tales from the hood: dressing the part

Here's your next installment from a day in my life in the hood....

Me: Come on Ty'Esha, let's go!

Ty'Esha: I CAAAN'T! I GOTSTA GO GET MY EARRRRRINGS!

Me: You can give your earrings to me and I'll put them in my pocket. I promise I will give them back to you after class. Come on, hurry.

Ty'Esha: I don't want to take them out, I need to change my earrings!

Me: What? Why?!

Ty'Esha: I want to change my earrings because these don't match my gym uniform.

Me: Awwww...come on, you've GOT to be kidding me. Ty'Esha...we're going to be late!

Ty'Esha: BUT MISS G-EEEEEE, I GOTS TO LOOK GOOD?! WHAT IF SOMEONE SEES ME?!!!!

Me: (Sigh) Ty'Esha, honey, don't you know you look beautiful no matter what you have dangling from your ear lobes? Why do you want to look good for these boys*?

Ty'Esha: (VERY LOUD lip smack) I'M NOT LOOKIN' GOOD FOR THESE LITTLE BOYS! WHAT IF TYRON OR JAUAN COME IN THERE FROM THE MIDDLE SCHOOL?!

Me: Honey, if they don't like you because of your lack of earrings, you don't want to have anything to do with them. They need to like you just the way you are.

Ty'Esha: (eye-roll combined with a lot of foot stomping and a very poorly hidden smile) WEEELLLL, if they come in there, I'ma gonna run right in the locker room and put these back on right quick. I gotsta look GOOOOD.

*I'm not putting my male students down, mind you. She is always calling them "little boys" and usually won't give them the time of day. I was just throwing her own words back at her to see what she would say.