Page 49 of Yours for the Taking (Falling For A Rose)

“I don’t care about y’all laughing. This is my hair. Worry about yourself,” Sicily said.

“Grow up. No reasonable employer will give you a job with your hair wild like that. I don’t care if it’s natural or not. You need to press it or something.”

“Aw, come on, Beverly. You don’t have to be such a bitch,” Carrie said.

Beverly gasped as Carla stepped into the hallway.

“How can you call me a bitch?”

“Because you are one.”

“Agreed,” Samantha added.

“All of you are suspended for the rest of the week.”

The girls whipped around to face Carla.

“What?” Beverly screeched. “You can’t suspend me. My parents will freak!”

“My mom, too!” Carrie seconded.

“You should’ve thought about that before you used that language.”

Carrie folded her arms. “I was defending Sicily!”

“That’s funny. You weren’t defending her the other day when you all came in the class laughing at her hair.” Carla turned a sharp eye to Beverly. “You are out of line. I know your parents aren’t raising you to be a mean girl. But I plan to find out.”

Beverly’s brows dipped, and her mouth continued to hang open. “What does that mean?” she asked.

“You can’t come back to school until I have a parent-teacher conference with your parents.”

Another sharp gasp flew from Beverly, and anger was written across her face, lips tight, brows drawn together. “You can’t do that!”

“I can, and I did.” Carla folded her arms. “And another thing—since you think you’re so smart. There’s nothing wrong with Sicily’s hair. It looks just like mine, and if you’re smart enough to make it through college, Beverly, you might be able to have a career, as I do.”

Beverly tightened her jaw. “I am smart enough.”

“Prove it because right now you’re failing my class.”

Rounds of gasps flew from the girls, and Carla silently cursed. She wasn’t supposed to let that information out in front of the other kids.

“You’re failing Ms. Jones’s class?” Carrie cut her eyes at Beverly, aghast.

“I…I…”

Samantha laughed. “Wow. How hard is it to learn a foreign language, you idiot?”

“Hey!” Carla shouted. She placed a hand on her hip and cut sharp eyes at Carrie and Samantha. “Unless you want a parent-teacher conference before you return, I suggest you be quiet right now.”

The girls shut their lips tight and motioned with their fingers closing their lips like a zipper.

“Go inside before I change my mind and send you both home this instant.”

The girls trotted inside. “As for you,” Carla turned back to Beverly. “Go home.”

Tears clouded Beverly’s eyes. “Why do I have to go, and they don’t?” she shouted.

“Bullying will not be tolerated in my class or at this school. You’ll return after I speak with your parents.”

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