Southern Secrets Society: The Grooming | #Suspense | RomePi™

͋ 2 ͋ School Honor (BWWM)

LOVEALL, AR
Announcement (1991)

"Alright, class it's time to settle down... SETTLE DOWN!" He lifted his voice to gain our attention.

We were far too excited; we forgot the class was still in session. Everyone was stoked, which of course meant we had checked out a long time before he decided to focus the collective attention of the group. The only thing on our minds was 'The City'.

"I have some good news and some bad news." When the class heard those words leave the teacher's lips, the silence in the room was as heavy as if he said someone had instantly dropped dead. If anyone had taken it upon themselves to do so, you could honestly hear a pin drop.

"Mr. Portland, what's going on?" Gretchen Rochester raced to get a question in before anyone else had the chance to let his words register in their minds.

"Thanks to the efforts of multiple organizations and the hard work all of you have put into raising the necessary funds, we are closer than ever to meeting our goal. So that you know, we have already raised seventy-five percent of what is required to take the art class field trip." He spoke as everyone hung on every syllable.

"Is that the good news or the bad news?" Rory Grey yelled from the back of the classroom.

Patiently waiting for our teacher to relay the rest of his message, we watched as Mr. Portland rubbed his hand from the top of his forehead back to an area of some pretty significant balding. The situation with his hairline had become the subject of conversation for far too many teens. Not only had we questioned his choice to leave the swath of hair that barely covered the top of his dome, but we also noticed long ago that he rubbed his head either in frustration with a student or when he didn't care to be the bearer of bad news.

The teacher cast a nervous grin in the direction of no one in particular as he continued to share the information with the teens.

"I'm fully aware of the work and effort many of you have invested into making this trip a reality. It pains me to inform you that the art class is responsible for 75% of the money required for the trip. The school started our fundraising campaign by appropriating $3000 to the Art Department. Currently, the class is well on its way to reaching our goal with the help of the numerous fundraisers responsible for generating another $6000. When you add together the school's contribution plus the money y'all have raised, the Art Department field trip has raised a total of $9000. For us to take care of transportation, lodging, meals, and entertainment, we must come up with another $3000 to meet our goal. But unfortunately for us, we have reached the end of our fundraising capabilities. This means every student must contribute $120 and then we will be fully funded." 

The information was received once again with a deafening lack of sound. Not one word was spoken by the students, and that was indeed a miracle considering we had previously been so loud; that we could barely hear ourselves think.

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MY THOUGHTS

My parents always did their best, but we lived during hard financial times. Although there was always enough for us to live comfortably and get by, anything extra required a bit more financial maneuvering. With that in mind, my life has always been a series of Yeses and Nos.

I can't question or challenge the status quo. Either I can do something, or I can't. Whenever I try to convince my parents to let me go somewhere or participate in a school event, their decision has always been often influenced by the amount of money available at the time. There was no such thing as a temper tantrum. I did what I was told and that was that.

It never occurred to me that my constant attempts to venture out and enjoy my senior high school experience might have such a profound impact on my life in the long run.