Read Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Planet Girl for Free Online Page B

of my best customers.” She smiled. “I’m not saying you’ll be one of my regulars anytime soon. But let’s put it this way: I’m not as shocked to see you as I was a few days ago. And I’ll be even less shocked if I see you in here again in a few days.”
    â€œLet’s not get crazy,” I said. “I’m just here to return the book.”
    She laughed. “Not getting crazy.”
    I handed her A Communication Guide for Boys and Girls . “What did you think?” she asked.
    â€œWell, to tell you the truth,” I said, “that book got me in a lot of trouble.”
    â€œUh-oh.”
    â€œYup. Now I need a book called A Communication Guide for a Boy Who Really Likes a Girl, Even Though She Totally Hates Him Back .”
    â€œI don’t think I have that one,” said Mrs. Reedy.
    As she checked the book back in, I heard a familiar voice in the hall.
    Uh-oh.

    I turned to get the heck out of there, but before I could make my escape, I felt a very tall person behind me.
    â€œHello, Mr. Jackson.”
    I turned around. “Oh, hi, Mrs. Sleep! Very nice to see you! Well, I gotta go.”
    Mrs. Sleep was the principal of our school, so it was my sworn duty to spend as little time in her presence as possible. Nothing good ever came out of our conversations. But today, I was in the library! How bad could it be?
    â€œMr. Jackson,” she said in her deep, scary voice (I think all principals have deep, scary voices), “do you believe that the middle school education is of a certain value, to children such as yourself?”
    Was this a trick question?
    â€œOf course I do, Mrs. Sleep! Education is the most important thing in life! It helps prepare us for high school, and then for college, and besides, education is the best way to make sure we go on to have successful careers and become responsible citizens.”
    Phew! Bullet dodged.
    I started to walk away, but Mrs. Sleep cleared her throat, which was code for I’m not done with you yet .
    â€œJust one more thing.”
    She looked down on me, her glasses dangling on the tip of her nose.
    â€œDid you, or did you not, mention in Ms. Albone’s class that grades in middle school don’t count?”
    Oh, that .
    â€œI—I—”
    Mrs. Sleep put her hand on my shoulder, which feels very different from when, say, Katie Friedman puts her hand on my shoulder.
    â€œMr. Jackson. We’ve been friends a long time.” ( Friends? ) “And I really feel like we’ve made a great deal of progress over these last few years. So it pains me to hear these things.”
    I had nothing to say, so I just waited for her to finish. Prayed for her to finish, is more like it.
    â€œI know you have your research paper coming up in Ms. Albone’s class. You can prove to me that you take your studies seriously by presenting an excellent report. Can you do that for me, Mr. Jackson?”
    â€œAbsolutely, Mrs. Sleep.”
    â€œGood.” She pushed her glasses up on her nose and bent down so we were eye to eye. “Because if you don’t, you may be enjoying recess inside with me for the rest of the year, discussing the value of a middle-school education.”
    And with that , Mrs. Sleep nodded at me, nodded at Mrs. Reedy, turned on her heels, and walked away.
    Mrs. Reedy looked at me with disappointment in her eyes. “‘Grades don’t count?’ Charlie Joe, that’s a silly thing to say. Even for you.”
    Ugh. There were so many ways to answer that—it was Megan’s fault for telling me that in the first place, it was Pete’s fault for saying it out loud in class, it was Mrs. Albone’s fault for telling on me—but, instead, I decided to be a man about it and avoid the subject altogether.
    â€œHave a nice weekend,” I said, and I left the library.
    Hopefully for the last time.

 
    17
    So, there was bad news and good news.
    The bad