Page 71 of Smooth Moves
Chapter 14
The next day, the teacher droned on while Rafi doodled in his notebook. He loved his sister even more for standing up for him. She held her own, told people what she thought, and had been a freakin’ U.S. Army soldier. And not just a regular soldier but a cop, one who put people in handcuffs and broke up bar fights. Nothing scared his big sister.
While nowadays everything scared him. What would he do with his life if he couldn’t even get through tenth grade?
He sighed, a bad move because his teacher called on him to explain something about rational expressions, which was supposed to be dividing fractions…he thought. Maybe. Math made no sense to him and never had. He’d always had a problem understanding it. Though he’d never told his parents, other simple things bothered him. Like telling time, which had been impossible before he’d gotten a digital watch and then a phone. Even money used to confuse him, making the right change a strange and painful undertaking, until he’d found ways to trick his brain into understanding it.
“Mr. Younger,” the old windbag started, and the class tittered. The other losers doing summer school had been staying out of trouble, mostly because he, and to an extent Juan, had become Mr. Simpson’s bitch. The guy had had a hard-on for Rafi since day one, when Rafi had referred to him as Homer, not realizing the teacher had been in the doorway of the classroom and overheard him. It didn’t help that Simpson looked and sounded a lot like the iconic cartoon character.
Unfortunately, Simpson couldn’t let things go. Every day he made the already-miserable math and science classes worse, poking fun at students—and Rafi in particular—and droning on about how great the summer would be if they hadn’t had to come to class. As if it were Rafi’s fault the guy was stuck in a job he clearly loathed.
“Mr. Younger,” Simpson repeated. “Frankly, I don’t know why you continue to show up to class. You have to be the stupidest student—and I use that term loosely—I’ve ever had. You understand at the sixth-grade level. You shouldn’t even be in this class, let alone the tenth grade.”
The silence around them grew unbearable. Simpson had never laid into anybody this badly before. Sure, he’d been mean, but not this level of cruel. Especially because Rafi knew it was true. He blinked back tears of embarrassment and rage. Rafi knew he was stupid. He didn’t need some asshole teacher to tell everyone.
“I think it would be best if we assigned you a tutor. Maybe one of the seventh graders down the hall in the gifted classroom.” Simpson raised a brow. “How does that sound?”
“Maybe if you were a better teacher, I’d get it.”
Simpson didn’t flinch. “Maybe if I had any thought that you might graduate and become a functioning member of society, I might try harder. The truth is, all of you are in here because you messed up during the school year. But at least most of you will get beyond this.” Simpson gave Rafi a scorching look. “But you, Mr. Younger, are not worth my time. You’re dragging everyone down, slowing the curriculum for the others who can do so much more. And let’s face it,ifyou graduate, and that’s a bigif, you’ll no doubt be living with Mommy and Daddy, unable to get a job, lost in video games and prepubescent fantasies of a life where you never work and always get the girl.” Simpson sneered. “Dream on, son. I’ve seen this all before. You’ll be soaking off your parents for the rest of your unworthy life.”
Everyone stared at Simpson in shock. Even for him the rant was a bit much. The guy had been on Rafi’s ass from the start, but Rafi hadn’t wanted to say anything to Jordan because, one, he’d started it and, two, he didn’t want to be more of a problem for his sister, who’d already gone out on a limb for him.
“Now why don’t you do all of us a favor and drop the class. Retake tenth grade.” Simpson sighed. “I suppose I should apologize. Slower students often need special help, and that’s something you should be getting.Out of my class, that is.”
The self-righteous prick. Rafi wanted to punch the asshole for such embarrassment. Everyone watched him, and now everyone knew how stupid he really was. So he fell back on what he knew. “Trouble at home with Marge?”
The class burst into laughter, dispelling the tension. At least, over them. Simpson looked ready to rage.
Rafi refused to stop. “I mean, bald is beautiful. But that beer gut can’t be helping things with the missus.”
Simpson’s eyes widened, and then, in a tone covered with ice, he said, “Get out and don’t come back.”
“Sure thing, Homer.”
More titters, though quieter this time.
“Get out,” Simpson shouted.
Rafi took his shit and left, knowing he’d screwed up his last chance at avoiding military school. Jordan had the right of it. He’d had his buddy Daniel, video game guru and secret hacker, look into the place. Half the tools who graduated looked like some kind of robot, with short hair, cheesy grins, and the desire to succeed in life. It was like they’d been programmed to conform or something.
Oh man. Now he was good and fucked, thanks to his stupid brain and Simpson.
He wiped his cheeks as he hurried down the stairs and bumped into Juan.
“Whoa, man. You okay?” Juan was a decent guy, sharing his hatred of summer school and a love of the same video games Rafi played. The guy also had friends and seemed to want to bond with a “Brazilian brother.” Though Rafi didn’t speak Portuguese and had no tie to his roots, he was proud of his Latino blood.
“I’m good. Just sick of Simpson’s crap. You missed quite a show.”
Juan leaned in with a half chest bump. “I feel you. Simpson’s a dick.” He paused when someone texted him then whistled. “Shit. Don just told me what he said. That guy is such an asshole. Don’t let it sweat you, man.” He put an arm around Rafi’s shoulders, and the pair walked out of the school.
“You cutting all day?”
Juan had to retake more than a few classes, while Rafi just had math and science, both of which Simpson taught.
“I’m done with school.”
“Me too.”
