#4 Truth and Nothing But (4 page)

“Cool, we both are disgusted. But the question is what are we going to do about it? And why is it alright for students to want that help? We've got to demand our own education.”

“Alright, well, let's ask the teacher where our books are,” I said to him. He was a gentleman and let me step into math class first.

He scoffed, “Good luck with that.”

I headed right over to Ms. Peters and asked, “Ms. Peters, do we have our books yet?”

“Nope, they're not in yet. So I need you guys to go ahead and copy down the new information from the board. Take about five minutes, and I'll be erasing it to give you more instructions. Then you'll have to copy the classwork problems off the board too, and we will go over the problems. Also, I've got a homework sheet you can pass around when you guys get in groups to copy it.”

Hearing this ridiculous plan, Reese walked over to her desk and complained. “Ms. Peters, this just ain't right. Some copy slower than others. What if we write down the steps wrong and then it's erased? Who do we need to talk to about our books?”

Throwing up her hands, she said, “The principal, the school board, the superintendent, anybody but me. It's not like kids are rushing to carry that big heavy thing around anyway.”

I interjected, “Yeah, but last class I copied down the instructions, and you erased it before I was even finished.”

Reese said, “Right, a similar thing has happened to me. I think I copied a step down wrong because when I went to work on the problem at home, it didn't make sense. I looked it up online, and there was a whole step missing.”

Ms. Peters tried to reassure us. “I know these aren't advantageous circumstances for you guys to learn under, but I'm here before school, after school…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, we get that you are here for extra help, but that still does not change the fact. We should have some textbooks to take home too. Now we got to break into groups and copy down homework problems. This is crazy,” Reese said.

Frustrated, I uttered, “And it's not right. Because what if he copies them slow or what if I copy a question wrong? You can't even go back and look at it because it is not in a textbook. Like, we can't get copies to put in our three-ring binders?”

Ms. Peters said, “No, because the county's got me short on supplies.”

“This is bull,” Reese said, getting more upset.

“Watch your mouth!” Ms. Peters told him.

I wanted to calm him down, but I was equally angry. Knowing there was nothing more we could do, we went to our seats. We got through class doing what we were told.

As soon as it was over, he was waiting for me and asked, “You headed to lunch?”

“Yeah,” I told him as we walked to the cafeteria together.

“So what we gonna do? You joined PTSA. You gonna help me change this thing? Your dad being the mayor and all, I know he can help us draw attention to this foolishness. This ain't right. Taxpayers pay money to help the kids. Not for the money to go into peoples' pockets. If we don't have textbooks and we don't have paper, somebody's stealing. I'm just saying,” Reese shared.

I put my hand on his shoulder, and he looked over at me. We stopped walking at that moment and shared a strong look. I didn't want him to get so upset, so frustrated, and so discouraged. I needed him to be calm, still passionate, but respectful so that we could figure out a plan and get things done. We did not need our attitudes to be perceived the wrong way so that we would get shut down before we got to stand up.

“Excuse me, are you two going to lunch, or you just going to stand in the hallway?” Trevy came between the two of us and said.

“Oh, dang,” Reese said. “I left the history book in math class. I'll catch up.”

“Gotcha,” I said as he jetted back. Then I looked at the girl standing real close. “I'll see you later, Trevy.”

She tugged me back. “No, don't go. Let's walk together.”

“Why?” I looked at her and said.

“I just want to tell you how petty Reese is. I don't know what y'all are all chummy talking about, but obviously you didn't get what I was saying before.”

Unsure of her motives, I said, “No, I heard you. He was talking about me.”

“Yeah, and not just your teeth. He called you an airheaded, stuck-up wench. He said he had no problem using you so that he could get what he wants. I guess he knew what he was talking about,” Trevy said before she walked on ahead.

Moments later, Reese caught up with me. “Glad you're still here. You ready to go?”

“Not ready to go anywhere with you,” I said, as I stormed off, mad at his audacity.

Before I could get too far, Ms. Spears stopped me and pulled me into an empty classroom. “I read the first draft of your article on the growth of PTSA, Sloan, and honestly, I'm disappointed. No way it is publishable material.”

Confused, I said, “Why? What's wrong with it?”

“You need to look at it again. Please don't submit first drafts that are this grammatically incorrect in the future. In addition, though, you've got to dig deeper into the story. You're going to have to talk to your subject, get to know him, not just breeze over information. Make it juicy so people want to read it. I know this isn't what you expected to hear because most of your work I've loved, but unfortunately, I don't love this one.”

She turned around and left me there. It was hard to hear I wasn't as great a writer as I thought. I had no problem working hard, but now I was going to have to work hard with Reese. A guy I was going to have to be tied to even though I wanted to get far away from him. I was falling for his baloney. No more. Even if I had to talk to him to get the information I needed, I wasn't going to let him affect me. I was cutting the emotional ties.

School had been so crazy that I had forgotten that this was my father's big day. We would find out in a matter of hours whether or not my dad was going to be the next mayor of the city of Charlotte. Thinking about it, I was excited, yet nervous.

“Come on. Our sisters are already gone,” Slade said to me.

It was so weird. I was usually on top of everything. But I was off my game. Reese was invading my skin like the plague, but for some reason, I didn't want an antidote, and that was really bothering me. I knew he was a jerk. Trevy had confirmed that. Why couldn't I shake him?

“What's going on with you?” Slade probed as we got into the car.

“I can't explain it.” She was my wild sister—not the one I'd ask to help me think straight.

“It's a guy, isn't it?”

Shocked by how accurate she was, I said, “Have you been talking to Yuri?”

“No, but it
is
a guy? Who is it? Oh, I knew your cute little self couldn't stay single for long.”

“It is not a guy.”

“Um hm,” she moaned in a singsongy tone, not believing me.

“No, seriously, Slade,” I said as my sister gave me a look that told me she wanted the scoop. “Alright, if it was a guy, I mean let's just say
if
it was…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm with you. If it was, then what?”

“How do you know if he likes you too? It could be hard to tell if he is arrogant and rude, and if somebody tells you he's talking about you.”

“Well, if the guy is talking about you and it gets back to you… he likes you.”

“What if what I'm told he's saying isn't flattering?”

“The person isn't telling the truth?”

“Does it matter? If he says something that's not nice, then should I believe that he likes me under any circumstances? I mean who says that because somebody talks about you, that that means they like you?”

“Well, I can see you are all wrapped up in this.”

“Where we going?” I asked, when she passed the exit to our house.

“To a hotel.”

“I don't understand.”

“We're staying at the hotel tonight where dad's gonna accept the mayoral win or give some kind of concession speech. Mom's got our outfits there.”

“He won't have to concede,” I said to my sister.

“I'm just saying, either way it goes, we've got to smile. But get back to this guy. Obviously, he goes to Marks.” I nodded. “That's a good thing because with my boo at a different school, I never get to see him.”

“Yeah, but y'all's first encounter you said Avery came up to you and basically told you not to cry, called you beautiful, and the rest is history. My start with this guy has been all rocky.”

“Knew it was a guy,” Slade said as he smiled. “He's under your skin.”

“I was just thinking that I can't shake this dude,” I told her.

“So don't fight it.”

“But his best buddy…”

“Oh, he probably likes you.”

“No, his best buddy is a girl.”

“Oh! Well, she's lying. Whatever she's telling you, I wouldn't even believe that.”

“What do you mean she's lying? You don't even know what she said.”

“If she's coming to you telling you a whole bunch of stuff after you and him have a moment, then that's because her tail wants to be with him. Don't fall for it.”

“No, it's nothing like that.”

“So why are you so confused by what she says and how he's reacting? There's something to it. I'm telling you. Or maybe she wants you herself.”

“Maybe because I am that fine,” I joked back.

“Just be open, Sloan. If there is anything there, it will do what it do.”

My sister had been in the music world far too long. Those loud bass beats were getting to her head. For real though, I got where she was coming from. Actually, she gave me the words I needed to hear.

Three hours later, the Sharp sisters looked sassy. My mom looked nervous. My dad looked confident. Though we were in a suite, outside our family's door was a whole bunch of pomp and circumstance of press and people who were a part of my dad's campaign. We were all waiting on the final results. Only 32 percent of the precincts had reported, but my dad was already ahead.

I went over to him and said, “You're going to win this thing. You've got this.”

Hugging me tight, he said “That's right my lil' sweetheart.”

“Don't get all cocky over there,” my mom said to us.

“You've got to believe,” he said back to her. Then he looked at me and my sisters. “And even if this isn't for me, girls, we fought a hard, clean campaign while things tried to get messy around us. We did a lot for the city already, and I can concede with my head held high. Truth is, when you look within and you know you've done all you can do, if it don't work out, it ain't for you. And that's not always a bad thing.”

I nodded, appreciating hearing that. It seemed like the next two hours took forever to go by. When was the night going to be over?

Finally, my father's campaign manager burst into our room and said, “You got to come on out! All stations are declaring you the winner! Brown and James have conceded.”

Our hotel suite erupted as my dad looked at all of us, took my mom's hand, and said, “I've got a beautiful family. Just how we ran this race is how we're going to run this city. I might get busy, girls, but your dad is always here. I love you guys.”

I was proud of him. I felt like we were city royalty, and he wasn't even sworn in yet. What a tremendous feat he accomplished. My parents led the way out the door, and we followed them. Then everybody in my dad's campaign followed us down the hallway, down the steps, and finally we got to the gorgeous foyer five stories below. As soon as we stepped out, more cheers rang out.

Before my dad was about to take the podium, I saw that same mysterious lady, Miss X, trying to get to him. I was so happy when my mom and others wouldn't let my dad stop walking up the stairs. I saw the way she was looking at him, like she was mad she couldn't talk to him. When I tried to go talk to her and find out what the heck was going on, one of my sisters tugged me away. When I looked back, she was gone.

We immediately went onstage and stood behind my dad. He couldn't even give his speech because the cheers and applause just wouldn't stop coming. My dad had done it! He had achieved his dream. He was going to be the mayor of Charlotte. All the ugliness of politics and campaigning was behind him. We were done with that. Gone were the shackles.

CHAPTER THREE