"Maaaaaaa!?", I yelled. "Why do I have to wear a uniform, everybody is gonna look the same and that's not good." "Girl, stop complaining. I'll be able to take you to and from school sometimes, and so will your grandfather. You won't have to ride the school bus anymore all the way to the other side of town, I thought you liked that?", Mom asked. "I do, but I won't be able to wear my BK's anymore, I gotta wear penny loafers and I gotta hang with nuns.. aren't they mean?", I whined. While holding in her laughter, Mom said," Girl you are too much, you'll like it plus I'm paying too much for you not to like it so go get dressed, I laid out your shirt and skirt on the bed."
While in the car, I looked out the window and saw all of the kids getting on buses. I thought about my best friend from the old school, my first boyfriend from last year and the fact that he wouldn't be able to bring me peanut M&M's everyday anymore. I thought about what Chris had told me about liking me. Damn, he was fine and mixed with pretty hair, I thought while shaking my head. Rubbing my eyes, I bent down and slanted my white socks to the side then pushed them down a little. Atleast I can have some kinda style, I thought.
"Boo?", Mom said.
"Huh?"
Rolls eyes," What did I tell you about answering me like that?"
"Yessss?"
"I want you to have a good day in school today, granddaddy's gonna pick you up later."
"Ok, ma."
"I love you."
"I love you too ma."
Just before I could get out the car. "Lemme see your face, you got toothpaste right there," Mom said while spitting on her thumb to wipe it off my face. "Ughhh maaaaa, stop!"
I jump out of the car and walked up to the building.
Hmph.. St. Benedicts, I swear a nun better not slap me on the knuckles or she's gonna regret it.
I walked to the back of the school and looked around. There were kids in single file lines and a teacher in front of each one with a sign that had their name. Shaking my head, this is gonna be some dumb shit, I muttered underneath my breath. Walking by I looked for the name Sister Marybeth. I stopped in front of a white lady with short, silverish hair. She was wearing a long gray skirt with white tights, a white ribbed shirt and a navy blue sweater. Hanging from her skirt pocket was some kind of beaded thing with a cross.(I would later found out, they were rosary beads) While smiling widely, she said to me," What's your name child?" I looked around and smirked at her, "My name's Isis." She glanced down a sheet of paper, checked it off then told me to get in line. I walked to the end of the line while looking down at my feet.
After about 15 minutes, we all followed our new teacher into the school and our new class. She showed us our coat hangers in the room and where to put our bookbags. Sister Marybeth introduced herself to the class and told us the things she enjoyed doing. I looked at all of the kids, with the exception of a few.. some were just not too kind on the eyes. After doing some Bellwork and a few other miscellaneous assignments. My stomach grumbled and the bell rang. It was now lunchtime.
I went inside of the coatroom and grabbed my yellow Peanuts lunchbox. We walked in a single file line outside and to another small building. I guess this is the lunch room but how the hell they have a lunchroom outside?, I wondered. I looked at all of the tables and you could tell the people that knew each other. Grades 4th grade to 8th were all in the cafeteria. Kids were laughing and talking with each other, throwing peas across the room. The boys were playing pencil breaks and when the lunchaids confiscated the pencils, they played spork breaks. The girl's were playing hand slaps and gossiping about who went with who. I walked around with my lunchbox to find a place to sit so I could eat, my stomach was playing some serious beats. I found a table with some rowdy girls and sat at the end. I didn't really care, I was quiet but hardly a pushover so I dared someone to jump bad.
I opened the baggy to pull out my ham and cheese sandwich when I heard some kids knocking stuff over. I turned around and seen this skinny lightskinned girl with red framed glasses in the middle of these 2 burly girls.
Burly girl #1: While pushing the lightskinned girl, "Bitch now what, you sat in my place."
Burly girl#2: Pushes the lightskinned girl the other way while laughing," ay you better stop before she hits you."
Burly girl #1: SIKE!!! She ain't gonna do nothing.. look, she bout to cry.
Lightskinned girl: I told ya'll I would move, I didn't know the seat was taken.
Burly girl #1: Stop fucking whining, I should beat ya ass just for the hell of it.
So I'm sitting there, biting my sandwich watching this "so called fight." I looked at the table where the lightskinned girl was sitting and they weren't doing nothing but watching also. I rolled my eyes and signed, I guess Imma get kicked out on my first day. I get up and walked over to the scene. I grabbed the lightskinned girl's hand and pulled her out the middle of the 2 big broads. By now she was flush red with tears down her face, starring at me.
Burly girl #1: Who the fuck are you? Do you know her?
Burly girl #2: Naw I don't know her.
Burly girl#2 looked at me and said, " ay wtf are you doing? You know you interrupting which means you can catch it too."
I twisted my lips to the side and said, "Not likely.. wtf you messin with the girl? Leave her alone, go eat ya lunch and quit fuckin wit people."
They laughed at me and started turning to the side to see who all was watching. All eyes were on us, the whole cafeteria got quiet and was seeing who was gonna get they ass beat. So I'm not one to back down and I knew I had to say something drastic so these beasts knew I had the upper hand and wasn't one to be fucked wit'. I then said," you know what, you don't know about me but keep talkin' smack and you'll find out.. ya'll 2 nappy headed bitches need to go finish ya'll lunches or matter of fact, ya'll need to push back from the table a little.. how old are ya'll anyway?.. ya'll 2 fuckin wide to be in the 5th grade." A few of the kids on the side started snickering and before I knew it, the whole room was yelling," oooohhhhh.. BASE!" The 2 winderbeasts threw they hand in the air and said, "forget you!" while they left the room and went to look for a teacher to tell.
I looked around and went to the table with the skinny lightskinned girl. Since the girl's had knocked her lunch on the floor, I gave her half of my ham sandwich and 1 of my hoho's. We started laughing about how ugly the girl's were and how they had about 50-11 scrunchies wrapped around a ity-bity ponytail. I found out her name was L and she was new to the school too. Eventually, I ended up with a rep of being a tough girl but L was and still remains to be my Ace.
I told this story because L's birthday is today. She officially turns 24 years old and we've been best friend's since 5th grade. She's held my hand through my mother's mental changes and the death of my big grandma, I've been by her side through her grandma's death and her first love. Whenever I thought I didn't have anyone to listen to me, I could always count on L. Through thick and thin she has always been my right hand.
Friends are hard to come by so I truly cherish the one's that I have.
Happy Birthday Girl!
-Isis
