not in the plan

Max guessed he blended in well enough at school. Unfortunately, those phone calls from his father were just wasted promises. He was not coming. No one was. He was a little uncomfortable being here at Amanda's, who obviously had a lot on her mind with teaching and her own woes. They didn't speak much.

Derrick on the other hand, never shut up. Sometimes, Max wanted to be left alone. But school was hard. He'd missed so much, now it was difficult to catch up. Perhaps that's why he signed himself up for special ed.

"What is this?" Asa looked through the paperwork he brought home. "You are kidding me, aren't you?" Asa looked up at him from the kitchen table. Max was drying dishes as if he enjoyed the chore.

"I'm stupid." Max gulped. He really didn't want to discuss this with Asa, even if he wished Asa were his father. He bit his upper lip.

"No, you're not." Asa shook his head. "You just missed out on a lot, being with your Mom, taking care of her." He reread the papers once more. "I'll help you."

"What?" Max shook his head, no. Max didn't ask for help, yet, he had. The special ed classes.

"You, are smart." Asa reminded him. "I've looked at your test scores."

"I don't even know my native language." There were only bits he remembered from his Mom, and he had to wonder if she really knew what she was talking about.

"Its not a crime." Asa smiled. "You'll just have to study more. But you can do this, Max, you can. I believe you can. Its just, you have to figure out how to embrace it, an education. There have been kids more deprived than you, who have gone on to be doctors and lawyers. If you really want to do this, you can."

Max wished he had as much faith in himself as Asa did. But then again, he didn't have the peer pressure here that he had at his last school. He felt safe here.

Max went back to drying the dishes. As soon as he finished he knew there were books to read and homework to do. "I might need some help with math." He then said. Asa told him to get his homework.