ABSTRACT
Hannah has many friends in her class, so although she feels unprepared for next week’s history test she knows that Karen and Nicole will study with her during lunch and explain things she doesn’t understand. Feeling equally unprepared, Lauren also has many friends with whom she could do homework and study. However she doesn’t, because she thinks that looking interested in schoolwork will make her look “dorky” to her friends and they would probably tease her. None of the other kids that Lauren hangs out with do well in history, so it doesn’t matter to her if she doesn’t either. Ronnie doesn’t understand why the Pilgrims left England in the 1600s, which he thinks will be on the test, but he doesn’t want to ask the teacher because he thinks she is mean and will probably get impatient with him. Ronnie doesn’t have any friends in his class, but he thinks about asking Kyle, who does well in history. Last time he asked Kyle something, though, Kyle answered as if the question was really easy and then told him to stop bugging him, leaving Ronnie feeling upset. Ronnie spends so much time thinking about the other kids not seeming to like him, and his not liking school, that he doesn’t hear the teacher announcing a homework assignment.
