The bell rang, and I quietly took attendance while my class completed their bell work. Just after I saved the attendance, my classroom door opened and my lips flattened to convey how unamused I was.
“Marcus, the rules explicitly stated that masks and costumes were not allowed to be worn by middle and high schoolers today. That was reserved for the elementary age kids,” I scolded the seventh period class clown as he walked in wearing a Ghost Face mask.
It was Halloween, and these students were in rare form, probably high off sugar. Several announcements were made reminding students that masks and costumes were strictly prohibited. Marcus was a senior, so he knew the rules better than me since that was my first Halloween at the school.
My nephew Nash was the star of the track team, and his parents attended every meet and tournament. My brother was also locked in with the staff and coaches at the school. When they heard the school was hiring a wrestling coach, he connected me to the athletic director, and the rest was history. I was informed that it was a small team in the rebuilding phase after a drama-filled season the year prior, but I was optimistic about getting involved with wrestling again. The conversation started with wrestling, but ended with me filling the open math teacher position as well.
“My bad, Ms. H,” he apologized, pulling the mask off his head. “I thought you were the cool teacher.”
“It’s Ms. Hunter, and you thought wrong,” I corrected him.
“Man, why you trying to act all strict?” Catherine muttered.
“First, I am a woman. Ms. Hunter. Please don’t make me say it again,” I doubled down. “Although this isn’t an English class, we will speak proper English in my AP classes. How would you like to rephrase your statement?”
“Why are you trying to appear to be strict? I know you’re throwing on a costume and going out tonight. I thought the preacher’s kids went to church on Halloween. You will probably be in Ybor throwing that a…”
“Catherine!” I boomed before she could finish her statement.
My AP Precalculus class was my only senior class, and my God, they were the rowdiest. I guess coming to the end of your high school career would do that to you.
“I’m just saying. I follow your sister-in-law on Instagram, and she posted y’all Halloween pictures from last year this morning. Yo twin brother is fineeeeeee, so fine that I almost didn’t notice Ms. Hunter in costume on the devil’s day,” she joked.
My eyes ballooned, and I made the mental note to tell Nariyah not to post any additional pictures of me on hersocial media accounts. At least my strict parents helped make it difficult for my students to get into my business. For that, I would always be thankful.
A text popped up on my MacBook from Kenny, and I quickly read the preview. That was Rashawn’s alias in my phone. Kenny was short for his middle name, Kentrel.
Kenny: I miss you already and you still in the city.
Me: I miss you too. I’ll be back Sunday evening. I’ll even skip dinner if you have hibachi waiting for me when I get home.
Kenny: You know I got you.
Nine months ago, we made a vow to each other that I planned to keep. Initially, I wasn’t sure if Rashawn was serious about his new life path, but so far, he has made me a believer. Rashawn took the initiative to form a study group with two other men from his Elementary Calculus course, and I would help them prepare for tests. Then every time I entered Rashawn’s house and found him studying, my hormones raged, making our bout with abstinence extremely difficult. Especially the way he handled my body in his truck that last time. I think the rush was different since we weren’t in the privacy of a bedroom.
“Pull it up, let us see,” Marcus pleaded, pulling me out of my trip down memory lane.
Desks and chairs scraped the floors while they scrambled to crowd around Catherine’s desk. “Catherine, if you pull that phone out and violate the no phones policy, I swear I’ll confiscate it and email your mom,” I threatened, pointing my finger at the no phones signage posted above my head.
“Oop, y’all will have to find the page for yaselves. My mom is letting me have a little get together tonight, and I am not messing that up for y’all,” she sassed.
Groans, teeth sucking, and murmurs erupted as they reclaimed their seats. “Now you guys are worried about the wrong thing. You could’ve been in here reviewing notes because it is test day,” I reminded them.
More groaning and teeth sucking sounded off again. Ignoring the commotion, I lifted the pile of polynomial function tests from my desk and went down the rows passing them out. The room instantly fell silent, and I was out of the hot seat. This class was full of college bound students who didn’t play about their grades. They locked in, calculators out, paper to pencils, and I was able to sit behind my desk in peace and quiet.
Staring out over the class, I couldn’t believe I found myself teaching high school math after years with my elementary school babies. In my thirty-five years of life, I don’t think I’d ever been as nervous as I was when I walked onto the massive campus on the first day of school. It was an intimidating change, but I was two months in and enjoying the journey. Especially since the wrestling team started preseason warm ups that week.
When the bell rang, all of the students passed me their tests on the way out the door. Halloween fell on a Friday, and I was ecstatic to get my last free weekend started. Practice would officially start on Monday, and I’d be busy six days a week to gear up for the intense season. I was nervous yet excited. FAMU didn’t have a women’s wrestling team, so I couldn’t join even if I wanted to, but I used my experience as the team manager during high school to my advantage and secured the position during undergrad as well. I was still close enough to the excitement to enjoy it.
As soon as my students cleared out, I gathered all of the tests I collected throughout the day and placed them into the colorcoordinated folders. Each class had a different color to help me keep things organized. An organizational skill I picked up from my mother. I scurried out of the school because I wanted to get on the road and beat the traffic. My parents’ church always held its annual Fall Festival on Halloween, and I was in charge of face painting.
Since I was driving up on a Friday and we wouldn’t be done until late, I wouldn’t be able to leave until Saturday morning. Going back up again just to turn around for Church Sunday morning wouldn’t make any sense, so I had my weekend bag in my truck, ready to go.
A little over an hour later, I whipped my Lexus RX into the parking lot of my parents’ church in Brooksville. They were still setting up, and we had about thirty minutes before the festival started. My father had a total knee replacement five weeks ago and required a cane to help him walk. He sat at the table beside my mother with his cane grasped in his left hand, opposite the right knee that was in recovery. My mother was seated beside him, stuffing cards in the goodie bags.
“Hello, mother and father,” I greeted them.
“Hello, Elise, how was school today?”
