Separate But Not Equal

Chapter XXXIII

Lottie told them?

"How do you know?"

"We went to her house and we saw her step-father chasing her out and screaming at her with this massive brown belt in his hand," Laura pauses emotionlessly. "We planned to leave, I mean Laura's father always hits her and she always comes to school with bruises, it's kind of become a normal thing by now but he seemed really angry this time, more than usual."

Laura, Leah and Lauren know that Lottie's father beats her and they just played it off as normal?

A bit hypocritical to judge them isn't it.

I know that Lottie's father hits her and I haven't done anything about it either.

I'm just as bad as them.

"So we stayed a bit longer to see what his damage was. He was shouting too loud for me to understand anything, until I heard him mention something about homosexuals and saw Lottie holding her hands up apologising over and over again. That's when we left."

"You left?"

"Mhm. She deserves it if she thinks that whatever she's doing is okay."

My mouth dropped open in shock.

"You think she deserves it. You think she deserves to be treated differently, to be hurt and disrespected because she's not the same as all of you."

"Exactly, you understand what I mean."

"Your disgusting, both of you," I begin leaning forward. "You judge and discriminate against others so much because of the things that they can't control. Do you really think that you're perfect? You're not, and neither is anyone else. As far as I know, Lottie is a better person than you have ever been and has done nothing at all to deserve all the shit that you're giving her. She isn't the problem you are."

Shit, I just said 'shit' to Laura.

I mentally bang my head against a hard surface repeatedly when I realise what I just did.

I, the only black student in this school, insulted one of the most well-known and beloved girls in the school.

What was I thinking?

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

In fear, I look back to see the girls' reaction.

Laura can be heard breathing heavily from metres away fists clenched on top of the table, resembling a five-year old ready to start a tantrum.

Leah's eyes turn dangerous and so does the rest of her face, her features turning angrier and more aggressive.

"But, that's just my opinion I don't know though..." I drift off trying to end the conversation.

"How dare you?"

Laura immediately shoves her chair out, the metal scraping across the floor and turning a few students' heads.

"How dare you talk to me like that. You know what? Maybe you and Lottie were actually made for each other. You're both pathetic and neither of you deserve anything. Neither of you are anything, just like all your other negro friends."

Wow.

I remember that the more upset that I look, the more satisfaction she gets.

Quickly, I shoot her a wide smile in response.

She glares at me.

"Ladies, may I ask what is so important that you felt the need to interrupt my lesson," a voice booms.

Laura grins.

And then, out of absolutely nowhere her and Leah put their dramatic behaviour to some sort of use and pretend to be foolishly sorrowful.

"Mr Smith, It's Ivory she keeps on trying to talk to me and interrupting my work and it's making me uncomfortable," Laura wails.

"Is that true Ivory?"

"What? No, no I never did anything!"

I shuffle on my feet nervously knowing very well that Mr Smith hadn't liked me from the first day I got here.

He was just like the other students. Except from he was supposed to be an adult.

He would look for opportunities to pick and make fun of me and rest assured that every time he does, it always circles back to my race and just becomes a whole insult to my race and my origins.

So obviously he will see this as an amazing reason to get me in trouble and out of his class.

"Now Miss Jones, be serious, why would these respectable, young ladies lie about something as trivial as this?"

"I don't kno-"

"It was a rhetorical question. Please, leave my classroom right now."

"What, why?"

"You're disrupting my lesson and I can't tolerate your misbehaviour."

"But I-"

"This is not up for debate Miss Jones. Leave. Now."

****

Sitting outside of the restaurant and looking around at the passing people giving me dismissive glances I sulk.

"Displaying uncooperative and anti-social behaviour in her History lesson."

Every single time, every time I get in trouble somehow.

But the popular, gorgeous girls like Laura and Leah, they get away with absolutely everything.

Good thing Papa's not here to hear about this.

Papa's not here to hear about anything.

As the clock in the restaurant turns to exactly 2pm the streets become even more quiet. The sound of my shoes tapping on the floor dragging along rocks fills my head. No students, no teachers, no distractions just me for once. I begin to wrap my fingers around the drink in my hand. With all this silence I somehow feel like I can actually relax, like I can forget about everything.

The feeling doesn't last long though, because soon another pair of footsteps fills my ears, closer and closer to me with each second. The tapping becomes loud enough for me to tell that whoever it is stands only a few feet away from me.

'I'm too tired for this, please just go away' I think.

It takes me a while to realise that I didn't actually think it but I actually said it, aloud.

I slap my hand over my mouth looking up and then widening my eyes in shock.

"Jones?"