Free A Thunderous Whisper by Christina Diaz Gonzalez Page B

happy with the money I brought home last night, but I don’t think she’ll let me skip a day of working with her.” I glanced up at the clock at the top of the school building. It was five after five. “In fact, she’s expecting me now. I have to get going.”
    Mathias stayed put. “She’ll make extra money by selling on her own and having you make deliveries with me. Your mother will say yes if you just explain it to her.”
    I shook my head. “You don’t know my mother.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw some boys on the other side of the courtyard cluster together.
    “Ani, it’s important.” Mathias clasped his hands together as if in prayer. “Please,” he pleaded. “Father says there’s a lot of activity. He might even clue me in to what’s going on, but first we have to do this. We can do them real fast, in an houror so. I have to be home before sunset for Shabbat anyway, so you can meet up with your mom after we’re done. C’mon, I already told him we would.”
    “You should’ve talked to me before agreeing to it,” I said, glancing over his shoulder just in time to see one boy point his finger our way. I looked back at Mathias. “And what’s Shabbat anyway?”
    “Jewish day of rest and prayer. You’ve never heard of it?”
    I shook my head, watching as a few boys began to cross the courtyard.
    “On Fridays before sundown, Mother lights candles, and we have a special dinner. When we were in Berlin, I’d even go to synagogue with my grandparents and—Are you even listening to me?”
    “Let’s talk about this somewhere else.” I put my hand on Mathias’s elbow, trying to usher him away from the school and the boys who were now making a beeline toward us.
    “Why? What’s the rush? And you still haven’t told me if you’ll even do the Friday deliveries.”
    “Fine, I’ll figure something out and do them.” I tugged on his shirtsleeve with a greater sense of urgency. “Let’s just go.”
    “What has you—” He turned around to follow my gaze.
    “ Mira, mira . Sardine Girl has herself a boyfriend!” a voice exclaimed.
    Sabino, the school bully, was now only a few feet away from us, with the rest of the boys huddled behind him.
    “Ha!” He pointed to Mathias’s makila . “And he’s un cojo . Can’t even walk straight.… Isn’t that just perfect?” Sabino called back to his friends, who had stopped to watch.
    I pulled on Mathias’s suspender. “ Vámonos . Let’s just go,” I said, knowing that Sabino was not someone you messed around with. It was better to ignore and be ignored.
    “You have a problem?” Mathias squared his shoulders and thrust out his chest as Sabino got within a few feet of us.
    Sabino laughed while everyone in the courtyard stopped to stare. By now, he and Mathias stood only a few inches apart. “No problem here, my brother,” he announced in a loud voice. “Just surprised to see Sardine Girl with someone.”
    “Don’t call her that,” Mathias said in a voice deeper than his own.
    Sabino laughed. “Why not? That’s what she is.… Can’t you smell that I’m right? She’s just plain old Sardine Girl.”
    I pulled at Mathias again. “Forget it. Let’s go.”
    Mathias pushed away my hand. “I said not to call her that!” His eyes narrowed as he stared at Sabino.
    “Fine, tough guy.” Sabino forced another chuckle. “If you like Sardine Girl, I don’t mind. Guess there’s no accounting for taste”—he pinched his nose and looked to the crowd—“or smell.”
    Laughter broke out all around.
    That’s when Mathias did it. In a split second, he let go of his makila and drove his fist forward, landing it squarely on the side of Sabino’s jaw.
    A hush fell over the schoolyard as Sabino staggered back a step. I waited for him to unleash his fury on Mathias, but instead his eyes glazed over, his knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground.
    “¿Alguien más?” Mathias asked, looking at the boys in the crowd, his fists ready for a