✮Ｓｔｅｐｈａｎｉｅ✮

CH.3: OLIVE WOOD, THE HOOD

I was so glad to have made a friend on the very first day and hour that I arrived in the United States. It made me sense that I would fit right in and I had nothing to worry about.
Already bonding with my dad, Emlyn decided to pay him a visit that night on his arrival back from Nigeria.

While my dad was sorting out my school registration into Olive Wood Highschool, I was making every possible research on white schools and how to fit in. I also planned on getting new materials for school.
The whole trip to America thing caught me off guard.

                       ***
The next week, I woke up on time and so did my dad. I was quite immersed in much glee about my first day of school in Olive Valley but I couldn't allow my enthusiasm to get into my head like it did when I attended my school back in Nigeria, on the first day, and totally made a jester out of myself in public. I wanted to make sure that didn't happen at my new school mainly because there were whites and cool people of different race and... it was freaking America!

I wore a black leather jacket on a yellow tank top and on a mini black pleated skirt. I slipped on my gold flats that had yellow ribbons on them and also a furry bagpack, colour black. I was striving so hard to make a good first impression. I was sure to make everything look great, even my nails.

Dad had always wanted to take me abroad with him but mom never agreed to it for some reason oblivious to me. She had travelled out of the country a few times; dad went in and out whenever he felt like it but I was forbidden, I never had the chance to gain that experience until after my sixteenth birthday.

                         ***
Dad parked his car in the school's parking lot and we both went in. Just few black people were around, most of the students were white and mixed race too. They all kept staring at me in an awkward way that I disliked. Dad claimed that the principal of the school was a wife of his friend's brother and after the necessary procedures were carried out, and informations were being passed, I was taken to my class which was just down the hallway.

As soon as I entered, the principal introduced me to the class. She exited after giving the students some key information about me and how they ought to treat me, reminding them of their manners and the school rules.

The teacher whom had been interrupted by the principal then retrieved my presence to the front of the class as I made for the seat in which the principal had directed me to dwell. I began to freak out inside of me. I was so timid.

"What does this woman want with me? Just leave me to my seat and act like I'm a freakin' hologram!" I said to myself and she said, "looks like we've got a new student here in our midst. Tell everyone your name young lady. We want to hear from you."
The principal had already said my name but evidently, they wanted to hear from me. I stood still and uttered no word as I looked around and all eyes were on me. I kind of felt intimidated. I kept wondering if I was wearing the right clothes.

"Go on, introduce yourself."

"My name is Stephanie..." I said out loud in an American and Nigerian-mixed accent. The students coughed out laughter.

"Stephanie what?" The teacher asked once again and I turned to glare at her innocently as she gave me a sign to speak up.

"You're being too loud!" A boy said from the back when I still stood mute and he laughed with the others. I immediately assumed that he was the class' frivolous and naughty one just as it is in every class.

"Sweetie?" The teacher said and I spoke, "It's Stephanie Bakewell," and immediately, a quaking laughter filled the air. There was a great storm of laughter from every single student, excluding a boy who only smiled a bit and didn't make it obvious.