Planet Middle School

Planet Middle School

NIKKI GRIMES

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Dedication

Heartsick

Names

Tom Boy

Basics

Sitting Pretty

Signature

Preacher’s Kid

Conversation

Jake

Beginnings

New Math

Ridges

The Usual

B-Day

Humiliation

Planet Middle School

Last Straw

Hunger Pangs

Early Warning Signs

Oh, Joy

Artiste

Worthless

Through the Walls

Game On

Busy

Cravings

It’s Official

Period

The Curse

Lunch Line

Text

Bragging

The Evil Eye

The Produce Section

It’s Not My Fault

Not My Kind of Exercise

Bell

Locker Room

Lunchroom

Silent Shift

History

Risky Business

Butterfingers

Teacher

Girls Will Be Boys

After

Santiago

Dinner Chatter

Speechless

Boy Watch

The Closet

Message

Apology

Unspoken

To Be Honest

Lipstick

Busted

Help

Advice

Practice Does Not Make Perfect

Useful Noise

Hair

Scar

Enough

The Plan

Seven Kinds of Sorry

Looking Back

I’m Texting as Fast as I Can

Woodruff Never Had a Chance

Kudos

Obsessed

Reminiscing

The Hang-Up

Huddle

Just Like Old Times

Lonely Lobes

Pierced

Studs

Doubt

School Photos

It’s Not What You Think

Behind Closed Doors

Homework

Quick Question

Practice

Birthday Dinner

Better Than Cake

Told You So

Heels

Run

Daydreaming

Movie Night

The Day After

Skirting the Issue

Caught

Runway

I Don’t Get It

Fire Drill

News Travels

Sick to My Stomach

What Are Friends For?

Is Everybody Crazy Now?

Hiding Out

Glee

The New Girl

Aftermath

Fuming

Confession

The Call

S.O.S.

Room 321

Vigil

Concussion

Visiting Hours Are Over

Gift

Standing Watch

The Old Jake

Peg-Leg

I Hate to Say It

Readjustment

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?

Acknowledgments

Imprint

For my young friend and surrogate daughter,
Sheila Northcutt,
whose middle name should be Joy.

Heartsick

The emergency-room doors

crack open

and I feel my heart split.

The hospital smell

leaves me dizzy,

or maybe it’s just my fear.

What if I got here too late?

What if my friend’s eyes

never open?

What if I missed the chance

to say I’m sorry?

Our fights seem silly now.

But then,

so do the last few months.

I guess the joke is on me.

Too bad I don’t feel

like laughing.

Names

Joylin was my mother’s idea.

She says she swelled with joy

the moment she knew

I lay curled up

inside her.

While she waited

for my arrival,

she dreamed in pink,

imagined frilly dresses

and sweet tea parties.

Sorry, Mom.

Jockette is what

Caden calls me.

He’s so lame.

If he weren’t my brother,

I’d strangle him.

Just kidding.

So what’s the big deal, anyway?

So I’m not a girly girl.

So what?

Is there some law?

I don’t think so.

Tom Boy

What does that

even mean?

And where did it come from?

And if there’s a Tom Boy,

how come there’s no Jane Girl?

I’m just sayin’.

Basics

I go to my closet

grab a T-shirt and jeans.

Which pair will I wear?

Long jeans, cropped jeans,

just so they are baggy jeans.

Dad keeps asking Mom,

“Where’s the girl

you promised me?”

Like he doesn’t love

our games of one on one.

Please.

Sitting Pretty

Mom bugs me about

sitting with my legs

wide open.

But I don’t get

what she’s so worried about.

I’m covered up in blue jeans.

It’s not like anyone

can see anything.

I’ve told her this

a million times.

For some reason,

she just keeps

shaking her head.