Is He a Girl? (4 page)

Marvin wondered what girls talked about inside the girls’ bathroom. They always came out giggling.

“They tell the most amazing secrets,” said the voice. “No boy would ever understand.”

His eyes closed.

He dreamed he was hanging from the monkey bars by his knees. A warm breeze blew in his face. Birds were singing.

He had long hair. It brushed against the ground.

He swung high off the monkey bars, did a somersault in midair, and landed on his feet.

His hair was shiny and silky. It hung over
his shoulders.

He shook his head. His hair swished from side to side.

He shook his head really fast. His hair whipped around.

He giggled.

It was fun to be a girl!

Out of the corner of his mouth he blew a few strands of hair off his face.

He awoke to a loud cheer.

Casey Happleton was staring at him. “Oh my gosh,” she said. She bit her fìnger.

“What?” asked Marvin.

“You fell asleep in class!” said Casey. Then she laughed.

Marvin shrugged.

He wondered how long he’d been asleep. And if he had changed at all.

He looked around. The other kids were all excited about something.

“Settle down,” said Mrs. North, “or I’ll have to change my mind.”

“What happened?” asked Marvin.

“We get to go to Lake Park!” said Casey.

“Oh, goody!” said Marvin. He clapped his hands.

Casey looked at him funny. Her ponytail stuck out of the side of her head.

Marvin wondered what it would be like to have hair like that.

“What are you staring at?” asked Casey.

“Your ponytail,” he said.

“What about it?” she demanded.

“It’s cute,” he told her. “But you always wear your hair the same way. If I had long hair, I think I’d wear pigtails sometimes. Or maybe a French braid.”

Casey stared at him. “What’s with you?” she asked.

“Nothing,” said Marvin.

“And your voice sounds so funny,” said Casey. “What’d you do? Kiss your elbow?”

He stared at her.

She stared back.

She knew.

He knew she knew.

She knew he knew she knew.

He knew she knew he knew she knew.

“No!” he said. “What do you think I am? Weird?”

Casey bit her finger.

The class had to pair up for the walk to Lake Park.

Lake Park was three blocks from school. It had a great playground.

Mrs. North sometimes took the class there on Friday if they’d been good all week. “Everyone find a partner,” she said.

Marvin ducked under his desk. He pretended to tie his shoe. He was afraid to be partners with Nick or Stuart.

He needed to find a partner who didn’t know him too well. Someone who wouldn’t notice if he was … a little different.

He peeked out from under his desk.

Stuart and Nick were partners. Travis and Clarence. Kenny and Warren. Casey and Judy. Gina and Heather.

One person stood alone. Patsy Gatsby.

Kenny pointed at Patsy. “The cheese stands alone,” he said.

Clarence held his nose. “And it’s stinky cheese, too.”

Patsy looked down at her shoes.

Marvin made his way across the room. “Would you like to be my partner, Patsy?” he asked.

For a moment Patsy didn’t answer. Then, very quietly, she said, “Okay.”

They got on the end of the line. Patsy kept her head down.

Stuart looked back at Marvin as if to ask, “What are you doing?”

Marvin shrugged. He saw Nick whisper something to Stuart. Then his two best friends laughed.

Warren sang:

Marvin looked at Patsy. She was blushing.

“Boys are so immature,” said Marvin.

Patsy looked up and smiled at him.

She was wearing black suspenders over her pink T-shirt. Marvin thought it was a cute outfit.

Girls are lucky
, he thought, as they walked to Lake Park.
They can wear anything. Even suspenders
.

But if I wore a dress to school, everyone would probably think I was weird or something
.

Maybe not? He wasn’t sure.

Maybe he should wear a dress to school
tomorrow, he thought. See what the other kids think.

Oh, I’m so silly
, he suddenly realized.
There’s no school tomorrow. Today’s Friday
.

Patsy Gatsby was quietly humming to herself.

“Do you think it would be weird if I wore a dress to school?” Marvin asked her.

She looked up, then giggled.

Marvin giggled too.

He didn’t know why he was giggling. It was fun just to laugh.

“In Scotland men wear skirts,” said Patsy.

“Have you been to Scotland?” asked Marvin.

“No,” said Patsy. “I read it in a book. The skirts are called kilts.”

“You read a lot, don’t you?” asked Marvin.

Patsy blushed. “I guess,” she whispered. She
looked back down at her shoes.

“I see you playing jacks a lot, too,” said Marvin.

Patsy shrugged.

“I’ve never played jacks,” said Marvin.

“You like to play wall-ball,” said Patsy.

Marvin was surprised she knew that. But then he knew she liked to play jacks. So why shouldn’t she know he liked to play wall-ball?

“You should play wall-ball sometime,” he suggested.

Patsy turned and looked at him. “No,” she said, then looked back at her shoes.

“It’s easy,” said Marvin. “I can teach you.”

Patsy didn’t say anything.

“And you can teach me how to play jacks,” said Marvin.

Patsy laughed. “You’re funny, Marvin!” she said.

Marvin froze. He was afraid Patsy might have noticed something different about him. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“You’re nice,” said Patsy.

Nick and Stuart were waiting for Marvin.

“How’d you get stuck walking with Patsy Gatsby?” asked Nick.

Marvin shrugged. He looked at Patsy. She was already walking away, head down.

“Was she weird?” asked Stuart.

“No,” said Marvin. “We just talked.”

“Ugh!” exclaimed Nick. “You talked to her!”

“C’mon,” said Stuart. “Let’s go climb the spiderweb.”

The giant spiderweb was Marvin’s favorite thing at Lake Park. It was made out of rope.
It was fun to climb, but scary. Especially way up at the top.

Marvin started toward it, then stopped and glanced back at Patsy.

She was sitting on the sidewalk. Playing jacks.

She didn’t notice Clarence, Travis, and Kenny standing behind her.

She bounced the red ball.

Clarence kicked it. “Oops. Sorry, Worm-Face,” he said.

Kenny and Travis laughed.

“C’mon, Marvin,” said Nick, heading toward the spiderweb.

Marvin started after his friends, then stopped again.

He watched as Patsy tried to walk away from Clarence.

“What’s the matter, Stink-Head?” asked
Clarence. He grabbed one of her suspenders.

“Let go,” said Patsy.

Clarence pulled the suspender way back, then snapped it against her.

Travis and Kenny laughed.

Clarence grabbed her other suspender and snapped it, too.

“Quit it,” said Patsy.

“Quit it,”
teased Clarence.

“Leave her alone!” said Marvin.

Clarence turned. “What’s your problem, Redpost?”

Marvin marched right up to Clarence. “You think you’re so tough, Clarence!” he said, hands on hips. “Well, you’re not. You’re just stupid and gross.”

“I can beat you up,” said Clarence.

“Oh, gee, I’m scared,” said Marvin. He turned to Patsy. “Clarence thinks he’s really great, just because he’s the biggest kid in the class. Well, the only reason he’s so big is because he’s been left back a hundred times.”

Patsy laughed.

“I’m warning you,” said Clarence.

A crowd gathered around them.

“Oh, grow up!” said Marvin.

Clarence glared at Marvin.

Marvin looked right back at him. Their faces were inches apart.

“I don’t believe it,” said Marvin. “You get uglier every day.”

A group of girls laughed.

Clarence forced a laugh. He turned away. “You’re not worth it,” he said.

“All right, Marvin!” said Nick, slapping him on the back.

“Wow,” said Stuart. “You stood up to Clarence.”

Casey Happleton stared at him, finger in mouth.

“Weren’t you scared?” asked Nick.

“No,” said Marvin. “Clarence wouldn’t hit—” Marvin stopped.

He was confused.

He was going to say,
Clarence wouldn’t hit a girl
.

“Leave me alone,” said Marvin. He walked away.

His friends followed.

“I said leave me alone!”

Everyone backed off.

Marvin climbed up the giant spiderweb.

The rope wiggled under his feet. The higher he got, the more the web seemed to wiggle and shake.