When
Elle came home from school a month into the seventh grade, she announced that
she wanted to be called “Scout” from now on.
“Elle!”
I said, not even bothering to look around. “I’m busy working. Can’t we discuss
renaming you later?”
“Not
‘Elle,’ ‘Scout’!” She left the doorway and sauntered into my room. “Like in To
Kill a Mockingbird.” She scrambled
up on my bed and I sighed and swiveled my chair away from my monitor to face
her.
“We’re
reading that book in school. I like it a lot, although Mrs. Torres had to get
‘special dispersation’ from the principal to be able to assign it to us because
it has mature content. I think I’m mature enough, don’t you? Anyway, the
girl in it is a lot like me — we’re both named Louise (ugh!) She has an older
brother, too, and a father who’s a
lawyer. (Well, I have a mother who’s a lawyer as well, and she doesn’t, but oh
well.)
“Do
you think we have any crazy neighbors in hiding?” She gave a little bounce on
the bed. “We could try to get them to come out!”
I
laughed. “It’s dispensation, not dispersation.
“And
I’m sure we have crazy neighbors, El—” she glared and I amended myself, “Scout.
But you can’t sneak into their backyards or peer through their lace curtains,
because they don’t have them in an apartment building. Also, I’m not sure they
would appreciate you going around banging on their doors — I don’t think Boo
Radley even did, if I remember correctly. He never came out till the end—”
“Don’t
tell me!” Elle interrupted, “We’re not there yet. We don’t finish the book ‘til
next week.”
“Oh,”
I scuffled through my dim memories of the book, which I had read in eighth
grade, two years ago. “What part are you at?
Has the trial started yet? I thought that was the most interesting
part.”
“Yes;
I have to read to the end of it for tomorrow. I’m excited.”
“I
wouldn’t get too excited, El — Scout,” I had a bad feeling about her enthusiasm.
“You know that book is really for grown-ups as much as for kids. It’s not going
to have a ‘happily ever after’ at the end.”
Elle
sat up straighter on my bed. “I know that. And I’ve read plenty of books not
just for kids — a lot more than you, Mr. I’m Always on the Computer!”
I
rolled my eyes, “That’s because I’m in AP Chem this year, not to mention math
and IT lab. And I do read — books that get assigned for all my other classes. It’s
not that easy to keep on reading for fun in the middle of all the excitement
that is high school. Just wait; you’ll see.”
Elle
was marshaling her forces into best unimpressed little sister form, when Mom
knocked on my door, which Elle had left ajar, and stuck her head in. “Are you
lecturing Elle on the responsibilities of studenthood, Noe? I’m afraid your
words will be wasted if they actually keep her from doing her homework.”
“I
told you, Mom, I don’t want to be called Elle anymore; I want to be called
Scout!”
“Alright,
Scout, then; wasn’t there something we were going to do together?”
Elle
made a face at me, but she rolled off the bed. “Division is worse than Bob
Ewell! I wish I could just read all the time...”
“Don’t worry, Scout,” I put in, “Reading assignments
never stop!” I jerked my head towards the pile next to my desk.
Mom shook her head at me. “I know you feel like you need
to excel at Orton, but don’t be a slave to your homework. Come out of your cave
and talk to your family once in a while.”
“Mom! Orton
feels like I need to excel at Orton. Do you think I assign myself all this work
for my health?
“Go on, Scout. Let Mom drill you in divide,
multiply, subtract, and bring down for a while, and then you can get to your
book. You can tell me all about the next part after dinner.”
Mom gave me a quick smile as she shepherded Elle out of
my room. I could hear Elle beginning to say, “Scout thought school was a waste
of time, too—”
The door closed on Mom’s response, although I continued
to hear the sound of raised voices as they retreated and I went reluctantly
back to my chem lab write-up.
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