Bobby the Brave (Sometimes) by Lisa Yee Read Free Book Online Page B

Dad?”
    â€œHmmm,” his mother mused. “That’s unlikely, because you’re a combination of my side of the family and his. If you think about it, your father is way bigger than either of his parents were. As for his strength, you know how much your father works out.”
    Bobby nodded. His dad was always lifting weights in the garage, and he ran a couple miles a day with Annie. Sometimes Bobby followed them on his bike.
    â€œAnnie’s pretty tall,” he pointed out.
    â€œYes, and Annie is in high school. But by the time you’re her age, you will be a lot taller, I promise,” his mother reassured him. “Any other questions? Or are you stalling for time now?”
    Bobby started to say something, but then stopped himself. “All done,” he said.
    His mother kissed him on the forehead. “Okay then! Now, lights out. It’s time for bed. Getting plenty of sleep will help you grow! Good night, honey.”
    â€œGood night, Mom.”
    Bobby did have one more question, but it always got stuck in his throat. He wanted to know what “He’s not like me” meant.

O n Monday morning, Mrs. Carlson announced, “Class, Mr. Rainerhaus has food poisoning and is out sick today, so PE is canceled.”
    Bobby tried not to grin, because that would be rude. Still, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. No PE! No football! But when he turned toward Chess, it looked like Chess had food poisoning too.
    â€œAre you okay?” Bobby asked.
    â€œI’m nervous,” Chess croaked.
    â€œWhat are you nervous about?”
    â€œAbout the musical. My uncle Carrom is coming, and he’s a great singer,” Chess explained. “Every family reunion, he forces us to listen as he sings Bollywood songs. He says he’s bringing all the relatives to the musical — and you know how many of those I have.”
    â€œWell, I’m scared I’m going to forget my lines,” St. James confessed. “I had no idea Daddy Warbucks was such a blabbermouth.”
    â€œBoys,” Mrs. Carlson said, “is there something you’d like to share with the class?”
    St. James pointed to Chess. “He’s scared.”
    â€œSo is he!” Chess cried, pointing back at St. James.
    Mrs. Carlson looked curious. “What exactly scares the two of you?”
    â€œThe musical,” Chess said softly.
    Several students nodded in agreement.
    â€œWell,” Mrs. Carlson said, “let’s take a few minutes to talk about our fears. It’s an excellent subject.” Chess sat up straighter. So did St. James. “What are the kinds of things that you find scary? I know that when I was your age, I was scared of the dark, and to this day I still sleep with a night-light on.”
    Bobby was happy to hear that his teacher had a night-light too.
    Everyone had their hands raised, ready to share what scared them.
    â€œWow, this is certainly a hot topic,” Mrs. Carlson noted. “I think we’re going to need to spend more than a few minutes on this. Okay, here’s what we are going to do. I’d like everyone to write down what scares you. You don’t need to include your names. Then I’ll write everyone’s fears on the board and we can talk about them. If you don’t want to write anything, you don’t have to.”
    Some students began writing immediately. Others stared off into the distance. A few chewed on their pencils or fingernails. Bobby disguised his handwriting by slanting the letters to the left.
    After about ten minutes, Mrs. Carlson asked the class to fold their papers in half and pass them forward. “After recess we’ll talk about this,” she said. “In the meantime, please take out your history books.”
    Later, as the boys waited for their turns at the handball court, Jackson asked Bobby, “What are you afraid of?”
    Bobby just shrugged. “Things,” he said.