6. Off to School

Chapter 6 Off to School "What happened to you?" Jacob asked when Marvin dragged himself downstairs in the morning. "I didn't sleep too good," said Marvin. He had stayed awake all night trying to kiss his elbow. "More bad dreams?" asked his mother. "I guess," Marvin muttered. He poured himself a bowl of cereal. "Your voice sounds funny," said his mother. "Do you feel all right?" "I think I'm getting a cold," he said. He hoped that's all it was. Linzy smiled at him. He stared down at his bowl of cereal. He had to hold

his head up to keep from falling into it. Ten minutes later Marvin was still staring at his bowl of soggy cereal. "Pony or piggies?" asked his mother. She was combing Linzy's hair. "Piggies," said Linzy. Marvin watched his mother give Linzy pigtails. Girls are lucky, he thought. They could wear their hair in lots of fun ways. Pigtails. Ponytails. Bangs. He liked bangs. No, I don't! he told himself. I don't like bangs. I don't want bangs. I don't want to wear my hair like a girl. He didn't know why he had thought such a thought. It was just that girls had longer hair, he decided. That was a fact. So they could wear their hair in lots of different ways. That was all there was to it. It didn't mean he wanted bangs. Like the way girls dress. Boys just wore pants. But girls were lucky. They could wear anything! Pants or skirts or dresses. And they could wear sparkles on their clothes. Boys didn't get to wear sparkles.

No! I don't want to wear sparkles! I don't want to wear a skirt or a dress! I like wearing pants. "Mar-vin!" called Jacob. "Stuart and Nick are here." "Oh my gosh," said Marvin. He bit his finger. He walked to school with Nick and Stuart. He tried to

act normal. Nick had a loose tooth. "Watch this," said Nick. Nick opened his mouth wide. He pushed the tooth forward with his tongue, so that it almost lay down flat. "Oh, gross!" said Marvin. Nick and Stuart looked at him. "I mean … cool!" said Marvin. They got to school before class started. "Look, there's Patsy Gatsby," said Nick. Stuart laughed. Patsy Gatsby was sitting alone playing jacks. She was the weirdest girl in Marvin's class. Even weirder than Casey. Sometimes all you had to do was say her name, Patsy Gatsby, and everyone would laugh. But Casey was funny-weird, Marvin thought. Patsy Gatsby was sad-weird. She was always so quiet. Like she was afraid of people. She didn't have any friends. No one ever talked to her. Except Clarence. Clarence called her names. Worm- Face. Stupid-Head. Ugly. Double-Ugly. Stink-Girl.

Marvin watched her bounce the red ball, then pick up the little jacks. He had never played jacks. It looked like a fun game. "Where's your football?" asked Stuart. "Huh?" said Marvin. "Duh," said Nick. Marvin suddenly remembered. He was supposed to bring his football. "Now what are we going to do?" asked Stuart. "Play jacks with Patsy Gatsby?" Nick laughed. Marvin looked at Patsy. Maybe she isn't the weirdest girl in class, he thought. Maybe I am. He tried to think of another game to play. He didn't want to let his friends down. Then he got a great idea. He didn't know why he had never thought of it before. "Do you want to play hopscotch?" he asked.