Erik sighs before looking at the empty seat next to him. He hopes no one sits next to him. His prayers are not answered as someone sits next to him but he doesn't mind when he sees him who. You have skin that's between brown and caramel with piercing black eyes behind round frames. You have shoulder length dreads, a few with hair jewellery, plump lips and you're smiling as Nakia says hello to you.
"Alzina!"
"Hey W'Kabi."
"Are you going to the party tomorrow at the football house?"
"Will the music be trash?"
"I think M'Baku is in charge tomorrow."
"Then I'm game."
W'Kabi smiles as he sits with Okoye and Nakia. You take your bomber off revealing a grey Calvin Klein sports bra and your arm sleeve. It's black ink with a few colours. It has Wakandan words and then images. The two images standing out is the Black Panther with purple eyes and a slight purple tint and the jaguar with gold eyes and tint.
You look at him and stick your hand out.
"Alzina Badu."
"Erik Killmonger."
"Like those caps."
Erik flashes a smile, showing them off.
"Thanks. Like the arm sleeve. Love that saying."
"You can read Xhosa?"
"Yeah my pops is Wakandan."
"Dope."
You look to the front as the professor starts talking.
☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️
"I think that's some bullshit."
The class looks at you.
"Europeans come to Africa, disrupts already thriving societies and have the nerve to call them and their descendants savage? I don't see Ethiopia colonising France. Or Egypt overthrowing Britain."
"But what about African-Americans today?"
You look at the boy who spoke.
"We built this country on our backs. We didn't get basic civil rights until the 1960s. You think we were given a fair hand? Affirmative action helped more whites women then black people. We still suffer from a system stacked against us and I swear to god Ulysses if you say that next sentence I will beat your ass."
Ulysses smirk drops and you take a deep breath.
"Black people, African people, descents of Africans have never had a fair chance in western and Asian societies. We are looked down upon. As if science hasn't proven that life started in Africa. As if some of the best things that we take for granted wasn't created by blacks. As if some of the advances in certain fields were made because slaves were used as human guinea pigs. So don't tell me I don't have a right to be angry when I still experience shit my ancestors went through. Oh and reverse racism isn't real."
You get up and walk out of class, the black students clapping. Erik packs your things away and follows, his laptop tucked under his arm.
"Hey."
You look up from the bench. Erik holds your bag out.
"Thanks."
"I like that ending."
You laugh as you look at your hands.
"Come. I'll treat you to Starbucks."
"How do you know the way to my heart?"
