Free Amber Brown Sees Red by Paula Danziger Page A

Skunk Day.”
    Jimmy Russell and Bobby Clifford come running over to us.
    They get down on their hands and knees, lift one leg, and pretend to be skunks.

    I, Amber Brown, have always thought that they were little stinkers.
    All of a sudden, there is the sound of whistles blowing.
    The vice principal and the guidance counselor have gym whistles in their mouths.
    Mr. Robinson, the principal, is using a megaphone. “Children. Go stand with your teachers.”
    I look for Mrs. Holt.
    She’s standing by the swings.
    Brandi and I go over to her, moving closer to the school.
    I still don’t smell anything.
    Mr. Robinson, the principal, is holding a megaphone.
    Everyone is quiet as soon as he starts speaking.
    That’s because we all know that we’ll get a very long detention if we’re not quiet.
    The announcement is made.
    We have to go into the school and wait until arrangements are made to send us all home.
    ...... Until then we are to remain quiet, not cause any problems.
    I see Mr. Cohen lean over to Ms. Levine and say, “That’s using common scents.”
    Even though I like Mrs. Holt, my fourth grade teacher, I really miss having Mr. Cohen as my teacher. He’s the best teacher in the whole world.
    However, I, Amber Brown, am getting very curious about Mr. Cohen and his interest in the new kindergarten teacher. I was sort of hoping that he’d wait until I graduated from college to get interested in someone .... like me. Oh well, he’ll probably be much too old for me by then anyway ...... Probably ancient .... at least forty.
    Oh well ... Ms. Levine seems really nice.
    “Line up by classes” is the announcement.
    We do.
    The next announcement is “Return to your classes.”
    We do.
    Jimmy Russell and Bobby Clifford continue pretending to be skunks.
    They get detention.
    I personally think that Jimmy and Bobby are so used to having detention that they think it’s a regular school subject ..... math, science, detention, English.
    It’s only October and already they have enough detentions to keep them after school until next February. By the end of this school year, I bet they’ll have enough detentions to keep them after school until they graduate from high school.
    Walking in, I can smell the skunks, even with my very bad cold.
    It’s gross, really gross ... really, really, really gross.
    Ms. Levine’s kindergarteners are walking in front of us.
    One of the little girls starts to cry, “I’m scared. I’m scared. I don’t want to come in here. What if they try to get us? What if they bite us and give us rabies? What if they stink?”
    Some of the other kindergarteners start to cry.
    One of them wets his pants.
    There’s a little puddle around his shoe.
    Something tells me that this is going to be a school day that I’m never going to forget.

Chapter Three

    Skunkorama.
    Serious Skunkorama.
    I, Amber Brown, don’t think that there is a family of skunks.
    I think that there is a skunk convention.
    The good news is that I can smell again.
    The bad news is that what I can smell is skunk.
    Yuk. Yag. Double Yuk. Double Yag.
    Mrs. Holt is covering her nose with her hand. “Class. Please take out your books for free reading time.”

    Saved. I’m saved .... no math test!
    Hannah Burton raises her hand.“I thought we were going to have a math test. I studied.”
    The only smell worse than skunk is Hannah Burton.
    Alicia Sanchez raises her hand.
    “Yes.” Mrs. Holt is still covering her nose.
    “I don’t feel well. This smell is ...” Alicia barfs on her desk.
    All of a sudden, I can feel my breakfast, Cheerios, milk, and bananas, working its way back up from my stomach.
    Somehow I get my brain to push it back down again.
    “Ewwwww.” Hannah Burton makes a disgusted and disgusting face.
    Personally, I think that Hannah Burton’s face is normally disgusting.
    Mrs. Holt hands Alicia some tissues. “You better go to the nurse. Naomi, go with her and then stop at the front office and ask them to send the