Here Today (9780545349048) by Martin Ann M

Author:Martin, Ann M.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic
Published: 2004-06-11T16:00:00+00:00

“Do you think they’ll really do it?” asked Holly as she and Ellie stepped off the school bus on Thursday morning.

Ellie sighed. “Yes.”

“But do you think everyone will do it? Even Jimmy?”

Jimmy Bush was an unfortunate boy in the second row who picked his nose and talked about nothing but war planes. Most of the kids in Ellie’s class left him alone; the sparrows weren’t interested in him because he wasn’t a girl. “I don’t know,” said Ellie.

“Well, do you think they’ll just pick on me, like Tammy said? Or on you, too, because you wouldn’t—”

“Holly, I don’t know.” Ellie felt cross with Holly, and knew she shouldn’t, which made her even more cross.

“Well, how bad could it be, anyway? It doesn’t hurt so much when someone bumps into you. Here, I’ll bump into you right now.” Holly leaned over and pushed Ellie to the side.

“Quit it,” muttered Ellie.

“Sor-ry.”

“Look, just don’t say anything as we walk into school, okay?”

Ellie followed two fourth graders through the front doors of Washington Irving Elementary. She looked up and down the hall and saw no one from her class. “All right,” she said to Holly. “Let’s go.”

The first kid who slammed into Ellie hit her so hard that she fell backward against a wall of lockers. She slid to the floor and waited to see what would happen next, but Maggie Paxton, laughing, only went on her way. She didn’t even look over her shoulder at Ellie.

Holly, eyes bright, held out a trembling hand to Ellie. But before Ellie was on her feet again, WHAM. George Lott slammed Holly, who lost her balance and tumbled to the floor with Ellie.

This time Ellie held out her hand to help Holly to her feet. She looked around for a teacher, but saw only students.

WHAM. Anita Bryman slammed Ellie, raking her shoe down the back of Ellie’s ankle.

By the end of the day, Ellie and Holly were bruised, Holly’s knees were bleeding, and a bump was rising on Ellie’s left shin. They huddled together on the bus.

“What should we do?” Holly whispered as the bus began to empty.

“Don’t tell anyone,” Ellie whispered back. “Not anyone at all.”

They rode the rest of the way home in silence.

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