written by Rubyrings
The next morning, Anjanette was still feeling very hurt as she went into the kitchen to get some breakfast. Her mother was sitting there drinking coffee and eating toast and eggs. She ignored Anjanette, not asking her how she'd slept or whether she'd like any breakfast. Anjanette silently helped herself to cold cereal, which was all she could find that she knew how to make. She shrunk in her chair as she ate, avoiding her mother's eye.
"Anjanette, sit up straight," said her mother abruptly, when Anjanette was about halfway through her cereal. "And for heaven's sake quit frowning. What are you sulking about this time?"
Anjanette said nothing. There was no point telling her parents how hurt she felt about the stuffed German Shepherd trick. They would only get mad at her.
"You know what, Anjanette," said her father, who had just come in, "I think you're ungrateful. Here we give you a roof over your head and clothes on your back and a good education, all paid for out of my hard-earned money, and what do we get in thanks but a little kid sulking at us. We didn't have to keep you, you know."
Anjanette swallowed hard. "I only wanted a real pet," she managed in barely a whisper. "You could have said no again. You didn't have to - trick me."
"Trick you?" Her father gave a nasty laugh. "What have I been telling you all along? You have no sense of humour. That's the trouble with children, is they can't take a joke. You gonna sit there sulking at us all day because of a joke, huh?" He leaned towards her as he spoke in a way that was almost menacing, and Anjanette, abandoning her cereal, fled from the room and grabbed her backpack, escaping the house to go to school. Not that school was much of an escape. The walk there was peaceful, though. It was one of the only times of day she could feel safe, apart from when she was with Uncle Bruce.
Today, as Anjanette took her seat in the seventh-grade classroom, she noticed a boy she had never seen before standing in front of the teacher's desk. This boy had longish dark hair that fell almost into his eyes and an air of happy self-assurance that Anjanette had never been able to feel. He must be a new student, she thought. She wondered how he would fit in here, where none of the students had ever been all that nice.
"Class, this is Ferdinand," said the teacher, standing at his desk and motioning for Ferdinand to come closer. "He has just moved here and will be joining us, and I want you all to make him feel welcome. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself, Ferdinand?"
Ferdinand. Anjanette liked the name. It was a unique name, like her own.
Ferdinand gave the class an easy smile. "Sure. My name's Ferdinand, like he said; and I guess I'm a hippie at heart. I've always been into nonviolent protests and stuff like that - peace and love." He grinned. "I have a bunch of vinyl records from the sixties I'm always listening to, and I love animals - I have a cat and a rabbit and a hamster."
From what Anjanette could see, her classmates' reaction was mixed. Some of them were whispering with each other and ignoring Ferdinand completely, while a couple had sniggered at the mention of his being a hippie at heart. But many others seemed to find his looks and manner very attractive. Anjanette hoped he wouldn't make friends with or start dating one of the bullies. He might be turned against her just like all her other classmates if he did, and she really liked the look of him. For the first time, Anjanette had some sliver of hope that someone might want to be her friend.
Anjanette found herself watching Ferdinand all throughout the morning, wondering if there was any chance he would ever want to be friends with her. Of course if he were to make friends with any of her classmates, he would be told very quickly that Anjanette was someone he wanted to avoid to keep his popularity from slipping. And Anjanette had never been able to make friends with anyone. What if she tried and he rejected her?
When the lunch bell rung, Anjanette made her way slowly to her locker, thankfully not running into any of the meaner students. She was wondering where she would spend the lunch hour today, as her parents hadn't packed her anything and she'd been in such a hurry to get out of her house she hadn't brought food or lunch money, when she noticed Ferdinand at his locker, putting away his books and taking out a paper lunch bag. Anjanette had the sudden idea to go over and introduce herself.
No, I can't. What if he makes fun of me? What will I do?
Just do it! What have you got to lose?
This internal conflict went on in Anjanette's head, and she suddenly wondered what her uncle Bruce would tell her to do if he was there. Uncle Bruce would tell Anjanette to try making friends with this boy, that if he rejected her it would have nothing to do with her personally, that she would never know what might come of this if she didn't try.
Anjanette took a breath. Somehow, she found herself walking up to Ferdinand's locker, which he was just closing. A voice that seemed to come from somewhere inside of her said, "Hi, Ferdinand. I'm Anjanette."
The next morning, Anjanette was still feeling very hurt as she went into the kitchen to get some breakfast. Her mother was sitting there drinking coffee and eating toast and eggs. She ignored Anjanette, not asking her how she'd slept or whether she'd like any breakfast. Anjanette silently helped herself to cold cereal, which was all she could find that she knew how to make. She shrunk in her chair as she ate, avoiding her mother's eye.
"Anjanette, sit up straight," said her mother abruptly, when Anjanette was about halfway through her cereal. "And for heaven's sake quit frowning. What are you sulking about this time?"
Anjanette said nothing. There was no point telling her parents how hurt she felt about the stuffed German Shepherd trick. They would only get mad at her.
"You know what, Anjanette," said her father, who had just come in, "I think you're ungrateful. Here we give you a roof over your head and clothes on your back and a good education, all paid for out of my hard-earned money, and what do we get in thanks but a little kid sulking at us. We didn't have to keep you, you know."
Anjanette swallowed hard. "I only wanted a real pet," she managed in barely a whisper. "You could have said no again. You didn't have to - trick me."
"Trick you?" Her father gave a nasty laugh. "What have I been telling you all along? You have no sense of humour. That's the trouble with children, is they can't take a joke. You gonna sit there sulking at us all day because of a joke, huh?" He leaned towards her as he spoke in a way that was almost menacing, and Anjanette, abandoning her cereal, fled from the room and grabbed her backpack, escaping the house to go to school. Not that school was much of an escape. The walk there was peaceful, though. It was one of the only times of day she could feel safe, apart from when she was with Uncle Bruce.
Today, as Anjanette took her seat in the seventh-grade classroom, she noticed a boy she had never seen before standing in front of the teacher's desk. This boy had longish dark hair that fell almost into his eyes and an air of happy self-assurance that Anjanette had never been able to feel. He must be a new student, she thought. She wondered how he would fit in here, where none of the students had ever been all that nice.
"Class, this is Ferdinand," said the teacher, standing at his desk and motioning for Ferdinand to come closer. "He has just moved here and will be joining us, and I want you all to make him feel welcome. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself, Ferdinand?"
Ferdinand. Anjanette liked the name. It was a unique name, like her own.
Ferdinand gave the class an easy smile. "Sure. My name's Ferdinand, like he said; and I guess I'm a hippie at heart. I've always been into nonviolent protests and stuff like that - peace and love." He grinned. "I have a bunch of vinyl records from the sixties I'm always listening to, and I love animals - I have a cat and a rabbit and a hamster."
From what Anjanette could see, her classmates' reaction was mixed. Some of them were whispering with each other and ignoring Ferdinand completely, while a couple had sniggered at the mention of his being a hippie at heart. But many others seemed to find his looks and manner very attractive. Anjanette hoped he wouldn't make friends with or start dating one of the bullies. He might be turned against her just like all her other classmates if he did, and she really liked the look of him. For the first time, Anjanette had some sliver of hope that someone might want to be her friend.
Anjanette found herself watching Ferdinand all throughout the morning, wondering if there was any chance he would ever want to be friends with her. Of course if he were to make friends with any of her classmates, he would be told very quickly that Anjanette was someone he wanted to avoid to keep his popularity from slipping. And Anjanette had never been able to make friends with anyone. What if she tried and he rejected her?
When the lunch bell rung, Anjanette made her way slowly to her locker, thankfully not running into any of the meaner students. She was wondering where she would spend the lunch hour today, as her parents hadn't packed her anything and she'd been in such a hurry to get out of her house she hadn't brought food or lunch money, when she noticed Ferdinand at his locker, putting away his books and taking out a paper lunch bag. Anjanette had the sudden idea to go over and introduce herself.
No, I can't. What if he makes fun of me? What will I do?
Just do it! What have you got to lose?
This internal conflict went on in Anjanette's head, and she suddenly wondered what her uncle Bruce would tell her to do if he was there. Uncle Bruce would tell Anjanette to try making friends with this boy, that if he rejected her it would have nothing to do with her personally, that she would never know what might come of this if she didn't try.
Anjanette took a breath. Somehow, she found herself walking up to Ferdinand's locker, which he was just closing. A voice that seemed to come from somewhere inside of her said, "Hi, Ferdinand. I'm Anjanette."