—Charles Djou chapter three Mr. London talks about the books we’ll be reading, the essays we’ll be writing and the exams we’ l l be taking. Why does school always start with lists and schedules? Luckily in the last five minutes of class, Mr. London gives me another idea. He tells us about how he volunteered in a literacy program in Africa this summer. He visited an animal preserve and saw lions, tigers and gerenuks, which are a kind of gazelle. He says it’s amazing how tall gerenuks are when you view them up close. He showed us a picture of one and it’s a skinny, weirdlooking animal. Gerenuk! That’s what I’ll call Zoe. She probably has no idea what a gerenuk is. It sounds like something ugly though, and if I say it in just the right insulting voice it might work. I’ll fire off my insult as soon as Zoe hits me with blob. I have to stand up to Zoe or she’ll never stop. Annie Lucas never stood up to anyone, and the kids pounded her with insults day after day. I can’t let that happen to me.
