New Beginnings Read Free Page A

something, but Sunita locks elbows with me and says, “Hurry, now.”
    She steers me through the crowded halls, upstairs to Room 202. “You have Mr. Hart, the same science teacher I had last year. You’re going to love his class!”
    I bet Sunita is one of those people who never feels lost and always knows what to do and say. I’m one of those people who never knows what to say, so I say nothing. Then people think I’m a snob. Or if I do say something, half the time I blurt out the wrong thing and embarrass myself.
    Sunita is right about Mr. Hart. His science room is filled with animals. Live animals. Lots of them—a corn snake, a bearded dragon lizard, a tarantula, and the most adorable lop-eared rabbit I have ever seen. The rabbit is small, and that makes its big floppy ears hanging down all the sweeter.
    Sunita introduces me to Mr. Hart, and he points me to an empty chair near the rabbit. She walks me all the way to my desk, then whispers, “We’ll talk after class. I gotta run, but I’ll be back to guide you to all your classes through lunch.”
    â€œThanks,” I say.
    Sunita’s positive attitude must be rubbing off on me. Plus, I feel ten times more relaxed being around all of Mr. Hart’s animals. I’m so close to the bunny, I can’t help smiling. Things are looking up.
    I sit in the empty chair next to the furry little rabbit. She must be a dwarf. She’s hopping, then hiding under a little basket. She pokes her cute nose out from under the basket and sniffs the air, wiggling her whiskers. She tilts her head and looks right at me. I can’t wait to pet her.
    â€œWelcome back, everybody. We have a new student today who has just moved to Ambler. Please welcome your new classmate, Julia,” Mr. Hart says.
    â€œJules,” I say.
    Everyone turns to stare at me. A few kids nod and smile, but I avoid their eyes by looking at the rabbit.
    â€œOkay, then. Welcome, Jules,” Mr. Hart says. “Now, our first order of business today is to review the science tests you took before spring break.”
    He hands back the tests to some groans from the class. Of course I don’t have a test, but he tells me to look on with the girl across the aisle from me. She halfheartedly moves her desk closer to mine, but then she starts doodling on her paper. I don’t blame her.
    Mr. Hart drones on and on about the importance of rocks, sediments, and fossils. I try to listen at first, but I’m having a hard time paying attention. I can’t stop looking at the dwarf rabbit with her long, floppy ears. The tiny
V
of her mouth is surrounded by the softest-looking brown and white fur and the most adorable little bunny chin. She’s out from under her basket and sniffing around the cage. I wish I had a carrot or something to feed her.
    I reach through the wire cage with my fingers. Curious, she hops closer and sniffs me. Her whiskers tickle and I can’t help smiling, but I hold my fingers still. She tilts her head, and I stroke the spot on the top of her head between her ears. She leans closer to my hand and now I can reach her velvety ears, warm and soft. The grid of the cage is too small to reach my hand all the way through to pet her. I study the latch on the front of the cage to see if I can open it quietly. Mr. Hart is still lecturing about geologic processes.
    I open the little hook very slowly so I won’t scare the bunny and so the hook won’t make any noise. She hops away when I reach in, but when I hold my hand still, she comes back toward me. She lets me pet her soft fur, first on her head and ears again, then down her back. I want to take her out of her cage and put her on my lap. School would be so much easier if we could bring our own pets. That’s what I’m thinking when I realize Mr. Hart isn’t talking anymore. No one is talking or doing anything because everyone, including Mr. Hart, is staring at me.
    Uh-oh. Now