g o i n g h o m e
After school, Xia gets called down to talk to Coach Qi so she goes to walk home alone.
"Nam!" she hears her name being called by Zhuo Zhi.
"Hi, Zhi."
"Are you leaving by yourself?"
"Yes."
"Can I walk you home today?"
"Um, okay... Why?"
"Well... I want to talk with your father."
"Oh... for tennis?"
"Yeah."
"By the way, Siyang came by my class today."
"Really?"
"Yeah... He's going to play a private game with Xia." Upon seeing Zhuo's troubled face, she asks, "What's wrong?"
"Last year, we played a horrible game against Xing Yao. Siyang had an arm injury. Sometimes, I think he's going to destroy his arm... Don't worry, Nam. I'm sure everything is fine."
"I guess."
"Are you going to watch their game?" he wonders.
"I think... I would intrude if I did," she admits.
-
Nam and Zhuo arrive at the Lu household, and they see Xia in the garden looking at them questioningly.
"Oh, um... Zhi's here to talk to dad," Nam supplies.
"He's in the kitchen," Xia says, before heading to his room.
"Okie, then. Come with me," she says to Zhuo, and they make their way to the kitchen.
"Nam," Zhuo says, "it's going to be a private conversation."
"Wha- fine... But I want to, um... be able to see you before you leave."
"Of course," he replies with a chuckle.
-
Nam goes to Xia's room and sees him playing with their cat.
"Hey, Xia."
"Nam, what're they talking about?"
"I'm not sure... Zhi said it was private," Nam says with a shrug. While she's petting the cat, she notices Xia playing with a tennis ball. "Are you excited for your private game?"
"It'll be good, to play against someone so experienced."
"Um... sorry."
"Why?"
"It's nothing-"
"What'd you do?"
"It's not bad! It's just... I don't think I'll watch that game."
"Oh."
"Do you want me there?"
Lu Xia ponders this for a split moment. "Actually, no."
"I knew it... So, what do you think Zhi's talking about?" Nam tries to nonchalantly ask.
"I've asked you that already," Xia deadpans.
"I was just curious! I mean... Zhi-"
"Is he all you want to talk about?"
"Hey! I- I'm leaving!" Nam huffs before she goes out to sit in the garden.
-
"Lu Xiangqian," Zhuo greets as he peeks his head into the kitchen.
"Hello," he replies, hand out for a handshake as they greet each other.
"I'm Zhuo Zhi. We met the other day."
"Ah, I remember you."
"Sir, I want to ask you for something."
A/N- i know it's long but THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT !! PLS PLS READ !!
i have an extremely tiny platform here on wattpad, but i see what's happening in my country and i am two things: scared and enraged. i am an asian-american, and while that makes me a person of color, i, in no way, can even begin to comprehend the injustices brought upon the black community. i live a very privileged life, and the contrast between my privilege and the injustices towards the black community is horrifying. yesterday my county organized a very powerful, moving, and peaceful protest. because no one should have to live in fear. and i'm so proud of my community, and the diversity and inclusion we strive for. african-americans should be guaranteed their unalienable rights that our constitution gives, the rights our founders first declared in the declaration of independence- when america was oppressed under britain. they had stated that everyone had a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. the right to life: simply being able to go about your lives and still be alive, is not a right that the black community has. and it's heartbreaking. black lives matter. these people are american citizens. humans. friends. neighbors. family members. their lives shouldn't be so easily written off. acab- all cops are bad. of course there are individuals who put on that blue uniform and try their hardest to protect and serve the community. but there is a reason why black people are dying. there is a reason that officer was able to suffocate george floyd to death in the streets. that he could kneel on his neck as george repeated, "i can't breathe." there is a reason three other officers stood there to just watch. cops are part of a complacent system that allows for no accountability. there has to be a change. i grew up so ignorant to the silent suffering of the black community. i grew up unaware of the fear my black friends had to learn to accept as a part of life. this is inhumane. the lack of humanity that these people show is disgusting and terrifying. i'm terrified because people who are insensitive, unremorseful, racist, and abusive of their power are put into positions where they could potentially end someone's life. if you think that all lives matter>black lives matter, i urge you to check your privilege. yes, everyone matters. but for centuries, since africans were first brought to america for slavery, our country and society has not respected black lives. has not let them live in peace. we learn in school that the civil rights movement in the 60s (if you don't know, that's the one with mlk) ended with the passing of the civil rights act of 1964 and the immigration act of 1965. i would not be alive had they not passed the immigration act. african-americans are the reason so many of us are able to immigrate to this country in the first place. all lives will not matter until people genuinely respect the fact that black lives matter. and saying that all lives matter is actually a very easy way to ignore the pain of the black community. i believe it allows you to think that you've covered your bases, but it actually allows you to ignore the fact that black people are suffering and are facing oppression. black lives matter means that black lives are in danger, they are being killed and ignored by us as a collective society. it warms my heart to see so many in support of this cause, within our own country and around the world. i'm thankful that america still has her democracy, no matter how corrupt our leaders are. we can vote for change. yesterday, the primaries in many states, including my own, were held. it's nice to raise awareness, but we need to do more. change needs to take place. if you are old enough, please be informed and register to vote. if you are like me and are not old enough, have conversations with your family members that are able to vote. it's uncomfortable, especially when their political views are different. but i don't want to trade a temporary moment of comfort where i avoid the subject for generations of systematic racism. i read a quote and it states, "i know it's uncomfortable, but that discomfort belongs to you." the discomfort will belong to you. and wouldn't you rather deal with discomfort than know that your brothers and sisters are dying in the streets because the system allows them to do so? so, vote for change. there are also many organizations that you can donate to, and many free petitions that you can sign. free. the link for those is: blacklivesmatter.carrd.co/ also, if you don't have money and want to donate to the cause, there are many videos on youtube that you can stream. the ads will make money, and the youtuber donates that money to blm. the link for one is this: youtu.be/bCgLa25fDHM when streaming, make sure to not loop the video or add to a playlist. try to watch a few other videos in between watching the stream video so it will count as an organic view. and don't skip the ads. you can mute the video and just have playing in the back while you do other things. i think it's important to help this cause wherever you can. we can't continue to live like this. it's 2020, and we are still judging people based off of their skin. and even worse- our ignorance is killing people. just like how wearing provocative clothing shouldn't excuse rape, skin color shouldn't excuse murder. but policemen, who apparently need better training before they are handed a gun, are able to get away with the murder of countless black lives because they were scared of what a brown skin tone means. guess what? it doesn't mean that you can get away with murder. it doesn't mean you should make the call to steal a life. cops are not judge, jury, nor executioner. cops are supposed to serve the people. instead, they are killing them. and that breaks my heart. the turning of heads is the final blow to shatter it. because people are dying. good people. innocent people. they never deserved this. even in my own county, we boast about our diversity, but the sad truth is this: we live in systematic racism, too. in my county, we are districted so the richer neighborhoods are clumped in the same schools. surprise, surprise- these are predominantly white schools, considered to be the best in the county. the school i go to, and several others in the county- lower income families, diverse, predominantly black or latino, and have very bad reputations. when our county redistricted, and people were enraged. parents of the kids that are coming to my school next year were angry that their child would be sent to a "lesser school." what happened when we, as county, did all that united propaganda? i feel for my principal, who had to sit down with those enraged parents and convince them, yes- our schools have the same ap courses as the white schools, yes- our students go to class, yes- we have clubs and extracurriculars and sports teams. no- we don't spend our time with drugs or gang activity. because yes- these are all students. we aren't bad people, we just seem to be more harshly judged. i'm very proud of my school, and we make numerous athletic, artistic, leadership, and academic achievements every year. but apparently that's not enough to be recognized in our county because all they see is color- and think it's dangerous. the goal isn't to see no color, but to respect and think everyone's color is beautiful, and they are worth living. because they are. culture is something i hope people can be proud of. it's sad that these are things that need to be said. for years, they have peacefully protested, but were ignored. we need to bring about change now. when we shout "no justice, no peace," at a peaceful protest, i would like to explain what i belive it means. these are americans dying. and as a community, the black people of america have to deal with fear being normalized. fear for your life should not be normalized. our society is better than that. we should do better than that. there will never be any rest until justice is served for george floyd. for breonna taylor. for amaud arbery. for freddie gray. for countless others. for those who have experienced police brutality, and we never knew. for those we, as a collective society, have ignored. these are human beings. people. and they can't be at peace until justice is served. until the freedom they deserve is actually given to them. they can't be at peace if they are not a free people. and my own silence and ignorance in the past has contributed to the violence against them. that's why silence=violence. by not acknowledging that oppression of the black community, it is allowing the oppression to continue. and that's what privilege is- not caring because it doesn't personally affect you. privilege is when people are more outraged over target, a store, being looted than people dying. because people. are. dying. and we don't do enough. and it won't be enough, not until change occurs. it's 2020. i used to believe that racism wasn't that prevalent- oh, what a sheltered life i've lived. racism has been a constant, silent struggle because we've silenced them. we've ignored them. we've decided that they didn't matter enough. and it's heartbreaking. i used to not be able to believe that a human being could do this to another human being. but that's part of the sheltered life i've grown up in. now that people are seeing the truth, let's garner change. i can only hope that change comes soon. i don't want my friends living in a world like this. i don't want people living like this. they deserve better. they deserve us doing better. we need to do better. it can't be all on them. we are accountable as a part of the society that allows this racism to occur. we are accountable. we need to do better. and i won't ever understand the injustices that the black community faces. but that's why i'm here. i stand with you <3
i'm sorry i ranted, but it's really hard to not be emotional about this. i didn't mean to make the a/n longer than my actual chapter, but i wanted to be able to express this. i'm not usually political, but the state of our country and society is too broken to not want us to be able to do better. from wherever you are, please help. also, if i am wrong or insensitive, please educate me. i'm constantly learning, and i definitely haven't reached the point where i have all the facts. i'm just writing from the heart based off of what i've already learned. i've checked my privilege, and now it's the next step- bring about change.
everyone's contribution matters. everyone's voice is important. i don't want to drown out the voices of the black community, whether here (where i have an admittingly tiny platform) or else where. i want to be able to help and amplify the voice of the black community. their plights need to be heard. and you're most likely just a teen like me, so here are really easy ways to help from just your phone that aren't difficult:
for donations and free petitions: blacklivesmatter.carrd.co/
stream to donate: youtu.be/bCgLa25fDHM