Karen's Big Lie

Chapter 1- Karen's School

      I was in school. I was having a little trouble paying attention. That happens sometimes, even though I like my teacher very much. My teacher's names is Ms. Colman, and she is gigundoly wonderful. She is my best, best teacher ever. She likes me, too. She is getting married soon, and I am going to be the flower girl in her wedding.

       Ms. Colman was standing st the chalkboard. She was writing numbers on it. Math is not my favorite subject. It is a little hard for me. I am better at reading and writing and science.

        It was a Friday afternoon. I was thinking about the weekend. I was thinking about the warm weather, too. In the courtyard outside our classroom  , flowers were blooming. Bees were buzzing back and forth. A yellow butterfly zipped by.

        Next to me, Ricky Torres was scribbling number on a piece of paper. Ricky just loves math. I will never know why. Guess what. Ricky is my husband. (Well, he is my pretend husband.) We got married on the playground one day. I am Karen Brewer, Ricky's wife. I have blonde hair and blue eyes and some freckles. I wear glasses. So does Ricky. That is why we sit next to each other. Ms. Colman makes the glasses-wearers sit in the front row. I guess she is allowed to do that. She wears glasses herself. Also, she is the teacher.

         I am seven. Ricky is almost eight. So are most of the kids in our second-grade room. In fact, some of them have alreadyturned eight. I am the youngest in the class. That is because I skipped.

         Ms. Colman had picked up a stack of papers. She was standing at her desk. "Class" she began, "today you are going to take a math quiz. So are the other students here at Stoneybrook Academy. Everyone is going to begin taking quizzes about the things they have studied this year. Our quizzes will be on addition and subtraction facts. Those facts will be helpful when you learn to multiply and divide. I will give you  quiz once or twice a week, but I will not tell you about them ahead of time. Just begin reviewing your facts. Use the flash cards you got at the begging of the year. And do not worry too much about the first quiz, since it is a surprise."

         Ms. Colman handed out the papers. I looked down at the one on my desk. I saw 2 long columns of addition problems, like this: 9+8=________. 7+11=____________.

"Boo," I whispered 

        Then Ms. Colman said, "Oh one more thing. The quizzes will be timed. When I say, 'Time's up', you must stop woking. Even if you have not finished. Is thatclear?"

         Well, bullfrogs. This getting worse and worse.

      "Okay," said Ms. Colman, looking at her watch. "You may begin."

  I picked up my pencil. I counted on my fingers. I answered the first question. Next to me, Ricky was writing away. He filled in one answer after another. He does not count on his fingers. He used to, but not anymore. I answered another question. I looked at Ms. Colman. She was busy erasing the shalkboard. When she had finished, she tacked some things to the bulletin board.

     "Times up," she said a few minutes later.

    Already? I dropped my pencil. I was ot finished. I had skipped a lot of the problems. It is hard to concentrate on a Friday afternoon. 

____________Done with Chapter 1, well wait till you read Chapter 2-Karen's Families_______________