#4 Truth and Nothing But Read Online Free Page B

seats. We got through class doing what we were told.
    As soon as it was over, he was waiting for me and asked, “You headed to lunch?”
    â€œYeah,” I told him as we walked to the cafeteria together.
    â€œSo what we gonna do? You joined PTSA. You gonna help me change this thing? Your dad being the mayor and all, I know he can help us draw attention to this foolishness. This ain’t right. Taxpayers pay money to help the kids. Not for the money to go into peoples’ pockets. If we don’t have textbooks and we don’t have paper, somebody’s stealing. I’m just saying,” Reese shared.
    I put my hand on his shoulder, and he looked over at me. We stopped walking at that moment and shared a strong look. I didn’t want him to get so upset, so frustrated, and so discouraged. I needed him to be calm, still passionate, but respectful so that we could figure out a plan and get things done. We did not need our attitudes to be perceived the wrong way so that we would get shut down before we got to stand up.
    â€œExcuse me, are you two going to lunch, or you just going to stand in the hallway?” Trevy came between the two of us and said.
    â€œOh, dang,” Reese said. “I left the history book in math class. I’ll catch up.”
    â€œGotcha,” I said as he jetted back. Then I looked at the girl standing real close. “I’ll see you later, Trevy.”
    She tugged me back. “No, don’t go. Let’s walk together.”
    â€œWhy?” I looked at her and said.
    â€œI just want to tell you how petty Reese is. I don’t know what y’all are all chummy talking about, but obviously you didn’t get what I was saying before.”
    Unsure of her motives, I said, “No, I heard you. He was talking about me.”
    â€œYeah, and not just your teeth. He called you an airheaded, stuck-up wench. He said he had no problem using you so that he could get what he wants. I guess he knew what he was talking about,” Trevy said before she walked on ahead.
    Moments later, Reese caught up with me. “Glad you’re still here. You ready to go?”
    â€œNot ready to go anywhere with you,” I said, as I stormed off, mad at his audacity.
    Before I could get too far, Ms. Spears stopped me and pulled me into an empty classroom. “I read the first draft of your article on the growth of PTSA, Sloan, and honestly, I’m disappointed. No way it is publishable material.”
    Confused, I said, “Why? What’s wrong with it?”
    â€œYou need to look at it again. Please don’t submit first drafts that are this grammatically incorrect in the future. In addition, though, you’ve got to dig deeper into the story. You’re going to have to talk to your subject, get to know him, not just breeze over information. Make it juicy so people want to read it. I know this isn’t what you expected to hear because most of your work I’ve loved, but unfortunately, I don’t love this one.”
    She turned around and left me there. It was hard to hear I wasn’t as great a writer as I thought. I had no problem working hard, but now I was going to have to work hard with Reese. A guy I was going to have to be tied to even though I wanted to get far away from him. I was falling for his baloney. No more. Even if I had to talk to him to get the information I needed, I wasn’t going to let him affect me. I was cutting the emotional ties.

    School had been so crazy that I had forgotten that this was my father’s big day. We would find out in a matter of hours whether or not my dad was going to be the next mayor of the city of Charlotte. Thinking about it, I was excited, yet nervous.
    â€œCome on. Our sisters are already gone,” Slade said to me.
    It was so weird. I was usually on top of everything. But I was off my game. Reese was invading my skin like the plague, but for some reason, I didn’t want an