kids who will not want me around.
When the bell rings, the students find their desks. Mrs. Williams makes sure everyone is there, and then she calls us to the front of the room right away.
âHow many students in this room have a dog?â Mrs.
----
W illiams asks .
Most of the hands go up with students waving eagerly to share a story about their own pets.
âWell, we are here today to meet a very special dog. His name is Drake and he will be here with us every day this year.â
Kinsey and I stand at the front of the room, waiting for the studentsâ reactions. Excited whispers buzz at this news and all the smiles I see make me more comfortable. Kinsey seems to relax a little too.
âKinsey, would you like to tell the class a little bit about what makes Drake so special?â
Kinsey takes a deep breath. Talk in front of the whole class? She has never done that in her entire life.
But, swallowing her nerves as best she can, she begins. âWell, I just got Drake this summer and heâs already my best friend. You see, I have epilepsy. I know you guys already know that, but you remember how I would have seizures sometimes? And they were really scary?â
âYes,â the whole class responds together.
âDrake is a seizure assistance dog. He can tell when Iâm going to have a seizure before I can even tell. You see, there are these chemicals in my body. When they start to change, he knows it and he can warn the class about it. That way, the teacher can get me to a safe place and get everyone else out of the way.â
As the class oohs and ahhs in response, a hand goes up. It belongs to a girl with wild hair, and she doesnât wait for the teacher to call on her. âHow does the dog know that?â
Kinsey shrugs. âHeâs just really smart. Itâs one of those things that only dogs can senseâ people canât even do it.â
âCan we pet him?â is the next question out of her mouth.
Kinsey smiles. âYes, I think it would be okay just this one time. If itâs okay with Mrs. Williams. Usually, Iâm the only one who pets him. That probably sounds weird, but itâs because of his training. Petting is, like, a reward for him sometimes. But since itâs his first day at school, it could be a way to welcome him.â
âAre you sure itâs okay, Kinsey?â Mrs. Williams asks.
âSure,â Kinsey says, and then she bends down in my ear. âDrake, the other kids want to pet you. Is that okay with you?â
I lick her cheek to let her know that it is. She giggles.
âHow about one at a time?â Mrs. Williams suggests. âWe donât want to overwhelm the dog. If you want to pet Drake, we will take turns starting right up here.â She points at a girl in the front row, who immediately jumps to her feet and bounces over to us.
My heart starts beating really fast. I picture the kids in my dream, surrounding me while my feet are glued to the floor. Just like the dream, theyâre all coming at me once again. I lift my front paws gently as a test. Iâm relieved that thereâs no glue on them.
One by one, every student in the class takes his or her turn welcoming me to the classroom. All of the kids are so nice to me, petting me gently and talking to me. I sit calmly at Kinseyâs side, but my tail wags so hard I think itâs going to wag right off of my body.
And the amazing part is, each one talks to Kinsey too. All of her fears of speaking to the other kids are starting to fade away.
My nightmare seems so silly now. Everything Chaucer said the night before has been forgotten. He was all wrong about schoolâwrong about the teacher and wrong about the students.
After every student has had a turn to pet me, a student in the back of the room raises his hand. âMrs. Williams, do you think we could make Drake the class mascot?â
âI think thatâs an excellent idea,