"H ey Frannie! What are you going to do?" Suzy asked when they got off the bus.
"I don't know. What do you guys think I should do?" She asked, swimming into the school.
"No question about it," Suzy was the first to offer advice, "you should tell Mrs. S!"
"Are you crazy?" Carter jumped in. "Do you really want to involve the
ex-con?"

"If you tell, everyone's going to think you're a scaredy-catfish," Tommy added.
"But I can't fight her. She's like twice my size, even before she puffs out!" Frannie reminded them.
Just then, a group of fish swam past, and one of them said, "We heard that Bonnie's going to kick your tail fin after school!" Then they disappeared down the hall, laughing.

"So, the charming blowfish's name is Bonnie?" Carter said, as soon as the other fish swam around the
corner."Hey, it's not funny Carter. I'm scared," Frannie said.

"Well, I heard that if you punch a blowfish in the middle of its belly, it'll start crying and swim away," Tommy said. "And just think how cool everyone will think you are, after you beat up a third grader!" The bell rang and they all headed for class.

Frannie couldn't concentrate. All day she kept thinking of that gigantic round blowfish waiting for her. For a while she'd be scared, but then she'd daydream about winning the fight. The other students would be swimming circles around her chanting, "Frannie won the fight! Frannie beat a third-grader!" Forgetting she was in class, Frannie threw both of her fins up in the air like a champion boxing fish.

"Do you know the answer, Frannie?" Mrs. S asked when she saw Frannie's fins in the air.
"Um. What was the question, ma'am?" Frannie asked.
"The question was 'who can solve the math problem on the chalkboard'" Mrs. S asked. "Can you?"
Frannie swam up to the chalkboard. She could feel the redness not only on her gills, but pretty much all over her face, too.

She didn't know the answer, so she was just going to guess when the bell rang.
Everyone gathered up their book bags and swam out of the school.
"Well?" Suzy asked.

"I guess I'm going behind the gym," Frannie said, her voice shaking.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Tommy asked.
"Is Tommy changing his mind about me fighting?" Frannie thought.
Frannie stopped and stared at the crowd gathered behind the gym. She wondered about her decision, and started to turn back, when she heard a scary familiar voice.
"Going somewhere, Fraidy Frannie?" Bonnie asked.

Behind Bonnie, the crowd chanted, "Fraidy Frannie, Fraidy Frannie!"
"No Bonnie, I was just coming to see you."
Before Frannie knew what happened, there was a circle of fish around her and Bonnie, and there was a blowfish fin coming straight at her face. She ducked just in time!
She gathered up all the strength and courage that she had. She pulled her fin back and tightened it up. She aimed for Bonnie's belly, and started to swing, when someone grabbed her fin from behind.
Frannie looked over her shoulder saying, "Hey you guys, don't try to stop ..." when she realized that the fin that had hold of hers was pink and purple, and it belonged to Mrs. S.
"Oh no," thought Frannie. "I am in so much trouble."

"Let's go girls," Mrs. S said. Bonnie and Frannie followed her all the way back to the classroom. When she passed Suzy, Tommy and Carter, they all turned away. They didn't want to get in trouble too.
When they were in the classroom, Mrs. S asked the girls, "Okay, who started this fight?"
"Bonnie totally did," Frannie said first. "She threatened me on the bus."

"Only because Frannie threw a rock at me this morning." Bonnie replied.
"It was an accident, I was trying to throw the pearl to my friend, but I missed."
"Looks like you just had a little misunderstanding. You need to apologize," said Mrs. S.
"I'm sorry," both girls said at the same time, not really meaning it.
"That's better," said Mrs. S. Now, what would have been a better solution to this little
problem that you two were having?"

"Come and talk to an adult," they both said.
"Very good, girls. I hope you will the next time."
"Bonnie, I'll talk to your teacher to see how she wants to deal with your behaviour. And Frannie, tomorrow I'll be moving your desk away from your friends for one week.
I hope that next time you will come up with a more peaceful solution."

Frannie thought, "But my friends are already giving me the cold fin treatment! If my desk is moved, I'll never get them to talk to me!"

Next Chapter: "Frannie's New Friends!"