And just like that, it was over, the bell rung and like coiled springs everyone flew from their seats to the door. I could barely hear the casual goodbyes being tossed between Ms. Arcadie and my classmates over the swell of joy growing in the hall. She didn’t seem bothered by it with her black and yellow sneakers resting on top of her desk, her latest read resting on her lap using her finger as a bookmark. Under her pixie cut, she wore the same smirk she had given us all semester as the classroom emptied out, it was this knowing smile she’d flash at us in class I called it the you don’t a have clue smile. Ms. Arcadies’ class had become my personal escape from reality. Forty-five minutes to disappear into a book or crafting Kai story without interruptions. The funny part is I didn’t even want to take AP English this year, I thought I was going to be reading a bunch of dead white dudes, but Kai insisted he said my writing was a little flat.

When I had made it to the front of the class, her sneakers final left her desk and hit the floor

“August before you go” I looked at Kai my eyes flashing my confusion to him before I turned.

Ed’s Note: The Secret History of Genius is a new novel by Jamal Bilal. It’s being written and published in real time, page by page. Subscribe to the blog to receive new pages via email or follow along here.