‘Hank Zipzer’ moves on to fifth-grade adventures
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After me, we went around the room and the other kids said what their school problems were. At least, I think that’s what they said. I have to admit that I was only half listening. The other half of me was watching Zoe. I noticed that she was a doodler, just like me. She spent the whole hour drawing lightning bolts all over the front of her notebook with a glittery purple pen. She was a leg shaker like me, too. Her knee bounced up and down like it had a motor in it.
“Are you going to stay in Reading Gym for the whole ten weeks?” I whispered to her, just after a shy girl named Chelsea described how she had difficulty reading because she was dyslexic and reversed letters on the page.
“Sure,” said Zoe. “But it sounds like you’re not staying. Too bad. We could have fun.”
Hold on, ears! Did you just hear what I heard? She thinks we could have fun. Oh, yeah. Hank and Zoe. Zoe and Hank. Having fun.
“Well, actually, I’m not exactly sure what I’m doing,” I said. “I mean, I told my two best friends that I’d do martial arts.”
“And they’re counting on you?” Zoe asked.
“Well, they’re kind of counting on me but not actually counting on me. It’s . . .”
“I know,” Zoe said. “Complicated.”
Wow, this girl really gets me. I mean, look, we’re already talking like we’ve known each other our whole lives.
We listened for a minute while another kid, Brandon Clarke, explained his reading difficulties. When he finished talking, I suddenly heard my mouth whispering something that my brain hadn’t planned to say.
“You know what?” I whispered to Zoe. “I’ve decided to stay here. I think Reading Gym will be much more fun than some old martial arts class. And besides, my friends have each other.”
Was that me talking? The same me that had been looking forward to Tae Kwon Do for weeks? The me that couldn’t wait to execute roundhouse kicks and leap in the air like a pouncing tiger? Hank Zipzer, have you lost your mind?
“I’m glad,” Zoe said.
“You are?”
“Sure, it’s nice that you want to improve.”
“Improvement is my middle name,” I said.
It is? the old me was saying to this new me. I thought it was Daniel.
“What’s your last name?” she giggled.
“Zipzer,” I said with a smile. “What’s yours?”
“McKelty,” she said.
The smile froze on my face like I had just swallowed an iceberg.
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