Moving to a new town is always a difficult thing.  Moving to a new school can be even more difficult.  But moving to a new school when you are a little bit different from everyone else can be the hardest thing you ever have to do.  Jackie Evans is a little bit different.  You see, she is handicapped and restricted to a wheelchair, so she can't run and play like all the other kids.  (Karina K.) By itself this wasn't so bad.  Jackie was beginning the 5th grade, so she was pretty well adjusted to living her life in a wheelchair.   What she never quite got used to was all the sympathetic looks and stares from all the other children and even the parents sometimes.  Jackie was a confident, strong willed girl who didn't feel as if being in a wheelchair limited her as much as most people thought.  While she was not able to do much like play basketball, (Mary S.) she was able to do most of the other things that girls her age could do.  In addition, Jackie Evans really liked to write, and she was very good at it. (Sarah N.)
    The minivan pulled slowly up to the front of the school.  "Would you like me to come in with you?" Jackie's mother asked with concern.  "No, it's OK." (Angela H.)  "I think I'm going to be alright, Mom," Jackie stated.  (Karina K.)  She shifted herself into her wheelchair, grabbed her book bag from the front seat, and wheeled herself toward the front door of the school. 
    She struggled for just a second as she made her way up the ramp, and she was very glad another girl was there to help her with the door.  As Jackie entered the school, she noticed that no one was there.  She wondered what was going on.  (Karina K.)  The school was a bit dark, (Maria B.) but she noticed a light in one of the classrooms.  She wheeled over and knocked on the door.  (Angela H.)  She hated to admit to herself that she had a feeling of uncertainty in the pit of her stomach.  "Hello?" (Angela H.) she called out timidly.  No one was there.  She headed back to the main lobby.  "Hello?" she called out again.  An old man with a very low pitched voice rose up from behind the information counter and said, "What are you doing here?" (Karina K.)

It was then that she noticed the calendar hanging on the wall behind him.  (Angela H.)  "I thought today was the first day of school, but I guess I'm a day early," Jackie stammered.   "It's good that you're so anxious," the old man chuckled.  Jackie, who was very embarrassed, wheeled away with a bit of a frown on her face.  What was she going to do now that her mom was already gone? (Karina K.) 
    "You should call your mom," the old man called after her as he held out the phone receiver for her.  "What's her number?"          "It's 555-9581," said Jackie.  He dialed and handed her the phone.  "Mom, can you come and pick me up?  (Adam G.) We're a day early, " Jackie explained to her mom.  There was a moment of silence as she listened to her mom.  "So, not for about two hours, huh?" Jackie replied.  "OK, I'll see you then."
    "So you have a couple of hours to kill, huh?" the man questioned.
    Jackie replied "Yea," as she looked around the lobby.  She noticed a girl working on a puzzle in the corner.  It was the girl who had held the door open for her.  She wheeled over and asked her why she was at school.  "I'm here because my grandpa is here," the girl replied. "Why are you here?" the girl asked Jackie. (Mary Jo L.)  Jackie told her what had happened. (Hunter D.)  Jackie introduced herself and found out that the girl's name was Cindy. "So now, you have time to get to know the school a little better," Cindy stated.  "You're right.  Can you show me the fifth grade classroom please?" Jackie requested.  "Why sure Jackie.  Just let me get the keys from my grandpa."  Cindy answered.  (Roy S.)

    "Who is your grandpa?" Jackie questioned as she tilted her head in the direction of the man behind the counter.  "Can you keep a secret?" Cindy asked quietly.  "Yea.  Why?" Jackie whispered back.  "Because he's . . ." Cindy continued. (Angela H.) "He's what?" asked Jackie.  "Um. . . he's, he's just new to the school, and that's why he's here. . .to get ready.  Yeah, that's right," she said in a strange voice. (Karina K.).  "What does he do here?" Jackie asked.  "And why is any of this a secret?" she continued.  "Oh, he's the janitor of the school," (2nd Grade) Cindy answered.  "And he's,"  Brrring!!!  The bell drowned out what she said next.  "What?" Jackie exclaimed.  "Those darn bells," (Angela H.) Cindy's grandpa said as they came up to the counter.  "They scare me half to death every time they go off!" he said, snickering.  "Grandpa, can I have the key to show Jackie the fifth grade classroom?" Cindy asked.
    As they walked down to the fifth grade classroom, Cindy whispered something into Jackie's ear. (Angela H.)  Jackie thought she heard her say, "See that closet door over there?" as she pointed to a door at the end of the hallway.  "Yeah," Jackie replied.  "Don't ever go in there," Cindy said anxiously.  "Why not?" Jackie asked.  (Angela H.)  "People think it's haunted!" (Danica F.) Cindy answered. "Why do they think that?" Jackie prodded.  Just as Cindy was about to answer, a light shone from under the closet door.  (Maria B.)  Both girls screamed and quickly went into the fifth grade classroom, Jackie's wheelchair scraping the doorway as they hurried through.

Since Jackie had tried to come through the door at an angle, one of her wheels caught on the edge of the door and she was stuck in the doorway!  (Amber R.)  She jerked forward, hoping it would slide through, but no luck.  Cindy ran to the far side of the classroom.  When she looked back, she noticed her new friend Jackie was missing! (Gabrielle D.)  Cindy loudly shrieked Jackie's name and startled her grandfather back in the office.  He ran to the doorway (Karina K.),  tripped on the edge of Jackie's wheelchair, and fell to the floor!  (Dallas E.)  At that moment, the light in the closet went off!  Jackie wasn't so sure she liked this school so far. (Angela H.)  She reached down and helped Cindy's grandpa get up off the floor.  (Gabrielle D.)   
       "What in the world were you girls screaming for?" Cindy's grandpa asked.  "We saw a light go on in the closet," Jackie replied.  "That's nonsense," the grandpa said with an irritated tone.  "That's just a janitor's supply closet.  You girls have great imaginations," he added.  Jackie was beginning to wonder, "When will my mom come?" She just didn't like the strange feeling she had. (Karina K.)  "Now let's get you through this door so you can see your classroom," the grandpa said as he pushed her wheelchair into the fifth grade classroom.  Jackie was glad to join her new friend, Cindy.  Cindy's grandpa returned to the front office and left the girls to look over the classroom. 
    The classroom was bright and cheery, and filled with all the usual things you'd find in a classroom.  There was nothing out of the ordinary here, except for one thing.   A number of the desks were broken.  (Charles G.)  They leaned kind of lopsided in one direction or the other.  Jackie pointed to them with a questioning look on her face when Cindy responded, "Oh, my grandpa will be fixing those before school starts tomorrow." (Dallas E. and Mrs. B.)  Then she continued as she pointed to one in the corner, "It looks like this one will be yours.  At least it has the name Jackie on it." (Angela H.)
    Jackie was just wheeling over to examine her desk when she heard a familiar voice coming from the doorway.  "Ready to go back home?" her mom asked cheerfully.  "Yes, I'm ready to go home mom," Jackie answered. (Gabrielle D.)  "I have so much to tell you already!"  Jackie waved goodbye to her new friend Cindy as they turned and headed back toward the front door.
    The next morning, on the real first day of school, things appeared more normal when Jackie's mom dropped her off.  There were kids going into the school from all directions, carrying their bookbags and lunches.  Jackie turned her head and yelled, "Thanks for the ride, mom!" as she wheeled herself toward the ramp.  When she reached the front lobby, she noticed Cindy talking with some friends and decided to go over and say, "Hi." (Karina K.)  Cindy introduced her to some of her friends.  "This is Julie, Kathy, and Mindy," Cindy told Jackie.  Then to the girls she said, "This is my new friend, Jackie.  We met yesterday."  One of the girls just started to ask what Jackie was doing at the school yesterday, when Jackie felt someone pulling on the handles of her wheelchair. (Amber R.)
    "So do you think you can find your way around OK today?" Cindy's grandpa asked Jackie as he turned her wheelchair around.  "Yes, I think I'll be fine, thanks," she answered.  "You'd better get on to class to beat the rush," the grandpa recommended.  As Jackie wheeled down the corridor, she heard girls giggling and whispering something about a wheelchair. (Veronica L. and Amber R.)  Sadly, she continued down the hall.  This was nothing different.  She was used to this.  As she wheeled down the hallway, she began to notice and wonder why so many of the school walls were painted black. (Gabrielle D.) When she had almost reached her classroom, her wheelchair suddenly got stuck on something on the floor. (Gabe S.)
  Jackie was stuck in a big wad of gum. (Mrs. B.)  When she looked in the classroom she saw some of the children laughing at her. (Gabrielle D.)  One girl asked, "You stuck?" and started giggling again. (Veronica L.)  Just then, the morning rush to classes began.  Children came running down the hall. (Charles G.)  "Oh, this is just great!" thought Jackie.  "What a way to start my first day of school."  Then, before she could even try to get her wheelchair free from the gum, the bell rang. (Charles G.)  Somebody shouted, "Here comes the teacher! Get in your seats!" (Angela H.)  A tall, handsome man with a warm smile came down the hall toward her and said "Looks like you could use a hand!"  He bent down and used a tissue to remove the wad of gum.  Then he pushed her through the doorway and into her classroom.  "If I remember right, your seat is right over here," he said as he positioned her perfectly at her desk.  "Thank you Mr., you are very kind," said Jackie.  (Amber R.)  "You can call me Mr. Jackson, and I am your new teacher," answered the smiling man.  "Hello class," he continued as he walked to the front of the room.  "Welcome to the 5th grade!" he continued. (Karina K.)  "Do any of you know who dropped that wad of gum in the hallway?" (Amber R.)  "We're all going to have to be a little more careful for Jackie's sake."  Jackie raised her hand and said, (Angela H.) "Please don't feel like you have to change anything for ME!!" (Mrs. B.)  She continued, "Um, I'd really just like to know e-everyone's name here." (Karina K.)