He settles on seeking refuge in the ever helpful Ms. Denise’s room. She doesn’t have a class this period so he slips in and locks the door behind him. This time he doesn’t acknowledge the new Chemistry Joke of the Day on the board, nor does he reach into the freshly stocked chocolate jar on the desk, so Ms. Denise immediately puts down the papers she is grading and looks directly into her favorite student’s eyes, where she senses his emotions and prepares herself to listen.
Tyree begins to recount the events of the past week: His Algebra I teacher told him that he wouldn’t be surprised if he failed his course this semester and that offering him extra credit would be a waste of both of their time; He walked in on his mother crying on the kitchen floor lying next to her infamous needle and a blue notice that they will be kicked out of the austere excuse for a living space that they called home for too many unfortunate years; His girlfriend left him for the closest friend that he thought he had after he confided in her that he wanted to quit his side hustle, focus on school so that he could possibly go to college and work his way to the top the right way; and lastly he told her about his latest victimization by the same “close friend” that he thought he had.