Ignorant Boy | Edwin Honoret

THE ORIGIN OF MARZ

If you were to ask Maesi Zowdo where her art skills came from, she would tell you she didn't know.

Her mother was a judge, her father a doctor, and her older sister was just graduating from Med school. Meanwhile, Maesi was considered the family outcast as she was attending UCLA as an Art Major. She could remember the bewilderment in her mother's eyes when she finally told her family what she wanted to major in. Although they all put on forced smiles, she could still see the disappointment that lingered in their eyes.

So, with her mother's constant demands of 'getting out there and finding something more about herself than just art', Maesi reluctantly signed up to be part of the Afrikan Student Union, lucky for her she was able to talk two of her best friends, Abu and Kingsley, into joining the club also.

And that's how she ended up here, sitting in one of the study rooms at the Charles E. Young Research Library, meticulously drawing a very unflattering doodle of the ASU leader Barbra.

"Mmm," Kingsley hummed as she sat down between Abu and her," you forgot that weird birthmark she has."

Maesi chuckled looking back towards her friend who looked just as tired as she felt, "Thanks K."

"Guys we have to do something!" Lexi, Barbra's friend, exclaimed.

"What I miss?" Kingsley mumbled.

"Some boy fell asleep in the residence hall and a white girl called the police," Abu deadpanned, leaning over to take a look at Maesi's drawing.

Kingsley rolled her eyes, "So now it's illegal for a nigga to catch some z's?"

Kingsley and Maesi shared a laugh before earning a small glare from the leader, "What's so funny?"

"Honestly this whole situation," Maesi sighed, "Like all the kid wanted was some sleep and he gets arrested and manhandled."

"Yeah," Kingsley added in, "I mean something gots to get done about this. What, next they're gonna be calling the police on us for doing homework at Starbucks?"

"Well thanks for your contribution to the meeting, but we've already gotten past the topics of what if's," Barbra smiled fakely," You would know that if you came when the meeting started."

Her statement earned a few 'oohs' from the group, but if anyone knew Kingsley they knew she did not take lightly to shade. Maesi and Abu watched happily as they waited for their friend to spew that fire back at Barbra.

"Well, excuse me for taking my education seriously. Some of us actually want to graduate within 5 years and not 7," Kingsley stated as she batted her lashes, "Speaking of education, thank you, Chadwick, for helping me with math last night. I got an A on the test."

Maesi, along with the other members, mouth dropped as she watched Barbra's eyes widen in realization, "Last night?"

Chadwick repositioned himself at the death glare he was receiving from his girlfriend, "You told me you were staying home!"

"I did," Chadwick started, "But then she called me over- "

"You went to her apartment!"

"Look I would love to watch the demolition of you guys relationship, but can we please get back to what this meetings about" Abu intervened

There were mumbles of agreement as the attention was turned away from the heated stare between Chadwick and Barbra and back to the topic of the recent arrest.

"What about a quiet stance at the Bruin Bear?" Lexi suggested to the group with a sigh.

Maesi's eyebrow scrunched up at that suggestion. That would be the fourth time the ASU was doing a quiet stance at the Bruin Bear and it always ends the same way. They do the stance, get a few photos and videos taken of them, then they get arrested, and by the end of the day, everything goes back the way it was.