Free Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper Page A

nothing in the rule book that requiresyou sit down while I do it. Now stand there and be quiet, or I’ll send you to the office for showing disrespect to our guests.”
    They stood. In the middle of the third row of chairs, where everyone else was seated comfortably, they stood.
    This teacher is awesome!
    After that, things went more smoothly. Jill, who had continued to cry, had been taken back to our room by one of the aides. The rest of us sat quietly in the back of the room.
    Mrs. Lovelace began class once more. “I think we need a moment to gather ourselves, children.” She sat down at her piano and began to play “Moon River,” and then she switched to the theme song from one of those new vampire movies. Oh, yeah, she knew what we liked. When I started seeing the colors, I knew she was good. Forest green, lime green, emerald.
    I glanced over at Gloria. Instead of sitting all curled up like she usually did, her arms were outstretched like she was trying to catch the music and bring it to her. Her face was almost glowing. She began to sway with the music.
    Then Mrs. Lovelace completely changed tempo and played the opening notes to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Willy clapped his hands wildly.
    Finally, the teacher started to play “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” Dad would have loved it. Kids started to shimmy in their seats. Maria got up and started dancing! She clapped loudly, never quite on the beat, but to a rhythm that was all her own.
    Mrs. Lovelace paused at the end of the song. “Music is powerful, my young friends,” she said. “It can connect us to memories. It can influence our mood and our responses to problems we might face.”
    She cut her eyes at Claire and Molly, who still stood in the empty places where their chairs had been.
    I wanted to tell Mrs. Lovelace I liked music too. I wanted to know if she’d ever heard the song “Elvira” or if she would teach us how to make our own music. I tried to raise my hand, but she didn’t notice me. It must have looked like just another one of those random movements that kids like me seem to make. But I had the feeling that Mrs. Lovelace was someone who’d take the time to figure me out.
    The teacher went on. “Before I continue with the lesson, let’s make this a real inclusion experience. Perhaps our friends from room H-5 would like to sit with the rest of us instead of being stuck in the back.”
    Freddy heard that and took his chance. He put his chair into gear and zoomed to the front of that big room and shouted, “I am Freddy. I like music. I go fast!”
    The class laughed. I can tell the difference between people making fun of us and people being nice to us. Freddy could too, so he joined in the laughter. Mrs. Lovelace looked momentarily startled, then went over to Freddy, shook his hand, and welcomed him to the class. She sat him right there in front, next to a boy named Rodney. Rodney gave Freddy a high five, and the two of them grinned at each other. Okay, I had to admit it—I was jealous.
    Mrs. Lovelace asked an aide to bring Gloria down front close to the piano. A girl named Elizabeth glanced at Gloria nervously, but she didn’t move away when Gloria was wheeled next to her.
    Elizabeth’s best friend is a girl named Jessica. At recess they sit together near the fence and share granola bars. I’ve always wondered what they whisper about. I also noticed that everything Elizabeth does, Jessica tries to outdo. Like, if Elizabeth beats her running to the fence, Jessica insists they run again so she can win too. Or if Elizabeth gets a new book bag, Jessica will have a new one the next day.
    So when Elizabeth started talking to Gloria, who looked terrified, Jessica raised her hand and asked if one of the H-5 kids could sit next to her.
    Maria might have trouble figuring out some stuff, but she’s a real friendly person. “I wanna sit by the blue-shirtgirl. I wanna sit by the blue-shirt girl,” she demanded. She stomped down to Jessica’s