Beware Of Jessica G.

     “Finally,” Abby muttered as she unfurled her beach towel for nap time. The first day of kindergarten had already been so demanding and she had only just hit the halfway mark. So far the day was spent revealing all the things Abby didn’t know; the months in the year, her mom and dad’s first names, her home phone number. She had stared at one blank line on her worksheet for what felt like hours. The question…what is your favorite color? Her head was spinning, she was so ready for a nap.

        She smoothed out the corners of her sea foam green towel while her eyes darted to the nap time bedding of her classmates. She saw princess castles and iced donuts and rocket ships. Another thing she didn’t get right on the first day of kindergarten, should have packed the towel with the sunglass-wearing kittens! That would have been cool. Maybe the coolest towel here. Instead, she just looks boring.

        As she flopped stomach-first onto her towel, Abby decided that green was definitely not her favorite color. The color of boogers and broccoli. She sighed and laid her right cheek on the towel with her hands straight against her sides. That didn’t feel right. She stacked her hands under chin. That didn’t feel any better. She rolled on to her back and clasped her fingers together over her stomach. Is this how you nap? Does it always feel so silly? She peeked her left eye open to see what the other kids were doing. Jessica H. stared back at her.

        “Beware of Jessica G., “ said Jessica H.

        “Why?”

        “Because my name is Jessica H.”

        “So.”

        “So, there can’t be two kids with the same name in the same class,” Jessica H. stated.

        “Why not?”

        “Because.”

        “Because why?”

        “Just because.” Jessica H. looked grim.

        “But what does that have to do with me?” Abby had heard about drama from her older sister. She was not interested in partaking.

        “We sit at the same table so you have to be on my side.”

        Abby knew that logic was sound. Even if she didn’t want to take sides, it was already too late.

        Jessica H. continued. “Bradley said that Amber’s sister said that on the first day of kindergarten, at recess, any kid in a class with another kid with the same name has to decide which kid gets to stay and which kid has to go.”

        “Go where?”

        “Away.”

        “That doesn’t seem very fair.”

        “That’s what Amber’s sister said. And she’s a sixth grader.” The words “sixth grader” hit Abby hard. That’s practically an adult. “So, you’re on my team against Jessica G.”

        “The teacher won’t let that happen.”

        “Do you think the teacher wants to have more than one kid with the same name in the class? My daddy says teachers are so busy that sometimes…they go on strike.”

        “What does that mean?”

        “I don’t know but I don’t wanna find out.” Abby had to agree, it sounded bad. “Just spread the word. You’re on team Jessica H.”

        Jessica H. nodded gravely at Abby then rolled away, off to secure more support.

        Abby stared at the ceiling. Why did nobody tell her that school was going to be so hard. And kinda scary. If Jessica G. has to go away, does her family get to go with her? As Abby’s mind raced, her eyes slowly drooped.

--

“Hey!” Jessica H. nudged Abby awake. “I said pass it on! Are you secretly on team G. or what?”

        Abby shook her head and crawled obediently along the length of her towel, putting her head where her feet once were. She tapped on the first shoulder she spotted, a nearby boy named Kendrick.

        “Can’t sleep neither?” Kendrick lifted his head from his sports-car-themed blanket.

        “I’m supposed to tell you to vote for Jessica H.”

        “What for?”

        “Um, for the only Jessica in class. There’s two Jessicas and we have to pick one.”

        “No like…what is she gonna give me if I vote for her?”

        “Oh. I don’t know.”

        “Can you ask?”

        “Yeah. One sec.” Abby crawled to the opposite end of her towel and tugged on Jessica H.’s foot.

        “How many people you got?” Jessica H. sat up on her elbows and counted on her fingers. “I got two more, plus you. So three.”

        “What are you gonna give people if they pick you?”

        Without hesitation Jessica H. responded, “I’ll draw them a picture of their favorite animal.” Abby thought that sounded pretty cool.

        “Do I get one too?”

        “What’s your favorite animal?”

        Abby frowned, “I dunno.”

        “Well I can draw frogs really good. So I can draw you a frog.”

        “Shhh, everyone it’s nap time and I’m hearing a lot of chattering.” Abby had forgotten about the teacher. Jessica H. dropped her head to the floor and closed her eyes. Abby followed suit.

--

        The chime of a triangle jolted Abby awake. The other kids around her were already folding or wadding up their nap time bedding. Abby saw a pack of kids standing around Jessica G. The wrong Jessica. There had to be like ten kids around her. She was talking to Kendrick. Then…they shook hands.

Jessica H. approached Abby. “I think I can count myself too, so that makes four. That’s pretty good right? You probably got just as many. Right?”

        “Okay class, that’s recess!” The teacher smiled at the kids as everyone but Abby cheered.

Kids rushed to the door, pumped for the fresh air. Oblivious to the horror to come. The horror that she let happen...because she was too tired to do right by Jessica H. She had to do something before it was too late.

        Abby pushed against the tide of kids, clawing her way to the other side of the room where the teacher now sat at her desk. An adult could fix this. An adult could make sure Jessica H. didn’t have to go away. An adult could make sure it wasn’t all Abby’s fault.

        The room finally emptied as Abby, out of breath, reached the teacher’s desk.

        “You don’t want to go play with the other kids?”

        Abby shook her head.

        “Do you need help with something?”

        Abby’s heart was pounding, she could feel her ears and face turning red, her eyes started to fill with tears.

        “Oh honey, what is it?”

        Abby barfed. All over the teacher’s desk.

        “Jesus, let me go get some paper towels.” The teacher jumped up and beelined for a roll of paper towels across the room. “Just sit down at my desk, we’ll clean this up.”

        Abby slowly took a seat in the teacher’s chair, her gaze low, defeated. That’s when she saw it. The nameplate on the teacher’s desk…MS. ABBY.