Chapter Eight: the School yard
“He is awake now. Do you want to speak with him?
“Yes, put him on the phone,” Mimi says.
The nurse hands the phone to Tre. He listens for a long time, then says, “Ok, Mimi, I will,” and hands the phone back to the nurse.
“O.K., with your permission I’ll send him back to class. Goodbye.” Your grandmother will pick you up at 3 o’clock. Sit here and rest until next period, then I’ll send back to class.”
He plays with two students while he waits in the nurse’s office. “It’s time for recess,” Tre says as she writes the pass.
“Write it to the recess teacher,” he says then he skips out the office and into the yard to deliver the pass.
Unwin looks down from the second floor classroom through the metal gated window, into a sea of joyous, exuberant children and sees Tre break wildly into the yard to join them and chase a basketball that rolls across the yard. He bumps into Jonathan.
“Tre’s on meds. His grandmother put him on meds,” he laughs.
Tre freezes and Unwin observes a group of children spiral around the two boys who face each other. He knows he has played a part in this dangerous dance. He sees Tre push Jonathan and Jonathan push him back. Tre hits him and the students erupts into chaotic delirium. Immediately the boys are on the ground and the stronger boy pins Tre motionless on the hot black asphalt yard. A teacher aid pulls them apart and leads Tre and Jonathan into the building. Tre breaks free and is grabbed by a second aid.
Minutes later Unwin hears his name on the intercom as the principal summons him to the office.
“What happened?” he hears her say to the boys as he walk into the office..
“He made fun of my grandmother,’ Tre says panting and glaring at Jonathan.
“Unwin told the us that Tre was going to the nurse for medication,” Jonathan says.
“No, you grabbed the pass that he gave to me,” Tre says. “You took it,” he repeats. “You told everybody. I gave the note to the teacher and he put it on my desk and Jonathan read it.”
“Thank you, that will be all for now,” the principal says as she seats the boys at opposite sides of the main office. “I will follow up with your mothers” she says.
“My grandmother,” Tre corrects her, “My mother’s gone.”
“And his father’s dead,” Jonathan adds.
“You see,” Tre says crying and wiping red blood off his almond colored cheek. “He’s always starting
“Mr. Unwin, I will speak with you later.”