12. Normal

Chapter 12 Normal Monday morning Marvin walked to school with Nick and Stuart. He tossed his football up in the air. He never could remember the secret difference between girls and boys. That was silly anyway, he realized. I just had weird thoughts because I was so tired. Boys don't turn into girls! All he had needed was a good night's sleep. And then he was back to normal. Except he really did have a cold. Which was why his voice sounded so strange. Girls are just stupid and weird. That's the secret difference between boys and girls!

He entered his classroom. Clarence was sharpening his pencil. Marvin suddenly remembered all the things he had said to Clarence at Lake Park. I must have been out of my mind! I could have been killed! He decided to apologize, just to be safe. Clarence backed up when he saw Marvin. "What do you want?" he asked. He sounded nervous. "Just, uh, sorry about Friday. I didn't get much sleep and I didn't know what I was saying." Marvin held out his hand. "Okay?" Clarence smiled. He no longer seemed nervous. "Yeah, well, you're lucky I didn't knock your teeth out," he said. He shook Marvin's hand. As Marvin walked to his desk, Clarence shoved him in the back. "I saw you!" said Casey. "When you fell from the spiderweb. You kissed your elbow!" "And I'm still a boy," said Marvin. "So that just proves you're weird!"

Casey sang very softly so only Marvin could hear: "Marvin's rude. Marvin's crude. Marvin eats donkey food!" "I'll get you at recess, Casey!" he said. "Marvin?" said Mrs. North. "What was that?" "Marvin won't quit bothering me," Casey complained. "He said he was going to get me at recess." "Marvin, quit bothering Casey," said Mrs. North. "I know she's pretty, but you need to keep your eyes on your book. Not on Casey." Everyone laughed. Marvin turned red. At recess he headed to the wall-ball court with Nick and Stuart. "Look, there's Patsy Gatsby," said Nick. Marvin and Stuart laughed. Patsy Gatsby was playing jacks by herself. Of all the weird things he did on Friday, Marvin thought, talking to her was the weirdest. He shook his head. He remembered his conversation

with her. She said he was nice. Patsy looked up from her jacks. "Hi, Marvin," she said. He walked right past her. "Hi, Mar-vin," Stuart said with a funny voice as he gently shoved Marvin. Nick laughed. Marvin pushed Stuart back. They got in line for wall-ball. Marvin looked at Patsy. She didn't have any friends. Everyone just made fun of her. "Hold my place," he said. He went back to her. He still thought jacks looked like a fun game. But he was embarrassed to play it. "Hey, Patsy. Do you want to play wall-ball?"

Patsy quickly stuffed her jacks into her pocket. She came to the wall-ball court, all smiles. "I promised I'd teach her how to play," Marvin explained to his friends. "Hi," said Patsy. "Uh, hi," said Stuart. Nick grunted.