“Her unusual behavior yesterday aside, Laleh is at the top of her class. She’s the first one to turn in assignments. She’s reading well above grade level. And I’m worried she’s not being challenged in class.” Miss Hawn cleared her throat and tucked a stray lock of banana split behind her ear. “I think that might be playing into some of her behavior lately.”
Next to me, Laleh crossed her arms and looked at her feet. She was wearing her favorite white sneakers, and she kept tapping her heels together, like Dorothy trying to wish herself back home.
I raised my hand.
Some habits die hard.
Miss Hawn’s nose scrunched up as she half smiled. “Yes?”
“Well.” I swallowed. “What about the other kids?”
She blinked.
“What about them?”
“Well, what happened to the kids who keep calling Laleh ‘Lolly’ on purpose?”
She blinked again. “I don’t... hmm. I haven’t noticed that. I promise I’ll pay closer attention.”
“What about Micah calling her a terrorist?”
Miss Hawn’s eyes went wide.
“Micah said that?”
Laleh was still staring at her feet. I felt her shake a little next to me, so I put my hand on her knee and squeezed it. After a second, she nodded.
“That’s certainly unacceptable,” Miss Hawn said. “But I don’t think he understands the context of what he’s saying.”
My voice shook. “I think he does.” Grandma put her hand on my shoulder, but I kept going. “He sees stuff like that on TV all the time. That’s how white people see people like Laleh and me.”
Miss Hawn clenched her hands.
“Not all of us,” she said.
“That’s not—”
But Grandma cut me off. “I think what Darius is trying to say is that it seems you’re singling her out by only punishing her.”
I blinked at Grandma.
That wasn’t what I was trying to say at all.
I was trying to explain what it was like for Laleh.
For me.
Grandma never seemed to want to know about that, though.
Miss Hawn cleared her throat again. “I’ll talk to Micah tomorrow. But I’d like for us to focus on Laleh’s future.”
“What about it?” Grandma asked.
“I’d like for Laleh to take the test for the district’s gifted program. Her OAKS scores are exemplary, and her other teachers think it would be good for her too.”
Grandma looked at me and then at Laleh, who kicked her heels together again.
And then she nodded to herself and turned back to Miss Hawn.
