Page 74 of Crossing the Brooklyn Briggs
I point to the lab report. “You said you weren’t in chemistry at your old school.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Then how did you know how to do all of this?”
Stuffing his hands into the pocket of his hoodie, he shrugs. “I took a college class last year.”
That catches me off guard, and I’m sure my shock is all over my face. “As a sophomore?” And why isn’t it in his file?
He shrugs again.
This time, I point to one of the final equations. He didn’t actually use the formula I would have recommended, instead using a more complicated one that has better accuracy. “You’re telling me you learned how to do this last year?”
“It’s not that hard.”
I barely hold back a laugh. Not that hard? “Mateo, you’re clearly too smart to be in my class.”
His head shoots up, eyes wide. It’s as if he isn’t sure if he should believe me. “I’ve always been pretty good at math and stuff.”
A sudden idea sparks to life inside me. “You have Mr. DeNiro, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Is he a good teacher?”
He scoffs. “If he’s doing it right, sure.”
Well, that’s interesting. I tilt my head to one side. “Did he do something wrong?”
Mateo’s eyes light up. “He did one of the equations completely wrong the other day. I had to tell the kid next to me how to do it because he wasn’t getting the right answer.”
Oh, I could use this. Though I’m surprised Mark would do anything wrong, I’m inclined to believe Mateo when he says he made a mistake. “Did you know that Mr. DeNiro loves when people call him out when he does something wrong?”
Mateo clearly doesn’t believe me, but he pulls his hands out of his hoodie pocket and runs his fingers through his hair. It’s such a Jordan move that I can’t help but smile. “Really? He seems like he would hate that.”
I’m pretty sure he would. “Oh yeah, he loves when students correct him because it makes him better at his job.”
I fully expect him to remain skeptical, but then he smiles. “Okay. I guess I can let him know if he messes up next period. Thanks, Miss Briggs.”
He turns to head back to his table, but I call him back. “Hey, do you think you could help those two in the back corner the rest of the period? They look like they could use your expertise.”
There’s something in his grin that makes me miss Jordan like crazy, which is a pretty good sign that I need to have that conversation with him. He hasn’t texted me at all since yesterday, which could mean a lot of things, but I’m trying not to read into it. I can’t trust myself when it comes to other people anymore.
If Jordan wants to talk to me, he will.
And I’ll be waiting.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jordan
Of all the things onmy to-do list today, I did not expect going to the principal’s office to be one of them. As I step into the school where Brooklyn teaches, I’m hit with a weird sense of déja vu, even if this high school looks nothing like mine. It smells the same, like body odor and the tears of over-emotional children.
I really wish I didn’t have to be here, but when my mom asked me to step in, I agreed without hesitation. Even if I’m ready to strangle my brother for getting into trouble during his first week here.
I find him sitting in a chair just inside the administrative offices, and Mateo is as happy to see me as I am to see him. “What areyoudoing here?” he grumbles.
I can barely get the words out through my anger. “It’s a treatment day.”
