Where is my turtle?

Chapter 14: Lets be Friends

The kids have left the room but I'm glued to my chair. Don't worry I'm not literally glued I'm just in deep contemplation. How can I expect my students to be kind if I myself sometimes am not kind? If I sometimes pick on others? I mean Ms Goosberry always starts it. But I never walkway, I never let it go. This is not who I want to be. I have to make things right. I have to do better. Be better.

I get out of my seat and start preparing the class for our art lesson. I put out all the different colour paint I have and some glitter. I Line them up on the side table running across the room. Finally, I've finish setting everything up I look up and see Ms Goosberry peaking through the window. I send her a smile. She starts to run down the hallway.

"Ms Goodberry stop, I just want to talk!"

She stops midway she looks back at me sceptically. I send her another smile and she starts to walk back slowly. When she's half a meter away I say " I've never shown you my classroom before. Why don't you come in?" To be honest, I'm sure she knows my classroom inside out, she's a bit of a snoop. But I'm handing out an olive branch here.

She smiles for the first time and comes into the room. She looks around " I can't say it's the most beautiful class in the school but it has personality".

I start to laugh " this room could win any ugly contest it signs up for. " I say. I stand there awkwardly and decide to finally swallow my pride "Uhh look, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I know we aren't friends and that's ok but it's not okay to be rude to you. So I'm sorry for the things I've said and done that may have hurt you. I never intend to make you feel bad, I just, I guess I always thought you never liked me so I didn't want to be around you. But after reflecting on everything I feel bad for leaving you out, saying mean things and I'd like to call a truce. We don't have to be friends but I don't want to be your enemy either."

She looked at me and out of nowhere she jumps and spreads her arms wide. Ohh no she's attacking me. I start to move around I'm trying to shake her of but she's holding on for dear life she's squeezing me so tightly I might combust her nails start to dig into my arms.

"Stop, stop, ok stop I'm just giving you a hug." She whispers. She steps back

" I'm sorry too. I guess, I just didn't want to be nice to you. I hate to say this but I was always a little jealous of you and Ms Happy, she's the best teacher in the school, parents-teacher everyone loves her and your her friend plus you're so pretty every kid wants to be in your class and I think Mr McManpants is in love with you it's no secret I have a crush on him. It just annoyed me. I felt like you were both better than me, so I was always mean but it was wrong. So I'm sorry."

I start to laugh "you're a much better teacher than me and you just as pretty in your own way". I look at her in the eyes " why don't we try to be friends?" She nods her head.

She picks up one of the paint bottles "So tell me, what art lesson are you doing with your".

"POPPP" there's red paint everywhere! The bottle just exploded. Ms Gooseberry starts to yell " you did this on purpose!! You tricked me! She picks up a bottle of orange paint and squeezes it all over me.

" I didn't! I didn't do anything!" I yell.

"Yess you did you evil little chipmunk!" She picks up a pink bottle of paint and "SPLAT" it's all over my favourite pants!

" How was I supposed to know you would pick it up! I didn't even know paint bottles could explode!" I yell. She stops.

" I'm sorry I just, I thought you were trying to embarrass me. I didn't even think of that."

"It's ok, I mean, it was a misunderstanding". I pick up the paint bottle and take a step to the bin. My foot lands in some paint. I'm slipping I close my eyes but nothing happens. I open my eyes and see Ms Goosberry has caught me. She starts lifting me up when "SQUISH" we both land on the floor. I must weigh a lot more than I thought because I see a tub of glitter start to wobble "BANG" a tub of glitter just hit the floor. I sit up and look down at myself I'm covered in pink, orange and red paint and to top it off, there's a thick layer of purple glitter all over me. "OHH" I let out a grown, me and Ms . Gooseberry look ridicules. How are we going to explain this to the students! And right at that moment in comes Ms Happy she lets out a loud laugh. I wait for her to stop, but she just keeps on laughing.

She goes on and on and on and on. I'm starting to think somethings wrong with her when suddenly in runs in Mr Mcmanpants " I heard this beautiful laughter and I wanted to see who the owner of it was" he says looking at Ms Happy like a little puppy in love. He turns his head to see what she's laughing at and his face drops. Ohh no I'm in big trouble now.