"If you need help writing your name, just ask me," the teacher told us. Only I didn't need help. I wasn't dumb. She passed out new shiny pencils just like the one I used before.
She put a yellow one in front of me. It was the same color of the dumb bus. I hated it immediately.
A girl with long, shiny, black hair was sitting next to me. She wore clothes that looked like they costed a fortune. She got a red one.
I tapped her shoulder. "Can we trade pencils? I don't like yellow."
She shook her head. "Red is my favorite color."
"It's mine, too!" I yelled. Mrs. Laura looked at me with her finger pressed to her lips. That meant for me to be quiet. I slumped in my chair and stared around. That meanie boy sat across from me. Just my luck.
His nametag had only four letters on it. M-A-T-T.
I sounded it out. "M…att. Matt. Like a doormat," I laughed to myself.
The boy heard me, though. "It's short for Matthew, dummy." I crossed my arms and turned back to the girl.
"See? Look. L-O-N-D-O-N spells London," she said, pointing to her nametag.
"Isn't that a place?" I asked her.
"No, that's my name!" she said.
"Okay. My name's Maddie," I told her. I quick wrote my name on my sticker. "M-A-D-D-I-E."
"Are you mad a lot?" London asked me, looking a bit scared.
"No, silly, that's just my name!" We both laughed and stuck our nametags on.
"Who isn't done yet?" Mrs. Laura asked. Nobody raised their hands. "Okay, everybody, grab a partner so we can look around the school." I look at London and she looked at me. We held hands. That is called the buddy system.
Matt and another boy were behind us. His nametag said Charlie. I knew that name 'cause I have an uncle named Charlie. The boy looked like I could beat him up if I tried.
We first walked past all the classrooms after us, where big kids all the way up to sixth grade lived. I also wondered why our grade couldn't just be called Zero Grade.
We walked some more and passed a place called the cafeteria. It smelled yummy in there. Like macaroni and cheese.
"Mm-mm! What's cookin'?" I hollered into the cafeteria. A lot of kids laughed but I don't know why. It was just a simple question! London even laughed at me. So I let go of her hand.
Next we went to the Library where older kids go to read and study. But not when you're in Kindergarten. Before we entered, Mrs. Laura reminded us that we mustn't scream and carry on while we're inside that place.
And guess what? There were a kajillion books in there! I tried to be quiet, but I couldn't help my mouth.
"HOLY MOLEY! I LOVE THIS PLACE! TOO BAD I'M NOT OLDER, 'CAUSE THEN I WOULD PRACTICALLY LIVE HERE, I THINK! I DON'T LIKE THE KIND OF BOOKS THAT JUST HAVE WORDS, BUT MOMMY SAYS I WILL SOONER OR LATER!"
"Shhh!" the class said. The Library Lady looked grumpy at me. Me and my big mouth.
Mrs. Laura hurried us out of there. Then she showed us the Girls' Bathroom and the Boys' Bathroom. You can't go in the opposite room, though. I think it's against the law.
We went down other halls and passed a lot of drinking fountains. I love those things. They give out free water. Who doesn't love free things? That's what I'd like to know.
After that, we came to the nurse's office. That's where you go if you get hurt. Like if you don't feel good, or if you're bleeding uncontrollably. Then the nurse will try and stop the bleeding. Also, you go there if you have a concussion.
Inside, there were two cots with white sheets and plaid blankets for when you needed to rest and calm yourself. But when London saw them, she had a cow.
"Eww! Are those plaid blankets? My daddy owns all of the Tipton hotels and he would never, ever, EVER, buy plaid for the rooms! He said that plaid is dramatically overrated!" she shrieked.
"And so are you," whispered that Matt I hate. She stuck out her tongue at him and so did I.
"Well, you're the MOST dramatically overrated!" I shouted at him. We high-fived.
We held hands again. Mrs. Laura groaned and led us to our last stop. And she said the words this so isn't worth fifteen-hundred bucks a month.