That's Not Allowed

Detention Pt. 2

Mr. Kinley held the door open as I drudged into the room.  In that moment I had remembered that this weekend I hadn't done the summer reading assignment that Mr. Kinley gave me the extra weekend to do.  He was going to be even more disappointed now.  My head now was dragging too.  I sat down in the front row in front of Mr. Kinley's desk which was in the front left corner of the room.  Mr. Kinley walked in and sat down on his desk and started asking me questions.  It honestly almost felt like an interrogation.

"Nani, what got into you today?"

I didn't respond.

"Why did you hit Dallas?"

I didn't respond.

"Why did Dallas say your 'not so long lost daddy'?"

I didn't respond.

"Also, why haven't you given me your summer reading?"

I didn't respond...at first.

"Mr. Kinley.  Didn't you think that the silence I was giving you was a little clue that I don't want to talk about these things.  Not with you, not with anyone." I said crossly, then pulling out my computer to begin working on my summer reading assignment.  I didn't look up to him the entire time.  I honestly was frustrated with the fact that I had detention, and this whole day truly. 

I typed away. 

The summer reading assignment was to show why the book of our choice from a list of five books was important to us.

The list was...

1. A Midsummer's Night Dream or Macbeth by William Shakespeare

2. Beloved by Toni Morrison

3. Animal Farm by George Orwell

4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

5. The Color Purple by

I read plenty of other books this summer due to Mr. Kinley's encouragement.  They included King Lear (which turned out to be my favorite book of all time, hence why I knew what Luca's note to me meant earlier), Antigone by Sophocles, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Julius Caesar by Shakespeare, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

(A/n - These are all of my favorite books, not necessarily in order, and I highly recommend them to all!! Some are harder to read than others but they are all fascinating novels)

'Maybe I shouldn't be so mad at him' I thought to myself.  I mean he did help me out in a tough situation last year, and today saved me big time.

I finally spoke up after 30 minutes of sitting there and typing away and said, "Mr. Kinley, I'm sorry for my actions today and I really thank you for helping me out.  I know I was being a pain earlier on, but I really do appreciate everything you have done for me." 

He smiled at me and nodded his head.  Then he responded "Nani, you are one of my favorite students.  I will always make sure that you are okay.  You are a person you know."  Then we both laughed and I continued writing my paper. 

I had chosen to write on The Great Gatsby of course. 

For those who have never read this amazing piece of work before, basically this book "Midwest native Nick Carraway arrives in 1922 New York in search of the American dream. Nick, a would-be writer, moves in next-door to millionaire Jay Gatsby  and across the bay from his cousin Daisy  and her philandering husband, Tom. Thus, Nick becomes drawn into the captivating world of the wealthy and -- as he bears witness to their illusions and deceits -- pens a tale of impossible love, dreams, and tragedy."