Nobody Girl by Leslie Dubois Read Free Book Online

classes. And everything is completely encrypted and … and … and … that is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” Locke’s focus suddenly shifted to something or, someone rather, behind Delia. He couldn’t even finish his computer ramblings. She turned around to see who had captivated his attention. It was none other than Donna Lee.
     
    “You ready, Dee?” She called from the car.
     
    “Definitely.” Delia scurried into the front seat and left Locke staring with his mouth agape.
     
    “Good God, what is that smell?”
     
    “Don’t ask.”
     
    ***
     
    The rest of Delia’s first week went off without a hitch. She felt like she had definitely made the right decision by going into education. She could really make a difference in these children’s lives. There was one student in particular that Delia was drawn too, a shy junior named Lena Fischer.
     
    “Ms. Clark, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment? ” Lena asked during lunch one day.
     
    “Sure, Lena, what is it.” Delia put down her sandwich and motioned for Lena to take a seat.
     
    Lena sat down, tucked her dark brown hair behind her ear then stared at her thumbs for a moment before saying, “Well, I know I’m in the dumb class, but — ”
     
    “Don’t say that; it’s not the dumb class.”
     
    “Well, I know I’m in the lower level class, but I really want to advance and I was wondering if you could give me some extra work or something so that I can improve. I really want to do well so I can go to college with my brother.”
     
    “Of course. I can make up some worksheets and some practice tests and we can go over them during lunch or something. Will that work?”
     
    Lena smiled and nodded furiously. Delia realized that she was not only offering Lena some needed extra math help, but also a much needed friendship.
     
    “So where is your brother going to college?”
     
    “Oh, he’s not sure yet. It’s my twin brother actually, Levi. But he’s a genius and he’ll probably get into anywhere he applies. We’ve never been apart for more than a week and that was when we were twelve. I don’t think I could survive going to a different school from him. But I also don’t want him to have to go to a dumb school because of me.”
     
    “Lena, why do you keep saying you’re dumb?”
     
    Lena dried her palms on her green uniform skirt like she always did when she was nervous and searched for words carefully. “When you’re at the bottom, it hurts less when you fall.”
     
    ***
     
    Two weeks later, Delia entered her classroom amidst a buzz of gossip.
     
    “I heard he got kicked out of George Washington Prep for smuggling drugs,” Courtney Baker said to a group of senior girls in Delia’s classroom.
     
    “No, that’s why he got kicked out of St. Steven’s.  He got kicked out of GW Prep for smashing the windows of his Spanish teacher’s car,” Rachel Clore said.
     
    “Well, it doesn’t matter why he got kicked out, the point is he’s out and I heard Saxon Arms was the only private school in D.C. that would take him now.”  Courtney glared at Rachel for correcting her in front of the other girls.  Courtney was the gossip queen of Saxon Arms and there was no way she wanted to share that title with anyone.
     
    “I have a hundred dollars that says he takes me to the homecoming dance,” Angie Morris said as she stood on a desk holding up a crisp hundred dollar bill.
     
    “Are you crazy?  He only dates college girls,” Courtney said.
     
    “I hear he has two girlfriends at Georgetown and one at American,” Rachel chimed.
     
    “I’ll take that bet,” Ian said from across the room as he took out his wallet.  “There’s no way C.J. Mitchell is taking your skanky ass to the homecoming dance.”
     
    “Okay, that’s enough,” Delia announced.  She didn’t want to hear any more about this spoiled trouble maker that she would soon have to put up with.  “How many times do I have to