AN: This takes place after the episode called "Baptiste." I don't know if I'm going to stick to the following episodes after it if they contradict my story. But they haven't so far, so that's good! Anyhoo, I got this idea from something Baptiste said, and I just decided to run with it. Hope you enjoy. This is going to be just in longish drabble form. I think. We'll see how it goes.
Oh yeah, right. Disclaimer: I don't own anything that isn't mine. this story doesn't contain slash. It doesn't contain incest. It doesn't contain adult scenes. It contains little, if any, coarse language. So basically, rated because I'm paranoid.
PS -Would you believe me if I said that I had been meaning to post this and forgot? No, I wouldn't believe me either, but it's the truth all the same. Sorry.
Guerrero pulled up at the pavement of the middle school, and Cindy hopped out with her backpack. "See you later, kid. Call me when you want to be picked up."
She waved and walked up the walk and sighed. She hated this place. English was her first period, something she had problems with. She wasn't big into nouns and verbs and semicolons.
And her teacher was. Three weeks into school and she was already bellyaching about her. It usually took two months for a teacher to get on her back.
"Hello, Miss Novacek."
"Hello Mrs. Jeffries," Cindy said warily.
"Cindy, didn't you tell me you would have one of your parents call me so I could set up a conference with them?"
Cindy warily set her backpack on her desk near the back and said, "Yes."
"No one called me, Cindy."
"I know."
"Why was that?"
"I didn't tell them."
"Why not?"
"Because."
"Cindy…" the teacher said warningly.
Cindy huffed, "Because I don't live with my dad usually and Amanda doesn't care."
"Who is Amanda?"
"She's the person I live with."
"What about your mother?"
"She's dead."
"Oh," the teacher said, softening. "I'm sorry."
"Why?" Cindy said. "Being sorry won't change it."
Ms. Jefferies frowned. "Don't get smart with me, young lady."
"How can I get smart with you if you say I'm dumb?" Cindy muttered under her breath.
"Detention," Ms. Jefferies said. Apparently it wasn't so under her breath. "You can serve it here, and give me the number of whoever you want, but I will have a conference with someone about you, young lady."
I knew today wasn't gonna be good, Cindy thought.
Cindy put her battered sneakers on top of the desk and sighed. Detention had finished fifteen minutes ago, and there was a showdown between her and Ms. Jeffries. She sighed again and shifted her weight. Grading papers, Ms. Jeffries had the look of a woman who would wait at the school all night if necessary until she called.
Cindy let her feet thump to the floor and said, "I'm going to go call on the pay phone."
"I have a cell phone –" her teacher began.
"I don't…want to use it," Cindy said. She walked out of the room to go use the pay phone by the office. Knowing her teacher, she was probably calling down to the office right now to ask Mrs. Finch, the secretary, to make sure she was really using the phone and not walking out the door. Sticking two quarters into the coin slot, she dialed the number for Guerrero's cell and listened to the phone ring.
"What's up?"
"I need you to come get me."
"Okay, will do."
"Somethin' else."
"What?"
Cindy sighed. "My teacher wants to talk to a parent."
"Why? Didja beat somebody up?"
"No," she said, but smiled a little. "She thinks I have bad grammar. And she's had conferences for everybody else, so she wants one from me."
"Oh, a stickler."
"Yeah, kinda."
"What's her name?"
"Ms. Jeffries."
"Mm. Be there in twenty, kid."
" 'Kay. Bye."
She hung up the phone and walked back to her room.
"Did you call?" Ms. Jeffries asked, looking up from the stack of paper.
"Yeah. He'll be here in twenty minutes." Cindy sat back down at her desk and sighed.
"Your father?" Ms. Jeffries clarified.
"Yeah." My father.
He walked into the classroom and immediately spotted the sullen look on Cindy's face, as well as the prim one on the schoolteacher's face.
"What's up, kid?" he said.
Cindy rolled her eyes surreptitiously.
"I know the feeling," he said as he turned his keen eyes on the teacher. Everything about this woman was pointed and sharp, from her heels to her eyes. "You must be Ms. Jeffries," he said. "Nice to meetcha." He kept his hand in his pockets.
"Likewise, Mister…"
"Guerrero."
She blinked.
"Cindy's got her mom's name," he said. "What did you want to talk to me about?" He tilted his head to the side.
Please review! It encourages the author.
PPS- who can tell me what the reference in this chapter is? Clue -it has something to do with names.
