Page 42 of Shelter for Morgan

"No selling drugs."

She nodded but paused before she responded. "That's a little broad. Prescriptions can be considered drugs."

"Are you on drugs, Miss?" The question came from Tomas. She needed to get a debate club going and get this kid on the team.

"No, Tomas. I don't have drugs of either sort."

He snapped and sighed. "Oh well."

"Benji?"

Benji nodded. "Don't sell... illegal drugs?"

"Okay." She wrote that on the board and went back to the RULE column. "Who created this rule?"

A number of students looked around at each other as if she had gone a little nuts.

“Okay, someone just blurt it out.”

“The principal?” Trina answered.

“The school administration, yes. Usually the principal signs off on the rules.” She wrote the answer on the board. “What about the law? Who created that?”

A collective groan went up from the class.

“Uh, hello!” She looked at the class with her free hand on her hip. “Remember, this is history and civics. This,” she tapped on the board, “is civics.”

Benji put up his hand again and Morgan barely resisted the urge to do a little dance. “Yes, Benji?”

That odd look crossed over his features before he spoke. “The government. Local or federal.”

She nodded slowly. “Good start. But let’s narrow it down a little more.”

She saw a hand pop up.

“Claire?”

“The legislature. They make laws.”

“Right! Good job Claire and Benji.” She wrote that down and went back to the rules. “Now let’s talk consequences.”

A boy in one of the back chairs lifted his head off his desk. “What’re those?”

“Consequences, Boyd. Something you never have to face 'cuz your daddy's rich.”

That came from a boy in the next row. Morgan would look up his name later.

“Hey,” the class turned back to look at her, “remember- No matter where you go...”

“There you are,” they answered back.

“Give respect...” she continued.

“Get respect,” they answered.

She heard someone clearing their throat at the back of the room. “Sorry, man.”

Boyd shrugged it off.

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