Troublemaker

I scramble over to get to my mat. I am rushing over to get the best spot. I quickly snatch my mat and ask Alec and Sam where they want to go, I find a spot quickly. But I won’t fall asleep. I haven’t all year. I think nap time is useless; I would much rather be up and doing other fun activities. But nevertheless, I lie down and find a spot with my friends. Everyday goes the same; I lie down on my mat, trying to fall asleep. But not once has that yet. Then I eventually get bored, so then I lay down there on my mat. Just pondering the mysteries of life. Well, as much as a five year old can. But then today, I decided to mess with my great routine…

Alec, Sam, and I could not sleep at all. So we all sit there, bored, making faces at each other every now and then. I decide I NEED to do something. Hmmm… what can I do? I mean what can I do without breaking the rules? I can’t do anything that would break the rules of course, because my card has stayed on green all year, and I want to keep it that way. Before I know what I am doing I find myself saying “Pssst… Sam.” In a tiny whisper.

I can see how confused Sam was. He doesn’t know what to do. Should he reply and risk breaking the rules and get caught, or if he should leave his friend hanging who was tempting him so much? So Sam nervously says “Yeah?” If I were Sam I would have ignored me. I am flat out tempting Sam to do the wrong thing. I wouldn't have risked getting in trouble compared to letting a tempting friend go without talking for ten minutes. But he did…

Soon Alec, Sam, and I are in a full blown conversation. We all know we are breaking the rules at first. But then as the conversation goes on we all kind of forget about it. When we don’t get caught I kind of want to see how much we could get away with. We just keep on talking. This isn’t hard saying that we have been best friends since the first day of Kindergarten. Our conversation probably went like “What do you want to do at recess?
I don’t know, something fun.” But at the same time, NONE of us wants to get in trouble and have to move our card or maybe even worse, have to go see the principal. So our talking goes on we three huddled in the corner just talking and talking. We must have discussed every possible thing that was in our little five year old minds. We would get a little too loud and start laughing and then look around at each other with a face that said be cool.

I eventually make one really bad mistake. I don’t notice Mrs. Braidlow get up from her chair and walk around to check on me and my classmates. She is checking to see if they are doing the exact thing me and my buddies are doing, breaking the rules in any possible way. Instead I am focused on the conversation. And I say “Power rangers are way better than blues clues” way too loud. I have done it.

Mrs. Braidlow said “Garrett” the voice that told me she heard me and was disappointed. She then continued with “you know the rules. Go move your card to yellow. I want to tell her so badly that it wasn't only me and that I’m a good kid! My friends were talking too! But I know I couldn't do that to my friends. I had started the whole thing, so I get up.

I had never ever had to move my card before. As I walked over, I think about just running right out the door. And then I think why? Why did I have to whisper to Sam? That had started everything. But I did deserve to move my card. Like she had said, I knew the rules and I disobeyed them. And I like everyone else in the class knew that that meant having to move your card.

I take a walk of shame all the way over to where our cards were. I pick up the “Garrett F” up very slowly from the clean and pure green and move it down to the nasty and disgusting yellow. And then I tell myself that I will never forget this day.

I remember thinking about what the others would think of me? Do they think I am now bad because when I walk over I swear I saw everyone staring, and I thought they looked disappointed too. I then dreaded to think what my parents would say. So I quickly threw away that thought and sat down.

The whole day I feel down. I can’t believe I’d done it! I am so ashamed of myself. When I get home I tell my mom and she hugs me and tells me it is all right. I’d had a terrible day and my mom had made me feel better. So for that, I’m thankful.


—Garrett Fels