Page 19 of Beyond Perfect

“Is there something else, Maisy?”

“No. I’ll see you Monday.”

“All right.”

She walked out. His gaze followed her.

Damn it, he wanted a relationship with her. For so long, he’d kept himself from any real connections, had kept himself from women and men, except for Joe. He shouldn’t be letting himself feel things for Maisy either because, after what he’d done in the gang, he wasn’t good enough to have people in his life. Especially not a woman like her.

* * *

“Oh, no. Where’s Frankie?”

Silence from the kids. She shouldn’t have asked them anyway. She was about to retract the question when Tim spoke up. “We don’t know. He didn’t come out of his cabin on time and when we knocked nobody answered.”

“Thank you for telling me that.”

Quentin raised his hand, which was unusual. “We’re worried about him. He got four demerits already.”

“Yes, Quentin, I’m worried too. Unfortunately, I have to call Mr. Kane.”

“You gotta?” Quentin asked.

“Can’t you wait to see if he comes?” Timmy begged.

“I guess I could wait. A bit.”

Mumbles of agreement.

“All right. In Language Arts you readFlowers for Algernon.” The poignant story about a man who receives an operation that turns him into a genius...and then he reverts back to his old ill self.

Harlan said, “Yeah, what a bummer.”

“The story was written in 1959. I’d like you to go to the computers and research how mental illness was viewed in the later nineteen fifties and sixties.”

The kids got up and crossed the room to the row of computers against the wall. Maisy glanced at the clock. She knew in her heart that Frankie wasn’t coming.

They worked for fifteen minutes.

They discussed how mental illness and its treatment was in that decade.

Afterward, when class was almost over, Maisy said, “I have to report Frankie’s absence.”

When they started to object again, she held up her hand, palm out. “I’ve waited longer than policy demands.”

“You gonna get in trouble for that?”

“I don’t know.” She did, though. Shewouldget in trouble. “Be quiet while I make the call.” She crossed to the door and went out into the hall and punched in a number. “Jackson Kane’s office.”

“Hi, Harry. This is Maisy Shepherd.”

“I’ll put you right through to Jackson.”

Damn, she didn’t want to talk to Jackson directly but apparently Harry had orders to put her through to him.

“Hello, Maisy.”

“Jackson. Frankie Pecorino didn’t show up for class today.”

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