The pencil had burst to pieces in Kilik's hand, spraying shards of wood over him, and his desk as the teacher jumped back.
"I didn't want to do it," he said through clenched teeth, eyes wide, and nostrils flared beneath the hard line of his eyebrows. "I'd rather play video games, and watch porn."
It had been mistake to sit at the front of English class that day. Especially seeing how Ms. Gutierrez seemed to have it out for him. "It's because I'm black" he'd told the counselor earlier that week. A charge of racism had been filed against her, and she'd gotten a warning from the principal. No one else had thought it was funny.
Right now, she looked terrified. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, but what he did know was that he really should have kept his head down. Weird things tended to happen when he got angry. Like pencils exploding in his hand, or locker his door getting bent out of shape when he slammed it closed. He'd been nabbed for destruction of property about nine times in the last month. Not his fault he had a temper.
"I'm writing you up," she said haughtily.
The desk splintered as his hand came down on it. There was a collective gasp from the other kids in the room as they tried to scoot away from him without getting up out of their desks.
Kilik's body vibrated with the need to move, and move now, as if staying still just wasn't an option anymore. His glasses itched on the bridge of his nose, and his clothes itched on his back as he rose from his seat.
"I don't need you to write me up," he said, yanking his backpack off the floor. "I can go to the office myself. I can get suspended again on my own. And I'm never gonna turn your stupid homework in! I leanrt this shit in second grade!"
Ms. Gutierrez took a step back from him as he started walking out of the room.
"And tell the school to not bother billing my momma. Her money's got "better places to go"," he threw over his shoulder.
He hadn't done his homework for a good year, and he wasn't about to start again now. He didn't have the time. What he did have though were a baby brother, and sister that needed him, and a mom that was too zoned out most of the time to care about it.
He skipped going to the office, and instead took the courtesy of sending himself home early for a little R and R before he had to walk over to the Elementary school to get Jake, and Jes.
The knock came on the door at 2:40 pm, just as he was tugging his jacket on, and getting ready to go.
"Are you Kilik Rung?" a man with red hair asked. He nodded stupidly.
"We need to talk to you about the property damage you've caused at school. If you'd come with us."