"You have," the instructor said. "I don't take joy in disciplining you, Grace. I do it because you need it, because you've broken a rule, or because you've been disrespectful either to yourself or to someone else."
"Instructor Carey? Thanks for not making me go in a jumpsuit." Instead of looking at the coffee table like she usually did, she met the brown eyes squarely. "I know you didn't have to do that and...well...I just wanted you to know I appreciated it."
"You're welcome," Carey said, giving the teen an approving smile. "I never thought I'd hear that from you." She pushed the footrest down and stood up. "You want a soda?"
"Oh yeah, that'd be great," Grace said.
"Come on," Carey said. "Talk to me nicely and there might be a pint of cherry vanilla in the freezer that we can share."
"So does that mean you're going to college?" Latisha asked.
Grace stabbed at the green beans. "Where am I supposed to get money for college? Rob a bank?"
"What about loans and all those things they give to us poor unfortunates?" Jan asked. "My cousin got to go to cosmetology school and they even gave her money for the bus and lunch each day. Maybe you could do something like that."
"Are you kidding?" Rosetti said. "You remember her hair when she came in here? She looked like a mad troll."
"Fuck you, Rosetti," Grace said. "I only had three or four colors in it. Besides, I'm not into playing hairdresser."
"So there's got to be other ways," Jan said.
"Yeah, maybe I’ll win the lottery. Of course you have to be eighteen to buy a ticket, so that's out." She snapped her fingers. "I know, I'll win a scholarship for wayward girls who get expelled from school. Forget it, Jan. College isn't for me."
"But you're the smartest one here," Jan said. "If anyone can get to college, it's you."
"Why would I want to spend four more years in school?" Grace asked, jabbing a piece of meat and popping it into her mouth. "I couldn't wait to get out of high school. You know, even the ones who get scholarships still have to work. Why not just work full time and get the money?"
"Have a kid," Lopez said. "They paid for my sister's apartment, she gets the Medicaid, and they pay for her to go to college," Lopez said. "Even paid for her day care."
"That's because she has a kid and is on welfare," Grace said.
"Well there you go," Jan said. "Go screw around, have a kid, then let the state pay for you to go to-uh-oh."
"And I couldn't figure out what we were going to talk about in SR today," Instructor Carey said from behind Grace's chair. "Thanks, ladies."
Grace remained quiet until she was sure the instructor was out of earshot. "Damn. How does she do that?"
"I don't know, but I bet she's got a dart board in her office with your picture on it," Jan said.
"Since you girls found the topic so interesting at lunch, let's talk about what it means to have children." Carey sat on her desk, her hands curled around the edge. "In this state, half of all families on welfare started with teenage pregnancy. Why?" Brown eyes scanned the room. "Rosetti."
"Because teen mothers can't afford it, ma'am."
"It." Carey shook her head. "You make a baby sound like a car. It's a baby. A living, breathing, extremely expensive and needy human being. There is not a single one of you who can afford to take care of yourselves much less a baby, and if you think Mr. Wonderful is going to step up to the plate and take financial responsibility, or any responsibility, think again. In cases when the mother's age is between sixteen and twenty, less than half of the fathers are identified on the birth certificates." She pushed off the desk and walked between the rows of desks. "Now if the cost isn't enough to convince you, think about the baby's health. Teens are twice as likely not to receive adequate prenatal care as women in their twenties, and almost three times less than women over the age of thirty. Waters, give me an example of what can happen without proper prenatal care."
"Um, birth defects, ma'am."
"Such as?"
"Being retarded, ma'am."
"Mental retardation is a good one. Campbell, name another."
"Physical defects, ma'am."
"Low birth weight and underdeveloped organs are also what teen mothers can look forward to," Carey said. "Children of teen parents are twice as likely to be victims of child abuse and neglect. Jones, is that what you want for your children?"
"No, ma'am."
"Rosetti, what about you?"
"No, ma'am."
"Having kids doesn't seem like a big joke now, does it?"
"No, ma'am," the group said.
"So let's talk about money, since Maribel seems to think having babies is the answer to financial problems. Think kids are cheap? Waters, you have an extra nine hundred dollars lying around?"
"No, ma'am."
"That's how much diapers cost for a year, if you look for sales and buy the cheapest ones," Carey said. "Bowen, feel like dropping a thousand for formula?"
"No, ma'am."
"Let's say you want to finish school, or if you're old enough, work full time. If you're lucky, child care will run between six and eight thousand a year. Working full time at McDonald's will earn you less than twelve thousand gross, and in this state, nine thousand net. So out of the nine thousand you can possibly hope to earn, there's no chance of making ends meet. Lopez, still sound like a good idea?"
"No, ma'am."
"Not so appealing now, is it?" She looked around. "Jones."
"No, ma'am."
"Good. Try to remember that when Prince Charming doesn't want to spend a few bucks on condoms. Any questions?" Nine heads looked everywhere but at her. "I should have known better than to ask. All right, open up your books and turn to page one thirty-seven. We'll start the chapter on abortion."
Grace closed her book, too bored to read another word. "I can't believe you don't have a television."
"When would I have time to watch it?" Carey asked. "When I'm not working with you girls, I'm here grading papers, planning lessons, or doing administrative work. Either that or sleeping. Why clutter the place with something that would only collect dust?"
"You have to take a break sometime," Grace said. "I can't read any more."
"There are other things you can do to pass the time besides zone out to the television," Carey said.
"Like what?"
"Sociable things, like play cards or chat with friends. You're not on restriction, Grace. You can go to the rec room."
"I don't feel like it," she said. "Do you have a deck of cards? I can play solitaire."
"I'll get them," Carey said, rising from her seat. "What games do you know how to play?"
"Poker, crazy eights, rummy, the usual," Grace said.
"Do you know how to play cribbage?"
"No."
"Too bad. It's a fun game," Carey said as she disappeared into the bedroom, returning a moment later with a deck of cards. "How about gin?"
"Yeah, it's like rummy only you don't put your cards down until you go out."
Carey smiled. "Or until your opponent goes out," she said, handing the deck to Grace.
"Kinda hard to get into a game like that during free period because it's so noisy in the rec room," Grace said. "Besides, it takes a while if you're keeping track of points."
"Fine," Carey said, following her into the kitchen. "You can practice your math skills keeping score." She went to the refrigerator and retrieved two cans of soda. "Paper and pens are in that drawer over there."
"Okay," Grace said. "Play to five hundred or a thousand?"
"I'm not in the mood to pull an all-nighter," Carey said as she sat down. "Five hundred."
Grace wrote JC and GW on the paper, then set it aside and started shuffling the cards. "Oh, did you want to deal first?"
"No, you go right ahead." Carey took a sip of soda. "So did anything I said in SR today sink in?"
Grace started dealing the cards. "I'm not planning on having kids," she said.