was frustrating for Vicki — humiliating, even — to see herself portrayed in a public forum as a nasty woman in un fl attering pants, nothing more than a joke to the kids she was trying to help.
Like a lot of people her age, Vicki had grown accustomed to taking the punishment life dished out. Most of the time she didn’t even bother to complain. But every once in a while she found it necessary to stand up and defend her dignity — her worth as a human being — and this was apparently one of those occasions, because a ft er the bell rang, instead of sitting quietly at her desk and organizing her papers as the students fi led out, she found herself moving toward the door with an unusual sense of purpose, arriving just in time to form a barrier between Jessica Grasso and the hallway. She couldn’t deny that she derived some pleasure from the look of confusion on the girl’s face, the slow-dawning knowledge that she’d been busted.
“Greensleeves,” Vicki told her. “You and I need to talk.”
THEY SHOULD have had it out there and then, when Vicki had a head of steam and the element of surprise working in her favor, but Jessica was rushing o ff to a big chem test; apparently Mr. Holquist took points o ff if you were late, even if you had a pass. She o ff ered to come back right a ft er school let out, but Vicki had to nix that due to a faculty meeting. Not keen on hanging around for an extra hour, Jessica suggested postponing their talk till the morning. Vicki was adamant that it couldn’t wait that long, and a ft er a brief, somewhat hectic negotiation, they settled on Starbucks at four-thirty in the a ft ernoon.
As soon as she sat down with her cup of green tea, Vicki began to suspect she’d made a mistake in agreeing to meet in the co ff ee shop, the atmosphere too mellow and uno ffi cial — Joni Mitchell on the sound system, retired men playing chess, young hipsters tapping on their laptops — for the kind of chilly confrontation she’d been rehearsing in her mind. Th is conviction only deepened when Jessica arrived a few minutes later, waving to Vicki and miming the act of drinking as she took her place on the co ff ee line. Th e girl seemed perfectly happy to be there, as if the two of them were regular co ff ee buddies, and Vicki found herself momentarily disarmed, unable to muster any of the feelings of anger or shame that had made this rendezvous seem so urgent in the fi rst place.
“Sorry I’m late.” Jessica smiled as she took her seat, her cheeks rosy from the damp April breeze. “My mom made me fold the laundry.”
“ Th at’s okay. I just got here myself.”
“Mmmm.” Jessica sipped from her enormous drink, a clear, domed cup full of what looked like a milk shake with whipped cream on top. “ Th is is awesome.”
“What is it?”
“Venti caramel Frappuccino.” She held out the cup. “Want some?”
Vicki was horri fi ed — there must have been a thousand calories in there — but she just smiled politely and shook her head. What Jessica ate and drank outside of class was none of her business.
“I’m fi ne with my tea,” Vicki said. “How’d you do on your chemistry test?”
“Terrible.” Jessica gave a cheerful shrug, as if terrible were a synonym for pretty good. “I suck at science even worse than I suck at math, if you can believe that.”
“You don’t suck at math. I just don’t think you apply yourself.”
“ Th at’s exactly what my dad says.”
“You should listen to him.”
Jessica rolled her eyes. Th ey were honey-colored, and there was an appealing cluster of freckles spattered across the bridge of her nose that Vicki had never noticed before . It’s the makeup, Vicki thought. She’s not wearing that awful makeup . She wished she knew the girl well enough to tell her she was better o ff without it.
Something caught Jessica’s eye and she leaned to the le ft , a look of such longing on her face that Vicki couldn’t help turning to see what had
Like a lot of people her age, Vicki had grown accustomed to taking the punishment life dished out. Most of the time she didn’t even bother to complain. But every once in a while she found it necessary to stand up and defend her dignity — her worth as a human being — and this was apparently one of those occasions, because a ft er the bell rang, instead of sitting quietly at her desk and organizing her papers as the students fi led out, she found herself moving toward the door with an unusual sense of purpose, arriving just in time to form a barrier between Jessica Grasso and the hallway. She couldn’t deny that she derived some pleasure from the look of confusion on the girl’s face, the slow-dawning knowledge that she’d been busted.
“Greensleeves,” Vicki told her. “You and I need to talk.”
THEY SHOULD have had it out there and then, when Vicki had a head of steam and the element of surprise working in her favor, but Jessica was rushing o ff to a big chem test; apparently Mr. Holquist took points o ff if you were late, even if you had a pass. She o ff ered to come back right a ft er school let out, but Vicki had to nix that due to a faculty meeting. Not keen on hanging around for an extra hour, Jessica suggested postponing their talk till the morning. Vicki was adamant that it couldn’t wait that long, and a ft er a brief, somewhat hectic negotiation, they settled on Starbucks at four-thirty in the a ft ernoon.
As soon as she sat down with her cup of green tea, Vicki began to suspect she’d made a mistake in agreeing to meet in the co ff ee shop, the atmosphere too mellow and uno ffi cial — Joni Mitchell on the sound system, retired men playing chess, young hipsters tapping on their laptops — for the kind of chilly confrontation she’d been rehearsing in her mind. Th is conviction only deepened when Jessica arrived a few minutes later, waving to Vicki and miming the act of drinking as she took her place on the co ff ee line. Th e girl seemed perfectly happy to be there, as if the two of them were regular co ff ee buddies, and Vicki found herself momentarily disarmed, unable to muster any of the feelings of anger or shame that had made this rendezvous seem so urgent in the fi rst place.
“Sorry I’m late.” Jessica smiled as she took her seat, her cheeks rosy from the damp April breeze. “My mom made me fold the laundry.”
“ Th at’s okay. I just got here myself.”
“Mmmm.” Jessica sipped from her enormous drink, a clear, domed cup full of what looked like a milk shake with whipped cream on top. “ Th is is awesome.”
“What is it?”
“Venti caramel Frappuccino.” She held out the cup. “Want some?”
Vicki was horri fi ed — there must have been a thousand calories in there — but she just smiled politely and shook her head. What Jessica ate and drank outside of class was none of her business.
“I’m fi ne with my tea,” Vicki said. “How’d you do on your chemistry test?”
“Terrible.” Jessica gave a cheerful shrug, as if terrible were a synonym for pretty good. “I suck at science even worse than I suck at math, if you can believe that.”
“You don’t suck at math. I just don’t think you apply yourself.”
“ Th at’s exactly what my dad says.”
“You should listen to him.”
Jessica rolled her eyes. Th ey were honey-colored, and there was an appealing cluster of freckles spattered across the bridge of her nose that Vicki had never noticed before . It’s the makeup, Vicki thought. She’s not wearing that awful makeup . She wished she knew the girl well enough to tell her she was better o ff without it.
Something caught Jessica’s eye and she leaned to the le ft , a look of such longing on her face that Vicki couldn’t help turning to see what had
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