Acquainted

My hand was the first to shoot up. I knew it would be a great way to make new friends.So here I was after school in the gym two days later. Making new friends by falling on my head like a geek.

“Do you think you should see the nurse?” Aaliyah asked, studying me. “No. My eyes always roll around like this,” I replied weakly. At least I still had,my sense of humor. “The nurse left, anyway,” Benjamin said, checking his watch. “It’s late. We’re probably the only ones in the building.”Aaliyah shook out her blond hair. “Let’s get back to work,” she suggested. She opened her bag and pulled out her lipstick. I watched her apply a thick coat of red to her lips, even though they were already red. Then she brushed some kind of orangey powder on her cheeks. Benjamin shook his head but didn’t say anything.Yesterday, I heard other kids teasing Aaliyah about her makeup and lipstick. They said she was the only girl in sixth grade who uses that stuff every day.They were pretty mean to her. One girl said, “Aaliyah thinks she’s painting a masterpiece.”Another girl said, “Aaliyah couldn’t go to gym class because she had to wait for her face to dry.”A boy said, “Her face must be broken. That’s why she’s always fixing it!” Everyone laughed really hard. Aaliyah didn’t seem to mind all the jokes and teasing. I guess she’s used to it.

Before school this morning, I heard some kids saying that Aaliyah was stuck-up. That she thought she was soooooo beautiful, and that’s why she was always paying so much attention to her looks.She didn’t seem stuck-up to me. She seemed really nice. She was looking pretty awesome too. I wondered why she thought she needed to wear makeup at all. Aaliyah and Benjamin look a lot alike. They could be brother and sister, but they’re not.They are both tall and thin. And they both have brown eyes and curly blond hair.I’m short and a little chubby. And I have black hair that sticks straight out like straw. It’s real tough hair. I can brush it for hours, but it still goes wherever it wants. My new mom says I’ll be really handsome as soon as I lose my baby fat. I don’t think that was a very good compliment. Anyway, Aaliyah, Benjamin, and I were painting some big banners to go up on the gym wall. Aaliyah and I were working together on a banner that read OOTY VALLEY ROCKS!Benjamin started to paint a poster that read DANCE TILL YOU PUKE! But Mrs. Bindu pillai poked her head in and asked him to think of a better slogan.He groaned and grumbled and started over. Now his poster read WELCOME, EVERYONE!“Hey where’s the red paint?” Aaliyah called to Benjamin. “Huh?” He was down on his hands and knees, using a thick brush to paint the W in WELCOME.

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