Beyond All Rules ✔️

Chapter Nineteen

"Good afternoon class, my name is Isaiah Khalil Carter and for my show and tell presentation today, I brought Ruby." He starts retrieving her from her crate.

The girls go a little crazy and I understand them because she's adorable. Isaiah holding a dog is a very sexy sight as well. I wish I had my drawing book so I could sketch him but I am too shaky to draw at the moment. Instead I take a mental image, save it in my mind for later when I have time. Even more drawings for the Isaiah collection. At this point I'll be able to open a whole gallery with only pictures of him.

Isaiah's French is also flawless which is not surprising as he's so smart so it quickly draws me away from my thoughts and back to his presentation.

"She is a one and a half year old Cavalier King Charles spaniel. My mom bought her for me for my seventeenth birthday. You might think why is a dog so special to an eighteen year old? Well most kids get their first pets when they are young up to the age of ten. I didn't grow up in the safest environment so a pet was not really an option. I always wanted a dog but we couldn't afford one." He confesses tugging at my heart strings.

He looks so sad just like he was when he told me about his semicolon tattoo. He tried to play it off but it was obvious that it's something that still haunts him. I'm just glad that he won the fight against the demons of his past or that he's still fighting and I got to meet him. Now that I know him and we're friends, I can't imagine being at Pine View without him here. It just wouldn't be the same.

"We couldn't afford a lot of things back then. But then everything changed and life is better now. My mom got me Ruby as a way of showing me that it's never too late to get what I want. I wanted Ruby when I was five but it wasn't the right time. She's here now and I am much more capable of taking care of her and loving her. Ruby is the best animal companion I could have asked for and my life is better with her in it. Thank you for your time. That's all I have for now." He concludes and the whole class claps for him.

Even Mrs Beaufoy looks impressed. Isaiah takes his seat but this time he doesn't put Ruby back in her cage and holds her in his lap instead. I turn to face him when he sits down and I smile at him mouthing 'good job'. He beams before I turn back to face our teacher.

"Thank you for that wonderful presentation Isaiah. That will be hard to top guys but the sky is the limit so let's continue." She declares.

Kristie brings a framed photo of her taken in the Mayors office when she got to become Mayor for a day in Middle School. She got the chance when she won an essay writing competition and explains how it inspired her to pursue politics in the future. She and Astrid would get along like a straw barn on fire.

When it's Barons turn he brings a basketball. It's kind of in the nose because he's a basketball player but then he shows that it's signed by Lebron James. He explains how his dad took him to a basketball game where Lebron was playing and from that moment he was hooked. He says he's not sure if he'll play basketball forever and go pro but it's a sport that will forever hold a special place in his heart.

When it's my turn I get skipped and all my friends are surprised by this but I'd already talked to Mrs Beaufoy prior to the class and requested her that I go last. She was reluctant but I can be pretty convincing. The class isn't that huge so before I realize it, everyone is done and its my turn.

"Last but not least Mrs Foster, the floor is yours." Mrs Beaufoy announces.

She looks just as intrigued as everyone else as to why I requested to go last. It was mostly out of fear but also because I felt my presentation is a little special and should be spared for last.

All my friends are looking at me encouragingly so I gather my wits, get up from my seat and walk up to the front of the class. They are all staring up at me making me feel even more scared. I've never been afraid of public speaking, I'm actually good at it but I haven't exactly fit in at Pine View so I still feel intimidated by all my classmates.