EllRay Jakes is a Rock Star! (9 page)

“But isn't that cheating?” I ask. “Because Jared wants me—”

“Nuh-uh,” Emma interrupts, shaking her head as we scurry along. “It's not cheating. And who cares about what Jared wants? How nice is he being to you?”

Girls care a lot about being nice. Boys care about not getting beat up.

Also, I care about not staying in trouble with my dad.

“There you are,” Stanley says in the hall outside the downstairs girls' bathroom. A couple of fifth-grade girls have just hurried out, looking like they are about to gag.

Stanley is almost rubbing his hands together like a cartoon bad guy, he is so happy with his fiendish plan.

“Yeah,” Jared says. “Here we are. So let's see you go in there and wash your hands, EllRay!
Slowly
. And then I'll bring that rock back tomorrow.”

“It's a crystal,” I say again as I stand up straight and get ready to push open the heavy door with the big GIRLS sign on it.

“Whatever, dude,” Jared tells me. “Go for it!”

Annie Pat is laughing quietly inside the otherwise empty bathroom. I'm scared even to look around the place, since it is so much against the rules for me to be in here. But I do take a peek.

It looks pretty much the same as the boys' bathroom, only messier. I guess when girls are alone, they're neat. When they're together, watch out!

No wonder our custodian has a bad temper.

“What's so funny?” I ask Annie Pat, my heart pounding so hard I can hear it.

“I told those big girls I was about to barf all over the floor, and they
ran
,” she tells me, still giggling. “Now, wash your hands, or at least run the water, and I'll start screaming and yelling so Jared will think he's getting a really good deal out of this.
Eeeee!
” she wails in a high and horrified voice just as I get the water running.

It sounds so real that I turn to stare at her, my heart pounding.

“OUT,”
she roars, in a different, sixth-grade-sounding voice this time. “This is the
girls'
bathroom, you dummy! Let's get him!”

“Yeah, get him,” she says again in a different voice.

Annie Pat should be in the movies or something, she's so good.

I wave my wet hands in the air to shut her up, grab a paper towel to dry my hands, slam-dunk the towel into the trash, and hustle out the bathroom door—into the main hall, where it looks like Emma has just told some little first-grade girls that they have to wait another minute before using the bathroom.

“But I
can't
wait!” one of them is squealing as she jumps up and down in distress. So I hold the door open for her like a gentleman.

“Thanks,” she and her friend say, racing into the bathroom.

“He did it,” Stanley says, almost looking disappointed.

“You did it,” Jared says, slapping my hand. “Those girls in the bathroom were really
mad
! It sounded like they were gonna get you good. You got your rock, dude,” he adds, heading off down the hall. “Tomorrow.”

“It's a
crystal
,” I yell after him—even though another rule around here is no yelling in the halls.

But they were right—I did it! And I'll get all six crystals back.

“Congratulations,” Emma says, as if she can read my mind.

“Mr. Jakes?” a lady's voice says, and I turn around, my worn-out heart thudding hard once more.

A woman steps out of the doorway opposite the girls' bathroom. I think she's one of the fifth grade teachers, and she's been spying on us. Listening in, anyway.

“Would you care to explain yourself?” she asks. “What on earth were you doing in the girls' bathroom?”

Emma and Annie Pat look like statues, they're so scared. But they don't have to worry. I'm not gonna get them in trouble, too. I owe them.

And even if I didn't owe them, I wouldn't say a word, because—this is my fault.

I started the whole crazy thing when I gave away my dad's crystals.

Just because I wanted something to brag about.

“Cat got your tongue, Mr. Jakes?” the lady asks, staring at me hard, like she really thinks there might be an invisible cat hanging from my mouth.

“I guess,” I mumble.

“Hmph,” she says, almost snorting. “Well, come along with me, young man, and we'll see what the principal has to say about this.”

The principal!

I was only trying to make things right with my dad, and now:

1. I have to make Annie Pat something cool to put in her aquarium so her fish won't be bored.

2. I have to give Emma money for half a candy bar for her mom.

3. I have to wade through all of Kevin's junk after school.

4. And I have to bring Cynthia very expensive-sounding flowers tomorrow, on an official romantic day for girls, and she wants me to give them to her in front of the whole class, which I can't even stand to think about doing.

5. And on top of all that, I'm in trouble with the principal?

 

I will never look another crystal in the face again for as long as I live!

“Well, Mr. Jakes—so we meet again,” the principal says, smiling.

He's actually smiling! I guess he
likes
having kids dragged into his office.

Okay, I wasn't really dragged, but I might as well have been. It's not as if I have a choice about being here.

“Please take a seat,” the principal says.

I'm so scared that I forget his actual name. I can spell principal, though, because Ms. Sanchez always reminds us, “The principal is your pal, do you see? The word ends in P-A-L.” Like that's a really fun thing.
HAH.

The principal does try to be nice and say hi to every kid in the morning. He usually calls us “Mister” and “Miss,” probably because he thinks that will make us act better.

But I had to go into his office once already this year, and that was one time too many, in my opinion.

And—
do you honestly think my dad's not gonna hear about this?

“So, EllRay,” the principal says, petting the side of his beard. “I hear you strayed into the girls' restroom. What's up with that?”

“I'm sorry. I made a mistake,” I say, trying to look him in the eye so he'll think I'm telling him the truth.

“Well, yes, you did make a mistake,” he says. “But are you trying to tell me that you didn't realize it was the girls' restroom?”

“That's right,” I say, nodding. “I forgot to read the sign on the door.”

“And what about all your classmates who were gathered in the hall?” he asks. “High-fiving you and so on. Was that a mistake, too?”

WHOA!
Are there spy cameras in the halls, now?

“Let me tell you what
I
think happened,” the principal says, not waiting for me to answer his question. “I think it was a dare, Mr. Jakes. I think one of the other boys dared you to go in there, and you took him up on it.”

“But nobody in the girls' restroom got embarrassed,” I tell him quickly. “We made sure of that.”

“We?” he asks, pouncing on the word.

Oops. “I meant ‘
me
,'” I tell him, because I don't want to get Annie Pat and Emma in trouble, too. Or Jared and Stanley, either. Because what good would that do?

Also, I'd
never
get my dad's smoky quartz crystal back if I told on Jared.

The principal stops petting his beard. He clears his throat. “Ms. Sanchez told me all about the situation with your father's crystals, EllRay,” he says.

Whoa.
What a squealer she is!

“But why?” I say, and it comes out like a squawk. “That's between my dad and me, and I'm trying to make it right.”

“Glad to hear it,” the principal says. “And I applaud you for those efforts, but not when they affect your behavior at Oak Glen.”

“I know. I'm sorry,” I tell him again.

But really, I'm starting to feel kind of mad.

“Why did you give your father's crystals away?” the principal says.

“Ms. Sanchez already asked me that,” I tell him. “I just got a little excited, that's all. I'm only
eight
,” I remind him, trying for once to look even smaller than I already am, which is pretty small.

“But what were you hoping to get in return?” the principal asks.

“Respect!” I say, and thunder booms outside.

“You have to earn respect,” the principal says. “You can't buy it by carrying out dares or giving away crystals, EllRay.”

“But how are you supposed to earn respect when you don't have anything to earn it
with
?” I ask him, my words tumbling out like those little candies in the machine at the supermarket—the machine that always gives you the wrong color candy, as if by magic. “I'm too short to be chosen first in sports,” I say, pointing out the obvious. “And I'm not all that great at anything yet except having fun, to tell the truth. So I was trying to use my dad's stuff to get respect, the way everyone else in my class does lately. The boys, anyway. But the whole thing backfired.”

“Ah,” the principal says.

“I wanted the kids to see how great my dad is,” I say. “Even though he'll never buy a humongous TV like Corey's dad or an ATV with flames on it like Jared's dad.”

“Some kids do a lot of bragging about their folks in primary school, even these days,” the principal agrees. “Just the way some kids do a lot of complaining about them in middle school and high school. But you have to learn to stand alone, Mr. Jakes—and be judged on your own merits.”

I don't really know what he's trying to say, so I keep my mouth shut. That is usually the best thing to do at times like these.

Just another hint!

The principal laughs. “You're a good kid, EllRay. And you—
you—
have a
LOT
to be proud of now.”

“Like what?” I mumble, staring down at my sneakers.

“Like, you're a good friend,” he says. “For instance, look how loyal you're being to the other kids involved in that restroom caper. And you try to make things right when you mess up. That takes guts.”

“I mess up a lot,” I admit reluctantly. “So I guess I have lots of guts inside me.”

“Everyone makes mistakes,” the principal says. “But not everyone takes responsibility for their mistakes the way you do. You're a stand-up guy. I admire you, Mr. Jakes. I think your father is a very lucky man.”

I peek at him to see if he is joking. He looks pretty serious, but it's hard to tell with that beard covering so much of his face. “You do?” I finally ask.