Enez Lyons
First Day of School
8:16
We make it to my second period by 8:16, even though it started at 8:12. I thank Die and tell her I'll text her later. As I enter the classroom, I feel embarrassed about spilling all my shit on her, but I suck it up as all eyes fall on me.
"Miss Lyons?" the teacher asks me, looking at the roll on his computer.
"Yes sir," I answer, glancing around for a seat. I awkwardly wait for further instructions, but when it's evident that the teacher was going to keep clicking away on the computer, I started searching for a seat. The spots in the back were all filled up, much to my dismay, so I'd have to come early tomorrow to get a good spot, I see.
I sat in a front corner, antsy and annoyed that I could fell random kids staring holes into the back of my head. I fumbled with my mechanical pencil, feeling my phone going off underneath my thigh. It must be the group chat Die and dem put me in. Or either it was Asia, my best friend from Baltimore.
I really want a blunt right now.
Sighing, I force myself to pay attention to the teacher. "Again, I'm Mr. Waltrip," the teacher says, "and I will be teaching you all English this year."
I raise my hand, like the good lil student I was.
"Do you assign a lot of homework?" I ask.
"You do the work you don't finish in class. I do not believe in homework," he smiles. The class agreed. I could already see that I was finna like this teacher. I relaxed in my seat, sliding my phone from underneath me, and checking my texts.
Bestie💙🥶: u in class??
Bestie💙🥶: I saw Eda live and she's in the galleria. ion kno what dat is, but I'm guessing das a place
Bestie💙🥶: just was givin u a heads up
Me: srry I was busy tryna find a replacement bestie, ian c yo text, I appreciate it ma
Me: jk jk 😂😂
Bestie💙🥶: I was finna say... 😞
Me: I can't replace u ma 🥲 u 2 crazy
I get off my phone as the teacher walks by, accepting a piece of paper he was giving us. It was his syllabus for this class, his expectations, and supplies and shit like that. I take a picture of it and shoot a text to my mom, even though I know she probably could care less. I read over the syllabus while the teacher talks, not feeling like following along.
"Can somebody read this paragraph?" the teacher asks.
Some girl volunteers, and reads the paragraph damn near choppily. I know some third graders who can read better than that, but I keep my opinion to myself. "Thank you," the teacher says to her. "I'll read from here guys. No more volunteers." I turn my music back on and close my eyes, having already looked over the paper.
Someone taps on my desk and I realize that it's the end of class. I raise my head up and wipe dried spit from my mouth. It's Dynera, and she's smirking down at me. "You got a class near here?" I ask her groggily, picking up my pencil and pocketing it. We start walking out of the class, the teacher typing fast away on his computer again.
"Nahh, I walked here from my second period," she told me. "You hear about that kid today?"
"Ian hear about shit. I was asleep," I mumble.
"The school sent out an email, apparently somebody brought a weapon on campus. We was in lockdown for fifteen minutes Dumbo," she flicked my arm. "Damn," I say, "I slept through allat?"
"Yo ass must've really been tired, Enez."
"I was," I sigh, "Ian smoked in forever it feels like."
"Oh, so you be smokin?" she smirked at me.
"Backwoods, shit anything. As long as it ain't ass, I'm smokin onnat shit fast," I laugh.
"What is dat? Yo motto?" she laughs along. I pull out my phone, feeling it buzz against me. "What's yo second period?" Die asks as she sees me looking at my phone. It's Londynn in the group chat saying she fixed the shit up good with Wallace and that I'm straight. Asia had text me some more about my sister's IG Live.
"Ay, by any chance, do you know what a "galleria" is, Die?" I turn to look at Die. She nods like it's an everyday thing. "Yeah. The Galleria is like where all the boujee stores is. People stay gettin robbed over there when they be buyin dem big, fancy purses."
"My sister's apparently over there," I sigh. "I was wondering if you're doing anything after school. I wanna pick her up, or at least make sure she straight," I say.
"Sure," she shrugs. "I'll just tell my mama I'm going to da mall, or something. You gotta ride there?"
"Yeah, I got my own whip. A little Kia or whatever," I shrug. Die nods. "Why yo sister in da Galleria?"
"Beats me, shit. She's 16 though, and she's all the way across town when she should be here at school. I need to make sure she's safe," I say. Eda never could stay still when we was in Baltimore, but at least I knew my way around better and knew the niggas she hung with. Out here, ion know a side of town from the mole on my ass cheek. If I have one. Everybody got one doh, right? Somewhere on dat ass.
"So she a junior too?"
"Yeah, if shit went as planned, I woulda been a senior this year and she woulda been a junior, but yeah," I shrug. I had gotten over my feelings of embarrassment and disappointment when I learned I wouldn't be promoted to the next grade level last year. I just took that shit in stride, and told myself I'd work harder this year.
"Don't feel too bad," Dynera says, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "I appreciate you. You a cool person, Die. Just know dat," I tell her. I genuinely meant that.
She nods, a smile slipping onto her face. "But like, what class you got next? We gon end up being late again, Enez."
I pulled up my schedule on my phone and showed it to her.
Dynera (Die) Ericks
First Day of School
8:50 a.m.
I drop Enez off at her Spanish class. I had completed my two years of a foreign language my Freshman and Sophomore year, so I was good. "Girl, have fun with dat class. It's filled with Freshman and Sophomores," I laugh. Enez only shrugged. I liked the cool demeanor she seemed to have. It was so relaxing, and it made me feel calm.
"I'm cool widdit, I like to make friends in various grade levels," she tells me.
"Not me. I stick to my grade level," I smirk.
Before I realize what I'm doing, I give her a little side hug. "Ima pick you up after class, ma," I say playfully.
"Okay, Daddy," Enez bats her short lashes at me, grinning. I walk away with stiff legs, trying to ignore the intense fluttering in me. The classroom door to Spanish shuts just as the bell signaling the start of third period rings. Late to my next class again.
Enez Lyons
Spanish Class
8:54 a.m.
I find a seat in my Spanish class. Resting my chin on my hand, I look around boredly. It was filled with Freshman and Sophomores, but I wasn't really tripping though. They didn't act any differently than anybody else. They was just a bit more hyper and talkative. I bite my nails as the teacher starts to call roll. I say "here" when my name is called, then pull out my phone. Nina's sending random memes in the chat, and Dynera is trying to freestyle.
I think I could get used to Pastrami High.
"I'm going to give you a beginning of the year test- Stop frowning, I know it's the first day but I want to see how much you guy's know." I hung around a lot of Spanish niggas back home, but they was mostly Dominican or Mexican, and I knew the Spanish wouldn't be the same in here.
I rose my hand.
"Is this gonna be for a grade?" I ask.
Cause I already know I'm finna fail this shit.
"If y'all make bad grades on this, I'll just bump it up to a B, if you make higher than a B or exactly a B, I'll just keep it like that. This is gonna be you guy's first grade of the year in Spanish 2," the teacher shimmied. I ignored her and got started on the test. I was starting to get a real bad migraine and all I wished I could do was find a blunt.
Let one fall from the sky or some shit.
Man, I'd even kill for a weed brownie right now. Anything. I finish the test quickly and ask to go to the bathroom. I pocket my phone quickly. I shoot Dynera a text once I'm out in the hallway, asking who the school's plug was. I need a good hook up right now.
Die 😈: I got sum 💨 on me, meet me by the sophomore toilets
Me: bet 😧😵😮💨
I walk quickly near the sophomore bathrooms. Die damn near snatched me into a little corner.
"Come on, nigga," she hissed.
She hands me three edibles, and a rolled up blunt. My mouth starts watering immediately. I'm in Heaven. I save two of the edibles for later, and pull out my lighter. I share the edible with Die as I light up. We pass the blunt between us, neither of us worried about getting back to class on time.
My eyes were red and low by the time we were done. "Thanks Die," I smirk lazily, pocketing my lighter. "I got eye drops and contacts," Die digs through her pockets. She pulls out some eye drops and shakily drops them into her bloodshot eyes. Then she applied some contacts, having her brown eyes looking brand new. You couldn't even tell she was high.
I try it too, and let her place the contacts in. She sprays some cologne over us and we leave the corner in between five minutes intervals. I'm heading back to class when the group chat starts blowing up. I know for sure that Dynera had gotten caught or something. My hearts starts pumping fast, momentarily taking me off of my high.
Heat💔💔: broo shawty in my class actin up
Stinka👄🖕🏽: ole fashion nova wearin chick?
Heat💔💔: sí she talkin mess from da doorway
Die😈: SUMBODY should light ha ass up
Me: die don't say dattt🤣🤣🤣
Me: wrong fo dat 😭😭
Heat💔💔: I'd just watch n let it happen 🙂
Stinka👄🖕🏽: tell da teacher. call da admins
Heat💔💔: Ian no snitch 🙄
Stinka👄🖕🏽: yo funeral
I open the class room door and immediately beeline towards the teacher. I go to her like I really hadn't been getting high. "Can I talk to you outside?" I ask. She looks annoyed, and signals to another student that they can go to the bathroom now. "What took you so long?" she asks me as soon as we're outside the class.
"I needa go to the nurse, my stomach ain't doin too well. Or should I wait and eat lunch to see?" I ask her, plastering on a worried expression. The teacher's attitude immediately changes towards me. "I don't know hun, if it hurts real bad you should go to the nurse."
"Do you have any crackers or sumin I can eat?"
On cue, my stomach starts making noise. Man, my stomach really coming in clutch when I need it to. Although I didn't even have breakfast too. I just had knew I was finna get caught if this lady hadn't believe me. "I'll see, but if not, you can put your head down for the rest of class." I smirk to myself as the teacher turns around and walks back into class.
As soon as I get inside, I lay my head down on the desk, getting to enjoy my high in peace since she couldn't find any crackers.
Yeah, I'm really loving Pastrami High.