The Chicken Dance by Jacques Couvillon

Author:Jacques Couvillon
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Published: 2007-11-12T22:00:00+00:00

Seventeen

The next morning when I went outside to go to school, Leon wasn’t there. I thought maybe he was running late, so I waited a little while for him. He still didn’t show up after around ten minutes and I figured I’d better go to school without him or I’d be late.

Leon was sitting at his desk when I got to school. I thought about talking to him, but the bell rang and the teacher told us to settle down because we had to get started.

All morning long I wondered if Leon was really mad at me. I decided to ask Stanley, “Why do you think Leon didn’t stop at our house this morning?”

He told me, “I think he was just late to school and didn’t have time.”

I liked that answer, so then I asked Stanley, “Do you think it’s because he saw me dancing in the grocery store?”

“No, Don,” he said. “Leon would never do that to you.”

I guess I must have stopped talking in my head and started talking out loud, because Mrs. Forest asked me, “Don, who are you speaking to?”

Everybody turned and looked at me and I didn’t say anything until Mrs. Forest said, “Don, answer me.”

That’s when I said, “I was talking to myself.”

All the kids laughed and Leon said, “Geez, what a geek.”

Then Mrs. Forest said, “Settle down, children. Don, stop talking to yourself; it’s very disruptive.”

During recess and lunch, I sat by myself and thought about what to do. Stanley told me that I should try to talk to Leon after school. Since I didn’t know what else to do, I listened to him and right after school, I walked up to Leon and said, “Hi, Leon. Do you want to come look at my chickens?”

He made a face and then told me, “No,” and so I asked, “Do you want to help me look for my kidnapped twin brother?”

Leon got on his bike and then told me, “Let me explain something to you. You’re a dancing geek, and I’m not, so I can’t be hanging out with you.”

Leon rode off on his bike and I stood alone in front of the school. I didn’t know what to say, and even if I did, it wouldn’t have mattered because I was alone so nobody would hear. I didn’t even feel like talking to Stanley. I don’t know why. I guess because I thought there was nothing he could have told me to make me feel better. My stomach hurt and felt like it did this one time when I ate an expired Beef Pie Surprise TV dinner. And my head felt like it did this one time a dodge ball hit me in the face in fourth grade recess. My mouth got really dry and sweat started dripping down into my eyes. I wiped the sweat away and then I got on my bike and started peddling home.

I felt so tired. Like the most tired I’d ever been in my whole life and I didn’t know if I’d be able to make it all the way home.

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