Love and a Dead Rat

Illustrated by Tim Heitz

"**Love and a Dead Rat**" is the sixteenth chapter of *Wayside School Is Falling Down*.

## Synopsis

Joy dares Dameon to prove he isn't in love with Mrs. Jewls.

## Plot

This chapter opens with the narrator stating Dameon has a crush on one of the girls in his class and asks the reader if they can correctly guess which one it is. Myron throws a red ball at Dameon, but he completely ignores it and lets it hit his face. Myron asks why he didn't catch it, but Dameon seems to be entirely oblivious to the fact a red ball hit his face in the first place, but figures that that must be why his face hurts. The narrator then explains that Dameon is in love with Mrs. Jewls, and that's why he always does nice things for her, like passing out papers. Dameon thinks Mrs. Jewls is very pretty, nice, and smart, maybe even one of the smartest people in the classroom. After recess, Dameon rushes back up to class to greet Mrs. Jewls, helps pass out some workbooks, and gets a Tootsie Roll Pop for his hard work. Mrs. Jewls asks him to save it for after lunch, and Dameon says he will.

During lunch, Dameon saves his Tootsie Roll Pop for last, when Joy and Maurecia walk up to him. Joy asks him about his girlfriend, but Dameon says he doesn't have one. However, they are both aware he has a crush on Mrs. Jewls, and Joy warns him that Mr. Jewls might be after him. Dameon tries to deny that he is in love with her, and looks to Myron and D.J. for support, but they just shrug and smile. Joy dares Dameon to put a dead rat inside Mrs. Jewls's desk to prove he isn't in love with her, since they know Mrs. Jewls can't stand dead rats. Dameon claims he will prove it, but D.J. and Myron assure he doesn't have to. However, Dameon takes offense to this, thinking that Myron and D.J. believe he has a crush on Mrs. Jewls. The two shrug and smile again, and Dameon storms away.

Back in Mrs. Jewls's class, Mrs. Jewls asks Dameon if he enjoyed his lunch, and Dameon says it was all right. Mrs. Jewls asks Dameon to get construction paper out of her desk, and he does, but puts the dead rat inside while she isn't looking. During storytime, Mrs. Jewls doesn't notice, but during art, she finds the dead rat in her desk and screams in terror. She asks who did it, and Dameon fesses up, claiming he did it because he hates her. He then offers to write his name on the discipline list, but Mrs. Jewls says it won't be necessary, which only makes him feel worse. He questions why he had to prove himself to Joy, because he doesn't even like Joy, but he does like Mrs. Jewls. At the end of the day, he offers to help erase the board, but Mrs. Jewls says she can do it herself. Dameon sadly walks downstairs, but then rushes back up and tells Mrs. Jewls he loves her, and put the dead rat in her desk so everyone else wouldn't know. Mrs. Jewls assures she loves Dameon as well, and just because she loves her husband doesn't mean she can't love other people as well. She explains that if she were to give away something like chalk, she wouldn't have it anymore, but if she gives away love, she only has more than she started with. Dameon says he loves Mrs. Jewls once again, and Mrs. Jewls returns the favor, forgiving him for his actions. The dead rat, disgusted by the sentiment, comes back to life and walks away.

## Characters

* Dameon
* Myron
* Mrs. Jewls
* D.J.
* Joy
* Maurecia
* Mr. Jewls (mentioned)

## Trivia

* This chapter explains why Dameon is seen passing out papers and other things in so many chapters, like "Bebe's Baby Brother" and "Pencils."
* Following what is revealed in "A Giggle Box, a Leaky Faucet, and a Foghorn," Mrs. Jewls reads the class a story after lunch in this chapter as well.
* While in this chapter, Mrs. Jewls said told Dameon that it was ok that he loved her, the cartoon episode "Todd Falls in Love" claims that falling in love with your teacher will have you sent home early on the Kindergarten bus. However, the cartoon has *several* differences from the books.

## Gallery

Joel Schick illustrationAdam McCauley illustration
### Foreign editions

Peter Allen illustration (UK)Satoshi Kitamura illustration (Japan)