Chapter 4: Friends and Enemies-1
297 Words
Chapter 4: Friends and Enemies
Of course, my mom totally believes that she did the right thing by removing me from “temptation.” In her church, the Southern Baptist Church I grew up in, homosexuality is a sin and must be shunned. Hopefully cured—as weird as that sounds in the 21st Century. Mom tries to say that phrase about “loving the sinner and hating the sin.” Somehow she views this as compassionate, but all it does for me is make me feel more rejected and miserable. I miss Taylor like a missing body part, and I still don’t think that God would actually send someone to hell for loving a particular person. Still, the only way I can keep out of trouble and earn my way back to Florida is to shut down my attraction to everyone, of any gender, and mind my own business. Which is what I’m trying to do right now in Algebra Two: focusing on the lines and numbers and little squiggles Mr. Partridge is putting on the whiteboard. I’m drawing animals all over my paper: raccoons, cats, bunnies, and elephants. Most of the cats look suspiciously like Mr. Strange.
As is generally the way, Mr. P. chooses to call on me the moment that I’m totally absorbed in getting a raccoon’s facial stripes just right.
“Ms. Behrends.” I look up. Everyone in the class looks at me.
“Yes, sir?”
“Could you please share with the class your answer to the problem on the board?”
This is what I see on the board:
f(x) = (x3+2x2)(x−3)
Think fast, Emelia. Say something—anything!
“Uh, I’m sorry, Mr. Partridge. That’s one of the problems I wasn’t sure about…”
Someone off to my left giggles.
“That’s unfortunate, Ms. Behrends. Perhaps you would prefer a refresher back in the Algebra One class…after changing schools, I mean.”
Thanks, Mr. P. Call attendance to my sketchy math skills and my status as new kid in one single insult!
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