Just Another Hero by Sharon M. Draper Read Free Book Online

jumped up from her desk, grabbed Kofi’s hands, and danced with him around the room to the beat of Sting, shouting, “Whoo-hoo” the whole time. When they slowed down, she announced to the class, “Kofi is going to MIT! You hear that? One of my puppies is going off to one of the best schools in the world! I am SOOO proud!” Then she did a little dance of her own all the way back to her desk.
    As he watched his teacher, he couldn’t help but think back to how his own mother had reacted. If she could have shown just a teeny tiny portion of Mrs. Witherspoon’s excitement, it would have felt so much more right.

KOFI
CHAPTER 6
    MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7
    SLIGHTLY OUT OF BREATH, MRS. WITHERSPOON went back to greeting the rest of her class as they entered the room.
    Eric rolled in, his wheelchair whirring softly. “Hey, Eric!” the teacher called out.
    â€œDo a wheelie for me, and check into my world of literary lunacy for an hour.”
    Eric grinned, checked in, and spun his chair around in a circle. “Do I get extra credit for that?” he asked. He wore his dark brown hair tightly braided in straight, neat lines. Freckles dotted his ruddy cheeks.
    â€œNot a chance,” Mrs. Witherspoon replied, “but I might let you take me to the prom with all those moves you’ve got!”
    Kofi secretly marveled that Eric’s puppy-dog grin managed to charm all the girls, in spite of the kid’s disability. Although his legs dangled helplessly, his upper body was muscular and taut. Eric laughed. “I’m takingapplications for prom dates. I might let you apply.”
    The teacher cracked up, and as Jericho walked into the room she called out, “Jericho, sign in, my splendid sportsman and brilliant musical genius. So, have you decided on Ohio State for football, or Juilliard for music?”
    â€œAw, Spoon, you ask me that every day,” Jericho replied, bending over the computer. “I can’t help it if I’m super-talented in a multiplicity of fields.”
    â€œAll right, now! Ten extra points for using a big, long vocabulary word in regular context. Make it twenty!” Mrs. Witherspoon said with glee as she recorded Jericho’s points on her personal laptop.
    â€œHey, Spoon. I had vegetarian vegetable soup for lunch. Two big words. Does that count for points?” Roscoe asked as he checked in behind Jericho.
    â€œIf you insist, Roscoe. But I think those do more for your digestive system than your SAT scores.” She typed in the points for him.
    As Brandon Merriweather walked in, Kofi smirked as the girls suddenly started fixing their hair and glopping on lip gloss. Arielle was the only one who kept her head down. She and Brandon had been tight for a hot minute last year, but it hadn’t worked out.
    â€œWhen are you going to let me ride in that sweet little BMW of yours?” Mrs. Witherspoon asked the school’s track star.
    â€œAny time, Spoon.” Brandon nodded, tucking his lanky frame into his seat. “You let me pass this class and I’ll let you keep it as my graduation present!”
    â€œIt’s going to take more than that for you to pass myclass, big man. Doing homework every once in a while might help!” Brandon laughed and stretched his long legs into the aisle.
    More students meandered in. Mrs. Witherspoon complimented Rosa on the great job she did on her book report and Lisa on her new earrings. She thanked Ram for shoveling the snow from around her car earlier, and tossed a fresh red apple to Susan Richards, the dancer.
    Osrick Wardley came in next. He had the hood of his heavy winter coat up so it covered most of his face.
    â€œGood afternoon, Sir Osrick the Great,” Mrs. Witherspoon said gently. “The room is warm, so take off your jacket and stay awhile.”
    â€œHi,” Osrick said shyly. He, too, seemed to like the outgoing teacher, although Kofi noticed Osrick never seemed to have