ISLAND

This story offers an explanation for why everyone in Mrs. Jewls’s class believes Bebe is such a talented artist. Before we dive into the fan‑fiction, let’s take a look at Chapter 6 in Sideways Stories from Wayside School.

CHAPTER 6. BEBE — SUMMARY

Calvin and Bebe sit next to each other. Since Calvin believes Bebe is far better at drawing than he is, he spends art class helping her create as many pictures as possible instead of drawing anything himself. By the end of the lesson, however, Mrs. Jewls explains that art isn’t measured by how many pictures you make, but by how beautiful they are. Hearing this, Bebe throws all her drawings into the trash and heads home, where she completely overhauls her style by practicing very slowly.

It was almost the end of recess when Louis burst out of the school building and hurried toward the kickball field.

“Todd!” he called. “I need a quick favor!”

Todd dropped the ball and jogged over. “Sure, Louis. Anything.”

“Miss Mush just got a giant delivery of vegetables,” Louis explained. “She wants me to help carry the crates upstairs. Could you guys gather all the balls and take them to the sports gear room for me?”

Todd nodded. “We can do that. But who’s going to lock the door after we’re done?”

“Don’t worry,” Louis said. “It closes automatically. Just put the balls on the racks and leave. And don’t play with the equipment.”

He thanked Todd and dashed back inside. The bell rang just as he disappeared up the stairs.

“Alright, everyone,” Todd said. “Let’s see if we can carry the balls without dropping any.”

Mrs. Jewls’s class worked together, wobbling up the stairs with armfuls of basketballs, soccer balls, and kickballs. Luckily, not a single one escaped.

Todd sighed with relief as he looked around the sports gear room. Everything was on the racks, and they still had time to get to class.

Then the door slammed shut with a loud bang.

“Oh no,” Todd groaned.

“What?” Calvin asked. “Did we lose a ball?”

“No,” Todd said. “The door locks automatically. We’re stuck until Louis comes back.”

“Maybe some of us are still outside,” Bebe suggested. “They can tell Mrs. Jewls.”

Todd counted. Twenty seven students. All inside.

“Nope,” he muttered. “Louis is the only one who knows where we are.”

Stephen immediately began pounding on the door. “HELLO? ANYBODY?”

“Nobody can hear you,” Todd said. “Everyone’s in class.”

“There has to be something we can do!” Stephen insisted.

“The best thing we can do is not panic,” Todd said. “So, stop pounding.”

“How can I not panic?” Stephen cried. “We’re twenty seven people crammed in a room!”

Todd shrugged. “It’s the same as being in Mrs. Jewls’s class. And the best cure for panic is a game.”

“Excellent!” Terrence shouted. “Let’s kick the balls around until the walls turn purple!”

“No,” Todd snapped. “Louis said no touching the equipment. We’ll play ISLAND.”

Terrence wrinkled his nose. “ISLAND? What’s that?”

“It’s a party game,” Todd explained. “We pretend we’re stranded on a desert island. Everyone has to add something to the escape plan. We can’t escape until everything we need is drawn or painted.”

“But we don’t have paper,” Bebe pointed out.

Todd gestured toward a cupboard. “Let’s check there.”

“Hey, you said we can’t touch anything,” Terrence warned.

“We can’t touch equipment,” Todd corrected. He opened the cupboard. The shelves were crammed with stacks of paper and piles of pencils. And there were enough sharpeners to supply an army.

“I’m drawing an airplane,” Calvin announced. “Fastest way off the island.”

“Good luck,” Bebe laughed. “First we need food.”

She quickly sketched bananas and handed one to everyone.

“These bananas look weird,” Stephen muttered.

“But they’re delicious, aren’t they?” Bebe teased. “Come on, Stephen. We have to move fast.”

“Relax,” Terrence said. “Calvin’s already drawing the airplane.”

“Drawing an airplane will take forever,” Bebe replied. “We should build a boat. I’ll draw axes so we can chop wood. Everyone else, palm trees!”

The class watched in awe as Bebe filled the pages with axes, palm trees, a sturdy boat, oars, and even a rescue flag. They were just being rescued by a coast guard ship when the door opened.

“There you are!” Louis exclaimed. “I’ve been looking everywhere.”

“We were about to escape,” Todd said. “Thanks to Bebe’s amazing skills.”

“Calvin!” Louis called. “Aren’t you coming?”

Calvin was still hunched in a corner, scribbling furiously. “I can’t leave yet,” he mumbled. “My airplane isn’t finished.”

Todd helped him up and patted his shoulder. “It’s okay, buddy. Bebe already rescued us. She really is the best draw in the whole world.”