Jamal places his elbows on the table and then rests his chin in his hands as he leans towards me. “Do tell,” he says.
So, Jamal is a little gossip.
I tell him everything.
“Damn, girl,” he says at the conclusion of my story.
“You should stay quiet,” says Lucy.
“That’s not my style. I’ll always defend myself.”
“You’ll only make things worse for yourself,” says Kate.
“It’s cool, I’m a fighter.”
“It’s only fair that I prepare you for the people you’re fighting against. You see the light blonde? That’s Victoria, she’s their leader and captain of the cheerleading squad,” says Jamal.
Oh no, I guess I won’t be trying out for the cheerleading squad after all. I know she would never allow me on the squad.
“She’s a bitch with a capital B. She’ll make your existence hell at this school. The only one who can control her is Maverick. She makes herself look like a fool, chasing after him. Everyone knows that he doesn’t want anything to do with her, but she keeps trying. The dark blonde is Lori, her bark is worse than her bite. She’s just a lost little girl looking for scraps to eat. You don’t really have to worry about her. Black hair is Rebecca, and in some cases she can be more horrible than Victoria.”
Well, those bitches haven’t met someone like me.
“Maverick runs this school. Everyone fears him, and anyone who doesn’t should have their head examined. It’s better to stay out of his way because being on his radar won’t end well. He’s just not someone you fuck with. His father is the local judge.”
Jamal is talking about the fucker as if he’s a god.
“Red hair is Phoenix. He’s not as bad as Maverick, but it’s still not good to be on his bad side. His father practically owns every building and house in this town. Black hair is Demetrius. You don’t want to fuck with him, either. His father is a plastic surgeon in Charleston. Those three are the richest kids in here. The students around them are a part of the in-crowd. It’s not a good idea to fuck with any of them.”
“Well, I guess it’s too late for me.”
“It’s not, just don’t fight or talk back. They’ll leave you alone, eventually,” says Lucy.
That’s not going to happen.
I change the subject. “I guess I can’t try out for the cheerleading squad like I planned. I’m interested in being a part of the school paper, though. Can someone point me in the right direction?”
“Lucy and I will be in charge of the student newspaper this year. Lucy is the photographer and I’m the writer, but we’ll still need another writer and editor,” Kate says with a beaming smile.
“Perfect! I’m interested.”
“We meet after school on Mondays and Tuesdays to discuss upcoming articles.”
“Okay, where should I meet you after school?”
“On the second floor, room 205.”
“Okay.”
When the bell rings, we all get up to leave.
“I have creative writing next.”
“Me too, we can walk together,” says Kate.
We say our goodbyes to Jamal and Lucy then walk to class.
My day was finally looking up until P.E. I was happy to see that Jamal and I would be taking the class together until the three wicked witches of the east walked in the gym. My gym clothes consist of a standard black t-shirt and red shorts, mandatory for all students. Mr. Williams has everyone completing routine exercises outside on the field to have a better understanding of each student’s physical strengths.
