Why Does Mushy Have an Attitude?

By Antonetta L. Maxwell and Grace Bales

There are four characters who, in spite of their challenges, will go against all odds to help their peers in a situation. They originate from four diverse ethnic backgrounds, but nevertheless, they call themselves family and will do anything to support one another.

Each character has a unique ability, but does that stop them? Read and find out. They are scholastically sound and will show you that no difficulty will prevent their achievements. Your heart will be stirred. You will laugh, jump, shout, cry and celebrate the characters as you read this book. You will walk away with a positive outlook concerning people who lives with a challenge.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664194182

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

The Crew

As they stood in the large vacant lot in the city in the late spring, there was a wonderful breeze, giving a break from the boiling heat. The lot was now overcome with wispy weeds growing in the cracks, behind a dilapidated soap factory, which was where they always gathered, to play four squares. It was funny how the cracks made their four square boxes. They found their peace and solitude there, not worrying of the other kids coming with their comments, chanting Pop bottle glas-ses Rad-i-shay or laughing, asking their friend Beetu, "Boy, didn’t I tell you to get some sun? or wailing loudly, calling their other buddy Caul Mr. Wibbly-Wib-Wob. But you know what else Mushy got tired of hearing? Girl, keep on . . . Watch . . . you will become one of them, an ol’ reject," one of the bullies said.

Sometimes it was so hard to ignore the frolics of the kids at school. This five-four African American girl with french braids and a cute baby face from the toadstool family could have a mouthful when the kids acted so evil, especially to Mushy’s crew. Really? Really? As a seventh grader, she often wondered, Why do kids want to make fun of Radishay, a Filipino girl from the mustard/cabbage family, who is partially blind, with thick glasses; or Beetu, an Italian boy, who is albino, from the beetroot family; or Caul, a Hispanic boy, who is crippled with cerebral palsy? Mushy was always told she acted like an old computer because she thought too much. Seriously, though, I just don’t get it. Some people are just sooo oool’ I can’t stand it."

Plunk went the ball as it hit Mushy’s head. Hey, what’s the big idea? Mushy yelled.

"Well, how else can I get your attention? Beetu snarled with a smirk. I kept calling you and calling you. You were in another world . . . as usual. It’s your turn to throw the ball to Radishay."

Mushy took a long hard I’m not playing with you stare at Beetu, with her mouth puckered, and not for a kiss either. She said Boyyyyy . . . as she bounced the ball into Radishay’s box.

Tee-hee, laughed Radishay. Looks like I’m going to win again. Haha, you guys argue too much.

Mushy, though, liked Ol’ Beetu, even though he actually had a way of being so bossy, like a Mr. Know-It-All, with a spiked top head, looking like a snowball in the face, with a slender tall body, and his square rims (fake glasses) seeming to match the extra confidence he always seemed to have. She’d never forget last year in seventh grade that she barely had a chance to give an answer to a question from their green-head teacher Ms. Ginger because, no, Beetu made sure he showed everyone he knew the answers. His being so extra had been a pain, but now Mushy just overlooked it. You know why? It was because he was her family.

Hey, guys, my legs are beginning to feel like mashed potatoes, and am I the only one who’s hungry? whined Caul.

Trust me, the little round Latino body of Caul, who is from the cauliflower or cruciferous family, with such a handsome face and always casually, comfortably dressed, does not appear as though he needs any food. He can stand to lose some of that visible food on his body, thought Mushy. I tell you, he won’t struggle so much on his crutches if he lost some of that weight. His whining is unbearable, which is why his mom stuffs him with all types of food just to silence him. Yup, the little round one whines at home and around us, but no one else. Regardless of his bad eating habits, he is still my family. The way I see it, I can talk about Caul’s weight, but no one else can.

Okay, guys, what are we going to eat? asked Mushy.

Wait, wait, I just remembered, Radishay chimed in. "My mom said she would make my favorite for lunch today . . . a tuna melt! I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t mind making extras for my good friends, I mean, family, the crew [as they called one another]."

If there was one thing everyone could say about Radishay, she had a heart of gold. She’d go the extra mile for anyone. She was always willing to help, even when she could barely see, which was why she wore extremely thick glasses. She was so short and petite, looking like a beautifully sculpted model. Guys swarmed around her, but she didn’t give them the time of day, which was why there was the name-calling. The girls thought, She’s trying to steal our boyfriends, Mushy laughingly mimicked the accusers. Mushy loved Radishay’s long red pony-tails, matching her red face and sprinkled freckles on both eyebrows, with such a kind attitude.

I’ll make sure I do my best to take up for her, thought Mushy.

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Mushy had tumbled from foster home to foster home, so it was no wonder she couldn’t really trust anyone. She had never had anyone from the orphanage actually explain to her why she was always sent back after being with a family for only one or two months. To tell you the truth, she had always tried her best to obey the rules of the family when she was accepted into their homes, but being returned always made her feel like some reject. Nevertheless, her goal had been to work hard, and not to let it get her down. After all, it really didn’t matter, because coming back to this orphanage gave her the opportunity to hang out with her crew. Out of curiosity, she had asked why she was returned, but the answer was totally convoluted. The director of the orphanage would say things like, Baby, you have to stop ignoring your new parents. I mean, you should stop being defiant. Mushy would just say okay and try very hard to forget about the negativity. All she knew was, Radishay, Caul, and Beetu were her family, so she didn’t care if she had to stay in the ol’ orphanage. At least her friends were close to this place, and she got to see them all the time. Also, Mushy had to continue to hear the same story over and over again—Your mom was a teen mother who left you on a doorstep of an old building—like it was her fault and she should be lucky to be at the orphanage.

The director continued, So this is why you wind up here again because of your defiant, oppositional behavior.

Frankly, I don’t know what any of that means, said Mushy. UGHHHHH, groaned Mushy, and she stormed into her room. It’s okay, said Mushy as she buried her face into the pillow in the bedroom. "At least I have the crew. They are not just my friends, but they are also my family!"

CHAPTER 2

What’s the Big Secret?

Something weird has been happening with my friends. It seems the crew is constantly whispering words while looking right at me. I don’t understand. I have wondered what they are hiding. I have been frustrated about this for a long time. I have overlooked the stares, whispers, and not including me, but guess what? I’M SICK AND TIRED OF THIS. AND NOT ONLY THAT. I AM SOOOO ANGRY! thought Mushy.

The whispering has to stop. Everywhere I go, everyone seems to be telling secrets. The bad part is, my own friends, I mean, my family—Beetu, Caul, and Radishay—are hiding something from me. What’s interesting is, they will look me straight in the face and say something to one another, but not to me. When I would ask, What are you saying? one of them would