Jared to the Rescue

On the first morning of second grade, Jared remembered five things he didn’t like about school: Jessica, lining up, arithmetic, spelling, and reading aloud.

Jared wanted to stay home, but his mom sent him anyway. He had to sit next to Jessica.

At reading time, Mrs. Thomas asked Jared to read. Reading aloud always made Jared nervous. As he picked up the book, his hands shook. Words blurred.

“He can’t read,” Jessica said.

“I didn’t call on you, did I?” asked Mrs. Thomas. 

“No, but I’ll read.”

Jared made a face. Jared and Jessica went to time-out.

Jessica whispered to him, “When Mom brings my kittens to school, don’t even think about touching them.”

The four kittens arrived in a box covered with a piece of screen. Everyone except Jared held them. Jared practiced spelling. When he sharpened his pencil, he peeked into the tiny box.

“Don’t touch my kittens!” Jessica hissed.

“Dumb kittens,” Jared said. 

After show-and-tell, the children took out their arithmetic books.

Then Philip said, “Hey, where are the kittens?” The box was empty.

“Oh no!” Jessica said. “Jared, did you take them?”

Jared shook his head. “They must have pushed up the lid.”

“He said they were dumb,” Jessica told Mrs. Thomas.

“I didn’t mean it.” Jared’s face turned red. 

“Look at the radiator!” Angela said. Tiny gray paws pushed out from under the radiator cover.

“Kitty, kitty,” Mrs. Thomas said. The paws disappeared. “If we ignore them, maybe they’ll come out. At least the heat isn’t on.”

Instead of adding and subtracting, Jared watched the radiator. Soon, two paws and a tiny head appeared.

Alex yelled, “Kitten!”

The kitten zipped back out of sight. Jessica cried. Jared gave her a tissue.

A bell rang, and the class lined up and filed out for recess. When Jared passed the empty box, he saw kitten treats. He had an idea. “Mrs. Thomas, may I stay in for recess? I can get the kittens out,” he said. 

“How, Jared?”

Jared took the treats and crept to the radiator. “Hungry, guys?” he whispered. He sat on the floor and sprinkled the treats beside him. A kitten crept out. Jared waited until it was eating. Then he stroked its soft fur. A paw poked out and another kitten appeared. Jared watched the kittens eat. Then he lifted them into the box.

He sprinkled more treats. He saw two more tiny paws. Soon the other kittens were eating. Jared gently put them in the box. Mrs. Thomas laid a book on the screen so they couldn’t escape.

The class came back from recess. “Where were you?” Jessica asked.

“Class, Jared rescued the kittens,” Mrs. Thomas announced.

Everyone cheered.

“Thanks,” whispered Jessica. “You’re the greatest.”

Jared was so pleased that when he read, his hands didn’t shake. Words didn’t blur.

That day, Jared decided second grade might not be so bad.