Twister on Tuesday - Mary Pope Osborne [4]
“Sure,” said Jack.
“Sit with Jeb, then,” said Miss Neely, “and Annie, you sit with Kate and her brother, Will.”
Will and Kate quickly made room for Annie on their bench.
But Jeb didn’t move over for Jack, not even an inch.
Jack barely had room to sit. He took a deep breath and sat on the end of the bench.
Miss Neely handed Jack a book.
“This is our only reader,” she said. “It’s called the McGuffey Reader. Please read the first two lines of the poem on page fifty.”
“Oh, um … sure, ma’am,” said Jack.
He turned to page fifty. He pushed his glasses into place. Then he read aloud:
“Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
How I wonder what you are.”
“Very good!” said Miss Neely. “Now pass the reader to Jeb.”
Jack handed the book to Jeb.
“Jeb, please read the next two lines,” said Miss Neely.
The older boy cleared his throat and stared at the page.
“Maybe Jeb can’t read,” Will said in a kind voice to Miss Neely.
Jeb’s face got red.
“Shut up, Will,” he muttered.
“Oh!” said Miss Neely. She looked confused.
Jack felt sorry for Jeb. He wanted to give him some help.
Barely moving his lips, Jack whispered, “Up above the world so high, like a diamond—”
Jeb turned on Jack with an angry look.
“I don’t need your help,” he said.
“Now, Jeb, don’t get mad,” said Miss Neely. “And, Jack, you shouldn’t give people the answers.”
“I’m sorry,” said Jack.
Miss Neely sighed and pulled out her pocket watch. She was starting to look tired.
“Why don’t you all go outside and have your noon meal?” she said. “I’ll stay in and prepare for our next lesson.”
Miss Neely opened the door of the sod hut.
Annie, Kate, and Will bounced up from their seats and started cheerfully out of the schoolroom.
Jack turned to Jeb.
“Hey, sorry for what happened,” Jack said.
Jeb just glared at him and didn’t say anything.
“Come on, Jack!” Annie called outside the hut. “Kate wants us to eat with them!”
Jack hurried out the door. He didn’t look back at Jeb.
The air outside was strangely still. The dark clouds still hovered in the distance.
“Storm’s coming,” said Will.
“We have to eat quickly, before it starts to rain,” said Kate. She and Will sat down on the grass.
Annie and Jack sat beside them.
Will opened a small burlap sack. He took out four lumpy objects. They looked like dark rocks.
“Hey, there’s one here for each of us!” said Kate.
“One what?” asked Annie, frowning.
“Sweet potatoes!” said Will. He gave a potato each to Kate, Annie, and Jack.
“Um—no thanks,” said Jack, trying to give his back. “We don’t want to take your lunch.”
“We have enough! Keep it!” said Kate.
“What do you do with it?” asked Annie, holding up her potato.
Kate laughed.
“Just bite!” she said. “Like this—”
Kate and Will bit into their cold sweet potatoes as if they were apples.
“Cool,” said Annie. She took a big bite out of her potato, too.
But Jack just held on to his. He didn’t quite feel like eating the cold, brown potato.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jeb sitting by himself. The big kid didn’t seem to have any lunch at all.
Jack thought he’d try to be friends one more time.
“Hey, Jeb,” he called out. “I’m not hungry. You want my sweet potato?”
Jeb gave Jack a mean look.
“I could have brought my own lunch if I wanted to eat,” he said.
“Oh, sure,” said Jack.
Jeb narrowed his eyes.
“You making fun again?” he said. “I’m warning you. Do that one more time, and I’ll fight you.”
Jack couldn’t believe it. This kid took everything he said the wrong way!
“Hey!” Annie said. “Leave my brother alone. You’re nothing but a bully, Jeb.”
“Annie, stay out of this,” said Jack.
But Jeb just laughed. Then he stood up and walked back into the schoolhouse.
Jack felt angry. He hoped they would find the special writing soon so they could leave.
Will seemed to have read Jack’s mind.
“Don’t worry about him,” Will said to Jack. “He’s never been to school before.”
“Oh, so he’s embarrassed,” said Annie.
“Why hasn’t he been to school?” said Jack.
“Because he has to work