Braxton Academy

Chapter 8

NAOMI'S POV:

Today is the first day of Mr. Davis' and I book club and I'm so excited for it. I honestly thought that after last nights episode he would have cancelled everything but he was so understanding, you have no idea how much I needed to see that. It as nice to have Mr. Davis demonstrate that he is on my side, or even that he has just as much respect for me as he does for the staff members. When he caught me yelling in the kitchen I was certain that I would be digging my grave later that evening. Instead, he showed me that he is capable of understanding my situation, but more importantly that he can relate to it.

I wanted to show my gratitude for not having my hind tanned, so I've done all my chores to the best of my ability and have been very proactive in my other responsibilities to avoid anything that'll potentially interfere with tonight. I scrubbed the bathroom in the girls corridor, making it sparkle if I may say so, and swept the hallway floors. I even swept up all the cob webs on the ceiling. I didn't have any laundry to do, which was a relief, because it gave me more time to focus on my room in case of a surprise inspection.

Mr. Davis told me to come after dinner that way no one could bother us, mainly because curfew was extended on weekends and he wouldn't have to be on duty until later in the night. Mr. Patry still hasn't returned my book but that's okay, last night I made a list of all the talking points I want to go over for tonight's meeting. It is a little scary not knowing when I'd get my book back, or if for that matter. It's like being grounded indefinitely. Nevertheless, I'm trying to remain cautiously optimistic that my next encounter with Mr. Patry will work towards my favor.

I practically skipped merrily down the hall after lunch to Mr. Davis' office, I want to see if he is even close to being as excited as I am. I haven't been this excited about something since my release date - let's just hope that my mood doesn't change as swiftly as it did on that day. Mr. Davis always tried to remain objective when in front of the students, it was an act that he mastered well but it seems as though he could never hold it in when I was around. Just before I could knock on the door, I heard him speaking to Mr. Patry.

"Disobeying a staff member? Insolence to a staff member? Harold, we can't let that go unnoticed...."

"It did not go unnoticed, I've spoken to her about it, the situation was handled."

"But not in the right way! Respect is a virtue that we instill in every student, she should have been reprimanded."

Sometimes I hate how traditional Mr. Patry is, just because someone is older than you does not mean that they deserve your utmost respect whilst they disrespect you. Last night I just showed her the same respect she had shown me.

"You didn't hear what Sherry said to her. She struck a nerve and Naomi responded..."

"Inappropriately. What's the matter with you Harold? You're becoming too soft! We have a duty here at the Academy to administer the right values into these children. But you're treating Naomi as if she were special..."

"She is special! Jim, I understand my duty in this matter but you have to understand sometimes she requires different responses."

I could see his shadow moving closer to Mr. Patrys.

"Listen, there are a lot of other values we do not teach the students because they are here for a short time and we expect their parents to fill in that gap. But Naomi," he stopped only for a moment. "well she's my responsibility now, she's here with me entirely so I have to make sure she gains the same general knowledge that she would if she were at home."

"I'm warning you, if word gets out that she is getting special treatment, it could be disastrous for the Academy's reputation as well as ours."

"It won't get out because she isn't, and if anyone has questions about how I conduct business...well they can address me directly." Mr. Davis stood his ground.