Chapter One:
Blame God
“LISTEN UP, EVERYONE,” said Ms. Iyo. “There’s something very important we need to talk about.”
Almost immediately, the classroom’s usual morning hustle and bustle fell silent. Ms. Iyo was a young teacher with an openhearted demeanor—always smiling and well liked by all for treating students like they were her friends and not just a group of unruly kids she’d been tasked with babysitting. So for a teacher like her to walk into homeroom with a no-nonsense look on her face and an “important” announcement was more than enough to make everyone shut up and listen.
I tried to imagine what it could possibly be. There was a soberness to her expression that told me she wasn’t about to share that she was getting married, or that she’d be transferring to another school, or that another cigarette butt had been found in the boys’ bathroom. Then, like an epiphany, a thought popped into my head—one scant possibility that seemed as if it might just fit the look on her face. Part of me hoped I was right, while another part would almost rather I was completely mistaken.
“Okay,” she said, turning toward the classroom door. “Come on in.”
The sliding door rattled open, and a new student walked into class.
Behind me, someone gasped. I could tell my fellow classmates were all completely dumbfounded. Granted, I couldn’t believe my eyes at first either—but strangely enough, I was slowly coming to terms.
Guess we’re not just pretending it never happened after all.