lunch table

(perspective of Davis, Grade 2)

I like squishy squeezy places.  I told my teacher that I like it under the lunch table.  The cafeteria in the school basement is very loud.  It's echoey.  Like a hollow crazy place.  Kids move around a lot, even sitting in one spot.  Bryan, who usually sits beside me is very jumpy and he bumps into me and bangs against my arm with his arm.  I've been thinking that under the table might feel better, and maybe even be quieter.  I climbed under there today and crawled near the end against the wall.  I had enough room to eat my almond butter sandwich.  My brain didn't feel so screamy and my legs weren't trying to run away.
 Mrs. Dundas asked me to come out.  I didn't hear her at first, so she got my brother to come over and tell me to come out. He asked me why I was under there.  I told him "Because I like it", and he said okay and walked away.  Mrs. Dundas told me that she had asked me four times to come out and she was going to get the Principal.  I really hadn't heard her say it four times.  But even if she says it four squared, I am not coming out until all the kids are gone.
 When the Principal came she asked me come out, and said I wasn't going to get in trouble.  I wanted to make sure, so I told her I was afraid Mrs. Dundas would yell at me and she must be hard of hearing because her loud voice could really echo, so I would rather stay under the table.  Mrs. Dundas went to get a drink of water.  The bell rang for kids to go outside and the room got quieter after the tables wobbled from their knees hitting them as they got up to go,  and then I came out.  The Principal told me that the little kids might copy me and that it is not safe to be under the table. I don't mind showing the younger kids how to crouch without getting kicked.
 When Mom came to pick me up today I heard my teacher tell her that I went under the table and refused to come out for anyone except the Principal and that shows I was being defiant.  I've heard that word before at school, usually with another word too:  deliberately defiant.
 My teacher reminded my Mom about "the incident in October".  I had to apologize to the whole class for that.  I am still not sure why.  It was silent reading time.  I went to the back of the classroom by the couch to pick another book.  The books we have in this Grade 2 classroom are very boring and I can read them super fast.  The space between the couch and the wall looked like a great place to read silently.  I kind of climbed and fell down in there at the same time, and I was right, it did feel good.  Then I heard the other kids moving around and the teacher started talking and nobody noticed I wasn't at my desk.  I wondered how long it would take for anyone to find me.  I still think that was an interesting question.  I have an Ironman Timex water resistant watch, with a timer and a button on the side to light up the screen.  Which was useful because everyone left and turned the lights off.  It was so quiet and peaceful and comfortable.  I had never felt so good at school before.
I was kind of hoping they wouldn't find me, but then 30 minutes went by and nobody had come back to the class, so I thought maybe school was over, but it was only 1:15, so that couldn't be it.  After 32 minutes I heard the door open and then Ainsley's loud annoying voice that scrapes along my brain.  She makes me so mad.  She sings all the time too and no one ever tells her to shut up.  Mark, the boy who sits beside me asked the teacher where I was.  She said "Wasn't he with you all in your computer class?"   " No" said Bryan.  Mrs. Dundas told the class to wait a minute and we were all quiet. I didn't know why she was leaving the classroom.  The computer teacher, Mr. Admor, argued with her that it wasn't his job to keep track of me and she should have been aware that I wasn't there when she dropped her class off at his computer lab upstairs.
Mrs. Dundas gave Mark the red card from her desk that we give to the Principal in case of emergencies, and she told him to take it to the office right away.  Everyone else had to sit at their desks and work on their spelling.  I was already finished mine, and was still feeling pretty good and cozy.  One of the school Aides came to watch the class while my teacher left the room.  I was getting a bit bored, but my watch was working well.
When a shadow stood over me I looked up.  It was the Aide, with my teacher and the Principal standing behind her, all in a line.  Mrs. Dundas said I made everyone search the school grounds and all the classrooms and washrooms. I didn't make them do that. Mrs. Dundas told me to get out of there right now and did I know what a scare I had caused everyone, including some of the kids who were crying.  It was only Emily and William, who cry at everything.  The Principal said that's not a very nice thing to say and that I missed the point.  The Aide said "What do you think of what you've done?"  I guess my answer was not what they wanted to hear because Mrs. Dundas grabbed the elbow of the Principal and said "See what I mean, no remorse." She took out a piece of paper and wrote down my answer so she could send in a report and tell my Mom.  I only said that I thought I should be congratulated because 43 minutes is the longest I've ever hid without being found.  She asked if I felt bad, and of course I said no because it was cozy and quiet and I read my book and my watch can be programmed to save important data like this.