"Why not? What did you think we would do today?"
He shrugged.
She looked around.
"Anyone else ill prepared?"
No one raised his or her hand.
"Apparently, you are the only negligent student. Gary. You'll start the sixth-grade year with a negative point." She opened her top desk drawer, took out a pen, ripped a sheet of paper off a pad, and brought it to him.
"Okay," she said when she returned to her desk. "Who can tell me what you all should include in your biography?"
Many hands went up.
"Mona," she said.
A small girl with pretty light-brown hair stood up.
"We should tell about our family, where we were born and where we live and lived, what we like to do, what we want to be, places we have gone and favorite things like favorite foods and shows and stuff." she recited.
"Don't say 'stuff.' Otherwise, you are correct. All right, begin please and write clearly, neatly and carefully," she said.
Everyone started. What should I tell about my family? I wondered. Should I tell anything about Ian?
"Miss March," Miss Morgan said. "Please come up front."
All the students stopped writing and looked at me. I rose and walked to her desk.
"I understand you are living with your greataunt," she said. "Yes."
"When you go home after school today. I want you to go directly to her and tell her that you cannot return to school if you do not wear a brassiere. You know what that is, of course?"
I nodded.
"I will not permit you to return to my class unless you do. Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," I said.
"Get back to your seat, please:" she said.
I felt the blood rise to my face as I turned and saw all the students looking at me. Some of the boys were smiling, especially chubby Gary. I sat and lowered my head to begin writing. We all looked up again when we heard a knock on the door. It opened, and a girl who looked at least sixteen stepped n.
"Yes, what is it?" Mrs. Morgan asked, not hiding her annoyance.
"The principal would like to see Jordan March." she announced.
Mrs. Morgan tightened the corners of her mouth. then looked at me.
"Go ahead," she said, her voice full of annoyance. "You can leave your things right there. Don't dawdle in the hallway when you return either. Get right back to do your work."
I rose and joined the girl at the door. As soon as she closed it behind us, she turned to me and smiled.
"This is your first day here. right?"
"yYs," I said. "Is that why the principal sent for me?"
"No," she said, widening her smile. "Boy, are you in trouble." she said.