Page 87 of Steel

Nayelli giggled. “Of course I missed you, Daddy.”

“I missed you too, baby. How about we grab something to eat after this?” He turned to me. “You’re welcome to come.”

I smiled. “I could eat.”

“Think about where you want to go, Nayelli.”

“Okay.”

We headed into the school, and the first person we saw was Principal Joe. He swallowed hard and forced a smile as he greeted us.

“Nayelli. Ms. Malone. Mr. D-Dillinger.”

Kerrion smirked. “I see we haven’t been having any problems.”

“N-no, sir. No problems at all.”

“Let’s make sure it stays that way.”

Principal Joe nodded and turned to go back into the front office, damn near running into the door in the process.

I stifled a laugh. “You have that man shook.”

“I can promise you he’d shit himself if I had to come back up here.”

We headed down the hall to Nayelli’s classroom and waited outside until the current parents and child left. Her teacher greeted us with a smile.

“Good evening! Come right on in.”

She ushered us into the classroom, and we took a seat in the chairs provided. The classroom smelled faintly of crayons and pencil shavings, the walls bright with student artwork and themed decorations.

Mrs. Palmer greeted us warmly. “Thank you both for coming. And thank you, Nayelli. I’m glad you’re here too. Nayelli is such a bright, wonderful student. She’s a joy to have in my class.”

I smiled as I playfully bumped my girl’s shoulder. “I’m happy to hear that.”

She pulled out a folder and slid it in front of us. “Grade wise, she’s doing excellent. She’s one of my top-performing students, and she’ll certainly be on the honor roll this quarter. Most kids who start a new school find it a difficult transition, but Nayelli, . . . she’s special. She came in and completely dominated the curriculum.”

Kerrion smiled. “That’s my baby.” He turned to face Mrs. Palmer. “Any problems?”

“As far as behavior, no. I see she’s made a friend with another student. I’m so happy to see her coming out of her shell.”

“Jaiden isn’t just my friend,” Nayelli told her. “He’s my little uncle.”

Mrs. Palmer looked surprised. “Oh?”

“He’s my little brother,” Kerrion explained.

“You know what, now I see the resemblance. Jaiden is a joy. So smart, just a little talkative and loves that cape,” she added with a giggle.

Kerrion chuckled. “That’s him.”

“I saw your parents around five. I guess I can share the news with you both. Jaiden and Nayelli are both being considered for the gifted and talented program. That means, if they test well, they could both skip a grade to give them more challenging work.”

Nayelli gasped. “Really?”

Mrs. Palmer nodded. “Really. I love having you in my class, honey. While I would love to stay your teacher, there may be another teacher that can give you more than I can on the level you learn at.”

“But . . . would Jaiden be in the same class with me? I don’t wanna be away from him.”