“Are people still talking about you?”
I nod. “It’s all because of Aces. People at school don’t normally focus on me.”
Terrell’s eyebrows rise. “Aces?”
I forget Aces doesn’t mean anything to anyone outside of Niveus.
“This anonymous texter. They’ve been bothering me and some girl, Chiamaka, a lot, spreading rumors about us.”
Terrell nods to himself, like he’s trying to figure something out.
“Is this Chikkaka girl Black too?” he asks. I want to laugh, but I stop myself. Why do I feel so loyal to her this week? It’s pissing me off.
“Yeah.”
I don’t say anything else at first, thinking back to my thoughts in the library about being Black and that maybe having something to do with it.
“And they only bother you guys?”
I nod slowly, hoping he doesn’t go there—to the race thing.
Terrell shakes his head, squinting at me. “Are you guys blind or what?”
I sigh, turning away a little. “What?”
“Are there any other Black people at your school?”
I suspect his question is more rhetorical than not, but I still shake my head.
“So, you go to a white school, in the white part of town, where bad things are happening to theonlyBlack students…,” he starts, like he’s decoding a really complex math problem.
I want to interject and debunk his theory, but I can’t bring myself to speak. I shiver as a gust of wind blows my way.
“I think it’s racism.” Terrell looks at me straight.
“Not all of them are bad, Terrell.” And it’s true. I may not be friends with any of the Niveus students, but most of them have been nice enough over the years.
He climbs off his bike and takes a seat on the swing next to me.
“Name three good people there, and I don’t mean decent, I mean really good.”
I’m not that social, so my circle really only ever included myself and Jack at school. Besides him, everyone else is okay—decent. Good. No, everyone else is good.
“My music teacher—Mr. Taylor, Jack, and this guy Daniel.”
“Jack, as in the friend who abandoned you?”
I forgot I texted Terrell about that.
“He’s from around our area, has a family to think about. He’s just protecting himself while all those texts come out. They can hurt him too.” And I’ve known Jack practically my entire life. If he was racist, why would he be my friend or pretend to care about me? It doesn’t make any sense.
Terrell smiles at that. “I sense that it has nothing to do with his family.”
What does he mean by that?
“Who’s Daniel?” he continues, like he’s not convinced by what I’m saying.
“This popular guy at school; he’s weird and annoying, but nice, I guess.”
