Chapter 4

At school the day after she had gone to stay with her Daddy they had a spelling test and a substitute teacher.

She was younger than Mrs. Carver which was the first thing Sasha noticed and she wore a white blouse, and a dress pants, and a long pearl necklace that Sasha wanted to touch very badly it was so pretty.

"Hello my name is Ms. Morgan and I'll be your sub for the next couple of months while Mrs. Carver gets ready for her new baby okay?" she wrapped her pearls around her fingers while she talked, she smiled at them like she really meant it, and she looked so nervous Sasha could tell, and kind.

She had eyes like her Daddy and very pretty hair.

Sasha liked her instantly.

"Okay," Ms. Morgan said letting go of her necklace and clapping her hands "so let's start with roll call and then we can take the spelling test Mrs. Carver left for us okay?"

Brittany Miller who sat behind Sasha and who was always borrowing her pencils and never giving them back glared at the new Teacher and then kicked the back of Sasha's chair.

"Hey," she said "hey!" in a loud whisper.

Sasha turned around "What?"

"Let's switch." Brittany said.

"What?"

"When she calls my name you raise your hand and when she calls your name I'll raise my hand."

Sasha blinked her eyes and was confused "Why?" she asked.

And Brittany rolled her eyes and said as if it was so obvious "Because it'll be funny."

"Yeah!" Sarah who sat next to Sasha and was her best friend heard this and laughed "Do it Sasha!"

"But..." Sasha began the whole thing just seemed so dumb to her and kind of mean.

"Oh come on," Brittany said "it'll be fun."

And Sasha was reminded of something (of someone actually...)

"Oh come on Toby," her Mother had so often said...

She shook her head at Brittany and said "No. I don't want too."

By now Ms. Morgan was already halfway through roll.

"Bryan Spring?" she said...

Brittany glared at Sasha "Oh you're just a chicken." she said.

"I'll do it!" Sarah said happily. And Brittany beamed at her. New best friends. Instant friends.

"Brittany Miller?" Ms. Morgan called.

And Sarah raised her hand.

And their were giggles all around.

Ms. Morgan looked around confused for just a second and then went back to roll.

Two more names and then "Sarah Newman?"

And Brittany stuck her tongue out at Sasha and raised her hand and their were even more laughs this time.

And after roll was over Brittany looked at Sasha with this look of total satisfaction and Sasha couldn't shake the feeling that something else had just happened, something bigger then some stupid trick.

All day she couldn't shake it.

And then at lunch Sarah sat with Brittany instead of her.

And then at recess Sarah played with Brittany instead of her.

And Sasha couldn't understand what had happened...she couldn't grasp it.

Because how could Sarah like Brittany all of a sudden more than her?

Play with her instead?

Eat with her instead?

Because of Sasha hadn't wanted to play a dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, trick on the Teacher?

But Brittany was...Brittany was mean.

After recess while Sasha walked to her desk Ms. Morgan smiled at her.

And then soon it was three o'clock and while Sasha was putting on her coat Sarah decided that they were talking again and ran over to Sasha.

"Brittany invited me to her sleep over on Friday!"

"Um...that's nice." Sasha said.

"It'll be fun!" Sarah squealed.

Sasha shrugged and grabbed her backpack "I'm not invited." she said.

"Oh," Sarah said and she seemed to think about this "well I could talk to Brittany and maybe she'll invite you."

"I don't want to go to her stupid party," Sasha said looking at her friend "I don't like Brittany."

"Well," sarah said looking at Sasha and looking mad "I like Brittany. She's fun. She's funny."

"She's stupid," Sasha said "and she's mean."

At this Sarah glared at Sasha even harder and once again Sasha couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed.

"I don't think I can come to your house on Saturday." Sarah said "I don't think my Mom will let me."

"Fine." Sasha said.

And in that instant Sasha hated Sarah. It was so easy it almost scared her. But it was just like it had been that day in the bath.

It was like she was seeing Sarah for the very first time.

And Sarah was the kind of person who thought making someone look stupid was funny.

Sarah was the kind of person who thought someone like Brittany who kicked Sasha's chair and stole her pencil's was fun.

And would rather be her friend than Sasha's.

"Fine." Sasha said again and Sarah began to walk away and out of the classroom.

And just as she walked by Ms. Morgan Sasha yelled out loudly "Bye Sarah!"

And Sarah froze. And Sarah flinched. And Sarah looked up at Ms. Morgan with scared rabbit eyes.

And Ms. Morgan crossed her arms and smirked, not nervous anymore.

"Sarah, huh?" she said.

And Sarah ran out of the classroom and away from Ms. Morgan who smiled at Sasha as she walked by.

And Sasha waved at Ms. Morgan.

And then walked outside to meet her Dad.