Lone Bean by Chudney Ross Read Free Book Online

the bathroom,” she said. “We have to wash our hands and clean up.”
    My hands were a little chalky. Usually, I would’ve just wiped them on my jeans, but if I had been wearing a dress like Gabrielle’s, I wouldn’t have wanted to get it dusty either.
    We washed up, and since the bell hadn’t rung yet, we headed out to the playground.
    â€œWanna climb the jungle gym?” I asked.
    â€œNo, thank you,” she responded quickly, without even thinking it over.
    â€œWhat about hopscotch?”
    â€œNo, Bean, I do not want to dirty my shoes,” she said.
    I looked at her patent leather slippers. They were pretty, but they were definitely not for running at the playground. I slumped down on the bench next to her.
    â€œMaybe do you wanna come play at my house after school?” I asked hopefully.
    â€œI’m not allowed to have play dates,” Gabrielle told me.
    She wasn’t allowed to play on the playground, go to other people’s houses, or even talk on the phone. What kind of a friend was that?

Chapter 7
Maybe Bad Isn’t So Bad
    â€œG ood morning, Chrysanthemum,” said Gabrielle one morning when she slid next to me in line.
    We’d been hanging out for a couple weeks, and she should’ve known my name by now. I reminded her in my most serious, I-mean-business tone of voice, “My name is Bean.”
    â€œDon’t you think Chrysanthemum is a much prettier name for a girl?” she asked, all excited like she had come up with some great idea.
    â€œNo!” I yelled back. “And don’t call me that!”
    â€œWell, I just thought it might be nice if you used your pretty name and maybe wore a dress once in a while.”
    â€œNo way,” I said. I looked down at my jeans with the rips in the knees, my favorite Mickey Mouse sweatshirt, and my dirty sneakers. “I’m Bean and this is how I dress.”
    â€œFine,” she said. She pouted her lips and turned away.
    I crossed my arms and marched to the back of the line so I wouldn’t have to stand anywhere near her. I stomped past Carla and Sam without even a glance and stood behind Tanisha. The line started to move, and I dragged my feet all the way to the classroom.
    â€œGood morning, everyone,” said Ms. Sullivan. “Please take out your math books and turn to page fifteen.”
    I pulled out my book, but before I could open it up, I got hit in the head with a crayon. I spun around in my seat and spotted the culprit. Terrible Tanisha was chucking broken crayons! She is such a bully. I turned around and tried to focus on the first math problem.
    Then another crayon hit me smack in my head. Now I was really steamed. I turned around to give her my meanest, dirtiest, nastiest glare, but— smack! A green crayon hit me right in my eye. Well, not really in my eye because, luckily, it was protected by my glasses.
    Now, this made me so mad that I forgot how scared I was of her. I grabbed my box of pencils and erasers and stuff and scooped up all the broken bits of crayons at the bottom. I pulled my arm back like a baseball pitcher and hurled all of them at her as hard as I could.
    â€œChrysanthemum, what do you think you are doing?”
    I froze at the sound of Ms. Sullivan’s voice. I felt everyone’s eyes were glued on me.
    â€œUm . . . nothing,” I said. “And it’s Bean, remember?”
    â€œSince you can’t seem to remember the rules, maybe staying in for detention at recess will help refresh your memory,” she said, looking sternly at me. “We do not throw crayons or anything else in this classroom.”
    I had never gotten a detention before, ever!
    â€œBut Tanisha was throwing crayons at me and one hit me in the head and then in my eye, well not my eye, but only because I wear glasses.” Ms. Sullivan was still mad, so I kept talking. “And she wouldn’t stop, so I—”
    â€œBean, that’s