Details about Can’t Take That Away by Steven Salvatore
Can’t Take That Away by Steven Salvatore – There’s an under-the-breath comment from behind me, loud enough to get Mr. Kelly’s attention. Max McKagan’s greasy fingers grab my earlobes and tug on my black diamond earrings. “Maybe it wouldn’t suck so much if you weren’t so … defective.” He beeps like a malfunctioning robot, and the stench of Cool Ranch Doritos on his breath lingers as he follows it up with a repulsive term I won’t repeat. I curl back into myself, shutting out the rest of the class. But Mr. Kelly has to go and address it. “Do you have something you want to share with the class, Max?” I hate when teachers do this. Bringing everyone’s attention to a problem always makes the situation worse. This isn’t a wholesome family sitcom. We’re not all going to learn a valuable lesson about tolerance in fewer than twenty-five minutes. This is eighth-period English, and Mr. Kelly is lucky most of us stay awake.