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The Assignment

Kelli Landon

    Circa 1956

    I don’t want to do this assignment. Is Ms. Tallahart crazy? I hate school anyway and to make us do this is nuts.
    “What’s the matter Peter?” Ms. Tallahart asked, walking by his desk. “You look upset or puzzled. I can’t figure out which.”
    Peter folded his arms. “Well, maybe you should take a quiz. Does Peter look upset or does Peter look puzzled?”
    The whole class erupted in laughter.
    “Peter, to the office now!” Ms. Tallahart squinted as she glared at me though cat’s eye glasses.
    Peter just rolled his eyes. He was almost thirteen, but felt like a high schooler since he often hung around older kids around the neighborhood. These kids in his class were beneath him since he was held back a year earlier in his life.
    “Sandy,” Ms. Tallahart called to another student. “You will escort him and make sure he gets there. I don’t want to catch him smoking in the parking lot again.”
    “Okay,” said Sandy, a little blonde girl with pigtails. “I’ll sure see that he gets there.”
    Peter wasn’t afraid of Principal Hartman. He will explain to him about this stupid assignment.
    “Are you okay Peter?” Sandy asked as they strolled in the hall toward the office.
    Peter shrugged, walking with his hands in his pockets. “I’m okay.” He wasn’t going to tell her anything. She was teacher’s pet and he didn’t trust her.
    “Well, I like getting out of class for a few minutes,” Sandy told him. “Don’t tell anyone, but I enjoy a cigarette once in a while.”
    “Really?” he asked, surprised.
    “Sure,” she said with a smile. “I get them from my dad when he’s not looking.”
    Wait a minute, Peter thought. He wasn’t falling for this. Sandy’s been known to trap other kids into getting them in trouble. She gets brownie points for that and that’s how she gets to do these special little jobs.
    “I don’t believe you,” Peter said. “Let’s just get to Principal Hartman.” How much more of this do I have to take? I want her away from me, even if I have to scare her.
    She took a different approach. “I really like your hair slicked back like that. You look tough which is pretty cool.”
    He ignored her attempt at a compliment. Most kids were scared of Peter. They were intimidated from him and wouldn’t even make eye contact with him. It was rumored around school that he was a bad ass who hung around on a street corner after school, and would eventually become a gang member who carried a switchblade around town.
    “Can I ask why you don’t want to complete the assignment? It’s pretty easy.”
    “No, I will tell Mr. Hartman why,” Peter said. She was prying and really getting on his nerves.
    When they got to the office, Peter was led into Principal Hartman’s office right away.
    “Well, hello there Peter,” he greeted, looking up from his newspaper. “What brings you in this time?”
    “Nothing,” Peter answered, plopping down into a chair.
    “Well, it has to be something.” He continued to read his paper.
    “Ms. Tallahart wants us to do a home assignment and I don’t want to.”
    He looked at Peter from over his glasses. “Well now Peter, a lot of kids hate doing assignments but you know we all have to do them to get our grades.”
    “No!” Peter raised his voice. “I said it was a home assignment!”
    “Now calm down Peter.” Principal Hartman dropped the newspaper on his desk. “What did she assign?”
    “We have to interview our parents!” he said, still excited.
    “Well, now what is wrong with that? You don’t like talking do you Peter? You seem like a shy kid.”
    “No way, I’m not shy!” he said louder.
    “Now didn’t I tell you to calm down?”
    Peter took a deep breath as he looked down at the newspaper and saw the headline. “I don’t wanna interview them.”
    “But why not?”
    “My parents don’t talk to me about anything.” he said.
    “Well, all you have to do is ask them.”
    “No, they will NOT talk to me!”
    “Well, would it help if I called them?”
    Peter shrugged. “It may work if you talk to my mother. Just please don’t make her mad.”
    “But why Peter? Why would I make her mad?”
    Peter shook his head. “It’s nothing. She just flies off the handle easy.”
    “Well, I’ll do that and we’ll see how your assignment goes. I can tell Ms. Tallahart to give you an extension if the assignment takes longer than the required deadline.”
    Peter nodded reluctantly. It was better than being sent home from school and having Sandy escort him there. When he would cut school on his own, he spent time around town at the park or with other kids who cut.
    He will probably just make up his own interview, he thought. He could make it sound legitimate by just putting in his own information on his parents. He wouldn’t tell the truth though. He was sure that Principal Hartman was reading the article in the newspaper about the serial killer around town. They were closing in on his dad, he could feel it.



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