Note: Here's another chapter! This is about our baby Toni.
Toni woke up almost falling out of bed, which was surprising considering how big the bed was. She also woke up completely lost and confused about where she was. Two years in that house and she still couldn't believe she lived in a «fucking manor». After so many shitty foster homes and foster parents, it felt like a dream. At least, until she heard a scream from downstairs.
"Mom, for fuck's sake, it was one day! One freaking day! I'm not gonna die for it."
Well, now she was sure she wasn't dreaming. Her dreams certainly did not include an annoying girl screaming at six in the morning. At least, not screaming that type of things.
Toni sighed when she entered her private bathroom. She would gladly put up with the screaming girl if that was her reward. I mean, having food on the table and being treated as a human being and not like a worm was also pretty cool and clearly an improvement from the others foster homes – that were not few.
After doing her mourning routine, she headed to the kitchen. The yelling was still audible.
"It's your future, Fatin. You have to take it seriously!"
A middle-aged woman was standing in the middle of the room right in front of a teenager. Sitting at the table, two little boys were eating their breakfast as nothing was happen. Since her first day in that house, Toni learnt that this was a recurrent thing there.
"I already told you! It was only one rehearsal. I'm not gonna fucking lose my future and end up homeless because of it." Fatin replied. Oh, the cello... Toni was not surprised that was the matter of the argument.
"And I already told you to not curse in front of your brothers!" The older woman hissed and pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance.
"Oh, c'mon. They probably heard worst at school. Am I right?"
The children kept eating. They didn't even noticed that they were now the topic of the conversation.
"Toni, honey, why did you let her skip rehearsal yesterday?"
Toni stopped buttering her French bread and looked at her. Toni really respected, even liked, the woman a lot. She, unlike all her other foster parents, really wanted Toni there. It was not about money – that woman had enough money to buy all the neighborhood – or about showing how good and generous she was for taking care of the poor foster kid. She really liked and cared about her. She treated her like her own daughter. But, as much as Shalifoe respected her, Fatin wasn't her responsibility.
"No offense, Rana, but I'm not her babysitter. Besides I didn't even know she had skipped it."
Fatin pointed at Toni and looked at her mother like she had won the argument.
"For the first time, I agree with her. Neither is she my goddamn babysitter nor am I a child to need one!"
"If you're not a child, then stop acting like one, for god's sake. And eat your breakfast, please, you're going to be late, and you already jeopardized your future enough for a week."
Fatin sat at the table, looking – ironically – like an angry child. When tempers calmed down, Rana asked the teenagers if one of them could take Admad and Kemar to school.
"I'll take them. I don't want my little brother arriving at school in that old can Toni calls car. I still can't understand why did you buy that shit." The taller girl responded.
Toni rolled her eyes. She was really proud of her car that she bought with her own money and couldn't care less about Jadmani's opinion.
"And I still can't understand why you care about my car, that I bought with my money which I earn doing my job." Toni retorted, emphasizing the words. "But, yeah, you can take them. I still have to get Martha at home, which is out of the way."
Fortunately, the rest of the breakfast went undisturbedly. Fatin helped the children getting into her yellow and expensive car and Toni went to her modest pick-up and headed to her best friend house.
When she arrived, she had to reinsure Mrs. B – Martha's mom – that she had already eaten and there was no need to her to make her breakfast. The Blackburn's – mainly Martha and Bernice – were always like that. They always looked after Toni, and she couldn't be more grateful about it.
After a little bit of a catch up with Mrs. B – who always acted like she hadn't seen Toni from month even though it was only a couple of days -, Shalifoe drove to school with her favorite person beneath her, chattering about everything and nothing at the same time.
They arrived at school at the same at as Fatin and her best friend Dot. That was something that really confused Toni. Dot Campbell was the opposite of Fatin Jadmani. Dot was though, grounded and realistic. She was slightly antisocial, unlike Fatin, who was a social butterfly, but both girls were each other platonic soulmate and everyone knew that.
I didn't take long for the bell to ring and for Toni to go to her English class. Surprisingly, Toni kind of liked English class. Mainly because Mr. Young was one of the coolest teachers, but it still counted.
"Alright, class! What did everyone thing of The Sun Also Rises?" Mr. Young asked.
A small teenager on the back of the room sighed dreamily.
"I love it! He's so romantic!" she said.
Toni looked at her like she had heard the most idiotic thing ever.
"Romantic? Hemingway? He was an abusive, alcoholic, misogynist who squandered half his life hanging around Picasso trying to nail his leftovers." She commented.
A blonde guy a few rows behind Toni laugh. He was using a cap backwards and tight shirt, clearly to show his muscle. Toni rolled her eyes at him.
"As opposed to a bitter, self-righteous hag who has no friends?" he mocked, making some of his friends laugh.
"Pipe down, Kirin." Mr. Young warned him.
"I guess in this society, being male, white and an asshole makes you worthy of our time." Toni stated, looking sideways to the idiot in a hat. "What about Sylvia Plath or John Rollin Ridge? Why don't we read Lynn Riggs or Joy Harjo?"
Suddenly, the door was open and breathless Shelby Goodkind entered the room.
"What did I miss?" she wanted to know.
"The oppressive patriarchal and racist values that dictate our education." Toni exclaimed.
"Alright." Shelby whispered and sat quietly.
"Mr. Young, is there any chance we could get Shalifoe to take her Midol before she comes to class?" Kirin kept mocking and Toni were really close to punch him.
"Someday you're gonna get bitch-slapped, and I'm not gonna do a thing to stop it. In fact, I'm gonna laugh." Mr. Young told. "And, Toni, I want to thank you for your point of view. I agree with you, and I lost track of how many times I suggested to the P.T.A that they buy a book written by a Black person. However, you're disturbing the class. Please, go to the principal."
"What? Mr. Young..." Toni looked shocked, and Kirin were really enjoying it.
"Please, Toni."
"For fuck's sake!" the girl stood up and left the class, slamming the dor.
When she arrived at the principal office, she heard the woman murmuring and immediately knew what she was doing.
"Swollen. Turgid."
"Tumescent?" she suggested.
"Perfect!" Ms. Klein exclaimed and wrote it in her computer. "So, I hear you were terrorizing Mr. Young's class again."
"I was just sharing my humble opinion." Toni said.
"The way you shared your opinion with Samantha Jett?" Ms. Klein questioned. "Her eye infection is really better in case you're interested."
"I still maintain that she fell on her face in her own piss." Toni looked at the principal as if what she had just said wasn't totally stupid.
"The point is, Toni, people perceive you as somewhat..." the principal tried to find the right word.
"Tempestuous?" Toni suggested again.
"«Heinous bitch» is the term used most often." Gretchen confessed. Toni, instead of being hurt, looked proud of it. "You might want to work on that."
Toni stood up and headed to the door.
"As always, thank you for your marvelous guidance. I'll let you get back to Reginald's quivering member."
Ms. Klein was left in her office, wondering about Toni's last words.
"«Quivering member». I like that."
Note: I hope you enjoyed it!
Let me know what you think.
Bye and be happy!!!