I run down the hall. I can’t be late to class. Mrs. Beam picks the Top Banana today, and she won’t pick me if I’m tardy. Before I make it to the door, I slow down. I enter, and my eyes go straight to the back of the room. I need to see them. They’re so pretty; the way they sparkle reminds me of Mamma’s long dangly earrings. I’ve never seen eyes like them before, and all those pretty colors. Yay! I find them! And like they’ve been waiting for me too, they beam up at me. They belong to Slate Declan. He’s the new kid at school. I heard that his parents died last year. He and his brothers came to the Bayou to live with their grandma, Mrs. Declan. I know her, and she’s a real nice lady.
I don’t really know him, though. He doesn't talk much, and once he lets me see those eyes, he’s always real quick to turn away. He’s a little older than the rest of the class. He got held back a year, but I guess losing your parents would do that to ya. He’s not a tall boy. Mamma would call him husky. But there’s just something about him. When I look at him, it feels like I swallowed a whole bunch of butterflies. I like it.
I settle in my chair at my desk. Mrs. Beam enters the room and I sit up straight, smiling big at her. I did real good on my reading test, haven’t missed a day of school yet this year, and I’ve behaved myself in class. I want Lila the monkey and the Top Banana gets her for the week. Jinny Walker had her last week.
“Okay, class.” Mrs. Beam claps her hands together and the room gets real quiet. “It’s Tuesday and you all know what that means.”
Some of us shout, “Top Banana!”
“Yes.” She nods her head. “Jinny, do you have Lila?”
Jinny nods. Reaching into her desk, she reluctantly pulls out Lila. I know she doesn’t want to give her up. I wouldn’t want to. Lila is so cute with her light brown fur and that little pink bow on her head. She’s a puppet, and you can wrap her long arms and legs around you. The boys rarely sign up for Top Banana, but that’s good. It makes my chances that much better.
“Ah, there she is.” Mrs. Beam smiles. “Thank you, Jinny, for taking care of her for the week, but now it’s time to give her to someone else.”
“Yes, Mrs. Beam,” Jinny says.
“Okay, let’s see.” Mrs. Beam taps a finger to her lip. “Jinny, could you please give Lila to…” She pauses and looks around the room then she stops at me. Yes! Me! “Rayna.”
I nearly jump out of my seat with joy. I feel bad for Jinny as she walks Lila over to me, but I can’t hold back my excitement. I take the soft monkey from her, hold her tight, and don’t let go of her for the rest of the school day.
A few kids gather around me while I’m waiting for the bus. Lila’s snuggled around my body and some of the kids ask me to make her mouth move with my hand. So, I do. We’re all laughing, and then Mitch Kilner joins the crowd. He’s a bully, just a nasty kid, and I know he’s lookin’ to cause trouble.
“Stupid monkey,” he sneers, reaching out and grabbing Lila’s head. I feel his fingers pressing into my hand through Lila’s furry head.
“Let go,” I yell, trying to hang onto Lila with my other hand but he’s strong. He gives Lila a jerk, and he rips her head right off. I’m left standing with only her body. I look up at him, and he laughs. He waves Lila’s decapitated head in the air and keeps laughing. I glance around. With open mouths, everyone stares at me. I don’t know what to do. Mrs. Beam is going to be so disappointed in me. Oww...my hand balls into a fist. I want to punch Mitch, but he’s big, real big. Hearing the bus pull up behind me, I turn around. Slate Declan is standing there. His eyes move to Mitch, to Lila’s head, and then they slide back to me. Everyone starts laughing. I’m so embarrassed. I drop what’s left of Lila and run to the bus.
I couldn’t sleep a wink all night. I tried to talk Mama into letting me stay home from school the next day, but she has rules; no fever, no staying home. But I’m sick, so sick over what happened to Lila. I don’t know how I’m going to explain it to Mrs. Beam. I’m no tattletale. No matter how badly I want to, I can’t snitch on Mitch Kilner.
To make the morning worse, when I enter the classroom and look at the back of the room, Slate isn’t there. I slump down into my chair. No one talks to me. They know that I’m in trouble. I had one responsibility—to take care of Lila—and I couldn’t do it. I’m not going to cry...I’m not going to cry...I chant in my head, but I feel the tears lifting. They want to come out. Just when I’m about to give into them, Slate Declan comes strolling into the room. My eyes find his and those fluttering butterflies in my belly make me feel a little better. He heads toward me and stops at my desk. He drops his backpack down in front of me, unzips it, and pulls out Lila. She’s put back together, safely all in one piece. He holds her out to me.