Before I got home

Taylor sat in the back of the classroom with her arms crossed tightly and her head down. Mr. Wilson ordered her to the timeout spot, the darkest, dustiest, loneliest place in the class... All because that Mary Joe and Buddy kept making jokes! It wasn't her fault what they said was funny. And it wasn't her fault she couldn't control her giggles! It was truly a very serious health condition of hers... A tragic fate; uncontrollable giggle-syndrome. Once it started, there was no stopping it.

Peeking half an inch above her sleeves, Taylor glared at the two, who were clearly still cracking jokes! When they looked back at her with teasing faces, she huffed and stared down angrily at the desk. It was covered in graffiti and pencil shavings.

Lifting the palm of her hand up, she noticed the smeared old pencil lead had made a mark on her skin.

"Gross! " She gasped, snatching her head up, and instead, propping her fist under her chin. Mr. Wilson paused apparently annoyed, clearing his throat loudly while squinting those beady, black, reprimanding eyes at her. Gulping, Taylor slouched down in her chair. Why did she always have to get in trouble? Why didn't anyone else ever get caught?

Sighing, she stared out of the window. The playground was visible in the distance, a kindergarten class out playing and having fun. Their shrilly laughter and joy could be faintly heard. Longing twinged in Taylor's heart. Why did she have to stay in the first grade? Why couldn't she have kept her lovely, colorful, and exciting kindergarten teacher from last year? She didn't mind having to do the same work over again; all of it had been fairly easy anyway.

Closing her eyes tightly, she scratched her itchy scalp. A mosquito had bitten her in one of the oddest places.

Sighing deeply, Taylor glanced at Buddy again. His joke was pretty funny.... He'd said Mr. Wilson's children were probably tall, skinny and red like Twizlers on account of his carrot-colored hair and lengthy body. It didn't even fully make sense to Taylor! Maybe it was the way Buddy said it... And the way Mary Joe laughed afterwards. Just thinking about it made her grin. Uh oh... Smiling softly, she suddenly caught Mary Joe peeking back around at her. Mischievous humor danced between them, and before she knew it, Taylor felt the giggles rising all over again!

Suddenly, like a volcano erupting, she could no longer hold it in. In her naturally loud, boisterous voice, Taylor laughed until tears pricked her eyes, and her tummy hurt with cramps. Mary Joe and Buddy started to giggle right along with her, and soon, the whole class was in uproar. A steaming Mr. Wilson struggled to get his class under control, face turning as red as a tomato. This only made the situation more hilarious to Taylor. He really did look like a Twizler stick!

-jAy