Her Kind of Man by Pamela Yaye

Author:Pamela Yaye [Yaye, Pamela]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Published: 2009-01-09T12:28:31+00:00

Chapter 14

“Do you want to drive with me to class or should I go on

without you?” Makayla glanced up from the mound of notebooks

on her desk. Desiree stood in the doorway, decked out in a purple

yoga suit and runners, gym bag over her shoulder.

“Is it five o’clock already?” Makayla dropped her pen and

rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She’d been anchored in her chair

for the last hour and was finally starting to make a dent in the pile.

“You look like you’ve had a rough day.” Desiree walked into

the room. She dropped her bag on the floor and plopped down

on one of the desks. “What did Terrance the Terror do this time?”

“Actually, aside from a few outbursts here and there, he’s

been a model student.”

“Terrance? The short black kid who can’t sit still?”

“Yup.”

Desiree cocked her head to the right, her eyes wide with

fright. “Are you beating him?”

Pamela Yaye

131

Makayla rocked with laugher. “No, nothing that extreme.”

“Tell me your secret.”

“I don’t have one.”

Desiree gave her a long, searching look. “Well, you must

have done something, because that boy was one afternoon special

away from juvee.”

Makayla’s lips relaxed into a smile. “Remember a few

weeks ago when Terrance wrote on all of the desks with per-

manent marker?”

“How could I forget? I was here when Principal Gibson

came tearing into the room. I thought he was going to have a

heart attack.”

“I sent Terrance to Mr. Zadowski to clean the desks. But what

was supposed to be a punishment turned out to be a blessing in

disguise. At the end of the day, Terrance came strutting into the

room wearing a cheeky smile. He told the class that Mr. Z. let him

wax the floors and even showed him how to unplug the toilets.”

Desiree laughed. “That little liar.”

“That’s not all. He told the kids he climbed a ladder and re-

trieved all the soccer balls on top of the roof. The boys were so

impressed, they shook his hand!” Makayla laughed at the

memory. “Now Terrance is a junior janitor and if I even threaten

to call Mr. Z. he snaps back into line quick.”

“Wow! You’re good.”

“I wish everyone shared your confidence. Principal Gibson

paid another visit to my classroom this afternoon. He told me

Veronika doesn’t want Terrance helping out Mr. Z. anymore.”

“Why? You’d think she’d be happy her son isn’t getting into

trouble.”

“She told Principal Gibson I’m setting Terrance up for

failure. Said I put him in the janitor’s room because I don’t think

he can succeed.”

132

Her Kind of Man

Desiree groaned. “Oh, brother. There’s just no pleasing that

woman, is there?”

“Who are you telling? I know she’s going through some

things, but I honestly don’t know how Kenyon puts up with her.

Sometimes she’s just plain ol’ mean.”

“Speaking of Kenyon, I heard about Alexandria.”

“You did?”

“She was the talk of the playground. A bunch of sixth-grade

girls practically mobbed Terrance at lunch. I wouldn’t be sur-

prised if that boy grew up to be famous one day. He loves the

spotlight.” Desiree smiled softly. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to talk about. Kenyon made his choice and

I’m fine with it.”

“You’re not going to speak to him?”

“About what?” Makayla riffled the papers on her desk.

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