Not So Shy by Noa Nimrodi

Author:Noa Nimrodi [Nimrodi, Noa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Chapter Book, Chapter Books, Jewish, Judaism, Kar-Ben Publishing, Kar-Ben, Older Readers, Israel, art, friendship, school, family, moving, fiction, contemporary, realism, middle grade
ISBN: 9781728481142
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group
Published: 2023-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Nutty Patty, Cockroaches, and Satan’s Day Off

Mrs. Adams says we’ll be working in groups building a DNA model. Abba would love it, but I won’t give him the pleasure of knowing about this project. He would want to help for sure, but I don’t want his help. The Jews-killed-Jesus embarrassment reminded me that I should still be mad at him for moving us here.

Mrs. Adams had us move seats to sit next to our partners. I’m with Jenny, Chris, and Hakim.

“No more butterflies, huh?” Chris says. Can he tell there are butterflies in my stomach?

“Did you see her awesome cast before?” he asks Hakim. Oh, he means the cast.

Hakim shrugs. He hates me. How are we going to do this project together?

Jenny leans in super close to me. She points a finger in Hakim’s direction, covering it with the palm of her other hand. “She really put us in a group with him?”

“What?” I say, a little too loudly. Mrs. Adams shushes me. “What did you just say?” This time I whisper and stare at Jenny.

She puts on a what did I do wrong? expression. I want to kick her under the table.

“I had a sample model here somewhere.” Mrs. Adams is rummaging through her messy closet. “Where could I have put it?” She’s talking to herself, then to us. “Start discussing your project. You can plan to make the model out of anything you want. I’ll be right back.”

As soon as she’s out the door, Pat turns around to face Chris. “So you’re partnered with the Jew and the terrorist.”

What is wrong with these kids?

“Shut up,” Chris says with his mouth barely open, like he’s trying to control himself.

“Such a jerk,” the girl sitting next to him says. “Just because the guy is from Iraq doesn’t make him a terrorist.”

“I should punch him in the face,” Chris says, “but Mrs. Adams should be back any minute.”

“Did you hear that?” Pat elbows Hakim. “Your bodyguard here wants to punch me. You probably trained him, terrorist.”

Jenny laughs.

“Do you really think that’s funny?” I snap. Jenny chokes her laughter with a fake cough and rushes to the sign-out sheet next to the door, excusing herself to go to the bathroom.

My mind is on fire. I stare at Pat. “If he’s a terrorist, then you’re . . . allergic to peanuts!” Did I really just say that?

“What?” Pat stares at me.

So does Chris.

“It’s the first silly generalization I could think of about Americans.” I whisper to him.

“Yeah!” Chris calls. “She’s right, Nutty Patty.”

“Found it!” Mrs. Adams comes back with a plastic DNA helix in her hands.

My face is burning up. Nutty Patty turns away from us. Did he get it? Calling someone a terrorist just because he’s Muslim is as ridiculous as saying he’s allergic to peanuts just because he’s American, I explain to him. In my mind.

Mrs. Adams goes over the different parts of the helix, showing them on the model, explaining how it all works.

“Ten more minutes until the bell rings,” she says.

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