Read The Five Pearls for Free Online Page A

hall, his scholarly hands clasped behind his back, his head stooped, like an inspector.
The kids followed, passing the office sign that read:
MR. WIRTZ - ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
     
A plaque hung beneath it. It read:
     
CHILDREN ARE MY BUSINESS
    Inside his office, Wirtz instructed them all to sit. “In chairs, please.”
The Tadpoles prodded and poked each other for seats. Mr. Wirtz watched them with disinterested anticipation.
“Are we done yet?” he finally asked.
The five rebels smiled back at him from their seats.
“Then down to business,” he huffed. “Short and sweet? Boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen - you are off the roster !”
The kids exchanged bewildered looks.
“Which ones?” Matt asked.
“ All of you ,” Wirtz said meanly.
“You can’t!” Julio stood up. “My probation officer says if I drop out, I'm back in Spring Creek 'til I'm twenty, then it's real jail time!”
“You should have thought of that before, Mr. Ramirez.”
Amber started up. “My group home isn't going to let me sit around on my ass and wait for another school to take me!”
“Oh well, Miss Beulah. Perhaps if you sat on your ass here instead of in the woods, we wouldn’t be having this teen drama.”
All of the kids were talking and standing now. Mr. Wirtz had thrown a major wrench into their lives. Mr. Wirtz shook his head, picked up a dictionary and slammed it on his desk. “Enough! I said ‘ enough !’ Now everyone, please resume your seats.”
The kids fell silent and sat again.
“You have one last chance at high school here,” Wirtz said stoically. “And believe me, this is your very last chance.” He took a long pause. “Your only option is an after-school program,” he finally said.
The kids babbled again. “An after-school program?”
“What you talkin’ 'bout?”
“Bull... May as well quit now...”
“Beats prison…”
“Isn’t that for retarded kids?”
“Listen to me,” Wirtz said firmly. “This little hole-in-thewall gang of yours has been expelled from every school in the district...”
“Not every!” Marie cried out.
“Okay, Marie... I stand corrected. How about almost every school then? Drugs, alcohol, attendance, bullying, weapons...”
“Sex,” added Marie.
“Yes. And sex. Big deal. Sex. The most overrated pubescent preoccupation in human history. But the real truth of this matter, the reason you are all here, is that your parents don't want you; your group homes don't want you. Even I don’t want you. And if you can't learn from me... Need I say more?”
The kids stared down at the floor.
“I’m not saying you’re a bad teacher,” Toby said. “It’s just that. It’s just that…”
“You’re a prick,” Matt volunteered.
“I have dedicated thirty years of my life to the cause of education,” Wirtz said, turning red in the face. “And never have I been as frustrated as I have been with the likes of this little group. Each and every one of you has a hidden potential. But together, you have sabotaged any hope towards personal resurrection into a healthy adulthood. So... My new rules of engagement... You are not, I repeat not allowed on school grounds during normal school hours. If you are seen on this campus we will call the police, your parole officers and caretakers. Understood?”
The Tadpoles nodded.
“You will be only be allowed on Garfield school grounds after five in the afternoon. A Special Education teacher…”
“SPED! That’s for dummies!” Jason whined.
“Special people require specialized training,” Wirtz said. “As I said, a Special Education teacher will be found to work with you in all subjects to meet the school curriculum and district standards. If you stay in the program, which I doubt any of you will, then you will be readmitted to the school as a regular student next fall.”
“Next fall?” Toby stood up. “That's almost a year away!”
“We need credits now!” Marie said.
“You can earn credits in the after-school program.”
“It’s only