She followed Wally up front where Miss Applebaum was placing two chairs, face to face, about three feet apart.
"I want you to sit here," she told them, "and I want you to talk to each other for ten minutes. Perhaps at the end of that time you will have said everything there is to say, and there will be no more disturbances in class." Caroline thought. She would rather be paddled! One minute would be bad enough, five minutes would be cruel and unusual punishment, and ten was torture! She lowered herself sideways into one of the chairs. What was she supposed to say to a boy who, up until that morning, had thought she was dead?
Miss Applebaum stood with arms folded. "Well? I'm waiting."
Caroline crossed her ankles. "You started it," she said to Wally.
"What did do?" he mumbled, sitting sideways himself.
"Dumping all that dead stuff on our side of the river."
"So pretended to die."
"Is this a normal conversation?" asked Miss Applebaum as she picked up a box of supplies and headed for the closet at the back of the room.
"No," said Caroline, but she was talking to Wally, not her teacher. "This is not a normal conversation because you and your brothers aren't normal human beings. Normal people don't go dumping dead fish and birds around the neighborhood."
"It wasn't my idea," said Wally. "Well, actually it my idea-dead fish, I mean-but it was Jake and Josh who-"
"So of you are normal."
" not normal?" said Wally, his voice rising. "What do you call people who go burying each other in the river?"
"It was a great performance, and you know it."
"It was dumb."
"You believed I was dead."
"I believe you're crazy."
"We'll see about that."
"Whatever you two are arguing about, you'd better get it out of your systems now, because when you come to school tomorrow, I expect you to pay attention," Miss Applebaum called, sticking her head out of the supply closet.
"You and your dumb brothers," Caroline muttered because she couldn't think of anything else to say.
"You and your stupid sisters," said Wally. "We're smarter than the four of you put together," Caroline told him.
"We'll see," said Wally.
"If you'd just left us alone instead of dumping that dead stuff, things would be okay," said Caroline.
"If you'd go back where you came from, there wouldn't be any more trouble," Wally replied.
"Oh, yeah? If you went back to where came from, you'd live in a cave!"
"That does it," said Wally hotly. "The war is on."
"Okay," called Miss Applebaum, coming back to the front of the room for another box. "If you two have settled things, you may leave now." She looked from Caroline to Wally. "Unless, of course, you are not agreed."
"We agree," said Caroline emphatically. She could hardly wait to get home and tell her sisters.
What she discovered when she got outside was that she wasn't the only member of her family who had been kept after school. Eddie had stumbled over Jake's foot in the cafeteria and, sure that he'd tripped her on purpose, brought her tray down on his head. Beth, of course, had waited for Eddie, so there they were again, the three of them coming home late on the very first day.
Mother was dusting shelves in the hallway. "Whatever happened to your nose?" she asked, looking at Caroline.
"She bumped into something that needs a little fixing," said Beth.
"Needs a lot of straightening out," put in Eddie.
"Well, how was school?" Mother asked. "Urk," said Eddie.
"Ugh," said Beth.
"It has possibilities," said Caroline.
"I want you to sit here," she told them, "and I want you to talk to each other for ten minutes. Perhaps at the end of that time you will have said everything there is to say, and there will be no more disturbances in class." Caroline thought. She would rather be paddled! One minute would be bad enough, five minutes would be cruel and unusual punishment, and ten was torture! She lowered herself sideways into one of the chairs. What was she supposed to say to a boy who, up until that morning, had thought she was dead?
Miss Applebaum stood with arms folded. "Well? I'm waiting."
Caroline crossed her ankles. "You started it," she said to Wally.
"What did do?" he mumbled, sitting sideways himself.
"Dumping all that dead stuff on our side of the river."
"So pretended to die."
"Is this a normal conversation?" asked Miss Applebaum as she picked up a box of supplies and headed for the closet at the back of the room.
"No," said Caroline, but she was talking to Wally, not her teacher. "This is not a normal conversation because you and your brothers aren't normal human beings. Normal people don't go dumping dead fish and birds around the neighborhood."
"It wasn't my idea," said Wally. "Well, actually it my idea-dead fish, I mean-but it was Jake and Josh who-"
"So of you are normal."
" not normal?" said Wally, his voice rising. "What do you call people who go burying each other in the river?"
"It was a great performance, and you know it."
"It was dumb."
"You believed I was dead."
"I believe you're crazy."
"We'll see about that."
"Whatever you two are arguing about, you'd better get it out of your systems now, because when you come to school tomorrow, I expect you to pay attention," Miss Applebaum called, sticking her head out of the supply closet.
"You and your dumb brothers," Caroline muttered because she couldn't think of anything else to say.
"You and your stupid sisters," said Wally. "We're smarter than the four of you put together," Caroline told him.
"We'll see," said Wally.
"If you'd just left us alone instead of dumping that dead stuff, things would be okay," said Caroline.
"If you'd go back where you came from, there wouldn't be any more trouble," Wally replied.
"Oh, yeah? If you went back to where came from, you'd live in a cave!"
"That does it," said Wally hotly. "The war is on."
"Okay," called Miss Applebaum, coming back to the front of the room for another box. "If you two have settled things, you may leave now." She looked from Caroline to Wally. "Unless, of course, you are not agreed."
"We agree," said Caroline emphatically. She could hardly wait to get home and tell her sisters.
What she discovered when she got outside was that she wasn't the only member of her family who had been kept after school. Eddie had stumbled over Jake's foot in the cafeteria and, sure that he'd tripped her on purpose, brought her tray down on his head. Beth, of course, had waited for Eddie, so there they were again, the three of them coming home late on the very first day.
Mother was dusting shelves in the hallway. "Whatever happened to your nose?" she asked, looking at Caroline.
"She bumped into something that needs a little fixing," said Beth.
"Needs a lot of straightening out," put in Eddie.
"Well, how was school?" Mother asked. "Urk," said Eddie.
"Ugh," said Beth.
"It has possibilities," said Caroline.
( Phyllis Reynolds Naylor )
[ The Boys Start the War ]
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