Eli: Glad to write again. Here's the next chapter. Pride and Prejudice is
one of my favorites, thus it appears time and again. Enjoy.
Gracie sat in the corner of the library as the others got books. She hated library day. Once a week, Auntie Midja would take them to the library. She hated every minute of it. Nicky walked over to her.
"Hey! Instead of mopping, why don't you go look for a book?"
"Go away, Nicky. I don't wanna."
"I don't wanna." He mimcked back. He sat down right next to her and laughed as she moved away. "I betcha you're too stupid to even know how to read."
Gracie got up and ran down the hall. Chris went up to Nicky and glared.
"What are you staring at?"
"Why do you do that? She's only a first grader."
"I'll tease your girl friend as much as I want."
"She's not my girlfriend and you can't tease her as much as you want." Nicky got up and shoved Chris.
"And what are you going to do about it?" Chris, peace maker and pacifist, upper cutted Nicky's chin. Nicky groaned in pain as he fell to the floor. He stared back up at Chris.
"Where did you learn that?"
"There's a good side to actually getting along with Bethany." Chris then turned and left.
He couldn't find Gracie on the first floor so he moved up to the second. He could hear her sobbing and found her hiding behind a stack of books.
"Gracie?" He asked as he sat down next to her. Gracie scooted over from him and turned her head.
"Gracie, don't tell me you listened to him. You're not stupid." She turned to him, teary eyed.
"Yes, I am. He was right, I don't know how to read." She confessed. Chris was a little taken back, since the rest of them had been reading since they were four. Then he smiled and sat down next to her.
"If you want, I can teach you." Gracie looked up at him.
"You will?"
"Yeah. Now get up and we'll go find you some books to get started. Nothing hard like what Jamie reads. Okay?" They both got up. Gracie shook the dirt off her bottom.
"Okay. Thank you, Chris."
"Welcome, now let's go." He put his hand on her shoulder and led her down stairs to the childrens books.
-Week Later- (Another story)
Bethany was just about ready to slap him. Dominic backed off toward the wall.
"Go away, Dominic. I don't trust you while I'm reading. I won't be totally conscience and you might attack me."
"I'm your protector, why would I hurt you?" She put her hands on her hips and glared.
"Don't call yourself that, and my mommy told me that my daddy use to attack her when he was under my grandfather's influence, like you are."
"What if-"
"No what if's!" Dominic put his head down and spoke so only she could hear.
"You can trust me, you know."
"No, I don't know. Now, leave me alone!" Bethany walked away and Dominic didn't follow. He waited till she was far away before climbing up to the roof to watch her. He wanted to prove himself and just waited for the opprotunity.
Bethany sat silently in the corner of the playground with her book. Her own old copy of Pride and Prejudice, bent and folded from years of use. As she read about Elizabeth and Darcy bickering, two fifth graders approached her.
"Hey geek, what you reading?" Bethany ignore the comment and read on. The boys didn't like that and tore the book from her hands.
"Hey!" She yelled, becoming very angry. The boys smirked at her. The bigger of the boys opened up her book wide and tore out a few pages. The few pages flew away in the wind.
"No!" Bethany screamed out. Her father had given her that book after they had read it together. It was the equivalent to most kids fairy tales and was now being torn up. The boys just laughed and the other threw it away in the garbage.
"Yeah, Nottingham, cry!" Both boys expected her to. She did not. Instead, she palm striked the first kid in the face. Hard enough it hurts and breaks your nose, but not enough to kill you. The second kick got kicked to his private areas. Both boys groaned in pain as Bethany stormed off.
The boys turned to go to the office to turn her in, when Dominic landed nehind him. He tilted his head and looked at them. They looked down on him.
"Hey kid, move. We gonna turn in that pyscho bitch, Bethany Nottingham." The one without the broken nose said. Dominic punched him across the face.
"You don't even deserve to say her name." He said as he knocked him out. The other boy was soon out as well. Dominic turned to one of the teachers and pointed at the boys.
"Teacher, those two boys hurt each other and then fell asleep." He said innocently. The teacher thanked him for pointing them out and left. Dominic then went off to gain trust.
-Next recess-
Bethany did not return to class like she was suppose to. She wasn't worried about that. She never got in trouble for anything anymore. Wheather her grandfather paid people off or her father and mother were too imtimadating, she was never to blame.
What she was worried about was what she would tell her father when he noticed the book gone. She had sworn she would be careful with it. She felt tears come to her eyes, but blinked any sign of them away. She didn't cry. 'Warriors don't cry' she told herself.
She felt someone put a hand on her shoulder, surprising when you're on a roof. She thought it was a janitor, but it was Dominic. She just got angry.
"What do you want?" He shrugged his shoulders and sat down next to her. Bethany flinched.
"I got those two boys for you. Knocked them out so they don't remember a thing. They were going to tell on you."
"As noble as you think you are, it was all for vain. I never get in trouble here. I scare the hell out of the staff and they think I'm a freak, which I am. You didn't need to do that."
"Oh. Well, here." He took something out of his pocket. It was her book, cleaned up from the garbage. She looked at it and then looked at him. She looked down and took the book from his hands.
She opened the book, and her mouth opened from shock. The torn pages were taped back in there good as new. She traced the rip lines with her fingers.
"I hope that will do, Bethany." Dominic said. He moved from her side to in front of her. "I hope you can trust me now. I want to be your friend, Bethany. Because I know you're a good person under all the barbs and all the fighting. Can we be friends, Bethany, please?"
Bethany looked at him and nodded. Then, before he could get up, Bethany did something he wasn't expecting. she leaned forward and hugged him. He had never gotten a hug before, and just sat there stiffly. Finally, he just mimcikered her motions and hugged her back.
"Thank you, Dominic." She said into his ear, and let go. She got up and jumped down from the roof. Dominic remained up there and watched her go to class. Bethany turned back briefly, just before she entered the classroom, and smiled at her friend.
Coming Attractions:
Mama's an Angel
Gracie sat in the corner of the library as the others got books. She hated library day. Once a week, Auntie Midja would take them to the library. She hated every minute of it. Nicky walked over to her.
"Hey! Instead of mopping, why don't you go look for a book?"
"Go away, Nicky. I don't wanna."
"I don't wanna." He mimcked back. He sat down right next to her and laughed as she moved away. "I betcha you're too stupid to even know how to read."
Gracie got up and ran down the hall. Chris went up to Nicky and glared.
"What are you staring at?"
"Why do you do that? She's only a first grader."
"I'll tease your girl friend as much as I want."
"She's not my girlfriend and you can't tease her as much as you want." Nicky got up and shoved Chris.
"And what are you going to do about it?" Chris, peace maker and pacifist, upper cutted Nicky's chin. Nicky groaned in pain as he fell to the floor. He stared back up at Chris.
"Where did you learn that?"
"There's a good side to actually getting along with Bethany." Chris then turned and left.
He couldn't find Gracie on the first floor so he moved up to the second. He could hear her sobbing and found her hiding behind a stack of books.
"Gracie?" He asked as he sat down next to her. Gracie scooted over from him and turned her head.
"Gracie, don't tell me you listened to him. You're not stupid." She turned to him, teary eyed.
"Yes, I am. He was right, I don't know how to read." She confessed. Chris was a little taken back, since the rest of them had been reading since they were four. Then he smiled and sat down next to her.
"If you want, I can teach you." Gracie looked up at him.
"You will?"
"Yeah. Now get up and we'll go find you some books to get started. Nothing hard like what Jamie reads. Okay?" They both got up. Gracie shook the dirt off her bottom.
"Okay. Thank you, Chris."
"Welcome, now let's go." He put his hand on her shoulder and led her down stairs to the childrens books.
-Week Later- (Another story)
Bethany was just about ready to slap him. Dominic backed off toward the wall.
"Go away, Dominic. I don't trust you while I'm reading. I won't be totally conscience and you might attack me."
"I'm your protector, why would I hurt you?" She put her hands on her hips and glared.
"Don't call yourself that, and my mommy told me that my daddy use to attack her when he was under my grandfather's influence, like you are."
"What if-"
"No what if's!" Dominic put his head down and spoke so only she could hear.
"You can trust me, you know."
"No, I don't know. Now, leave me alone!" Bethany walked away and Dominic didn't follow. He waited till she was far away before climbing up to the roof to watch her. He wanted to prove himself and just waited for the opprotunity.
Bethany sat silently in the corner of the playground with her book. Her own old copy of Pride and Prejudice, bent and folded from years of use. As she read about Elizabeth and Darcy bickering, two fifth graders approached her.
"Hey geek, what you reading?" Bethany ignore the comment and read on. The boys didn't like that and tore the book from her hands.
"Hey!" She yelled, becoming very angry. The boys smirked at her. The bigger of the boys opened up her book wide and tore out a few pages. The few pages flew away in the wind.
"No!" Bethany screamed out. Her father had given her that book after they had read it together. It was the equivalent to most kids fairy tales and was now being torn up. The boys just laughed and the other threw it away in the garbage.
"Yeah, Nottingham, cry!" Both boys expected her to. She did not. Instead, she palm striked the first kid in the face. Hard enough it hurts and breaks your nose, but not enough to kill you. The second kick got kicked to his private areas. Both boys groaned in pain as Bethany stormed off.
The boys turned to go to the office to turn her in, when Dominic landed nehind him. He tilted his head and looked at them. They looked down on him.
"Hey kid, move. We gonna turn in that pyscho bitch, Bethany Nottingham." The one without the broken nose said. Dominic punched him across the face.
"You don't even deserve to say her name." He said as he knocked him out. The other boy was soon out as well. Dominic turned to one of the teachers and pointed at the boys.
"Teacher, those two boys hurt each other and then fell asleep." He said innocently. The teacher thanked him for pointing them out and left. Dominic then went off to gain trust.
-Next recess-
Bethany did not return to class like she was suppose to. She wasn't worried about that. She never got in trouble for anything anymore. Wheather her grandfather paid people off or her father and mother were too imtimadating, she was never to blame.
What she was worried about was what she would tell her father when he noticed the book gone. She had sworn she would be careful with it. She felt tears come to her eyes, but blinked any sign of them away. She didn't cry. 'Warriors don't cry' she told herself.
She felt someone put a hand on her shoulder, surprising when you're on a roof. She thought it was a janitor, but it was Dominic. She just got angry.
"What do you want?" He shrugged his shoulders and sat down next to her. Bethany flinched.
"I got those two boys for you. Knocked them out so they don't remember a thing. They were going to tell on you."
"As noble as you think you are, it was all for vain. I never get in trouble here. I scare the hell out of the staff and they think I'm a freak, which I am. You didn't need to do that."
"Oh. Well, here." He took something out of his pocket. It was her book, cleaned up from the garbage. She looked at it and then looked at him. She looked down and took the book from his hands.
She opened the book, and her mouth opened from shock. The torn pages were taped back in there good as new. She traced the rip lines with her fingers.
"I hope that will do, Bethany." Dominic said. He moved from her side to in front of her. "I hope you can trust me now. I want to be your friend, Bethany. Because I know you're a good person under all the barbs and all the fighting. Can we be friends, Bethany, please?"
Bethany looked at him and nodded. Then, before he could get up, Bethany did something he wasn't expecting. she leaned forward and hugged him. He had never gotten a hug before, and just sat there stiffly. Finally, he just mimcikered her motions and hugged her back.
"Thank you, Dominic." She said into his ear, and let go. She got up and jumped down from the roof. Dominic remained up there and watched her go to class. Bethany turned back briefly, just before she entered the classroom, and smiled at her friend.
Coming Attractions:
Mama's an Angel