You Are

Sticks And Stones

A boy steps into the classroom and everyone stares.
Huge blue eyes, swirling with something the teacher does not recognize, scan the room slowly as if wishing the whole class to dissipate.
The boy has a strange grimace that does not belong on the face of an 8 year old and a raven mop of curls on his head that make looking at his pale face almost blinding.
He glances at Ms. Donato with distaste and sticks his hand out in her direction.
"My name is Sherlock Holmes. Where do I sit?"
Ms. Donato has a look of surprise on her face, but she thinks to herself that she has met many children too mature for their age and takes his hand, smiling at him.
"I am Ms. Donato; pleasure to meet you. You are sitting next to John Watson, the boy in the far left corner." She waves at the little blonde boy in the corner playfully and smiles at Sherlock again.
He stares at her suspiciously. "Aren't you married?"
Her smile drops immediately and she stares back at him with a look that is of pure suprise. She is actually getting unnerved by his eyes. They make her feel exposed.
"No, I am not." She lets his hand go to bend down and get a full view of his face and regrets it immediately.
He has a smirk that tells her she is not going to like this student.
" Yes, you are."
She smiles stiffly this time and straightens up, pointing at the small sign taped to the door. " See the m-s? That means I am not married. When you are married, it's spelled m-r-s."
"Your ring says otherwise."
She forgets she is talking to an eight year old. "I'm not wearing a ring."
"Maybe not, but you do have one in your pocket. Obviously it was done in haste, suggesting you are trying to hide it. And I know why."
She laughs nervously and looks around the room as if just remembering where she was. "Don't be silly. I have no reason to hide-"
"It's because you're having an affair with Mr. Brown, the science teacher for the fourth grade."
Most of the children look confused, but a few gasp, recognizing the word from their mother's TV shows and the magazines strewn carelessly on their coffee tables.
Ms. Donato turns a beet red and her mouth starts to form a word.
-
Two classrooms away, the assistant principal lifts her head and glances at the secretary. "Did you hear that?"
"Yeah. Sounded like shouting."
"I'll go check on it."
"It's probably nothing."
"I dunno. I'm pretty sure I just heard someone cursing."
-
The little blonde boy in the far left corner stares at this Sherlock character and wonders if he knows how to play kickball.