Beatrix

TWENTY FOUR

Ziyanna shut herself out of the world and into her room. She couldn't stop crying and thinking about all the bad she did. Would she ever do the right thing?

"Yanna?" Goldie called out while walking inside her room. "Girl, how long have you been in here? I haven't even seen you in school. You know your mother works there? She's the new English and creative writing teacher."

"What?" Ziyanna frowned while looking over her shoulder. "She didn't tell me—never mind."

"Well, at least we gotta class together now," she smiled sitting on her bed. "We take creative writing for Miss Delaney."

"I take her class?" She asked sitting up in her bed. "Damn."

"You would know if you came this week," Goldie said with an eye roll. "You missed all last week and now the half of this one. Come to school tomorrow, since it the last day until we're out for Christmas break. You know they having a jamboree."

"I might go," she sighed. "I just got a lot going on right now. If I do go, we have to skip my momma class."

"Why?" She asked. "Miss Delaney is funny and cool as hell. I like her class."

"We fell out," she shrugged. "She ain't tryna see me right now."

"Girl it's the first period of the day, and we on the Jamboree schedule so we only be in there for thirty minutes."

"Fine."

•••

Beatrix planned on having a chill day since she was on an unusual schedule. She had R&B old school music playing quietly on her speaker with her lights turned off.

"Good morning, Bebe," one of her upperclass students smirked at her as came out the teacher's lounge. "You looking fine, as usual."

"Boy don't play with me," she warned. She sipped from her pink mug that stated This Bitch Doesn't Do Mornings. Her red Casadei heels clicked across the hallway floors as she made her way to her classroom.

Teachers had to wear their school shirts since they were having a jamboree. Beatrix wore her red school shirt inside her light blue jeans that had fringe on the side. She wore her wavy hair in a simple low ponytail, smoothing her baby hairs back. Her makeup made her outfit go from basic to baddie. She wore red matted lipstick, thick lashes, and red eye shadow with a cat eye.

Beatrix made it back to her room and seen that all her kids were on time, talking amongst each other quietly. She smiled and greeted them before sitting down, only to get back up.

"Who is that at my door?" She mumbled to herself. When she opened it, Ziyanna stood there looking down at her shoes.

Beatrix folded her arms and leaned on the door, holding a look that meant nothing but business. "Never seen you in class. Where you been?"

"At home," she said lowly still looking down, until Beatrix brought her chin up with her index finger.

"Look at me when you talk," she said sternly. "Now why have you been at home?"

"Ian feel like coming to school," she shrugged.

"You ain't feel like coming to school," she laughed. "Ziyanna? I remember when I got my ass kicked almost everyday, but had to take my ass to school. So until you decide you really feel like coming to school, maybe I'll feel like letting you in."

With that, Beatrix closed her door in her face. She couldn't believe Zane let her stay at home all that time. So this nigga don't know shit about truancy? She thought while dialing his number.