Quite an Undertaking - Devon's Story Read Online Free PDF

to the bathroom.
    When I got into the bathroom, Missy looked at me with a hand on her hip. She narrowed her eyes, shook the box of hair color, and asked, “Does this have anything to do with your new thing ?”
    I know I turned red because I felt my cheeks getting hot. “Shut up, Missy.”
    She laughed and opened the box of hair color.
     
     

Chapter Three
     
     
    Girls' Sports
     
     
    I HATED WALKING to school in the dark, but since I only lived a half mile away, the walk wasn’t too bad. I pulled my hood up against the morning cold and didn’t want to think about having to walk to school once winter hit for real. If I ever got a car I’d pick up Gail on the other side of town, and then we’d go get Travis. We’d get to school warm and dry every single day, but, then again, Travis already had his license which made me wonder why he and Gail didn’t come pick me up every morning. I’d have to talk to Gail about this oversight.
    The sky lightened up as I walked through the main doors of the high school. Mother Nature had great timing. I didn’t stop at my locker, which I usually do, but went straight to my journalism class with the environment article ready to upload into the November/December folder. Missy helped me edit the final copy over the weekend before she went back to Plattsburgh, so at least Mrs. Gibson wouldn’t be able to give me grief about bad copy. If she wanted me to drop the course for second semester then at least I had tried my best.
    I held my head up high, yanked off my hood, and readied myself for Mrs. Gibson’s assessment of my future with the newspaper. I dropped my backpack on the table next to my assigned computer and got out the flash drive that held my article. Mike sat at his computer logging in. At least he had a future. As the boys’ sports editor, Mrs. Gibson was probably grooming him for editor-in-chief for next year. She rarely appointed juniors as department editors, so she must have had a lot of faith in him. Too bad she had it out for me. I sighed and turned on my computer.
    I copied the article to the school’s network just as the bell rang to start the class. Mrs. Gibson clapped her hands twice for attention. I swiveled my seat around for our weekly Monday morning staff meeting.
    “Okay, let’s get started.” Mrs. Gibson waited until the twenty or so students turned in their chairs to face her. Her gray hair was pulled back into a power bun, and she was all business.
    She held the clipboard in front of her and peered down through her bifocals. “Your articles that were due last Wednesday will be edited, as usual, by the Journalism III class this week. On Thursday, you can start your rewrites. In the meantime you each need to pick out another topic from the list posted on the bulletin board.”
    I didn’t know if it was my imagination, but I could have sworn that Mrs. Gibson glared at me over her glasses when she mentioned the Wednesday deadline. The deadline I had missed.
    Mrs. Gibson put her clipboard down and continued. “Our upcoming issue will be jammed packed. The sports reports will take up a lot of space because not only do we have the fall sports wrap-ups, but the winter sports previews as well.” She looked at Mike. “Mike, I assume you’ve received the fall wrap-ups from your boys’ sports reporters?”
    “Yes, ma’am. I’ve already started editing.”
    She shot him an approving glance. “Now on to a more serious matter.” She turned to look at me. “Devon—” She looked down at her clipboard as if trying to find her place. Maybe she didn’t want to make direct eye contact with me when she kicked me out of the class. I felt the other students looking at me. I swallowed hard to dislodge the sudden lump in my throat and held my breath waiting for the axe to fall.
    “Oh, here it is. Devon, I hinted on Friday that we needed to discuss your future.”
    I waited.
    “Melissa Cox is moving, uh...” she looked back down at her clipboard. “...oh,