“Oh my God. I told my sisters the same thing, but he’s from Savannah,” Noelani replied before I could.
“They haven’t mentioned having any relatives in Savannah. So, are you ready for school to start?” Rue asked Noelani.
“I could use a few more weeks off, but I’m not dreading it as much as I was at the beginning of the week. Violet’s all by her lonesome now that Sage graduated. How’s she feeling about it?”
“That’s a conversation for another day, but she’ll be okay. Oh, Rocky and Briar just came out of the bathroom. We’ll catch up soon.”
“Okay. Bye.”
When Rue said the name Rocky, she captured my full attention. I watched as she walked toward the bathroom, stopping when she reached a man with locs and a young boy. The man took Bliss from Rue’s arms and planted kisses all over her chubby cheeks before holding her with one arm and wrapping the other around Rue.
As they headed toward the restaurant doors, he waved and nodded his head in our direction, and Noelani returned his greeting with a wave. I didn’t know what Rocky looked like, but with Rue mentioning I looked like her brother-in-law, I knew there was a strong possibility that the man I’d just seen was my brother.
“You okay, baby? You look like you just saw a ghost,” Noelani said.
The server arrived with our food, which distracted her attention. We enjoyed lunch, but knowing that I’d possibly just seen my brother for the first time remained on my mind.
“It’s your senior year,Michael. You have to do something different if you want different results.”
“I know, Ms. T. I promise this year will be my best year.”
Michael had been on my caseload since I started at the high school. For the past two years, I watched him be his own worst enemy. He definitely had some family trauma that affected many of his decisions, but he’d begun making better choices at the end of the last school year.
“I’m counting on you to keep your word.”
We stood, and I escorted him out of my office and to the main entrance of student services. I was surprised to see Ramina sitting in our waiting area with a frown.
“Wassup, Ramina?” Michael asked in a flirtatious manner.
“Boy, get your behind outta this office and go straight to class,” I told him, playfully pushing him out the door.
“I’ll see you later, Ramina!” he shouted over my shoulder.
I closed the door and looked at Ramina. Her smile was as bright as the sun, which was vastly different from five seconds prior.
“What are you smiling about because seconds ago you were frowning?” I asked.
“Nothing. He’s cute,” she responded with a giggle.
I shook my head. “Heis off limits. What are you doing in here? Is everything okay?”
“Can we talk in your office?”
“Sure. Follow me.”
It was the third week of school, and things were beginning to settle down. The first two weeks were always a bit chaotic, but thankfully, it got progressively better. I met with Ramina during the first week, and she graciously gave me the rundown of her academic and behavioral history since we hadn’t received her records.
Rowdy confirmed what she told me, and she’d been honest about her shortcomings. Our goal for her final year of high school was for her to stay out of trouble and make at least one friend. I connected her and Violet, and they seemed to click right away, but her presence in my office concerned me.
“What’s going on?” I asked once we were seated in my office.
“Is it possible to have my locker moved?”
“It’s allowed on a case-by-case basis. What’s the problem?”
She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Excuse my language, but I’m trying not to beat someone’s ass.”
“Who?”
