FLAMES

EPISODE SEVENTEEN 17: FINALLY

HADIZAH'S POV

Today is definitely not my best day.

I woke up late.

I had, you know, the pain every girl has every month.

Got in trouble for not doing the dishes before going to bed.

And worst of all, I got to Mr. Louis's class late.

"Mr. Owens," Mr. Louis called out and he immediately stood up.

"What year was the slave trade abolished?" he asked.

"In the year... 17..., no,... 18, no..., 20 and," he stammered and the class erupted in laughter.

"It's not nice to laugh at someone's problems," I understand him because I get that a lot because of my eyepatch.

"Silence," Mr. Lois ordered.

"What's your first name again?" he asked.

"Cha… Chase, sir," he answered.

"I hear some names and I wonder, people should learn to live up to their names, because I do not understand, what are you chasing in your life? Failure?" he asked and the whole class snickered.

What he was doing wasn't fair. Out of the six blacks in my class, Chase is the least vibrant. Mocking him with his problems of stammering isn't nice. They are supposed to help him.

Chase hastily cleaned the tear that came down his cheek under his glasses.

"Have your seat," Mr. Louis said, and instead of sitting, he ran out of the class.

"You are all just dumb," I mumbled.

"Do you have something to say, Miss Damilare?" he asked.

"No, sir," I said, and I quickly kept quiet.

I don't have the nerve to talk back to the teacher, not yet.

"Class, dismissed," he said, and the bell signaled the end of class.

I packed my binders and left the class. I had a spare period now.

I sat at the bleachers to feel the cold wind.

I hummed to Jax's song, "My Father."

"I wanna come home to roses.
Dirty little notes on post-its.
And when my hair starts turning gray.
He'll say I'm like a fine wine, better with age.

I guess I learned it from my parents.
That true love starts with friendship.
A kiss on the forehead.
A date night.
Fake an apology after a fight.

I need a man.
Who makes me feel young.
Gets out of the car.
And holds the door.
I wanna slow dance in the living room like.
We're 18 at senior prom."

"Arianna Grande in the making," I heard a voice, Ethan.

"It's not that great," I said.

"Yes, you're right, it was fantastic," he said, and I blushed.

"Stop flattering me," I said.

"We do not have a female in my band. It'll be lit if we had a pretty voice like you. I like that, pitch-perfect, baby tiny voice," he said.

"I bet you could pull off a high F," he said.

"Well, I could if I tried. I try lip-syncing to Arianna's songs," I said.

"But I do it mostly because of the Quran," I said.

"Oh, that book. I listen to Omar Hisham," he said.