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UNIT 6
LESSON 2: A BAD MOVE
This was the fourth time this year that Beth was the new kid in school. Four moves in six months--all because her mother’s job kept them moving. She had decided back in December that making new friends was a waste of time. She would join no more clubs. She would not add any new names to her phone list.
On her first day, the teacher welcomed her to the class and assigned a “buddy” to help her find her way around. This time, it was a girl named Charley, Marly or Carly, or something like that. Beth had stopped paying attention to kids’ names. Beth knew that she would forget them all, just as the other kids from all those other schools had probably forgotten her. As the teacher was giving Beth some papers filled with assignments to make up, Beth made her decision. At this school, she would be memorable.
The next day, Tuesday, instead of wearing the usual jeans and tee shirt, she wore a pair of bloomers from an old Raggedy Ann Halloween costume. She didn’t brush her hair.
On Wednesday, she wore an old dress of her mother’s, along with soccer cleats.
“At least they’ll remember me after we’ve moved away again,” she thought on Thursday as she put on a plaid skirt, a tee shirt, and a pile of long beaded necklaces her grandmother had given her to play with when she was little.
On Friday, they called her mother to school. When she walked over to the office, she was a bit worried about what her mom would say when she saw her outfit—a hula skirt from a vacation in Hawaii worn on top of a pair of tattered jeans.
From inside the principal’s office, she heard her mother and Mrs. Leonard talking. “She’ll be so excited,” her mother said to Mrs. Leonard in the hallway. “We’ve moved so often, but this time, we’re here to stay. I’ve got a new job in town. Finally, she’ll be able to fit in.”
Words
move (to ...)
decide (to ...)
a waste of time
join (to ...)
add (to ...)
assign (to ...)
a buddy
find your way around (to ...)
pay attention (to ...)
knew (to know)
probably
memorable
instead of
wear (to ...)
wore (to wear)
a pair of bloomers
brush your hair (to ...)
along with
soccer cleats
at least
remember (to ...)
thought (to think)
a plaid skirt
a pile of
beaded necklaces
the office
a bit
worried
a hula skirt
on top of
a pair of jeans
tattered jeans
the principle's office
excited
hallway
finally
fit in (to ...)
