Free Freaked Out by Annie Bryant Page B

badly. I think the best way to tell you is to ask questions. Maeve, pay attention ’cause I think you might be surprised.” Maeve stopped twirling the fringe on the pillow and focused on what Katani would ask. She hoped it wouldn’t be one of those math questions where the answer was obvious to everyone but her. She hated that. It made her feel so stupid.
    â€œIs your math teacher friendly and supportive?”
    The girls hooted at that one. “The Crow, friendly and supportive. I don’t think so. He can’t even get my name straight,” Maeve huffed.
    â€œI guess the answer is no?” Katani looked at Maeve.
    â€œOh, yeah,” Maeve waved her head back and forth. “I like this kind of test. Ask another question.”
    Katani smiled. This was going just as she hoped. She had found out that a lot of math problems occur because certain people who are nervous about math need a very supportive atmosphere to learn math.
    â€œDoes your teacher embarrass you in class in front of your classmates?”
    Maeve jumped up. “The Crow is so mean. He makesme go to the board to do problems that he knows I can’t do.” She started pacing around the room like a cat on a fence.
    â€œBut, Maeve. Mr. Sherman asks everyone to go to the board. I don’t think he wants to embarrass you. He just wants everyone to see the different ways a problem can get messed up,” said Avery.
    Maeve couldn’t believe her ears. “Are you defending him?”
    Avery blinked. “Well. I mean, he is kind of weird and everything, but he isn’t that bad of a teacher, really.”
    â€œWhat do you think, Isabel?”
    Isabel hesitated. “Well, I think he is okay, but definitely kind of geeky, which makes it kind of hard to pay attention sometimes. I keep thinking that maybe he will really turn into a crow and start flying around the room.” Isabel spoke so earnestly that her friends started to laugh. Maeve began flapping her arms like a bird while Avery let out a “caw.”
    Katani tapped her clipboard for order.
    â€œKatani, what’s the point of these questions?” Charlotte asked. A grateful Katani nodded to her friend. “I’m glad you asked that question. The problem isn’t with you, Maeve, or Mr. Sherman. It has to do with the fact that some people like you need a quiet, supportive place to do math ’cause you have math anxiety. Avery and Isabel are okay in the class ’cause they don’t get really nervous about math and you do.”
    â€œSo all I need is a quiet room with a really nice teacher who doesn’t make me feel stupid.”
    â€œWell, it’s probably not that simple, but I bet that would help. Maybe you could talk to my grandmother about this. Now, did each of you bring a story problem, like I suggested?” Katani asked.
    Four heads nodded and they dug in their notebooks for the problems. “I hate story problems,” Maeve groaned. “They’re so useless.”
    â€œThese aren’t. That was the idea.” Avery spread out her folded sheet of paper. “Here’s mine. Isabel will help me read. I’m the movie manager.” Avery cleared her throat and lowered her voice to sound important. “Maeve, you have to go to work at ten thirty-five a.m. today. You have to work two hours and fifteen minutes before you can have a break.”
    Isabel read. “Ring-ring. That’s your cell phone, Maeve.”
    â€œI don’t have my cell phone with me,” Maeve said.
    â€œPretend you do. Ring-ring. Hello, Maeve, this is Dillon. What time can you go to lunch with me today?”
    â€œDillon has never called and invited me out to lunch.” Maeve sighed. “I wish he would.”
    â€œToday he has. What time can you go?” Charlotte handed Maeve a pencil, since she didn’t seem to have one.
    Maeve sighed again. “Okay. At least figuring this out makes sense. Ten