“I love you, Mrs. Jewls!” Dameon declared. “I’m sorry I put the dead rat in your desk. I did it because I didn’t want everyone to know I loved you. I’m sorry.”
“I love you, too, Dameon,” said Mrs. Jewls.
“You do? But what about Mister Jewls?”
“Just because I love Mister Jewls, it doesn’t mean I can’t also love you. Love is different from most things.” She picked up a piece of chalk. “If I gave my piece of chalk to someone, then I wouldn’t have it anymore. But when I give my love to someone, I end up with more love than I started with. The more love you give away, the more you have left.”
Dameon smiled. “I love you, Mrs. Jewls,” he said. He felt his heart fill up with more love.
“I love you, Dameon,” said Mrs. Jewls.
“This is getting disgusting!” said the dead rat. It climbed out of Mrs. Jewls’s desk and walked out of the room.
g
Chapter 17
What?
It was purple.
So Jenny read the story backward. When she finished, she threw up.
“Okay,” said Jenny.
“So read the story backward,” suggested Mrs. Jewls. “That way the beginning will be a surprise.”
“But I already know how the story ends!” Jenny complained. “I only like stories with surprise endings.”
“Good point,” said Mrs. Jewls. “Here, you can read the story yourself. It’s very funny.” She gave the book to Jenny.
“All I heard was the last sentence,” said Jenny. “It isn’t funny unless you know what happened first.”
“Why aren’t you laughing, Jenny?” asked Mrs. Jewls. “Didn’t you think it was a funny story?”
That made Dana laugh harder.
“There goes the giggle box,” said Myron.
Everybody laughed, except for Jenny. Dana laughed hysterically.
Mrs. Jewls looked back at the story she had been reading before Jenny’s interruption. There was only one sentence left for her to read. She read it to the class.
Jenny made a face. She could still taste the awful stuff.
“And next time you’ll drink your prune juice more quickly,” said Mrs. Jewls.
Jenny sat down.
Mrs. Jewls waited for Jenny to sit down.
Jenny wrote her name on the blackboard under the word DISCIPLINE.
“Well, that’s no excuse,” said Mrs. Jewls. “Now go write your name on the blackboard under the word DISCIPLINE.”
“I couldn’t leave the table until I finished it,” explained Jenny. “And then I missed the bus.”
“What does prune juice have to do with anything?” asked Mrs. Jewls.