The Book Of Me & You

"And I Will Hide You When It Gets Too Much"

"I understand this is very upsetting -"

"Do you?" She challenged with a crack in her voice, the tears gathering in the brim of her eyes, "Isn't there something you can do?"

"I've tried every avenue possible -"

"Well, try again!"

"We talked about this - I warned you when you averaged your summer school grades that this could happen..." O'Malley unclasped her hands from atop the desk, opening a manila folder, "And then with you missing so much of the school year - to no fault of your own, of course -" sighing, "but my hands are tied with this."

"Couldn't you, um, call a parent teacher conference or something? Have them meet with my dad to give me some extra assignments to help my grade? Or maybe ask for like more extensions -" Her lip wobbled, the frantic stutter peaking through as she tried to keep her emotions under control.

"I'm pretty sure you've maxed out your extensions, Amy." The pen in her hand circled around the document twice, "And honestly the extra course work wouldn't help you since the original course work isn't completed - if anything more work would hurt your grade, not help it." O'Malley closed the folder, biting the tip of her bottom lip nervously, "The fact is without the work, there is no grade, and no grade means no credit, and no credit means -"

"No graduation..." Amy sniffled, closing her eyes and biting the tip of her thumb nail, choking back the lump in her throat as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"We're not trying to hurt you, Amy" Kaitlyn whispered sympathetically, handing the upset young teen a box of Kleenex, "The school understands your situation - they do, which is why you've been allowed extensions, medical absences, and leaving campus whenever you needed to." She paused, closing her eyes for a brief second, "Your teachers understand, but they also can't give you special treatment and allow you to skirt by because you -"

Amy wiped her eyes with the tips of her ring fingers, "Because I chose to have a bab - babies, in high school..." sniffling again.

"Right..." She nodded slowly, allowing the teen to have her moment.

"So that's just it then? It's 2 weeks until graduation, and I'm just out of luck? I don't get to graduate with everyone?" She asked after a few minutes of crying, her voice hoarse, as she tried to reduce the puffiness of her eyes.

"I didn't say that." O'Malley paused, disappearing under her desk, "You're right, though. It is 2 weeks until graduation... which is why I used my last trick in the hat to work something out for you-" popping back up, a black binder in her arm, "most of the students are studying for final exams, or scouting colleges. So there isn't really any new material being taught -"

"And?"

"And... your teachers have agreed to allow you to finish up some of the larger assignments you keep asking for extensions on." Tucking the binder under her arm, she grabbed a pen from the holder, "I'm going to be in and out in meetings most of the day, so you can stay in here and work - without distraction - and get those assignments completed."

Amy's eyes went wide, taking the tip of her bottom lip between her teeth, "Enough to graduate?"

Gripping the binder, Kaitlyn's eyes lowered, "Enough to see where you stand... there is always summer school; you could walk in the ceremony and take courses to complete your credits - like Adrian did."