I need to take baby steps with Kayla to gain leeway.
“Your nail polish is super cool. Pink is my favorite color.”
“I have a tub of different colors at home.” She smiles, sad eyes brightening a little.
“Neat. You’ll have to show me sometime.”
“Okay.” She looks at my hand. “Your nails are so long.”
“I know, and they can be a pain in the butt sometimes.” I scrunch my nose.
“They’re pretty.”
“Thank you.”
“Are they acrylic?”
“Yep. I see you’re a nail connoisseur, like myself.” I grin.
She blushes bright red. “I watch a lot of YouTube videos about nails.”
“Cool. Do you mind if I sit down?” I ask, hoping Kayla is more at ease.
“No,” she answers timidly.
I settle in the chair next to her.
She slowly picks up the pencil and begins working on her assignment again.
“Is that your homework?”
She nods in answer.
I glance at the paper. “Fractions are awesome.”
“I hate them,” she gripes, face contorting in displeasure.
“They can be a bit confusing, but not to fear, I’m here to help.”
I notice a few problems were solved incorrectly.
“Kayla, some of these aren’t quite right.”
She huffs angrily and tears spring into her eyes.
“Hey, don’t be upset.” I rub her back in comfort. “Learning is a process of trial and error.”
“Why was I born stupid?” She sniffles. “It’s not fair.”
“Don’t ever call yourself that.”
“All the kids do.”
“Screw them.”
Kayla inhales a surprised breath at my blunt comment, then giggles.
“You learn at a different pace and that’s perfectly fine. Imagine how boring the world would be if everyone were the same.”
