Write About Me

Chapter Seven: Young Author's Contest

March 12th, 2004 - Harlem, New York

Phabiola Fenty.

Come pick me up early from school. - 11:27am

Chris: No lil bit you need your education & stop texting me in class - 11:28am

I'm in lunch dumbass :P - 11:28am

Chris: Fuck I tell you bout all that cursing lil bit? - 11:29am

Technically, I didn't curse. I didn't say it. - 11:30am

Chris: Don't get smart with me lil girl. I ain't coming to get you early - 11:30am

Chris please! We're not even doing anything for the rest of the day :(((

Chris: I said no ttyl lil bit

I sighed putting my phone back in my pocket. It was worth a try. Today everything was slow because we were getting ready to go on spring recess. I didn't have to come to school but my Literature teacher asked me to. He says he had something for me to look at. I hope it's another book. Every time he gives me a book it always helps inspire me and help me write better. Reading seems to make my writing allot better. I waited for the bell to ring again, so I could get out of lunch. I didn't even eat lunch. I can't. I can't afford school lunch. Sometimes my mom would have enough top ramen for me to bring to school but other than that it's not much.

The be finally rang, and I walked up to the third floor to Literature with Mr. Moriarty. He's twenty-nine and all the girls go crazy over him because he's so young. I just think he's funny and is very creative when it comes to the curriculum. I was the first person in there and he was putting items on our desks. I knew what this was. We were getting ready to write a paragraph about the item. I loved doing that.

"Ms. Fenty, just the person I wanted to see. Come." He beckoned me over to his desk.

I walked over to where sit in the front putting my backpack in my seat. Then I made my way over to his desk.

"Yes Mr. M?"

He pulled out a flyer and we both rested our hands on his desk looking at it.

"What's this?" I scrunched my face up at it.

"It's a flyer for The Annual Young Authors Contest. I think you should give it a try." He handed me the flyer.

"I-I don't think so. I'm not even all that good." I blushed in embarrassment.

"No, you're a phenomenal writer Ms. Fenty. I deeply encourage you to join the contest." He looked down at me.

Students began coming in as the warming bell rang.

"Think about it." He said when I walked back to my desk.

The class started and I had to write about a toy crown he'd put on my desk. I wrote a paragraph basically saying that it belonged to a princess who stood up for what she believed in. And because that she was slain. But they keep her crown in a case for display in her old kingdom as a symbol of being brave and courageous. We had fifteen minutes to do so. And once they were up, Mr. M would always randomly pick a name out the class hat to read their paragraph.

"Alrighty, Susie tell us what you wrote about." He smiled and the girls sighed at him. Girls these days.

"Well Mr. Moriarty, this..object here." Susie started awkwardly picking up the can of sardines. The class laughed and I giggled into my flattened hair. She's one of the funniest in the class.