like that, there’s no need to make a big deal out of
it!”
After a while everyone calmed down, but they were still grumbling.
“Now, Kingston, the sooner you confess to
cheating
on the pop quiz, you sooner we can get on with the lesson.” And he turned to walk back to his desk.
“But, sir, I didn’t cheat!” That was when I pushed my chair back from my desk. “I didn’t cheat!”
Mr Dawson didn’t even turn to look at me. “Save it, Mr Kingston, you can either admit to cheating on the test, in which case I will award you an ‘F’ grade, or you can
continue to deny it and be awarded an ‘F’ grade
and
a visit to Ms Walker.”
I felt the pressure build up inside me and I heard the whistling, whistling in my head, like the sound of a really fast train on a massive collision course. Just then, it was more important to
me than anything that the teacher admit that I had passed, that I wasn’t a waste of space, a loser.
I stood right up and my chair went flying, clattering to the floor. I was so mad, I was shaking, my nostrils flaring like crazy. I held my paper out towards Mr Dawson. “Sir!” I
called out. “Test me again if you don’t believe me. Go on, test me!”
The others backed me up: “That’s right, Sir! Just test him, innit.”
Mr Dawson turned slowly to look at the class. “I’m afraid that would be a waste of class time. Now, kindly take your seat, Mr Kingston, or you will leave me no alternative but to
issue you an official warning.”
“Allow this, man!” I shouted. I could feel my eyes start to burn. I tore the test paper in half, threw it on the floor, grabbed my coat and bag, and charged out of the room.
What
a waste of time, man!
“Mr Kingston! Mr Kingston, I’m warning you!” But the slamming door cut off Mr Dawson’s voice.
Outside the school building, I stood in the car park, my shoulders heaving, the heat pounding in my head. I was proper vex’– what was the point of trying if they
never gave you a chance?
I looked out into the car park, trying to find Mr Dawson’s dark blue Fiat. It was right at the end, near the fence. I didn’t have to think twice.
‘Don’t do it, blud!’
‘Shut up!’
‘Don’t do it, man, he ain’t worth it!’
‘I said SHUT UP! No one disrespects me like that, yeah? No one!’
‘It ain’t worth it, blud.’
‘Yes it IS!’
My house keys jingled in the silent car park as I pulled them out of my bag. Then, slowly and carefully, I pulled one of the keys along the side of Mr Dawson’s car, again and again. The
sickening screech of metal on metal hurt my ears but I didn’t stop until I had left a whole heap of silver lines in the dark-blue paint work.
Then I heard a voice shout out, ‘Kingston! What the hell d’you think you’re doing?’
That’s when I ran.
Ms Walker
DWAYNE
“Dwayne, Dwayne Kingston, isn’t it?” Ms Walker, the new head-teacher who struck fear into even the baddest students, was glaring down at me.
“Yes, Miss,” I mumbled. I looked down into my lap and hunched my shoulders. This was the last place I wanted to be, sitting in the head’s cluttered office with my mum huffing
and puffing next to me.
Mum poked me, hard. “Speak up and sit up
straight
, boy!” she hissed. She was vex’ that she had had to take the morning off work to come and speak to Ms Walker about
her wort’less son.
“This is just a waste of my time,” she had grumbled, as we got on the bus.
I glanced up and saw Ms Walker looking at Mum. Then she pursed her lips and sat down, turning to me. I looked down straight away.
“Mr Dawson says you were rude and disruptive in his class yesterday,” she said quietly. I was surprised – I was expecting her to yell at me, go crazy and that. But she
didn’t. She just kept on talking. “He says you caused a scene. And another member of staff said that they saw you vandalising Mr Dawson’s car. What do you say?”
‘Tell her!’
‘What?’
‘Tell her exactly
it!”
After a while everyone calmed down, but they were still grumbling.
“Now, Kingston, the sooner you confess to
cheating
on the pop quiz, you sooner we can get on with the lesson.” And he turned to walk back to his desk.
“But, sir, I didn’t cheat!” That was when I pushed my chair back from my desk. “I didn’t cheat!”
Mr Dawson didn’t even turn to look at me. “Save it, Mr Kingston, you can either admit to cheating on the test, in which case I will award you an ‘F’ grade, or you can
continue to deny it and be awarded an ‘F’ grade
and
a visit to Ms Walker.”
I felt the pressure build up inside me and I heard the whistling, whistling in my head, like the sound of a really fast train on a massive collision course. Just then, it was more important to
me than anything that the teacher admit that I had passed, that I wasn’t a waste of space, a loser.
I stood right up and my chair went flying, clattering to the floor. I was so mad, I was shaking, my nostrils flaring like crazy. I held my paper out towards Mr Dawson. “Sir!” I
called out. “Test me again if you don’t believe me. Go on, test me!”
The others backed me up: “That’s right, Sir! Just test him, innit.”
Mr Dawson turned slowly to look at the class. “I’m afraid that would be a waste of class time. Now, kindly take your seat, Mr Kingston, or you will leave me no alternative but to
issue you an official warning.”
“Allow this, man!” I shouted. I could feel my eyes start to burn. I tore the test paper in half, threw it on the floor, grabbed my coat and bag, and charged out of the room.
What
a waste of time, man!
“Mr Kingston! Mr Kingston, I’m warning you!” But the slamming door cut off Mr Dawson’s voice.
Outside the school building, I stood in the car park, my shoulders heaving, the heat pounding in my head. I was proper vex’– what was the point of trying if they
never gave you a chance?
I looked out into the car park, trying to find Mr Dawson’s dark blue Fiat. It was right at the end, near the fence. I didn’t have to think twice.
‘Don’t do it, blud!’
‘Shut up!’
‘Don’t do it, man, he ain’t worth it!’
‘I said SHUT UP! No one disrespects me like that, yeah? No one!’
‘It ain’t worth it, blud.’
‘Yes it IS!’
My house keys jingled in the silent car park as I pulled them out of my bag. Then, slowly and carefully, I pulled one of the keys along the side of Mr Dawson’s car, again and again. The
sickening screech of metal on metal hurt my ears but I didn’t stop until I had left a whole heap of silver lines in the dark-blue paint work.
Then I heard a voice shout out, ‘Kingston! What the hell d’you think you’re doing?’
That’s when I ran.
Ms Walker
DWAYNE
“Dwayne, Dwayne Kingston, isn’t it?” Ms Walker, the new head-teacher who struck fear into even the baddest students, was glaring down at me.
“Yes, Miss,” I mumbled. I looked down into my lap and hunched my shoulders. This was the last place I wanted to be, sitting in the head’s cluttered office with my mum huffing
and puffing next to me.
Mum poked me, hard. “Speak up and sit up
straight
, boy!” she hissed. She was vex’ that she had had to take the morning off work to come and speak to Ms Walker about
her wort’less son.
“This is just a waste of my time,” she had grumbled, as we got on the bus.
I glanced up and saw Ms Walker looking at Mum. Then she pursed her lips and sat down, turning to me. I looked down straight away.
“Mr Dawson says you were rude and disruptive in his class yesterday,” she said quietly. I was surprised – I was expecting her to yell at me, go crazy and that. But she
didn’t. She just kept on talking. “He says you caused a scene. And another member of staff said that they saw you vandalising Mr Dawson’s car. What do you say?”
‘Tell her!’
‘What?’
‘Tell her exactly
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