The Tiger Rising

Happy that he’ll never have to return to school, Rob sits outside during lunchtime, avoiding the Threemonger brothers and the unappetizing cafeteria food. Rob is excited to start carving his tiger. He hears a commotion and sees Sistine storm out of the lunchroom followed by a pack of kids. Someone throws an apple at her. Rob wants to tell her to run but says nothing. Sistine wades into the group of kids and starts fighting. Surprising himself, Rob finds his voice and shouts for the kids to “leave her alone” (20). The kids stop and turn on Rob. One girl pushes him. They wait to see how Rob will respond. He runs away and they chase him. He is excited about saving Sistine. Rob loses his picture of the tiger but keeps the note from Mr. Phelmer.

On the bus ride home from school, Sistine sits next to Rob. She is scraped up from her fight. Sistine tells Rob he should never run away, because “that’s what they want you to do” (23). Sistine is bitter about living in Lister. She thinks it is a “hick” town (23), filled with people who don’t even know what the Sistine Chapel is.