The Sound of Life and Everything by Krista Van Dolzer Read Free Book Online Page A

Walter to my fist, Miss Fightmaster intervened.
    â€œWhy don’t we move on?” she asked, though it sounded less like a suggestion and more like a command.
    â€œBut I have a question,” I said.
    Miss Fightmaster smoothed her eyebrows. “All right, then, let’s have it.”
    â€œDo these acorns have DNA?”
    Now, I wasn’t above dragging out a conversation to waste time, but in the case of these acorns, I genuinely wanted to know.
    Miss Fightmaster pressed her lips into a line. “I’m afraid I’m not familiar with that term.”
    â€œI’m not familiar with it, either,” I said, “but I think it stands for deoxyribo-something-or-other. Dr. Franks said it’s in everything, which is what made me wonder if it’s in these acorns, too.”
    Her nostrils shriveled into slits. “There will be no more talk of scientists.” She jabbed me with her ruler. “And there will be no more talk of DNA, either.”
    Miss Fightmaster continued, but I was no longer listening. How
did
these acorns know how to grow into oak trees? Why didn’t they ever grow into beech trees instead?
    â€œI think these little acorns must have DNA,” I said. “God probably invented it to keep everything straight.”
    This time, Miss Fightmaster’s entire face shriveled. She swept my acorn onto the floor and ground it to dust with her heel. “This class will not abide any more of your outbursts!” She aimed her ruler at the door. “Go to the office this instant!”
    Slowly, very slowly, I dragged myself out of my desk. It wasn’t that I’d never been to the office before; I was just disappointed I hadn’t gotten to use my hammer.
    I didn’t even glance at Robby’s trophy or Daniel’s prize-winning sketches on my way to the office. Robby was the only quarterback who’d led our team to a state championship, and Daniel’s artwork was so good that they’d put it on display. Normally, I liked looking at these friendly reminders, but today, they just emphasized that Robby and Daniel were dead.
    I’d barely trudged through the door when Gracie burst to her feet. It took all my willpower not to turn right around. If I’d remembered that Monday was Gracie’s day in the office, I might have made more of an effort to stay on Miss Fightmaster’s good side.
    â€œWhere’s Miss Shepherd?” I asked. She was the
real
secretary. Gracie was just a lowly student aide.
    She waved my question away. “What happened this time, Ella Mae?”
    â€œNothing,” I said. “Really. I just asked a question.”
    â€œYou never just ask a question.”
    I shrugged. She had a point.
    Gracie bit her lip. “So what happened?”
    â€œOh, Miss Fightmaster was just sayin’ something silly about acorns, and I simply asked if they had DNA.”
    â€œWhat’s DNA?” Gracie asked.
    â€œDeoxyribo-something-or-other.”
    I expected Gracie to gasp or at least press me for details, but she only sat there smiling, like I had meat loaf for brains. So Auntie Mildred hadn’t told them. Somehow, I wasn’t surprised.
    â€¢Â â€¢Â â€¢
    Gracie wasn’t authorized to administer judgment, so we had to wait for Mr. Lloyd (who was holed up in his office, doing whatever principals did when they weren’t tormenting their students). The sunburst clock struck noon before he finally came out, but since the lunch bell had just rung, he only took one look at me before he waved me out the door.
    I dashed out of the office, eager to catch back up to Theo. Since our mamas packed our lunches, we always headed to the playground as soon as the bell rang (and since I often got sent to the office, he was used to bringing mine).
    â€œWe spent the morning dissecting acorns,” he said, swinging his lunch box exuberantly. “Walter smashed his to smithereens as soon as Miss Fightmaster