“And,” Dwayne continued, “just ’cause you don’t wanna go to college doesn’t mean none of us do. Leave us alone.”
“You’re a fucking little loser like your little friend here. All you two do is read. You suck at gym, and you run like pussies.”
Enough was enough. “What’s going on, guys?” Brandon sauntered over to the group, and the two older boys sprang away from the younger ones. “Is there a problem?”
“Nah, Mr. Gilbert, uh, we were just talking.” Wilson spoke fast, but Brandon could see there was a silent communication between him and Dwayne.
“Looked to me like more than talking was going on.” He directed his gaze at the two older boys. “Are you supposed to be here after school?”
When the boys hesitated, Brandon snapped. “From what I know, you both could benefit from some extra study time, but if you don’t belong here, I suggest you leave now.” He turned to Dwayne and Wilson. “Let’s go to my classroom.”
He let the boys pass in front of him, and then when he saw that the two older ones remained where they stood, he glared at them, summoning up all his anger. “Didn’t I say to leave?”
Mumbling under their breaths, they picked up their backpacks from where they’d left them strewn on the floor and hurried down the hallway. Brandon made sure they disappeared from sight before turning back to his two students. “Ready, guys?”
They stood before him, both of their faces a mirror of disbelief. “Wow, Mr. Gilbert, you really told them. They’re always calling us names, and their brother also teases us.” Wilson’s eyes reflected admiration as well.
They reached the classroom, and when they’d settled into their seats, Brandon wanted a bit more information.
“Are you two being bullied by only them, or are there others as well?”
Again they shot each other looks.
“Come on, guys”—Brandon came from around the desk to sit in a chair across from them—“I can’t help you if you won’t tell me the whole story. I know you’ve had problems.” He’d hoped they trusted him enough by now to open up and tell him everything. “I’m glad you’re going to be coming regularly to the after-school center. But I’d like more information on what’s happening in school. Are they the only ones bullying you, or are there others who give you trouble?”
“They’re the worst ones.” Wilson spoke to the floor. “They’re always calling names like ‘wimp’ and ‘faggot’ to our faces.”
“Yeah, me too,” said Dwayne. “Among other stuff.”
“So why didn’t you boys say anything to me or anyone else?” Brandon kept his tone gentle. He knew about peer pressure. It wasn’t that long since he’d been in a classroom as a student, and he remembered the derisive sneer of students when they found someone to pick on. Back in his small town the guys had always looked at him as strange for never dating or showing interest in any of the girls they went to school with.
Each boy shrugged, and Dwayne spoke. “Well, we figured it’s only gonna be like one more year until we can get out maybe and go to a different place for high school, so we didn’t want to make any waves.”
“I thought they’d leave us alone by now,” said Wilson, his sneakered toe drawing a circle on the floor. “I mean, we never said anything to them. Why do they have to pick on us?”
The age-old question and one Brandon had no answer to. “Let’s not concentrate on them now.” Brandon knew he’d have to report it to the school, and he wanted to talk to their parents as well. “I printed out copies of practice tests from the previous specialized high school standardized tests and made each of you copies.” He handed the packets over to the two boys. “I figured we’d start by going over how the test is set up and study models for each section.”
He spent the next hour explaining the different sections of the test and going over the first set of questions. Both boys picked up the format very quickly, and they were working out a trigonometry question when Brandon caught sight of the time.
“Oh wow, guys, it’s almost six o’clock.” They’d only planned to be there until five. “Call your parents right away and tell them you’re with me, and I’ll walk you home.” While they made their calls, he packed up his laptop and checked his phone. By the time he was finished, they’d finished their calls.
“My mom was worried,” said Wilson. “I hope she’s not mad at you, Mr. Gilbert.”
“It’s okay; this was my fault. She should be mad at me.” Brandon shepherded them out of the room in front of him, and they quickly left the school and stepped out into the chilly autumn night. “How far do you guys live from here?”
“Only a few blocks.” They began to walk, and within fifteen minutes the dark shapes of the collection of apartment buildings that made up the project where the boys lived loomed up in front of him.
“This is it; you don’t have to take us up. It’s okay.” Dwayne hefted his backpack on his shoulder, and he and Wilson took off before Brandon had a chance to respond. Walking back toward the train station, Brandon figured the last thing the kids would want was to be seen hanging around with their teacher.
He texted Tash he was on his way to the carriage house. Feeling a little guilty he’d been spending so much time away, he’d told Esther he would take her and Louisa out to dinner the next night, when he knew Tash would be working late.
His phone pinged a response.
Patient with a crisis. Home late. Wait for me for dinner.
At least he wasn’t late. He decided to stop at the supermarket on the way home and make something nice for dinner. He grinned to himself as he ran down the steps to the subway, hoping to catch the incoming train. It had been hard to sit down today, with how sore his ass was after he and Tash had been up half the night. Tash had proved to be an insatiable lover, and Brandon was happy to reciprocate, kiss for kiss and stroke for stroke.
The sway of the train made it tempting to close his eyes and sleep, but Brandon knew the danger of that. He fought the pull and finally got off at his stop. It only took half an hour to pick out a roast for dinner and the ingredients for mashed potatoes that he knew Tash would love. With a start, he realized how domesticated this all was, and how much he enjoyed it.
