Read Online Plunking Reggie Jackson by James Bennett - Free Book Online Page B

spend time with me.”
    Now she was pissing him off. He picked up his books. “That’s bullshit, Ruthie, and you know it. Who am I supposed to be afraid of?”
    â€œOh. Did I forget I’m talking to Coley Burke? I should remember that you’re one of the lucky few who go beyond the need for peer approval.”
    â€œWhy don’t you get going? You must have other people to annoy.”
    When he got to the office, Coley was relieved to find he wasn’t in trouble. Mrs. Alvarez wanted help moving some boxes from the trunk of her car. “How did you know where to find me?” he asked her.
    â€œI’m real smart that way, Coley. I know this is your study hall, and I know there aren’t any magazines or sports pages in the auditorium.”
    â€œHow long will this take?”
    â€œMaybe ten minutes, fifteen at the most.”
    Coley shrugged. He didn’t know why Mrs. Alvarez wanted him to be the box mover, but he said, “Okay, let’s go.”
    Her car was in aisle H, so it was nearly a hundred yards from the front door of the school. A sharp wind was blowing. There were two boxes, about the same size, taped shut. Mrs. Alvarez told him one was light, full of tissue-paper balls that might be used at the prom. The other box, the one she wanted him to carry, was full of books.
    â€œThe prom is a long way off,” Coley observed. “Why are you bringing decorations?”
    â€œI needed the books, so why not bring the other things too? Makes one trip out of it.”
    The books were heavy, but he didn’t complain. Before they got to the front door, he asked her if she’d spoken to Grissom about his book reports.
    â€œDo you mean Mrs . Grissom?”
    â€œThat would be the one. Mrs. Grissom.”
    â€œYes, I spoke to her. She said she has both of your reports but hasn’t graded them yet.”
    Damn , he thought. I need those grades .
    â€œAnd by the way, Coley, that other book you reported on? The one whose title you couldn’t remember?”
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œIt was The Old Man and the Sea , by Ernest Hemingway.”
    â€œThat sounds right.” When they reached the front foyer door, Coley had to shift the heavy box onto a hip in order to toss the door open and hold it against the wind.
    They were walking in the hallway, side by side. He noticed how, carrying a large box, Mrs. Alvarez seemed so small. “That’s not a title many people forget,” she went on. “That book’s a classic.”
    â€œWhy is this, like, an issue with you? I forgot the name of a book I read.”
    â€œBecause I know a lot more about your academic history than I used to. I’ve been doing some investigating.”
    Oh, shit , Coley thought. As soon as they reached her office, he put his box on the floor next to the desk.
    Mrs. Alvarez took her seat in the chair behind her desk. She told him, “You were a good student until the ninth grade.”
    Coley sat down in the chair across from her. It appeared they were going to have a conversation. “So?”
    â€œSo, then your grades started slipping. They still are.”
    â€œI’m probably not the first person that ever happened to.”
    â€œProbably not. Your brother, Patrick, on the other hand, was never a good student.”
    â€œHow do you know all of this stuff?”
    â€œI told you,” said Mrs. Alvarez. “I’ve been doing some investigating. Student records are kept on the computer. They’re not hard to find.”
    Coley didn’t like the way this visit was developing. He sat up straighter in his chair. “Are there any more boxes to move, or are we done now?”
    â€œWe’re done with boxes, but I’d really like to visit with you for a little while.”
    He was anxious to know what grades he might be getting on the two book reports. If he was good with those, he wouldn’t have to worry about his baseball