Daniels goes over the new words for the week. As far as reading lessons go, this isn’t so bad. All I have to do is listen as he tells us the word’s meaning, and I can usually remember it because I make mind movies about each one and that helps me remember. I’ve always had one important rule in the classroom, which is to try to lie low. If I’m called upon, I’ll say, “I don’t know,” even if I do. I discovered that giving a teacher an answer makes them expect more from me, and then everyone gets disappointed. If they never get an answer from me, they stop asking. But today, during vocabulary, Mr. Daniels brings up two words: alone and lonely. He asks for volunteers to explain the difference between the two. It’s like my arm doesn’t belong to me when it goes up. Mr. Daniels stops midsentence and looks at me. “Yes, Ally?” What have I done? I try to figure out what I should say.
