Malcolm Under the Stars by Brian Lies

Author:Brian Lies
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Amelia moving.

Amelia leaving.

Amelia moving.

Amelia leaving.

For the rest of the morning, it was like Malcolm’s brain was stuck on his tail-safe plastic exercise wheel, going around and around and never going anywhere. Nothing—not slightly pulverized cheese puffs offered by Skylar, or the power going out again and everyone having to push their desks over to the windows to see to do their math, or even Amelia reaching the ending of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH—could get Malcolm’s thoughts to stop circling. His midmorning naptime was spent chewing up a toilet paper tube.

After Amelia had made her announcement, Mr. Binney had talked for a while to the class about how they’d miss her, but how her new school would be a lot of fun too. Malcolm had actually gone a little weak and had to lie down in his shredded paper. At the time, he didn’t exactly know what “moving” entailed, but he certainly understood what “last day” meant.

A few weeks earlier, the class had made valentines out of construction paper. Malcolm felt exactly like the construction paper that ended up in the recycling bin. A discarded piece of paper, with the heart cut out.

Malcolm was so distraught that he almost unlatched his own cage and climbed out to sit on Amelia’s shoulder—right in front of everyone. Because if Amelia was leaving, well, then, what did it matter? Malcolm would leave too. He could live in her hood, right?

The rest of the morning was a blur. The apple-scented-eraser lump in Malcolm’s stomach grew. Malcolm noticed that Jovahn didn’t eat his snack either.

At lunch recess, you let Amelia stay in to play with Malcolm, Mr. Binney. You brought her a sandwich, apple, and a milk. She let Malcolm out of his cage, but she still wouldn’t meet his eyes. He nudged their notebook. When she opened it, Malcolm jumped from letter to letter. Only three. “WHY?”

Amelia took a deep breath and finally talked to him. “Oh, Malcolm. My dad lost his job in December. We can’t afford to stay where we are anymore. We’re moving in with my cousins.”

There was a noise at the door. Both Malcolm and Amelia looked up. Jovahn stood in the doorway, scuffing his sneakers. “How come you didn’t say?” he asked finally.

Amelia sighed and stroked Malcolm’s back. “I guess I was hoping it wouldn’t happen.”

Jovahn walked closer. “Where are you going?”

“An apartment on the north side. I’ll finish the year at Fairfax.”

Jovahn kicked at the table leg. “It’s not fair.” He slumped in a chair. “There’s got to be something we can do. What if we take up a class collection—would that be enough money?”

Amelia rolled her eyes. “Have you ever paid rent? It’s, like, a lot.”

“Well, what if we buy lottery tickets? It’s worth a try.”

Amelia smiled crookedly. “If you won the lottery, you’d give my parents the money?”

Jovahn considered. “Well, maybe. Yeah . . . after I bought a car or two—a Lamborghini, of course. And have you seen those new Nike basketball shoes?”

As

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