A Heart of Gold

Chapter 1

Lynn,

I need to see you at 3:45 today, immediately after you dismiss your class.

Thanks,

Jane

I sigh and roll my eyes as I close the email, and stand wearily from my desk. Good grief, what now? I can only imagine. Am I getting another new student- where will I even put another kiddo? Is there a new committee she wants me to lead- what more can I take on? Oh no... is it a call from Child Protective Services about one of my little ones?

"You cheated!"

"Did not! That's crap and you know it!"

"Miss J- they.."

Worries about my principal's vague message are exchanged for new ones as my kids tumble into the classroom, wound up and sweaty from gym class.  As they shout at each other, I reach an arm around each of their shoulders, pulling them into my side, one to each hip. I take an exaggerated inhale through my nose and nod at them to do the same. We exhale slowly together.

I remember loving gym class as a kid. A chance to play with my friends and blow off some steam. But here, gym often ends in disaster. Simple conflicts seem to trigger something deeper in my kids- the constant, gnawing feeling of injustice, and it causes their tempers to flare. We have daily class talks about how we are a family, how we love and respect and take care of each other. And their language. Always about their language! I have a class of 4thgraders who swear like sailors.

I wonder if Jane's request is related to the activity I've noticed lately after school. On days I've stayed late to work and plan, there has been a small fleet of sleek vehicles in the parking lot. I've watched her and our custodial staff walk the building with men in suits I don't recognize. Perhaps a new custody battle or security issue?

This kind of activity wasn't unusual in my previous building. When I taught at Sunview Academy in the heart of posh Beverly Hills, it seemed standard for kids to have their own security detail. The privileged children of the rich and famous came with full-time nannies and tutors to accompany them on their trips around the world. They had wardrobes that made me jealous. They rode in cars that cost more than I've made since I've started teaching.

Teaching in Beverly Hills was fabulous. The private academy I was in lacked nothing. Teachers and support staff for every possible need. Small class sizes. A healthy budget, classrooms wired with all the technology I could wish for and shelves upon shelves of books. The building itself was sleek and modern and gorgeous. And vacation stays in ski lodges as Christmas gifts were a nice perk, too!

Not in South LA.

Addiction. Domestic abuse. Court appointed guardians.

Most of my families here are clutching to the edge in the pool of poverty, desperate to keep their noses above the surface. And many are drowning in the deep end.

Kids here wear hand-me-downs that don't fit. They eat free breakfast and lunch at school. They live with extended family in small apartments. They are witness to events, at home and in their neighborhoods, that would make me cry.

But they also have grit that I envy. And courage that I admire. And resilience that astounds me. My encouragement is sometimes the only positive they hear all day. And I love them.

I feel a twinge in my gut thinking of Beverly Hills, and the long and winding road that brought me here. But I'm thankful for every day of it.

***

Conflict resolved and the day ended, I take a look around me. My classroom is a happy mess. I run around to straighten bookshelves, replenish pencils and crayons and put writing pieces up on the bulletin board, then head down to see my principal.

Jane's office looks a lot like my classroom. But it is a welcoming place with portraits of her in crayon on her wall behind her desk. Plastic totes in the corner spill over with clothes and shoes, as her office is the collection center for donations to be given out. Bags of apples and boxes of granola bars wait on her table, ready for empty tummies.

Exhausted, I plop into the chair in front of her desk and prepare myself for the added responsibility she is about to lay on my shoulders. She mirrors my tired smile. "How did things go today, Lynn?"

"No tears today, only one argument AND we conquered long division!" I cheer.

"Well, now. That's three wins, isn't it?" she beams at me.

"Yes, absolutely. So, what do you need from me?" I ask.

She shuffles some file folders around on her desk. "Alright. Now... I had it here this morning," she mumbles and I giggle.

Jane has a huge heart and is unflappable in any crisis, exactly what an elementary principal should be. On the flip side, though, her emails pile up, voice mails continuously blink on her phone and stacks of papers make small avalanches on her desk. Her secretary is a saint.

"I've had visitors from some celebrity's production company, looking for kids to be extras in a movie... or video or something. They want kids who are about 9 or 10, so that would be your 4thgraders. But..." and she rattles through a long list of potential problems. She worries about legal issues, security, permission, the distraction from academics, but I don't hear much of it. My mind screams FUN.

"Jane! This is just what we need- some fun! You know how heavy things are around here. Oh my gosh, they'll have the time of their lives!"

She winks at me. " I knew you'd say that, Lynn."

"I'm in! 100 percent. I'll make up the academics that we'd miss." I am a little surprised, though, that this person is looking in our area, when many of the kids who live just north of here have their own agents. "Who is the celebrity?"

"Umm.. let me see." She rifles though more papers. "Oh, here. Harry Styles?"

A/N

Welcome to my first book!  A short chapter to get you going.

Hope you're interested- leave me a vote and a comment if you are!

Also, hop over to my One Shots book if you need something steamy right now :)

Thanks for reading~

xx

~S