Tamara's Detention Escape

• Ava Creek, Grade 3
• Short Story
• 2015

The name’s Tamara. Tamara Campbell. I’m a bully. My gang’s names are Sophie, Wendy, Ali and Lumana. We’re in grade 5. This is the story of one of my many detentions. It all started on November 5th.
The class was listening to Ms. Matthews talk about her twelve cousins who lived in Canada. Obviously, I wasn’t listening. I noticed Sammy listening
full on. Her geeky braces and pencils in her pocket stood out from the rest of the class. I was bored and Ms. Matthews’ stories weren’t that interesting, so I thought I might throw something at Sammy. I tore a piece of paper out of my history book. I’m pretty sure it didn’t matter. I wrote a message on the paper. I threw it at Sammy’s head. “Ouch!” yelled Sammy. Ms. Matthews didn’t need to comment. She sent me straight to detention, but Ms.Matthews didn’t know that November 5th was my birthday.
After class, I made my way to detention. When I got there, Mrs Andrews was sitting at the desk. I also saw Lumana and Sophie were already there. “Sit
down Ms. Campbell. Don’t waste my time,” said Mrs Andrews, the detention master. So I sat down next to Sophie. I got out my detention workbook to work on. Then I wondered why I should do work. So I got out my phone. I sent a text to Ali. It said ‘stuck in detention with Loom and Sophie, and Mrs cranky Andrews’. Then I turned my phone off and bumped Sophie on the shoulder. “No talking Tamara Campbell. Go to the desk of shame and disappointment!” yelled Mrs Andrews. Great! Now I didn’t even get to sit
with Sophie.
I sat at the desk of shame and disappointment. I was all alone at the back of the detention room, in a dark, damp, dirty old corner, with only cobwebs
for company. Then I remembered the rest of the gang could bust me out. I texted Wendy and told her to get herself and Ali to the grade 11 corridor.
Then climb into the air vent outside 11B, turn right then left, then continue forward and go through the first vent she saw. That vent, was right on top of me. I sat alone and thought. About four minutes later, Wendy whispered through the air vent. Mrs Andrews had fallen asleep listening to Lumana list her pet turtles’ names. “All clear” I whispered. I stood on the chair and Wendy lifted me into the vent.
We all climbed through the air vent and ended up outside 11B. We were all lucky that Wendy and Ali had been excused from class and that we had Mr Dux
for last period. He’s so cool and we had the gang back together. "Umm guys,” I said. “You do know it’s my birthday, right?”
“Happy birthday Texas,” whispered Ali.
“Quick. Back to class.”
“Guys?” asked Ali. “Where are Sophie and Lumana?”
Oops.