“Solomon is getting close with her now. I guess it's his turn to take a ride.” Quan stretched his leg out with an angry expression on his face. “What does she even see in half these men? They only look at her as a fucking body to bag.”
“Didn’t you and her mess around once?”
“More than once,” he grumbled, annoyed.
“You also said you didn’t like her in that way…just wanted to have your fun and move on.”
“Yeah well…”
Quan didn’t say anything else about the matter. Knowing what I know about his background, the irony in him catching feelings for Isis and trying hard not to, was humorous to say the least.
“If she knew the truth about me, she wouldn’t dare look my way again,” he suddenly admitted. “That’s why I can’t be in a relationship with her. Then again who knows… Her andSolomon have fucked up history and she may still open her legs for him. Maybe I’d have a shot after all.”
“If you told her about your background, and she still decides to be with you? Would you go for it?”
“She won’t want to be with me.”
“But if she did? Instead of you doing everything to push her away, if she accepts you the way you are…this…feline nymph thing,” I said with a wave of my hand. “Whatever the fuck you wanna call yourself.”
“A curse. That’s what it is. A fucked-up spell I can’t get rid of.”
“If she accepts you for who you are, would you be her boyfriend? You already met the family; they fuck with you. Would you be with her?”
Before he could answer, my office door suddenly opened again. One of my students came in with two duffle bags as he dropped them to the floor.
“Coach, they kicked me out of physics,” Darnell complained. “All because I heard someone say the professor had cankles and I didn’t know what that meant. So I asked because I never heard the term before. I don’t live above ground! How was I supposed to know?!” He defended. “Can I go to the field instead of study hall?”
“Go wait in my lobby until I’m done with my meeting,” I motioned. Darnell was just about to leave when he turned back.
“Oh! Did you hear about the witch’s hack?” He asked as Quan looked up, confused. I already heard via email, but I figured it was better to hear it unfiltered and raw from a student.
“Thewhat?”
“Yeah,” he said as he stepped further into the office. He still looked every bit of a high schooler instead of a newly graduate. “Someone hacked into the system and wrote on the boards a witch has been attacked by the First Family. Everybody is talkingabout it. I said they just wanna start a division man…. Who is really cut from magic and who isn’t, you know? That’s what it's gonna come down to. That’s what my pops says anyway. Can I go get some lunch at the hall?”
“Go wait in my lobby like I asked.”
He sucked his teeth before walking out as the door closed behind him.
Asha Avery
“Listen up! Hey! Listen up!”
The whistle blew as a line of students in matching maroon swimsuits with our heads either covered with a swim cap and goggles propped on top. Our hands were behind our backs, waiting as the Olympic sized pool rippled and waved back and forth below. The indoor gym was massive with the stench of salt water and chlorine and the heavy lantern lights above shined down creating orbs in the reflection of the blue water.
Aquatic Mythics & Movement. 101.
Instructor: Professor Negeri.
Negeri was a tall woman, well over six feet with the nerve to well damn heels. Her arms, fingers, legs, torso, everything on her was lean and long when she moved. Her straight jet-black bob wig she chose to wear always had us cracking up behind her back when it swayed from side to side when she spoke but today, she kept it cute in her windbreaker set. One of the male coaches wearing a white t-shirt and black shorts had the whistle as he stood on standby. I could tell he was a siren, much older siren with his body looking out of shape above water. His stomach poked through, and his beard made his cheeks fluffy, and he even had his lunch sitting there on a chair waiting for him to finish eating. He was the lifeguard for today.
“That is supposed to be the man that will save us if one of us drowns?” One girl whispered to another with uncertainty.
“I guess so,” the other replied.
I smiled. I’ve grown to know better. My toes inched closer to the edge, dangling and itching to touch the water when the lesson began.
“Alright!” The coach yelled after taking a final bite of his sandwich. “I’m only gonna say this once so your professor doesn’t have to repeat it! This pool serves many purposes! I hope to high water everyone here knows how to swim, yes?!”
