Member-only story
Breakin’
8:27 am. The school day hadn’t even begun.
“If I breakdance, can I have a Jolly Rancher?” one of my students asked, strutting into class.
I stopped and turned, head tilted, eyes widened.
“You can breakdance?” I asked, passing back graded assignments.
“Yeah,” she said, slamming her books onto her desk and flailing her arms in the air.
Silence.
“Deal,” I said. “Let’s see what you got.”
“Bet!”
Her girlfriends circled her, leaving just enough space. Everyone else froze mid-task. She stood, aware of the eyes on her, then twisted herself down to the floor.
“Baby freeze!” I said.
She popped back up with a grin.
“I’m going to learn how to breakdance,” she said.
“That’s great!” I said. “You really should.”
“I know, right?”
8:30 am. The homeroom bell rang. Chairs scraped.
She unwrapped the candy quickly. I gave her a dap as I moved to the front of the room.
The beat switched.
Everyone stood, hand over their heart.
