school. That’s a rule. Otherwise, it will set the tone for the whole year. “I thought Mrs.Hunter said to put the essays on her desk, not read them.”
“‘Mewsette’!” Rosemary snorted. “That’s the stupidest name for a cat!”
“I think it’s cute,” Erica said, trying, as always, to be the peacemaker.
“Yeah,” Sophie said. “I like it!”
“‘Mewsie for short’!” Rosemary said. She was still reading from my essay. She started using that funny voice again. “‘I will also make sure that Mewsette gets her own bed, like the pink feathered canopy cat bed I saw in the pet store in the mall…’”
All of the boys were laughing now, especially the ones in the last row where Rosemary sat. A lot of the girls were laughing, too, but not all of them. Caroline, Sophie, and Erica weren’t laughing, I noticed. Maybe they liked the name Mewsette. Or maybe they could see how red my face was, and maybe also that there were tears in my eyes.
Only I wasn’t crying because I was upset. I was crying because I was so mad. I just couldn’t believe how mean Rosemary was being! And that people thought she wasfunny! It’s never funny if someone’s feelings are being hurt. That’s a rule.
Really, it’s the most important rule of all.
“‘…that is an almost exact copy of mine (only mine is for humans, not pets),
Actually, I went a little overboard on my essay, making it almost two pages, but I didn’t think Mrs. Hunter would mind, because I was pretty sure the details about how I would earn the extra money to pay for Mewsette’s bed and collar were important in describing my future goals.
I was reading over my essay and checking for spellingerrors when Mrs. Danielson, who teaches the fourth-grade class next door to ours (the one Prince Peter is in), opened the door to our classroom and said, “Mrs. Hunter, may I see you for a moment?” and Mrs. Hunter said, “Yes, of course.”
Then she turned to our class and said, “Time’s up, everyone. Would you please pass your essays to the left, and, Rosemary, would you please walk along the end of each row and gather everyone’s papers and put them on my desk?”
Mrs. Hunter left the classroom to go out into the hall to talk to Mrs. Danielson while we passed our essays to the left. Rosemary got up and waited at the end of each row until she’d gathered all the essays.
But instead of putting them all on Mrs. Hunter’s desk, like Mrs. Hunter had asked her to, Rosemary shuffled through the essays until she found one in particular. Then she began reading aloud from it in a babyish voice.
“‘My future goal is to be the best cat owner that I can possibly be…’” Rosemary read, trying not to laugh. She was doing a better job than most of the class, who startedlaughing right away. They were laughing because Rosemary was making her voice all high and squeaky-sounding, like she was imitating someone. At first I couldn’t figure out who she was trying to imitate, but a second later it became clear. “‘…when I adopt my kitten from the litter of Lady Serena Archibald, who is a purebred long-haired blue colorpoint Persian. I intend to name this kitten Mewsette—’”
Me! Rosemary was imitating me ! Did she think I really sounded like that? I do not sound like that. My voice is NOT that high and squeaky.
I could feel my cheeks turning bright red. But I was more mad than embarrassed this time. Because I knew I didn’t really sound like that. Also, I knew my essay was good. I’d worked really hard on it. What was her essay about, anyway? Being mean to kids who were littler than she is while playing kick ball? Picking on the New Girl?
“Oh, ha-ha, Rosemary,” I said, in a loud voice. Standing up for yourself when others are being mean to you is important, especially when it’s your first day of school. That’s a rule. Otherwise, it will set the tone for the whole year. “I thought Mrs.Hunter said to put the essays on her desk, not read them.”
“‘Mewsette’!” Rosemary snorted. “That’s the stupidest name for a cat!”
“I think it’s cute,” Erica said, trying, as always, to be the peacemaker.
“Yeah,” Sophie said. “I like it!”
“‘Mewsie for short’!” Rosemary said. She was still reading from my essay. She started using that funny voice again. “‘I will also make sure that Mewsette gets her own bed, like the pink feathered canopy cat bed I saw in the pet store in the mall…’”
All of the boys were laughing now, especially the ones in the last row where Rosemary sat. A lot of the girls were laughing, too, but not all of them. Caroline, Sophie, and Erica weren’t laughing, I noticed. Maybe they liked the name Mewsette. Or maybe they could see how red my face was, and maybe also that there were tears in my eyes.
Only I wasn’t crying because I was upset. I was crying because I was so mad. I just couldn’t believe how mean Rosemary was being! And that people thought she wasfunny! It’s never funny if someone’s feelings are being hurt. That’s a rule.
Really, it’s the most important rule of all.
“‘…that is an almost exact copy of mine (only mine is for humans, not pets),
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