Books Chapter One....

Mrs. Robins had passed out all of the Scholastic Book Fair packages and everyone was digging through their bags excited to finally get their orders. Most of them did not even remember what they had picked out.

Gloria was holding her new books. Not reading them yet just holding them. She’d never had a brand-new book of her own, just library sale remnants with the covers torn off and a few hand me downs from her older cousins, who didn’t read the kind of stories she liked. They were all about princesses and she really liked space stories best. But these were hers. Brand new. Never even been opened books.

And it wasn’t just one book, it was two and a poster of a rainbow for her bedroom wall. Last year she saw a picture of a bedroom in a Sear’s catalogue that was all rainbows. Rainbow comforter, rainbow pillows, a small rug that was even shaped like a rainbow. It might take her awhile to get all the other pieces, but this was a start.

“My mother bought those books.”

“What?”

“My mother bought your books. See the red dot up in the corner? Those were the forms that my mother marked for” Ellie paused and made sure she was pronouncing the word correctly, “underprivileged kids.”

Whoever had decided to leave the red dots on the prepaid order forms had clearly not understood how they were leaving a large scarlet letter P for Poor on them all.

“My mother did a lot of them. She thinks it’s important that all kids have books of their own.”

“What did you just call me?”

“Underprivileged, it means that you…”

“I know what it means!” Gloria didn’t really know what it meant but she was pretty sure it was an insult.

“Then why did you ask?”

“Because I wanted to, that’s why!”

“What did you get?” Ellie reached out to see the books as Gloria was frantically shoving them back into the Scholastic bag, ripping her poster as she did so.

“Your mother paid for them so, here!”

And with that Gloria swung the bag at Ellie who was bending down to see which books Gloria had. The bag connected with Ellie’s face with a sickening thud.

Both of their mothers were called, and they all went to the principal’s office. After Ellie stopped at the nurse to get a bag of ice for her rapidly blackening eye.

Gloria’s mother was sitting very quietly and still. Which Gloria knew meant she was in really big trouble.

“Gloria, do you realize how dangerous what you did was? You could have broken Ellie’s nose or worse.”

“I didn’t mean to hit her in the face with my books.” Which she didn’t. She had meant to hit her in the stomach with them.

“Why did you hit her?”

“Like I told Mrs. Robins, she called me a name.”

“I didn’t” Ellie protested.

“You did too! You said I was underprivitch.”

“Underprivileged.” Ellie couldn’t help correcting her. “And you are.”

Gloria glared at the principal, “See?”

Ellie’s mother reached out and put her hand on Ellie’s shoulder, “Ellie, enough.”

“But Gloria knows she’s underprivileged. She told me she knew what it meant. And it’s not an insult. Everyone has different things. And that’s okay. You said so!”

“I did say so. But it’s not polite to talk about in public.”

Ellie squinted her eyes and thrust out her jaw. If you wanted a picture for the dictionary for stubborn that could have been it. “You also said you shouldn’t talk in private about things you wouldn’t say in public.”

“We will talk about it more at home.”

Gloria’s mother then spoke up, “Gloria, I don’t care how embarrassed you are by what Ellie said you cannot hit her.”

“I’m not embarrassed, I’m mad. She said her mother paid for my books, so I was just going to give them to her she wanted them so bad. And you said that sometimes you just needed to smack people to get their attention.”

Gloria’s mother shook her head, “That’s not what I meant. We will also talk about it at home. For now, I want you to apologize. And I want to apologize as well. I clearly have to watch what I say around her.”

Gloria sighed, “I’m sorry I hit you in the face with the books. I didn’t mean to do that and I’m sorry your eye is going to fall out.”

“MY EYE IS GOING TO FALL OUT?”

“No, no, no. Your eye isn’t going to fall out. It’s just going to have a bruise for a while. Gloria, apologize for saying her eye was going to fall out.”

Gloria sighed, “I’m sorry your eye isn’t going to fall out.”

Her mother gave her a stop it right now look, “Fine. I’m sorry I said your eye was going to fall out. I don’t know if it will fall out.”

Ellie’s mother nudged Ellie in the shoulder, “I’m sorry I said you were underprivileged even though I don’t know why I should be sorry about it.”

Ellie’s mother closed her eyes and took a deep breath, “I am sorry as well. We also need to discuss what we do and do not say.”

The principal asked if everyone was satisfied with the outcome. And warned the girls that next time there would be more severe punishment for any sort of fighting.

As they walked out Gloria’s mother told her that she would have to work late the whole next week to make up the hours she had to lose to come down to the school that afternoon. “Hopefully your Aunt Paula can watch you after school.”

“I can stay by myself. I promise. I’ll be responsible.” Gloria hated going to Aunt Paula’s house. It was loud and crowded and her cousins always wanted to play beauty shop and dress up with Gloria as the makeover recipient. She just wanted to read.

“You don’t get a vote in this one. You caused the problem, now I have to fix it.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I think I have a solution for you.” Ellie’s mother said.

Gloria’s mother looked at her suspiciously.

“I think it might do the girls good to spend some time with each other. I can bring Gloria to our house after school. The girls can do their homework together and then get to know each other a little better. Maybe reach an understanding?”

And with that Gloria wished she was the one with the black eye because this was going to be much worse.

Chapter Two