Scanner In My Neighborhood

My Years In Middle School

By: Rozie Manton

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Scanner in My Neighborhood: My Years in Middle School

This is Book No. 3, entitled Scanner in My Neighborhood, in the six-part series My Years in Middle School.

Follow the adventures of Nancy Jane and her two best friends, Helen Schunter and Karen Stamm, as they experience school, boys, bullying, getting even, dealing with Nancy Jane's nemesis, Lois Talker, and more.

Other titles in this series include:

• Book #1: The Summer Before
• Book #2: Is This Love?
• Book #4: Summertime Memories
• Book #5: Girl's Revenge
• Book #6: Lookout High School, Here We Come!

Following is an excerpt from Book #3, Scanner in My Neighborhood.

“BBBRRIINNNGG! BBBRRIINNNNGGG!” the old-fashioned ring tone of Elizabeth Haney’s cell phone barked out into the quiet atmosphere at the Centerville County Offices where she was employed. “BBBRRIINNNGG! BBBRRIINNNNGGG!”

“Hello?” Elizabeth said into her phone, “Who is this? May I help you?”

From the other end of the phone came a quiet but familiar voice.

"Mom, can you come and get me? I’m at school." I said, “I don’t feel very good. Ms. Buxton sent me to Principal Baskin’s office after I threw up all over my desk. Can you come and get me?”

"Oh, Nancy Jane!” replied Elizabeth Haney, my mother. “Let me tell my supervisor, Mrs. Pacheco, that I need to leave for a while, and then I’ll be right over. OK? Can you lie down or something until I get there?”

I replied, quietly again but with hopefulness in my voice, “I’ll be OK, Mom, here in Mr. Baskin’s office. I’m just going to sit here and wait for you. Hurry Mom! I don’t feel very good.”

“I’ll see you soon, Nancy Jane,” my mom replied. “Sit tight, and I’ll be there before you know it.”

My mom was so fortunate to have Mrs. Pacheco as her work supervisor. Mrs. Pacheco had three children of her own and knew that when a child was sick, they needed their mother. My mom assured Mrs. Pacheco that she would only be gone an hour or so and left her work space. She walked briskly down the hallway, out the double glass doors at the front of the Centerville County Office Building, and made it to her trusted old green mini-van. The “green toad," as we affectionately called it, burped to life, and off they went to rescue me from the principal’s office.

"Oh, Nancy Jane!” said my mom as she burst through the old oak doorway to Principal Baskin’s office. Mom came right up to me and helped me to my feet.

“Do I need to sign anything?” my mom said, turning her head towards the desk where Principal Baskin was sitting.

"No, Ms. Haney,” replied Principal Baskin. “Just get this girl home and on the mend. I’m hoping that whatever she has is only a twenty-four-hour thing. I expect I’ll see her in school tomorrow if I’m right.”

"Oh, thank you,” replied my mom. “I hope Nancy Jane does see you tomorrow. I can’t afford to miss many more days of work this year. Besides, for her sake, I hope she is feeling well enough to be in school.”

********

Before my mom and I left the parking lot in front of the middle school, we had a talk about my getting sick earlier. My mom was concerned that I might be sicker than either Principal Baskin or I thought.

I had said, “This will be great to be home from school the rest of the day. I can catch up on my water color painting, play with Razor and Cutie, our cats, and maybe go play with Helen and Karen when they get out of school later.”

All the time, my mom was looking at me with a scowl on her face. Her eyes were squeezed slightly closed, and a big wrinkle crossed her forehead.

“And then, before dinner, we can all go…..”

“Whoa! Stop, Nancy Jane." Mom interrupted me mid-sentence. “You are not doing any..........