It's a Mendose Thang: Mendose High School

By SW Oliver

What is happening at Mendose High School? Everyone seems to be plotting against someone. The football players are running the school. The cheerleaders are having relationship problems. The teachers do not realize they are the target of a plot. Even the principal is scheming. Who knows what will happen?

RoJoe has to decide what to do. Will he agree to be a pawn in someone else's game? Is he willing to accept the consequences of his actions? The decision he makes will determine his future. Find out how 16-year-old RoJoe navigates the first semester of his increasingly difficult 11th grade year of high school.

• Language: English
• Publisher: SW Oliver
• Release date: Jul 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393073017

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

TODAY IS THE DAY, RoJoe thought to himself. I’m going to do it today...I can feel it...Today’s the day!

Although class began at 7:30 a.m., a steady stream of students meandered down the main corridor towards their classrooms.  The stream would eventually slow to a trickle of students.  Nevertheless, students continue to filter into school throughout the entire 90 minutes of first period. With a vacant stare, a line of students stood at a table picking up tardy slips. Others just continued walking down the hallway at a snail’s pace. Time meant little to the majority of these students. It was a meaningless set of numbers circling a clock. 

After all, even the principal, and some of the vice-principals, did not arrive to school until 8 a.m.  Both staff and students could go days without ever seeing the principal. Only the teachers were governed by time at this school. If they did not arrive before 7:15 a.m., somehow the principal found out. Many suspected it was his secretary or someone else manning the front office, because it was evident that he was an absentee landlord. Nevertheless, to many of the teachers, it seemed as if, like the students, they were only doing time instead of managing time throughout their day.

Many of these teenagers wore sleepy faces to accompany their pajamas. Countless girls did not even bother to style their hair. In fact, some of these students wore black head-wraps in which they slept the night before. Those not in pajamas, wore skin-tight leggings prominently presenting their camel-toe.  These skin-tight leggings were topped with shirts so short that pierced, belly buttons were revealed. Then, there were those whose skirts were so short that if they bent over, their underwear, if they wore any, was prominently displayed for all to see. To be sure, they did not wear Victoria’s Secret. Certain cliques dressed as if they were going to the club: sequins and skin-tight party clothes.  Dressing to distract was the purpose for these young people.

Of course, there were female students who dressed more modestly and school-appropriately. It was evident that their parents played an active role in these student’s lives, especially when purchasing clothes was concerned. The athletic girls wore dry-fit, pullovers, with the school’s logo prominently displayed across their upper backs. They wore the pullovers along with matching shorts, sweats, or jogging pants.  Other teenagers wore anything from slacks with shirts, pullovers, or sweaters to the usual skirt and top set, a dress, or jeans and a shirt. So, every female student was not tempting the gods of lasciviousness.

Shoes of all sorts were worn by these young ladies. Those who ventured to wear 3+ inch high heels came stomping merrily into school; only to be walking pigeon-toed by the end of second period. Boots, flats, and tennis shoes made from all types of faux materials, colors, shapes, styles, and lengths accompanied jeans, leggings, dresses, and slacks. Every girl attempted to make a fashion statement albeit favorable or unfavorable.

Many of the young men did not dress any better. Those who did bother to change out of their pajamas for school wore jeans sagging half-way down their thighs. These oversized jeans resulted in the guys’ walking in a zigzag, straight-legged fashion, without bending his knees. The various colors of underwear and basketball shorts underneath the jeans greatly contributed to the jeans sliding off of the buttocks and down onto the thighs. Needless to say, not wearing a belt also caused the jeans to helplessly slide down their thighs resulting in a duck waddle.

T-shirts with all types of lewd and lascivious slogans and pictures of women in provocative position were proudly displayed above this passé style of dress. Even the hair of some of these young men stood unevenly upon their heads. It was easy to tell that the matted side of their head was the one they favored while sleeping. There were guys who wore their hair braided, locked, colored, and permed. However, these were the exceptions. Over half of the guys, wore faded haircuts.  A few of these young men had designs skillfully etched into their fades. The guys cared more about their hair, it seemed, than some of the girls.

Tennis shoes of all styles graced their feet. It was the coup-de-grace of any male outfit. It denoted that these guys could afford the-best-of-the-best for their feet...but wouldn’t bring paper and pencil to school like a true student.

Then, there was the cell phone—the ultimate status symbol. The cell phone is the most addictive thing since crack cocaine. Everyone walks into school with earbuds or headphones of some sort. Heads bobbing to the beat like a bobble-head doll listening to their own particular brand of music. Music blasting so loudly, yet indistinctly, that vibrating sounds of static emanates from everyone.

Some students saunter into their classrooms. For others, a detour to the restroom is required in order to comb their hair, finish packing on make-up, take a quick puff, and/or to just skip first period. After all, school is just a place to hang out with friends. Right?

It’s like going to the mall. One can drop in on their friends in certain classes, depending on the teacher. One only needs to make-up a story to get their friends out of class. Wah-lah! Then, they could roam the hallways as freely as they pleased. If a certain teacher refused to allow a student to interrupt the class, the student would simply text the other student with the time and place to meet. The student in class would simply ask for a pass to go to the restroom. Then, it was on.

Walking down the main hallway, the putrid smell of weed mingled with cigarettes. Wafting mainly from the boys’ restroom, the smell served as a psychic trigger. It was a reminder that one might need to top off his high before entering the classroom.

RoJoe decided to stop off for a quick smoke before heading to class. The smoke would give him the courage needed to do the deed. He spoke to one of the female assistant principals standing in the hallway in close proximity to the boys’ restroom.  He was amazed at how the assistant principal appeared to be oblivious to the smell of weed.

Ms. Weeks was tall and slender. Today she wore a body-hugging red dress with a plunging neckline. Her classic 4" heeled red pumps punctuated the psychedelic red, yellow, white, purple, and green tights covering her legs. Her style was so over-the-top at times, that it made it difficult for the staff to chastise the students.

Often, the students would say, Ain’t nobody said nothing to Ms. Weeks. You better leave me alone!

After RoJoe spoke to her, she automatically chirped, Go to class!

I have to go to the bathroom, RoJoe cried, as he struggled to hold up his pants by awkwardly grabbing around the zipper area. Then he ran into the restroom.

Once inside, the acrid smell of urine stunned him momentarily.

Whew! he exclaimed.

Yeah man, I know, one of the guys in the restroom said knowingly.

You would’ve thought they’d get that piss smell out of here over the three day weekend, RoJoe remarked as he pulled out his cigarettes, then, packed them.

Three other guys were passing a joint among themselves. The last one to pull on the joint attempted to speak while simultaneously holding in his smoke, Yeah, you know— 

After pulling in two short breaths, Johnny continued, "Let us begin the week with a frrreesshh start."

Johnny choked at his attempt to make a pun. Everyone else laughed at both the pun he struggled to make, and the fact that as he coughed tears began streaming down his eyes.

I know, right? one of the other guys chimed in.

Then, not to be outdone, another guy added, Guess we have to cover the smell with this skunk weed!

Everyone burst into uproarious laughter.

Get out of that bathroom and go to class right NOW! Ms. Weeks yelled.

The boys now became serious about smoking the remainder of their joint.

RoJoe, who was almost finished smoking his cigarette, asked in a serious tone, Why do you think they never say anything – he paused as smoke wafted from his mouth. Then, he completed his question, ‘bout us smokin’ in the bathroom?

They prob’ly smoke, too! one of the guys whispered loudly.

Yeah, another one began, she prob’ly just wanna get a contact.

Another uproariously loud burst of laughter erupted among the guys.

Not wanting anyone to yell at them again, the boys quickly lowered their laughs to a snicker.

I guess, RoJoe said thoughtfully. Look, I have to go...Ms. Johnson ain’t no joke...I probably missed half of the book by now!

Man, I’m glad I don’t have her! All the guys nodded in agreement.

Yeah, but man, if you want go to college or just get an education, she’s the teacher, RoJoe defended. Realizing what he had said, he quickly followed with, Let me get out of here.

As RoJoe walked down the English hallway, he instinctively knew he had missed a lot of work. Fortunately, he had a copy of the SAT Warm-up, so he could do that for homework before she collected it next week. He made a mental note to pick up a thesaurus from the Dollar Store.

RoJoe thought to himself, All she does is come up with work for us to do.

He looked through the window before entering the classroom. The class was already full. Everyone else must have been on-time to class. The athletes, including cheerleaders, were sitting across the first and second rows. They looked interested in what Ms. Johnson was saying.

They’re probably just pretending to be interested, he thought. They have to pass the class.

He wondered why P. Diddy, Beyonce, and Jay Z’s name were written on the board. Was Ms. Johnson trying to hook them into reading? RoJoe knew that the book was by F. Scott somebody, but he neither read the assignment nor did he complete the take-home test.  He had to work last night.

She’s not going to care, he told himself in an effort to lessen his own disappointment in himself for not completing the assignment.

RoJoe was in the 11th grade. He just wanted to make it out of school. All he needed was to just graduate from high school. He would keep his job at General Hospital. He worked in the food services department.  Currently, he was classified as a part-time employee. After graduation, he would automatically become a full-time employee. Then, he could get the benefits package that included holidays, health and dental insurance.  He knew, however, that if he did not pass English III, it would jeopardize his hopes for graduation.  Besides, Ms. Johnson said that if he came to class every day, he would not have to take the final exam. So far, he had only missed one full day in three weeks of school—a record for RoJoe.

Ms. Johnson’s eyes met RoJoe’s as he looked through the window. She was wearing one of her classic suits. Today, she wore a navy blue suit with a white turtleneck. Her jewelry consisted of two gold chains: a rope with a quarter-carat diamond pendant; the other, herringbone. On her right hand, a family birthstone ring encased with a diamond ring-guard. On her left hand, she wore a custom-designed gold ring with leaves and six individual diamonds. She called it her grape ring, because it looked like grapes hanging on a vine. Her dark hair was styled in a shoulder-length bob with highlights framing her face. She wore flat navy blue Polo shoes. She always dressed professionally, except on casual Fridays.

When students walked into the classroom dressed as if they had just gotten out of bed, Ms. Johnson would quip, We dressed for you, too bad you didn’t feel like dressing for us.

Peering through the window, RoJoe observed Ms. Johnson calling on Xavier to respond to her question. Xavier seemed comfortable answering the question. It was obvious that he had completed his homework.

As RoJoe stood outside of the classroom, he remembered how Ms.