Secret || Abby Littman

Chapter 17

My nap is interrupted when Ginny sits down beside me. I look up. "Hey, what's up?" "Have you seen Marcus anywhere?" I look around. "Funnily enough I haven't." She nods before looking at me. "So, how was your Christmas?" "I'm not a big fan of Christmas, so we don't actually do much. We just treat it like it's another day." "Why is that?" "My mum died 3 months before Christmas, and my dad died a month before. It's a sour holiday." Her eyes widen. "Oh, my God. I'm so sorry." I shrug. "Wasn't your fault." 

I change the subject. "You have to present a book today, right? For AP English?" "Yeah." I look at her. "I think it's bullshit. You have to do all this work that we don't have to do just to feel represented in the class." "Yeah, well, I've decided to do it so..." "Well, if you change your mind. I'll back you 100%." She smiles. "Thank you." We seperate for classes and at lunch, I somehow end up hanging with Ginny, Bracia, Stacy, Jackie, and Alexandra. They're talking about Bracia and Bryon and some hat. I have no idea what's going on and I keep texting Marcus trying to figure out where he is.

I tune back in when they start talking about Ginny's book. "What were you thinking?" "Ann Petry, The Street, Audre Lorde's Sister Outsider, or, um, Nikole Hannah-Jones, The 1619 Project." Bracia nods. "Great books." Stacy speaks up. "Irrelavant. You need to let this teacher know this is shit." Bracia shakes her head. "Gitten won't listen." Jackie agrees. "Yeah, he's trash." Alexandra looks at Ginny. "Just don't do it." Ginny shakes her head. "I'm doing it. I've already decided. It's just what book?" "Sister Outsider." She looks at Stacy thinking about it. Max runs up placing herself beside Stacy.

"Hey, kids." She looks surprised to see me sitting there but she doesn't question it. "Bracia, I just saw Bryon wearing the hat." Jackie points at her. "Team Hat?" "Fully Team Hat." Stacy sighs. "Bummer. My mom just texted me. I got my SAT time. It's March 11." "Oh my God, what is Mercury doing then? Is it retrograding?" Bracia sighs. "I don't know, but I need the moons to rise, I need Pluto to enter the chat, I need full-on cosmic help." Jackie shakes her head. "You're gonna get, like, a 1600." Stacy sighs. "College pressure is real. My mom keeps telling me I need to take more APs, and I physically cannot." 

Alexandra looks at me, Ginny, and Max. "You guys are so lucky you're not juniors. Hell year is no  joke." Max groans. "Ugh. This feels like hell year. Speaking of APs, come on, we got English." Ginny sighs as I put my head on the table groaning. "No." Max looks at her. "Oh, I hope the book you chose has a good audiobook option." She walks away and I watch after Max with wide eyes. Bracia and her friends also look at Ginny in disbelief, but Ginny just looks sad as she shrugs.She grabs her bag and I link my arm through hers. "As I said, I'll support you whatever you do." She gives me a small smile as we walk to class. 

Ginny is now standing at the front.  "Sister Outsider. Um, this is an incredible collection of essays and speeches by Audre Lodre, where she digs into the different elements of her identity as a Black queer woman, and discusses that change in an oppressive society has to start within oneself." She turns to Mr Gitten and he nods. "Thank you, Ginny." Everyone applauds and she comes to sit down. "Everyone will read three chapters of Sister Outsider. Let's say Friday? And Ginny will be leading the class discussion." I look at him with wide eyes. Is she now teaching the class too? Ginny is just as surprised.

"I'm what?" "Thank you, Ginny." She looks at Max for support but Max just scoffs and shakes her head. I look back at her. "Whatever you want." She just sighs and looks down. The next day I'm lying on a beanbag, once again, taking another nap next to Silver when Ginny interrupts in once again. "Hey." Silver smiles at her. "Hey." I give her a wave. "Where's Marcus?" I shrug. I'm actually getting really concerned. I've been texting him endlessly and if he's not back today, I'm breaking into his house. Silver also shrugs. 

"I don't know. He wasn't in chem today." Bracia walks up. "Hi. I'm sleepy. Need a coffee." I nod. "Amen to that." Silver looks at her. "You're so good. Your voice blows me away every rehearsal." Bracia smiles. "Aw. Thank you." Ginny looks at her. "I can't wait to see the show." I nod. "Me too." Max skips up to us. "Heyo." She plops down on the ground leaning on my legs. "Oh my God, Silver, your necklace." She basically lays on top of me to touch it. "Oh my God, it's incredible. I'm obsessed." "Thanks, it's vintage." She gasps. "Love that." "Um, I really have to get to rehearsal, so see you guys later." She moves and I groan losing my pillow.