by LaJill Hunt
"Can I get it? I'll give it right back to you when we get to class," he said, staring into my eyes. There was no way I could say no; I reached into my book bag and handed it to him without saying a thing, "Thanks, Danni. I'll see you in class."
The day seemed to drag on, and finally it was time for science. Bernard sauntered in, cool as ever, and took his seat beside me. He reached into his science book, slid my now crumpled homework to me, and winked. At the end of class, when the teacher gave the next assignment, I smiled and said, "You wanna meet me same time tomorrow?"
Bernard grinned and nodded at me, "You know it. Sounds like a plan."
"Okay, so, you do the assignment tonight and I'll get it from you tomorrow morning," I told him.
"What?" Bernard asked, and I could tell he was confused.
"I did the assignment last night, and you copied the answers from me, so tonight, you'll do it and I'll copy your answers. It's a plan, right?"
"So, you're not gonna do it for us? You may wanna rethink this. I'm not good at homework," he shook his head.
"You have a science book, and you can read. It's fill in the blank, Bernard, it's not that hard. See you in the morning."
I walked away, leaving him standing in the back of the classroom. Later, as we walked home from the bus stop, I told Brandi what I did.
"You told him he had to do the homework for you? That's funny. You know you're probably the first person, let alone the first girl, to actually do that to him. B. Wright always gets his homework from someone else. Good for you. But I'm telling you, you'd better do it yourself, because he's probably not gonna do it. And if he does, it's probably not gonna B. Wright!" Brandi laughed.
The next morning, I waited for Bernard to show up, but he didn't. He wasn't even in class when I got there. I was glad that I listened to Brandi and done the assignment for myself. Class was almost over when the door opened and he sauntered in, looking as cool as ever.
"What's up, Danni," he whispered as he took the seat next to mine.
I didn't say anything and ignored him for the remainder of the class. And I kept ignoring him.
"I told you," Brandi said a week later as we walked home, "He's no good."
"Well, he's the one that's gonna fail, not me," I told her, unwrapping an apple Blow Pop and popping it into my mouth.
"Your teeth are gonna fall out by the time you're twenty," Brandi shook her head at me. I had always been a candy and junk food fanatic. I ate a Blow Pop daily on the way to school and on the way home. Brandi's father, who was our family dentist, did not appreciate my sugar addiction.
"I don't care," I said, mad at myself for still thinking about him. I was still disappointed in Bernard. All people ever talked about was how cool he was and the clothes he wore. But, I knew there was something more to him. I had no problem letting him copy my homework for the rest of the school year, because I truly wanted to use this as an opportunity for him to show me his true character--and he failed.
"Danni, wait up!" Someone shouted.
We both turned around to see Bernard running toward us. By the time he made it to us, he was out of breath, "What's up, Brandi?"
"What's up, B. Wright? Um, I gotta get going. Call me when you get home, Danni."
I stood there silently, waiting for Bernard to speak.
"Why are you mad at me?" He panted.
"I'm not mad," I said, trying to talk with the lollipop still in my mouth.
"Then what's up with the silent treatment?"
"I got nothing to say, that's all," I shrugged.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I messed up and I feel really bad about it. But, I tried to do the homework and…"
I popped the candy out of my mouth and shook my head, "It don't matter. You told me you couldn't do it, and you didn't."
"Danni, don't be like that," he said, "I'm not a bookworm like you."
I looked down at his sneakers and asked, "How many rebounds did Jordan have in the game against Philly last week?"
"Huh?" he asked.
"How many?"
Bernard laughed and then began spewing off stats like he was a commentator for ESPN.
"Goodbye, Bernard," I told him, shaking my head.
"What? What did I do?"
"You're smarter than you think you are. If you put just as much effort in your homework as you do your outfits, you'd be surprised," I put my candy back into my mouth and walked home.
The next morning, Bernard was at my locker when I got there. I almost choked on my candy.
"Hey, can you look over this and make sure it's right?" he asked, handing me his crumpled paper. I looked at it and nodded, and Bernard smiled back at me. Then, he did something so surprising, so sexy, so unexpected that I thought I would melt right on the spot. He reached and took the candy out of my mouth and popped it into his; winking as he said, "See you in class."
In all of my thirteen years of living, I never imagined anything like that. It was as if Bernard placed some magic spell on me. From that moment on, I lived and breathed all things Bernard Wright, and for the next two months, life was perfect. It didn't matter that people were saying that Bernard joined a gang and was hanging around with the wrong crowd. I overlooked the fact that he missed more days out of school than he should have. Mostly because when he did come, he would touch my face as we stood talking in the hallway. Then, there were the time she would rub his hand on my leg under the desk during class, sending heat waves throughout my body. I even knew that Bernard had other girls, but to me, we had a secret love affair going on that no one knew about except us.
"Danni, I'm telling you, B. Wright is no good. Take it from me, I know things," she said. "And the things I know aren't good."
"And I know Bernard," I sighed. "You know how people talk, Brandi. It's just gossip."
"Danni, I don't want you to get hurt. Sometimes you act like he's your boyfriend."
"What? That's not it at all," I lied, knowing that deep down, I did want Bernard as my boyfriend.
"I'm just saying…."
"You don't have to say anything. Bernard and I are friends, that's it."
"Okay," Brandi said and turned the subject to the upcoming Spring Dance. Everyone was excited, including me, and I was secretly hoping that Bernard would ask me to go. He mentioned it in class a couple of days ago and asked if I was going. When I told him I wanted to, he said we'd talk about it. I didn't want to get my hopes up, and Brandi's doubt-filled conversation didn't help.
Bernard never asked me to the dance. He never returned to school. Two days later, his father was gunned down in front of his barber shop in what was suspected as a drug-related shooting. A few months later, my family moved across town. Until that evening I ran into him at Chubby's, it had been twenty years, six months and four days since I laid eyes on Bernard Wright.
Hall Pass
When I arrived at school the Monday following the dance, I was shocked to see a police officer standing in the lobby of the office.
"Good morning, can I help you?" I asked quickly.
Mrs. Butler didn't waste any time in telling me, "Principal Eaton, this is Officer Milton Gilbert, our new head of security."
I looked at the giant man, decked out in a full police department uniform complete with a badge and a gun peeking out of the holster.
"Nice to meet you," he said, reaching his hand out to me.
"The school board informed that I would have a security officer on staff, but I wasn't expecting someone so….official, for lack of a better term," I said, smiling as I shook his hand.
"Yeah, I'm about as official as they come," he said. "I've been on the force for about nine years. And I love kids."
"Well, nice to have you here, Officer Gilbert," I said. "Give me a moment, and I'll show you around."
I was about to go into my office and put my things down when a little boy came charging into the office, "Ms. Eaton, Mr. Banks took my phone while we was at the dance and he said I gotta see you to get it back!"
&nbs
p; "Young man, that's no way to enter an office or speak to me," I said. "Now, how about you go out and try it again, and this time, try starting with 'Good Morning.'"
The little boy tilted his head and paused, then walked out of the office. Seconds later, he came in and said, "Good morning, Ms. Eaton. Mr. Banks took my phone and said I gotta see you to get it back!"
I looked over at Officer Gilbert and Mrs. Butler, shaking my head, then looked at him, "What's your name, young man?"
"Bryce Douglas," he said.
"Well, Bryce, come on in and let's talk about your phone and what's in it," I said. "Officer Gilbert, you can join us in my office if you'd like."
"Wait, you called the police? Am I in trouble? Do I need a lawyer?" Bryce asked, glancing over at Officer Gilbert, his eyes wide with fear. "And how do you know what's in my phone?"
"Because I'm the principal," I answered. "And you may need a lawyer, we don't know yet. Come on in here and let's find out."
I led Bryce into my office, followed by Officer Gilbert and they sat down. I reached into my drawer and pulled out the phone, turning it on. The screen lit up and Bryce gulped loudly.
"Now, Bryce, you know it's against school policy for you to even have your phone on while you're at school, right?"
"Yeah, but…"
"Yeah?" I corrected him.
"I mean, yes ma'am, but nobody was calling me. And technically, we weren't in school. It was after school, at the dance. I'm sorry, can I get it back? I promise, I won't turn it on," he pleaded.
"So, if no one was calling you, were you calling someone?" I asked.
"No, ma'am, I wasn't calling anyone," Bryce shook his head.
"You weren't calling anyone, and no one was calling you. Then what were you doing with the phone?" I leaned forward and asked. I could see Officer Gilbert watching me and what was going on.
"I was showing my boys something," Bryce answered, his voice slightly above a whisper.
"What were you showing them?"
Bryce shook his head.
"Fine, I'll look myself," I said. "What do you think, Officer Gilbert, should we look and see what he was showing his boys?"
"I wanna see what he was showing them." Officer Gilbert nodded.
"It was a joke," Bryce yelped.
"Oh, a joke. I like jokes," I grinned. "I wanna laugh, what about you Officer Gilbert?"
"I could use a good laugh," Officer Gilbert replied.
I began pushing buttons on the phone and said, "I don't see a joke. Let me see if maybe it's in the text messages."
"WAIT!" Bryce yelled, "Don't look at the texts."
"Tell me what it was, Bryce," I said, "and I know it wasn't a joke."
"It was a picture that someone sent me." He put his head down in shame.
"A picture of what?" Officer Gilbert now looked worried.
"A girl without a shirt on," he finally confessed.
I looked at Officer Gilbert and nodded at him, then passed him the folder which was still sitting on my desk. I watched his face frown as he saw the picture.
"Hey, that's not the pic I got," Bryce said, peeking over Officer Gilbert's arm.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I mean, that's the same girl, Reality, but that's not the same pic. Look for yourself," Bryce told me. I started fumbling with the phone, looking for the text message indicator until finally he said, "Let me show you."
I passed him the phone and a few seconds later, he passed it back to me with a picture on the screen of the same girl, but this time, her smiling face was clear and she was even more posed in the mirror than the first picture. If I didn't know that she was only thirteen, I would have sworn that she was a professional Playboy centerfold model.
"Who is this girl, Bryce?"
"I told you, it's Reality." He shrugged.
"Is that the name of some website she's on?" Officer Gilbert asked, taking a small notepad and pen out of his pocket and flipping it open.
"No, it's not a website, that's her name."
"Her name is Reality?" I asked.
"Yeah, she's in my gym class," Bryce said.
"She's a student here at this school?" It was Officer Gilbert's turn to yelp.
"Yes, now can I get my phone back?"
"No, you can't," I snapped. "I can't believe you or her? Do you realize you're both underage, and this is inappropriate?"
"Not to mention illegal," Officer Gilbert added. "You're both underage, this is child pornography."
At that moment, I don't know who was more afraid, me or Bryce.
"You're not getting your phone back, I'm sorry," I told him. "The only person who can get it back is your parent."
"But my mom is out of town for two weeks, she's in the Reserves!"
"Then we'll have to call your father," I said.
"He's gonna be gone longer than she is. He's in jail for popping positive when he saw his parole officer!"
"Then, I'm sure you have a guardian, right?"
"Yes."
"Then, we'll have to call them. Go out into the lobby and give Mrs. Butler the number. If someone comes and gets the phone, it's up to them to give it back to you."
"Yes, ma'am," Bryce said slowly standing and walking out of my office.
"And you have detention for two weeks for violating the school's cell phone policy," I added.
"Two weeks?" He squealed.
"Wanna make it three?"
"Wow, I can't believe this," Officer Gilbert said.
"Believe it, Officer Gilbert," I sighed.
"Milton," he said.
"Huh?"
"Please, call me Milton. You handled that great, I'm impressed. Most principals would've just told the kid to have his parents come and get the phone. You went above and beyond."
"It's about more than just the phone," I explained. "It's about showing these kids that there are serious consequences for their actions. A thirteen year old girl shouldn't be okay with taking a nude picture of herself and sending it to a boy. There's something deeply wrong with that. And these boys should understand that they shouldn't want to have these pics sent to them."
"Come on now, Principal Eaton…"
"Dannica," I said.
"Dannica, you know as well as I do, that boys will be boys. I confess at thirteen, I was sneaking peeks at Playboy. I'm not saying this is the same thing, because its way worse than that, but whose going to turn down a nude pic of the girl in gym class?"
"Young men who are being raised to have more respect for the women in their class, if I have anything to do with it," I said. I walked into the lobby of the office where Bryce and a few other students were seated, waiting to be helped. "Mrs. Butler, did you call Bryce's guardian?"
"Yes, ma'am, he's on his way," she informed me.
"And I need for you to call Reality…" I looked over at Bryce and said, "What's her last name?"
"Love."
"Did you say Love?" I asked.
"Yes, Love," Bryce repeated.
"Her name is Reality Love," I said, thinking, 'No wonder she's sending nude pics, she has a porn name.' "Can you get Reality Love down here for me, Mrs. Butler as soon as this bell is over?"
"Yes, ma'am, right away."
"I'm going to show Officer Gilbert around the building. I'll have the walkie-talkie on if you need me," I said.
I showed Milton around the school, telling him my expectations of my students, faculty, and staff, along with the ones for myself. We finished and were headed back toward the office when the bell rang and the students poured into the hallway.
"No running! Tuck that shirt in, sir! No horse playing! Pull that skirt down, young lady!" I yelled repeatedly. The halls began to clear and we were almost to the main lobby when the door opened and a tall, familiar figure walked into the building. Just like clockwork, I stopped dead in my tracks. The figure walked closer, and closer, and then waved at me; just before entering the main office.
"Hey, Danni!"
"Mr. Wright," I said
. "Good morning. This is Officer Gilbert, our new head of security."
"Nice to meet you." The two men shook hands.
"So, what brings you to our halls of learning this morning?" I asked, wondering what he was doing there. I tried not to stare at his muscular body, which was still noticeable, even in the baggy sweats he wore. There was no way I could stop myself from inhaling the scent of the cologne he wore. Something about the way he looked made me think he had just gotten out of the shower. It was refreshing.
"Well, it seems that my nephew's cell phone was confiscated, so I've come to retrieve it," he said.
"Oh really," I said. "Well, before you retrieve it, maybe we should have a chat first."
"Uncle B!" Bryce gasped, jumping out of his chair, "It's not my fault that…"
"Sit down!" Bernard commanded, and Bryce quickly sat back down. I greeted Mr. Ferguson, the assistant principal, who was in the office and introduced him to Officer Gilbert.
"Officer Gilbert, feel free to monitor the hallways and introduce yourself to the staff. I'll check on you later," I said.
"You can come into my office," I said, then told Bryce, "You too."
"Do you need me to…" Milton started, but Mr. Ferguson interrupted him.
"Come on, Officer Gilbert, we can hit the gymnasium, and you can meet some of the students. That's the largest class we have," Mr. Ferguson smiled.
Milton seemed somewhat disappointed, but I didn't think it was necessary for him to be there when I talked with Bernard, and having him there while talking to Bryce had only been a scare tactic.
"Well, Bryce, do you want to explain what's going on to your uncle, or do you want me to?" I said, after I closed my office door.
