My Black Inheritance

15

Two days after that, I had to find my way through the school without my sister, Catherine. I felt a bit lost, but I knew I had to find my way around - with or without her.

I braced myself, took a deep breath, and stepped forward into the unfamiliar hallways, determined to make my own way.

Looking at the number on every door, I felt hopeless since the room I was supposed to be in had three digits as its number.

Knowing that I had no other choice, I chose to keep going and hope that I would stumble across the right room eventually.

I kept walking, determined to find the right room, no matter how long it took.

It took me twenty minutes to find the right class, which meant that I was twenty minutes late for my class. I was so relieved when I finally found it, but I was also embarrassed that I had been late.

Walking into the class, I must have interrupted the lecture, because I could feel everyone's eyes on me. The professor stopped talking and just stared at me for a few moments. I wanted to disappear.

With my cheeks burning, I stood in silence, embarrassed to have disrupted the class.

Suddenly, the professor spoke. "Miss Estelle, why are you late?"

I could feel my face flush even deeper. I stammered my excuse, trying to explain why I was late, but I could tell the professor was not satisfied.

"Just because you are new doesn't mean you can walk in here whenever you please. You must learn to respect the rules of the school. Now, take your seat and make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Yes, Miss," I replied meekly, my head bowed low as I walked to my seat.

I saw Catherine look at me with worry as I sat beside her. She knew how hard it had been for me to adjust to a new school and how much I was struggling to fit in.

"Sorry," She muttered. I gave her a small smile and tried to reassure her that it was okay. I was used to feeling like an outsider, but I appreciated her concern.

I was touched by her thoughtfulness, even though I knew I wouldn't be able to fit in.

The English class went smoothly after my interruption, and I was able to enjoy the rest of the lesson.

Learning all of the work beforehand made things easier, and I was able to catch up with the class quickly.

I was even able to answer some of the questions the teacher asked, which was a great feeling of accomplishment. It was satisfying to know that all of my hard work had paid off.

"Estelle, you were amazing! You looked like you'd been here all of your life!" Catherine said with a beaming smile.

"I'm so glad I put in all that effort," I replied, elated.

Unfortunately, we didn't have the next class together, so we said our goodbyes and I went on my way, my head still buzzing from Catherine's kind words.

The next class I had was Physics and it was unusual for a girl, especially for a person of colour, to be able to enroll in the class.

Despite the odds, I was determined to take Physics, and I was eager to learn more about this male-dominated subject!

Though when I had been walking through the hallway, I was stopped by a few of my male classmates who looked angry.

Possibly angry that another black girl was attending their school, they started to talk about how I didn't belong there. They also yelled that I shouldn't be allowed to be a student.