Heart and Soul

Chapter Four:School call School plan

#TheWriteWay #SUAW

The morning that is a school morning but I have been missing many days. The Monday morning of April 1st Vanille's phone rings. On the screen, she sees that it's the school calling.

I am in the living room looking at the phone I see unnamed texts I open them reading them out loud. "Mocha what are you now a drop out barista?" I only have the bearings to read one out loud as in now my eyes are waterworks.

The soft feeling of Vanille's hand on my shoulder, with her soft voice "Mocha the school just called me and they said that if you do not go back to school today that they will be forced to be hailed back from tenth grade. You have to go back and go to the principal's office today."

The next morning I'm in the car in the front seat as my sister drives me to school.

In the principal's office I sit out in the waiting room. I open my song book and begin to write. Some kids saw me from the windows of the office and they knock on the door I look at them. They begin to mock me and make fun of me of my stutter. I look down almost in tears.

My sister standing next to me as she hast to talk to the principal because she is my guardianship.

" Hey sis do you know what they are going to be talking about" She looks down. " I"m worried that I have done something wrong what have I done wrong?"

The student that is working at the front desk of the office calls my name and I look at her.

"Miss Mocha Starr principal has requested that you go to her office now." The student that works at the office speaks clearly.

I am sitting in the chair next to my sister and in front of the principal. My stomach is tossing and turning into knots I look down at the ground.

The principal begins to speak as she is looking at the charts on the computer. "Hello miss Vanille Starr are you Mocha Starr's guardian?"

I sit there quiet as I can be watching them two talk.

" Yes I have guardianship over my sister Mocha."

" Okay thank you for this information now I can talk to you about how Mocha is doing in school and the actions we have to make."

I watch them talk and I begin to fiddle with my fingers.

"Hey Mocha can you look up you need to pay attention also this meeting is about you." My sister firmly with a gentle smile.

I nod at her and look up making eye contact with the principal. The principal begins to speak looking directly at me switching eye contact with me and my sister.

"I'm sorry that I had to bring her with bad news but." what I am going to be talking about is mocha's grades they are all pretty low in to almost feeling most of her classes."

I just look away from the teacher as my stomach that butterflies are flying I watch my sisters face.

" so you're telling me that my sister may have to redo 10th grade?"

"Yes I am saying that is most likely what it's going to happen and a few changes we are gonna have to make a IEP for her."

I am looking at her squinting my eyes in a confused look. "" wait are you saying that I won't be going to 11th grade and I will be held back and redoing 10th grade or am I getting held back further I'm going back to a different grade?"

The principal folds her arms in front of her on her desk. "Yes that is potentially what I am saying the school board and the school staff has made a decision that we are going to hold you back a few grades Because you are not passing that's great so we cannot have you go to the next grade of 11th grade."

"And what a belt the IEP what are you talking about when you're saying that we are going to change that?" Vanille questions.

My heart is racing and I start breathing heavily and fastI begin to cough as I begin hyperventilating.

I see all eyes on me as they pause on the conversation that they are having about my new IEP I see my sister going through her bag.

"Are you okay Mocha do you need to go to the nurse's room?" The principle responds to my anxiety attack.

" no no I do not need to go to the nurses office I am fine now." I breathe in and out of my sister constantly down with her talking to me in a quiet soft voice.

"So principal when do we need to do a IEP meeting to set everything up?" Vanille looks at her.

The principal writes down on a green sticky note the time that the IEP meeting will occur. Then I noticed that she looks at me while she hands off the sticky note to my sister.

"Now Mocha you cannot miss any more school you are already behind not even talking about you getting held back you need to stay in school and the teachers will give you the ketchup packets that you need to do by the end of this year."

I am not at her with a shy smile on my face. "I'm sorry sis." I say underneath my breath as we walk out of the principal's office.