Teacher's Pet [Elvis]

Chapter 6 - Crushes Encumber the Decorated Gym

By the next week, the whole school knew that Jimmy Brenton wasn't coming back to school. It was unsure that he was going to an all-boys school somewhere, but it was most definitely a different school. That dinner I had with the McNultys went well, and I was invited again the following Sunday, and I was told there that Principal McNulty received a call from the Brentons that they were formally taking out their son from Humes High School.

What a wild situation it all was. But it passed, and the kids were now excited to get into Halloween since it was only a week away now, and... there was a dance that needed to be planned. And guess what? The music classes were in charge of planning it, basically by a drawing of straws. Literally, actually. In the teacher's lounge, I drew the shortest straw. All my music classes would meet in a mini assembly in my classroom to discuss this. They were all packed like sardines. Only the students who actually wanted to help plan it attended, and my students who didn't want to could opt out. Still, there were around fifty kids in the classroom. And Elvis was one of them.

"I say we have a band of students play some music," suggested Jeremy, a sophomore from my second class. "We can get a person on the guitar, bass, trumpet, piano... and a singer! We need a live singer. Who of you can sing pretty well?"

Elvis slumped in his seat. I still hadn't heard him sing. He had played once more on his guitar in the classroom, but he never sang. And I hadn't seen him play his guitar in the schoolyard yet. He would do it when he was ready. Now that Jimmy Brenton was out of the school, he could do it whenever.

Several kids raised their hands, saying they thought they could sing well. A guy hollered, "Hey, Miss Thatcher, you can sing can't chya? How 'bout you give us a little demo, huh?"

I didn't know who hollered that since I was busy eyeing Elvis, who was hoping now one would bother him about the singing thing. When was the last time they all heard him sing, if ever? I would have to ask him later. His mother said he had performed before, singing and playing the guitar, but it had been a while. Gladys and I sometimes chatted on the phone since we met that time.

"Well, I don't know if I can sing in that swingin' type of way," I said, using the lingo of these kids in the way they would say it.

"Let's just here it, huh? Sing somethin', like..."

"Let her choose, knucklehead," a girl chided, but she was hidden by a tall guy, so I couldn't see her. Several kids were standing around, and some even sat on desks as people sat in them. This was after school, so none of them were missing classes.

My heart thudded faster as I noticed Elvis sit upright in his seat, interested in this and most likely relieved that the students volunteered someone. I said, "Well... okay. But keep in mind that if you want a wild dance, you have to have a few singers, like a professional band."

"I think we should have a professional band as well," said Sandy. "But we all still want to hear you sing, Miss Thatcher. You've only sang scales in class, and your voice is so pretty."

All of them agreed, and I glanced at Elvis grinning along with the rest of his peers in the room. I swallowed my heart. "Okay, okay. Does anyone know 'A Bushel and a Peck' on the guitar?"

"The song by Doris Day that came out a few years ago?" Kimberly asked, a girl from my last class who was a junior. "I can play that! I love that song!"

She scampered to the back, but couldn't make it due to all the students, and this raven-haired, pail-faced pretty girl came back up with the guitar that was handed to her by a tall male classmate of hers that winked at her. She giggled and took a chair and sat next to me.

"Alright, ready when you are. Do you want upbeat or slow, like a love song? It can be both."

"Do both!" a girl hollered, and everyone agreed. Oh boy. Now I knew how Elvis felt.