Page 5 of Bad Apple

“Oh, Harper,” he says, straightening. “You don’t have plans. Plans require friends.”

“I might have family plans.”

“You know, Harper, you’re such a smart young lady,” Mr. Behr says. “One day, I’m sure you’ll get into a great college if you study hard and keep your grades up.”

“I got an A in your class last year,” I point out. I’ve never thought of him as threatening, but then, he probably made me feel like I had control on purpose. What power does a sixteen-year-old have over a grown man?

I know what Mom would say. She’d say plenty. She’d cluck her tongue in disgust and say,Girls your age, Harper. Walking around looking like they belong on a street corner. And then they pretend to be the victim when they get what they were asking for all along.

“Yes, you did get an A,” Mr. Behr muses. “You were such a good student, too. So willing to learn and follow instruction. I’d hate to see you have to repeat geometry next year. But then, I could request to have you in my class again…”

I push up out of my desk, pick up my books, and head for the door, pausing just long enough to call back over my shoulder, “I’ll be there.”

*

A Father’s Love

If he knew

I wrote this shit

He’d say

I was less of a man.

If he knew

What happened in the missing days

He’d say

I wasn’t a man at all.

If he knew

There was no hate left inside me

He’d say

I’ve grown.

If he knew

The cold thirst for vengeance where a heart should beat

He’d say

I was justified.

If he knew

It could never be sated

He’d say

“Now there’s a real man.”

So I don’t say anything

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