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She shakes her head "You can’t sit here and tell me that didn’t piss you off I mean, I called you thirty different names in front of the entire class!"

"I didn’t say it didn’t piss hs "So you were mad at me" She lies back down on her pillow "Let rets

I’VE GONE AS slowly as possible I’ve called on each student, never rushed them, never even timed them Usually they don’t spit them out this fast Of course, as soon as Gavin finishes his poem, there’s still five minutes to spare I have no choice but to call on her I waited until last, hoping the bell would ring I don’t know if I’et up and speak after what happened between us last night, or if I’ht say Either way, it’s her turn and I have no choice but to call her up

I clear my throat and atteled She walks to the front of the room and leaves her poele word yesterday in class And considering the events that transpired in htand confident and has apparently memorized whatever it is she’s about to perform It sort of terrifies ins

Shit What the hell could she possibly need to ask? She left so angry last night, I wouldn’t be surprised if she outs ht here and now Hell, she’s probably about to ask me if I kick all my students out of o-ahead for her questionbut all I really want to do is run to the bathroom and puke

"Is there a ti a norh of relief and clear my throat "No, it’s fine Remember, there are no rules"

"Good," she says "Okay, then My poem is called Mean"

The blood rushes from my head and pools in my heart as soon as the title flows froins

According to the thesaurus

and according to s and substitutions for the word

mean

(SHE RAISES HER voice and yells the rest of the poe me to flinch)

Jackass, jerk, cruel, dickhead, unkind, harsh, wicked, hateful, heartless, vicious, virulent, unrelenting, tyrannical, malevolent, atrocious, bastard, barbarous, bitter, brutal, callous, degenerate, brutish, depraved, evil, fierce, hard, implacable, rancorous, pernicious, inhumane, monstrous, merciless, inexorable

And my personal favorite--asshole

MY PULSE IS pounding al out of her s, I sit stunned as most of the students make their way past my desk I can’t believe she just did that!

"The date," I hear Eddie saying to her The word "date" snaps me back into the moment "You said you’d have to ask yournext to Lake’s desk and Eddie has her back turned to me

"Oh, that," Lake says She looks over Eddie’s shoulder and directly at me "Yeah, sure," she says "Tell Nick I’d love to"

I’ve never had a problem with my temper before, but it’s alle emotion I had was er, bitterness, love, jealousy I’m unable to control any of it when I’m around her The fact that she apparently had been asked out by Nick before our little incident last night solare at her, open rade book inside it, then slam it shut When Eddie spins around, startled at the noise, I quickly stand up and begin wiping the board

"Great," Eddie says, her attention back to Lake now "Oh, and we decided on Thursday so after Getty’s we can go to the slaet it out of the way You want us to pick you up?"

"Uh, sure," Lake says

Lake could have at least had the decency to agree to a date when she’s not standing five feet froht I’d be pissed at her But she see that that happens Once Eddie leaves the classroom, I drop the eraser and turn back toward Lake I fold s and heads toward the door, not once looking in ret before I even say it