Pakistani Boy Vs. African Girl (1)
We all know the typical story when a guy and a girl supposedly hate each other, but end up falling in love. Yawn. How about a story when a guy and a girl truly hate each other with a burning passion?
It was a hot, scorching day. The sun was shining fiercely in the sky, causing people to shield their eyes with their arms. The sound of cars honking and drivers threatening each other occupied the air. The roads were busy and people were in a hurry as it was a Monday morning. The streets were beaten hard and covered with scrap paper, sweet wrappers, crashed soda cans, and chewing gum.
A boy was running, his entire body flopping like a penguin as he ran. His long, fat legs allowed him to take big, heavy steps. He wore a white, sleeveless shirt that had yellow armpit stains and he wore baggy, gray trousers. His blue and red tie flew left and right, following his movement. His shoes were a dull black, even when the sun shone down on them.
His huge, hairy arms swayed to the side as he ran while his eyes scrutinized the area he was in, which was a long road leading him to a hill. At first glance, it would be hard to identify his bags under his dark brown eyes. His feature that stood out for most people were his long, bushy eyebrows that were in the shape of a semi-circle. His hair was spiked up with gel, which showed off his round ears. His eyes darted left and right before he crossed the road.
He came across a small, worn-down corner shop that was plastered with newspapers. The sun gleamed on the shop's window, making him catch sight of his reflection. His brown complexion seemed darker, which made him frown. From the corner of his eyes, he could see a big, round blurry figure near the counter. He looked at the figure, his eyes squinting and then widening when he realized the shopkeeper, who was an Indian woman in her late thirties, was looking back at him. He quickly looked away and continued running down the long, wide path.
"Oi! Rashid!" A nasal voice called out. His eyes swiveled to the source of the voice and they landed on a shiny, yellow car with dark windows. The window next to the driver's seat rolled down to reveal Akia, a girl with dark complexion. She wore a long, black weave that had red and black beads stringed at the bottom. Her eyes were wide and spaced out with carefully applied mascara and eyeliner. Her lips were big and glossed with Vaseline and, as she grinned, her teeth were a bright white, a contrast to her skin.
"What... what do you want?" Rashid asked, breathing heavily as his features pulled down in annoyance. He noticed movement from behind Akia and could vaguely see a tall, dark, lean figure. He bit down on his bottom lip and held his breath as he waited for her reply.
"It's non-uniform day today, moron," Akia said as a smirk took over her features and her eyes glinted as she eyed him up and down. Her smirk expanded when she saw his eyes widen, a sign that he had forgotten about the occasion. Wanting to taunt him more, she added in a slow, accusing voice, "I bet you didn't have anything to wear, huh?"
Rashid stared at her coldly while he tried to calm his racing heart. His nostrils flared as he took deep breaths. He was about to retaliate with an insult, until he heard a deep laughter from inside the car in the driver's seat. He couldn't see well as his eyes were poor-sighted, but he had a feeling that he knew who was laughing. He remembered Akia mentioning to him out of anger that she had a brother who would beat him up.
Sweat dribbled down from his forehead and rolled on to his cheek. He quickly wiped it away with his sticky, wet palm. Akia moved her head back, her lips pulled down and her nose scrunched up in disgust.
"Okay, I'm done," she muttered, rolling up the window to prevent Rashid from seeing her face. The yellow car sped off, leaving a trail of gas behind, making the thick-bodied Pakistani boy cough in irritation. He swatted at the air, waving away the gas and began running up the hill.
As he ran, he took big steps, gripping on the rough surface below. His thoughts were focused around Akia and his plan to kill her without getting into trouble with the police. There was a slight jabbing pain in his left foot that snapped him out of his thoughts. Almost immediately, he bent down to take his shoe off, his rear exposed to the passers-by. Two ten-year-old girls pointed and sniggered at his bottom while he shook his shoe frantically. A small rock tumbled out and landed on the dry, hard dirt.
He put his shoe back on and proceeded with his running. Meanwhile, Akia had been dropped off to Jefferson Technology College, a Secondary school ranging from eleven-year-olds to sixteen-year-olds. From the moment she stepped foot on the playground, it was obvious to her that the school was over fifty years old. The grounds were cracked and rocky while the grasses were damp. The blue paint on the school fences were chipped off, revealing the original color, which was brass. The playground was loitered with endless rubbish and bird poops. Inside the school, it wasn't any better with its stained carpets, gray walls, and broken toilet cubicles that the students frequently complained about, especially the girls.
An empty packet of Walkers crisp flew towards Akia's leg which she kicked away with her red high heels. She was wearing long, skinny jeans that showed off her curves along with a black top decorated with sequins and sparkles. A black leather jacket was worn on top, hugging her figure perfectly and to complete her look, she wore her favorite accessories her brother Riccardo gave her for Christmas; her golden hoop earrings and a heart-shaped necklace.
She scanned the area, her eyes squinting as the heat waves were visible in her vision. She concentrated on the rainbow colors that the waves produced, but she instantly got distracted when she saw a recognizable long, black hair in the distance. The sunlight captured the girl's smooth, creamy-white complexion and her big, brown eyes looked like they were twinkling. She was near the school entrance where there was a big oak tree and underneath the tree placed in a horizontal position was an old, rusted bench that she sat down on. Her little legs were crossed while her slim fingers moved in a rapid motion across her phone. This was Sachiko, her Japanese friend.
Akia strutted over to her, taking deliberately loud steps with her chin slightly tilted up, despite the sun's harsh light. She reached the long, wide grassy area that the Year Nine and Ten boys were using to play football. She watched them kick the dirty ball around for a while until Benjamin Griffiths, her classmate got tackled and tripped down on the floor. She rolled her eyes and focused her attention back to her friend.
"Oi! Sachiko! I'm here!" Her voice had gone higher and squeakier, which attracted the attention of Year Eight girls that were gossiping in their little corner. They stared at her, dumbfounded, but Akia didn't pay attention to them. Her attention was only focused on Sachiko, who was looking in the opposite direction from Akia with a confused expression on her small face, "Sachiko, you deaf-o! Over here!"
Suddenly, a football flew from behind her and whacked the annoyed, African girl on her forehead. Laughter erupted from the playground, the sound of the laughter was greater on the area with the Year Nine and Ten boys. Akia gritted her teeth as her forehead pounded with annoyance. She stared at Luke Campbell, a small, chubby boy in the year below her as he retrieved the ball in his hands. She stomped over to him and viciously grabbed his collar. Her eyes pierced through his big, worried, blue eyes.
"Did you do that?" She asked, her voice low and almost the sound of a hiss.
The boys around him were laughing and commenting under their breaths. Luke quickly shook his head, his face struggling to stay composed. The boys laughed harder, making Luke twist his lips into a nervous grin. Irritation flashed through Akia's dark gray eyes. The next words that came out of her mouth were short and sharp. "Who was it?"
The chubby boy brushed his dirty-blonde hair shakily, his eyes landing on Spencer Pearson who was in the same year as him. He looked at him with pleading eyes, silently asking for his permission. Akia followed his gaze, her features stiffening as she looked at the tall, white boy who was grinning cheekily. His green eyes were staring back at her confidently. Akia studied him carefully.
He had light brown hair that was cropped, his freckles covered his bony nose, he had small, flat ears, his ear lobes were joint to his skin and he had an oval-shaped face structure. He was 6'1, which was unusually tall for a fourteen-year-old; however, his body frame was skinny, which gave him the reputation for being lanky.
Akia marched up to him with her fists clenched. The boys were becoming more excited and cheered for the angry, black girl.
"Kick his ass!" Cody Johnson said, earning a round of laughter from his friends.
"What the hell is going on?" A loud, brittle voice demanded, making Akia snap her head to the right to see her other friend, Libby standing there with her hands on her huge hips.
Spencer glanced down at Libby's chest, a typical reaction that she receives from people. Out of the group of friends which consisted of Sachiko, Libby, Akia, and Marley, Libby was the girl with the big breasts. She had dark auburn hair that flowed down to her waist and hazel brown eyes with medium, thick eyebrows. Her features were sharp and her jaw was defined. She had long elf-like ears that she covered with her long, wavy hair.
When no one answered, Libby heaved a heavy sigh and grabbed Akia by the wrist, "Come on, there's something I have to show you."
Akia was about to push her away until she noticed the tiny bumps that covered Libby's skin. Libby's face was exposed to the sun, which showed off her tiny spots and light, thin hair that was sticking up everywhere, especially in her rough, red cheeks. Akia followed Libby's small steps, her eyes slowly traveling down to her friend's chubby arms. Libby was wearing a short-sleeved, bright pink top that was decorated with white stripes, and a frilly gray skirt, along with black tights. Akia observed the hair on her friend's arms, a sickening feeling settling on the pit of her stomach.
Libby was observing Akia too, her eyes full of admiration as she gazed at her red high heels that sparkled when the sunlight hit them. "Wow," she breathed out. "You look gorgeous."
"Thanks," Akia said with a big smile. She wanted to respond with the same compliment, but she knew that she would be lying, so instead she hugged her. Libby hugged her back, wrapping her arms around Akia's tiny frame tightly.
"Hey, are you ever gonna tell me what happened back there with you and Spencer?" She asked, her head resting on Akia's hard, bony shoulder. Akia gently moved Libby's head away, a scowl slowly taking over her features.
"I was going to shred him into tiny pieces and chuck him in a human-sized blender, but you got in the way," she explained, her eyes lowering playfully at Libby who gave her a look of confusion. Akia rolled her eyes and shook her head, dismissing the subject. "What did you want to show me anyway?"
"Hey," a soft-spoken voice said. The two girls turned their heads to the left only to see their Japanese friend, standing there wearing a floral dress with a deep purple cardigan on top. Unlike Libby who wore pumps and Akia who wore high heels, she wore flat sandals that showed off her feet and the light pink varnish on her toe nails. Akia looked carefully at Sachiko's skin, which was illuminated by the sunlight, and it was then that she realized that Sachiko wasn't as flawless as she thought she was. She could see many little spots all over her face. They weren't as big or noticeable as Libby's, however it still surprised her.
During Akia's discreet observation, Libby was waiting for her to comment on Sachiko's appearance and when she stayed silent, Libby felt forced to say the next words that left her mouth.
"You look beautiful."
Sachiko's eyes widened in surprise momentarily, and then she beamed. When she smiled, her eyes crinkled at the sides. "You too," she replied, her voice gentle and full of honesty.
The sound of the bell rang, indicating that it was time for registration. Rashid had just made it to school, his body dragging forward as he took weak, wobbly steps while he gasped for air. His armpits, palms, face, hair, and eyebrows were soaked with sweat. The temperature of the sun was so hot that it caused his snot to melt and fall down like water. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, his eyes straining to recognize faces as they were blurry in his vision. He rested his back against the brick wall while students were already heading to the inside of the small, gray building.
"Man, what the heck happened to you?" A high boy's voice asked with a hint of a Mexican accent. Rashid looked at his friend, Andreas with tired eyes. He held on to his chest, trying to control his heart that hammered against his chest and at the same time trying to form words. His throat felt so dry that he gave up on trying to reply. Andreas gave him a look of pity. "You didn't have to wear your uniform today. Did you forget or something?"
Rashid nodded his head slowly, his eyes tracing over Andreas' outfit which was a blue top with the number 21 imprinted in a large, white font. There was a white stripe that was lined against the side of his shirt and he wore matching tracksuit bottoms. His outfit highlighted his clear blue eyes that were partially covered by his dark brown hair. His skin was lightly tanned and suffered from acne. When he smiled and showed his teeth off, his indice tooth stood out for most people because it was a permanent yellow, due to a lack of hygiene care.
"So... we're gonna be late," Andreas said, feeling uncomfortable under Rashid's cold stare. He nodded his head towards the school entrance. "Let's go."
Rashid took a deep breath before he straightened his posture, his back aching from running in a forty-five degrees angle for nearly half an hour. He dragged his feet, his bag strap clinging to the side of his shoulder and his left arm raised above his eyes, blocking the sunlight. Andreas walked by his side, his eyes fixated on Rashid's yellow stained armpits. When Rashid looked at him, he quickly averted his gaze to the ground.
"Do you have some water on you?" Rashid asked, his voice thick and wheezy for the ears.
Andreas blinked frantically. He reached to the side of his bag pocket and pulled out a bottle of Coke. "Uh... no, but you can take a sip of this if you want to."
The Pakistani boy snatched it from his grip, eagerly tearing open the bottle cap and taking large gulps of the warm liquid. His body relaxed as the fluid trickled down his sore throat. Andreas stared at him, his eyebrows furrowing as the Coke droplets fell from Rashid's mouth and rolled down his chin. Rashid wiped away the excess with the back of his arm.
After gulping down half of the drink, he thrusted the bottle to Andreas, who examined it and made a face of distaste as he saw the bubbles popping in the drink, almost giving the impression that Rashid spat into the liquid.
"You can have it," Andreas said bitterly.
Rashid shrugged his wide, big shoulders and tucked the drink into the back of his bag pocket, a goofy, lop-sided grin clear on his face, "Thanks, man."
"Hurry, boys, hurry!" A young, white woman said, clapping her hands at them in a demanding way for them to quicken their pace. Rashid gave the small woman a quick glance. She had dyed black hair, a round nose, brown eyes and she wore a neon yellow-green jacket with glow-in-the-dark silver stripes. She was his Math teacher, Miss Crombey.
He gave her a quick nod and ran to the small, gray building, his arms swaying wildly by his sides with his legs kicking high up in the air. Snot ran down from his nose, making him use the back of his hairy hand to wipe it away. His bag kept crashing on to his back, the contents banging each other, the sound was almost as loud as Andreas who was yelling at him.
"Wait up!"
Rashid ignored his friend and continued running as his left hand sneakily found his way to his pocket. His fingers stroked a little square paper, a feeling of desire and excitement crept up to him.
"Stop!" Andreas yelled, his body stumbling forward after making contact with a gray stone. Rashid ran through the glass doors, making sure to shut them behind him, unaware of looking in front of him. His large body bumped against a small Year Seven girl, sending her crashing against the wall.
She grunted as a sharp pain crawled up her spine, her brown eyes filling up with tears. Rashid gave her a quick look. She was a little, black girl with slanted, small eyes, big lips, big nose, and an afro that was pulled back with a headband. He chuckled at her, feeling pleased with himself for making her cry. Then he spotted a teacher near the assembly halls and he hastily walked away while using his hand to wipe away, once again, his runny nose.
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Pakistani Boy Vs. African Girl
Re: Pakistani Boy Vs. African Girl
Pakistani Boy Vs. African Girl (2)
"You stink of curry." - Akia Guido Sebastian.
"So what do you think of my butterfly?" Libby asked, her eyes fastened on Akia's face as her heart raced violently, waiting for her friend's response.
Akia stared at her butterfly tattoo, her gray eyes tracing over the design on Libby's left shoulder. The butterfly was a sea blue and in each wing, there was a small circle that was colored in light purple and in those circles, there were specks of white dots on the top and bottom. The butterfly was outlined in black, making the insect stand out against Libby's light complexion and giving it a cartoon-like look.
"Well?" Libby said, her tone growing impatient, "Is it good? Bad? Do you like it?"
Akia nodded her head slowly, her eyes still glued on the tattoo, her mind calculating.
"I knew you would!" Libby trilled, bouncing in her seat with joy. "I wanted a tattoo so bad, but I couldn't get one 'cause I was too young, so you can guess how happy I was when my cousin said she'd do it for me!"
"Quiet!" A scratchy voice demanded. A pair of cold, brown eyes were looking straight at the girls.
The angry eyes belonged to their form tutor, Miss. Earth, a middle-aged woman. Her hair was recently dyed in a dark brown substance to cover up the strings of white hair and her face was coated with wrinkle cream; however, her wrinkles still showed on her cheeks, her forehead and at the side of her eyes. She had a long neck and a small, curvy nose with thin, pink lips. The brightness from her monitor highlighted her lightly tanned complexion.
Akia and Libby stayed still in their seats as the woman turned her attention back on to the PowerPoint that the Year Ten's Head of Year made.
"Is it permanent?" Akia whispered, her eyes focused on the miserable form tutor. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Libby nodding her head. Miss. Earth glanced their way, making her straighten her back. When the teacher looked away, Akia added in a lower voice, "You're an idiot."
She looked at Libby whose features were pulled down in a frown. Then she looked away and observed her surroundings, her eyes landing on the teacher's black monitor; the interactive whiteboard that had a white presentation on it, written in black text; the posters about education and dreams stuck on the pale yellow walls; the dark green carpets stained with dirt and littered with crumbs, glitter and tiny pieces of paper; the wires on top of the ceiling, along with the gray projector; and the people around her, wearing their own clothes, livening the dull atmosphere with their colorful outfits.
"What do you mean I'm an idiot?" Libby asked as Miss. Earth got distracted by telling Owais Uddin off for making an inappropriate comment. Akia sighed in frustration, refusing to meet her curious eyes. "Akia? I know you can hear me."
"It's permanent," Akia said bitterly, half-expecting Libby to understand how she felt with two words, but she didn't.
"Yeah? And?"
A pink sheet of paper slammed down on the desk, making the two girls jump in surprise. They looked up to see the familiar angry brown eyes staring down at them. Miss. Earth was pressing her lips together, her wrinkles more defined against the dim of the classroom light. The boys laughed quietly and the girls were whispering, watching the two girls in amusement.
"Take this to the Reception Office," Miss. Earth ordered. Akia sniffed the air and almost gagged as she inhaled her teacher's breath, which smelt of bagel and coffee. The teacher glowered at her and took the register away from Libby's grasp and gave it to Akia. "You can take it. Go."
Akia kept her face composed, her eyes leveled with the dark-haired woman. She took the pink paper and walked off, purposely leaving the door wide open when the teacher told her to shut it behind her. She hurried to the Atrium, only to see Rashid quickly walking into the boys' toilets. She felt a shudder of disgust run through her body. Not wanting to be near him, she crossed to the other side of the Atrium and made her way to the entrance where the office was.
Rashid dashed into his favorite cubicle, which was the one for the disable-bodied. He closed the dark red door behind him and sat down on the ocean blue floor. The ground below him looked like it was sparkling in the white light. The space provided was small for his big body. His large frame was squashed between the toilet and the door. On the right-hand side of the toilet was a long, narrow bin. The walls were originally white, but the color was washed down after a while, due to excessive scrubbing to get rid of the scribbles. There was a toilet roll stuck on the dull wall and on the door, there was a small cracked mirror.
Rashid got out his little, small paper from his pocket and gazed at it lovingly. The paper was a picture of Justin Bieber, his idol. He pulled out his phone and earphones from his pocket, connected it together, scrolled through his music list and played Turn To You by his inspiration. He kissed the picture and held it near his chest, his eyes closed as he listened to the song, thinking about his mother. Halfway into the song, tears fell from his eyes and dribbled down his cheeks.
On the other side of the school, near the front entrance, there came a loud thudding sound. "Hey! Open the door!" Andreas yelled as he banged against the glass door, angry at Rashid for locking the door.
Akia stepped on to the black and gray floor, feeling dizzy as she stared at the spiral design. Andreas banged harder, trying to grab her attention, "Akia! Please!"
The African girl looked up to see the Mexican boy, her mood darkening. She shot Rashid's friend a dirty look before entering the office. Andreas felt his stomach twist, a sickening feeling took over him when he realized he was outside alone. The playground was empty and quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the chirping of the birds. He turned around to look at the grassy area in the distance and saw a white plastic bag flying in the air, despite the sun being out.
"Watch it!" A Year Nine girl said crossly as Akia shoved past her and cut in line at the front. The girl was smaller than Akia, but was more developed in areas such as the chest, the hips, and the rear. She had a brown complexion to that of an Indian girl. She had thick, hairy eyebrows close to her light brown eyes. Her nose was long and thin, her lips were dry and peeled off and her ears were covered by her shoulder-length black, curly hair. She wore a dark purple shalwar kameez, a dress that came up to her knees; the v-neck was silver and decorated with heavy beads, the same design for the bottom of her dress. She had matching baggy trousers and wore flat silver sandals. Akia eyed her up and down, her face, an image of disgust, "You stink of curry."
Her remark shocked Karon-jit Hills, the Indian girl, who gazed down at her feet in embarrassment as the people behind her sniggered. Akia smirked in satisfaction and moved her attention back to the blonde receptionist who was still talking on the phone. The woman was talking in a low, raspy voice with the telephone hanging on her shoulder. She titled her head to the left, steadying the phone with her ear as she kept her blue eyes fixed on her computer screen while typing away furiously on her monitor.
Akia looked past the blonde woman and looked through the glass doors to see Andreas leaning against the brick wall, with his hands in his pockets, looking fed-up.
"What do you want, dear?" The receptionist asked after she hung up. There were dark shadows under her pale blue eyes and, as Akia looked closely, she could see red veins surrounding the dark pupils. Akia handed the pink sheet over, watching as the blonde woman took the sheet with her long, thin fingers. Her nails were chipped and the red nail polish was chipping off. There was a plain silver ring on her index finger with a little diamond on top, twinkling as it came into view with the light. "Thank you. Who's next?"
Akia headed for the door, only pausing to look behind her at the receptionist. She examined the woman's nose which was long and pointy; her nostrils were thin, making Akia scrunch up her own nose. She left the room, shutting the gray door behind her.
Andreas' furious eyes were watching as Akia shut the door. He ran to the glass door and punched it, which made a dull thud sound, making the African girl jump in fright.
"Open the door!" He shouted, his fists shaking with impatience. His words were muffled, but Akia could hear them clearly. Her big lips were pulled down while her nostrils widened. There were wrinkles on her forehead as she narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. She turned on her heels, a clear indication that she was going to leave. Andreas picked up on this and quickly added in a high, shaky voice, "Please."
Akia snorted, her shoulders rising up and falling down again while a malicious smile made its way to her features. She continued walking, waving him off. As she disappeared from Karon-Jit's view, the small Indian girl scurried over to unlock the door. She hesitated slightly as she looked behind her, worried that Akia would run back, but she was nowhere to be seen. The doors made a clicking sound, and with a big push, they opened a fraction.
Andreas' eyes widened in surprise; nonetheless a smile invaded his features. He stepped on to the black and gray floor, his eyes staring at the window on his right where the receptionist's blonde hair was sticking up. His face was emotionless.
"Thanks," he said, looking back at Karon-jit. She smiled shyly.
Akia walked past the Medical room, only coming to a stop when she heard a familiar sound. The door to the Medical room was opened slightly, allowing Akia to look through the gap to see a small Year Seven girl sitting in a hard, gray chair. Her legs were little and skinny; they didn't reach the gray floors. She was sitting in a crooked position with her arms resting on her lap. She was wearing an over-sized plain orange top that had short sleeves, showing off her trimmed, barely noticeable black hair covering her bony arms. She wore loose, faded jeans, along with shiny white trainers. There was a woman opposite her who had short, white-blonde hair and a face caked with makeup. She was standing up, facing the girl, and filling out a sick form.
"'Lil monk, what happened to you?" Akia asked, her eyes were worried as they rested on the little girl. She had a small afro, tied back with a black headband. Her small, slanted eyes were red around the pupils and had a tinge of yellow in the irises. The skin on her big lips were peeled off and her nose was runny. This was Akia's cousin's friend, Valerie Portman.
The little girl sniffed rapidly, her eyes wide and teary as she stared up Akia who walked in.
"Shouldn't you be in your form?" The woman, Mrs. Sharpe asked, looking up from her form. Her glass green eyes were scrutinizing Akia. Her eyes lingered on her red high heels. "Or did you come here 'cause you hurt yourself in those crazy heels?"
"What happened to her?" Akia asked, ignoring the question and gesturing towards Valerie with her right hand.
"A student barged into her. The poor girl hurt her spine," the woman answered as she put the form down on the table, near the First-Aid kit. She chose to ignore Akia's bewildered expression and looked straight at Valerie. "I'm going to call your parents, okay? I'll be right back."
Mrs. Sharpe walked away to the open room to the back of the Reception Office. Akia made sure she was out of sight before demanding, "Who hurt you? What did they look like?"
"He... He was big," Valerie answered as she looked down at her lap. She noticed small dust on her jeans, which she nervously picked at. Akia stared at her, frozen while her anger was boiling dangerously. Her gut feeling was almost screaming at her, knowing immediately who hurt the little girl.
"Was he a Paki?" Akia asked, spitting out the words with hatred. When Valerie looked up, she felt fear creeing up her injured spine as she saw the look of revenge on the African girl's face. She shrugged her shoulders in response, wincing as a sharp pain traveled up her spine. Her eyes lowered to her lap again.
"Did he have black hair? Was he ugly? Was he fat?" Akia fired questions, her voice rising and sounding nasal. Valerie gulped, knowing that trouble wasn't too far behind. Silence took over and hovered for a moment. The little girl sighed in relief when Mrs. Sharpe returned. She gave her a thin smile.
"I've called your mum. She's going to pick you up in five minutes or so," the woman said. Valerie nodded her head in understanding. "How is your spine feeling now? Is it feeling better?"
The little girl shrugged again, ignoring the sharp pain that ran through her body, refusing to make eye contact with Akia. Mrs. Sharpe nodded her head slightly before pointing a finger to the door, motioning for Akia to leave. The African girl walked slowly to the gray door, her hand resting on the black doorknob.
"Just answer this. Was he wearing his uniform? You know, his shirt, tie, and trousers - no jumpers or anything?" She asked. Valerie nodded her head, still looking down and gazing at her chipped nails that had dirt in them. Akia stomped out, taking long strides with her arms swinging back and forth; her fists were clenched and her jaw was tight. There was a knowing glint in her eye.
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"You stink of curry." - Akia Guido Sebastian.
"So what do you think of my butterfly?" Libby asked, her eyes fastened on Akia's face as her heart raced violently, waiting for her friend's response.
Akia stared at her butterfly tattoo, her gray eyes tracing over the design on Libby's left shoulder. The butterfly was a sea blue and in each wing, there was a small circle that was colored in light purple and in those circles, there were specks of white dots on the top and bottom. The butterfly was outlined in black, making the insect stand out against Libby's light complexion and giving it a cartoon-like look.
"Well?" Libby said, her tone growing impatient, "Is it good? Bad? Do you like it?"
Akia nodded her head slowly, her eyes still glued on the tattoo, her mind calculating.
"I knew you would!" Libby trilled, bouncing in her seat with joy. "I wanted a tattoo so bad, but I couldn't get one 'cause I was too young, so you can guess how happy I was when my cousin said she'd do it for me!"
"Quiet!" A scratchy voice demanded. A pair of cold, brown eyes were looking straight at the girls.
The angry eyes belonged to their form tutor, Miss. Earth, a middle-aged woman. Her hair was recently dyed in a dark brown substance to cover up the strings of white hair and her face was coated with wrinkle cream; however, her wrinkles still showed on her cheeks, her forehead and at the side of her eyes. She had a long neck and a small, curvy nose with thin, pink lips. The brightness from her monitor highlighted her lightly tanned complexion.
Akia and Libby stayed still in their seats as the woman turned her attention back on to the PowerPoint that the Year Ten's Head of Year made.
"Is it permanent?" Akia whispered, her eyes focused on the miserable form tutor. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Libby nodding her head. Miss. Earth glanced their way, making her straighten her back. When the teacher looked away, Akia added in a lower voice, "You're an idiot."
She looked at Libby whose features were pulled down in a frown. Then she looked away and observed her surroundings, her eyes landing on the teacher's black monitor; the interactive whiteboard that had a white presentation on it, written in black text; the posters about education and dreams stuck on the pale yellow walls; the dark green carpets stained with dirt and littered with crumbs, glitter and tiny pieces of paper; the wires on top of the ceiling, along with the gray projector; and the people around her, wearing their own clothes, livening the dull atmosphere with their colorful outfits.
"What do you mean I'm an idiot?" Libby asked as Miss. Earth got distracted by telling Owais Uddin off for making an inappropriate comment. Akia sighed in frustration, refusing to meet her curious eyes. "Akia? I know you can hear me."
"It's permanent," Akia said bitterly, half-expecting Libby to understand how she felt with two words, but she didn't.
"Yeah? And?"
A pink sheet of paper slammed down on the desk, making the two girls jump in surprise. They looked up to see the familiar angry brown eyes staring down at them. Miss. Earth was pressing her lips together, her wrinkles more defined against the dim of the classroom light. The boys laughed quietly and the girls were whispering, watching the two girls in amusement.
"Take this to the Reception Office," Miss. Earth ordered. Akia sniffed the air and almost gagged as she inhaled her teacher's breath, which smelt of bagel and coffee. The teacher glowered at her and took the register away from Libby's grasp and gave it to Akia. "You can take it. Go."
Akia kept her face composed, her eyes leveled with the dark-haired woman. She took the pink paper and walked off, purposely leaving the door wide open when the teacher told her to shut it behind her. She hurried to the Atrium, only to see Rashid quickly walking into the boys' toilets. She felt a shudder of disgust run through her body. Not wanting to be near him, she crossed to the other side of the Atrium and made her way to the entrance where the office was.
Rashid dashed into his favorite cubicle, which was the one for the disable-bodied. He closed the dark red door behind him and sat down on the ocean blue floor. The ground below him looked like it was sparkling in the white light. The space provided was small for his big body. His large frame was squashed between the toilet and the door. On the right-hand side of the toilet was a long, narrow bin. The walls were originally white, but the color was washed down after a while, due to excessive scrubbing to get rid of the scribbles. There was a toilet roll stuck on the dull wall and on the door, there was a small cracked mirror.
Rashid got out his little, small paper from his pocket and gazed at it lovingly. The paper was a picture of Justin Bieber, his idol. He pulled out his phone and earphones from his pocket, connected it together, scrolled through his music list and played Turn To You by his inspiration. He kissed the picture and held it near his chest, his eyes closed as he listened to the song, thinking about his mother. Halfway into the song, tears fell from his eyes and dribbled down his cheeks.
On the other side of the school, near the front entrance, there came a loud thudding sound. "Hey! Open the door!" Andreas yelled as he banged against the glass door, angry at Rashid for locking the door.
Akia stepped on to the black and gray floor, feeling dizzy as she stared at the spiral design. Andreas banged harder, trying to grab her attention, "Akia! Please!"
The African girl looked up to see the Mexican boy, her mood darkening. She shot Rashid's friend a dirty look before entering the office. Andreas felt his stomach twist, a sickening feeling took over him when he realized he was outside alone. The playground was empty and quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the chirping of the birds. He turned around to look at the grassy area in the distance and saw a white plastic bag flying in the air, despite the sun being out.
"Watch it!" A Year Nine girl said crossly as Akia shoved past her and cut in line at the front. The girl was smaller than Akia, but was more developed in areas such as the chest, the hips, and the rear. She had a brown complexion to that of an Indian girl. She had thick, hairy eyebrows close to her light brown eyes. Her nose was long and thin, her lips were dry and peeled off and her ears were covered by her shoulder-length black, curly hair. She wore a dark purple shalwar kameez, a dress that came up to her knees; the v-neck was silver and decorated with heavy beads, the same design for the bottom of her dress. She had matching baggy trousers and wore flat silver sandals. Akia eyed her up and down, her face, an image of disgust, "You stink of curry."
Her remark shocked Karon-jit Hills, the Indian girl, who gazed down at her feet in embarrassment as the people behind her sniggered. Akia smirked in satisfaction and moved her attention back to the blonde receptionist who was still talking on the phone. The woman was talking in a low, raspy voice with the telephone hanging on her shoulder. She titled her head to the left, steadying the phone with her ear as she kept her blue eyes fixed on her computer screen while typing away furiously on her monitor.
Akia looked past the blonde woman and looked through the glass doors to see Andreas leaning against the brick wall, with his hands in his pockets, looking fed-up.
"What do you want, dear?" The receptionist asked after she hung up. There were dark shadows under her pale blue eyes and, as Akia looked closely, she could see red veins surrounding the dark pupils. Akia handed the pink sheet over, watching as the blonde woman took the sheet with her long, thin fingers. Her nails were chipped and the red nail polish was chipping off. There was a plain silver ring on her index finger with a little diamond on top, twinkling as it came into view with the light. "Thank you. Who's next?"
Akia headed for the door, only pausing to look behind her at the receptionist. She examined the woman's nose which was long and pointy; her nostrils were thin, making Akia scrunch up her own nose. She left the room, shutting the gray door behind her.
Andreas' furious eyes were watching as Akia shut the door. He ran to the glass door and punched it, which made a dull thud sound, making the African girl jump in fright.
"Open the door!" He shouted, his fists shaking with impatience. His words were muffled, but Akia could hear them clearly. Her big lips were pulled down while her nostrils widened. There were wrinkles on her forehead as she narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. She turned on her heels, a clear indication that she was going to leave. Andreas picked up on this and quickly added in a high, shaky voice, "Please."
Akia snorted, her shoulders rising up and falling down again while a malicious smile made its way to her features. She continued walking, waving him off. As she disappeared from Karon-Jit's view, the small Indian girl scurried over to unlock the door. She hesitated slightly as she looked behind her, worried that Akia would run back, but she was nowhere to be seen. The doors made a clicking sound, and with a big push, they opened a fraction.
Andreas' eyes widened in surprise; nonetheless a smile invaded his features. He stepped on to the black and gray floor, his eyes staring at the window on his right where the receptionist's blonde hair was sticking up. His face was emotionless.
"Thanks," he said, looking back at Karon-jit. She smiled shyly.
Akia walked past the Medical room, only coming to a stop when she heard a familiar sound. The door to the Medical room was opened slightly, allowing Akia to look through the gap to see a small Year Seven girl sitting in a hard, gray chair. Her legs were little and skinny; they didn't reach the gray floors. She was sitting in a crooked position with her arms resting on her lap. She was wearing an over-sized plain orange top that had short sleeves, showing off her trimmed, barely noticeable black hair covering her bony arms. She wore loose, faded jeans, along with shiny white trainers. There was a woman opposite her who had short, white-blonde hair and a face caked with makeup. She was standing up, facing the girl, and filling out a sick form.
"'Lil monk, what happened to you?" Akia asked, her eyes were worried as they rested on the little girl. She had a small afro, tied back with a black headband. Her small, slanted eyes were red around the pupils and had a tinge of yellow in the irises. The skin on her big lips were peeled off and her nose was runny. This was Akia's cousin's friend, Valerie Portman.
The little girl sniffed rapidly, her eyes wide and teary as she stared up Akia who walked in.
"Shouldn't you be in your form?" The woman, Mrs. Sharpe asked, looking up from her form. Her glass green eyes were scrutinizing Akia. Her eyes lingered on her red high heels. "Or did you come here 'cause you hurt yourself in those crazy heels?"
"What happened to her?" Akia asked, ignoring the question and gesturing towards Valerie with her right hand.
"A student barged into her. The poor girl hurt her spine," the woman answered as she put the form down on the table, near the First-Aid kit. She chose to ignore Akia's bewildered expression and looked straight at Valerie. "I'm going to call your parents, okay? I'll be right back."
Mrs. Sharpe walked away to the open room to the back of the Reception Office. Akia made sure she was out of sight before demanding, "Who hurt you? What did they look like?"
"He... He was big," Valerie answered as she looked down at her lap. She noticed small dust on her jeans, which she nervously picked at. Akia stared at her, frozen while her anger was boiling dangerously. Her gut feeling was almost screaming at her, knowing immediately who hurt the little girl.
"Was he a Paki?" Akia asked, spitting out the words with hatred. When Valerie looked up, she felt fear creeing up her injured spine as she saw the look of revenge on the African girl's face. She shrugged her shoulders in response, wincing as a sharp pain traveled up her spine. Her eyes lowered to her lap again.
"Did he have black hair? Was he ugly? Was he fat?" Akia fired questions, her voice rising and sounding nasal. Valerie gulped, knowing that trouble wasn't too far behind. Silence took over and hovered for a moment. The little girl sighed in relief when Mrs. Sharpe returned. She gave her a thin smile.
"I've called your mum. She's going to pick you up in five minutes or so," the woman said. Valerie nodded her head in understanding. "How is your spine feeling now? Is it feeling better?"
The little girl shrugged again, ignoring the sharp pain that ran through her body, refusing to make eye contact with Akia. Mrs. Sharpe nodded her head slightly before pointing a finger to the door, motioning for Akia to leave. The African girl walked slowly to the gray door, her hand resting on the black doorknob.
"Just answer this. Was he wearing his uniform? You know, his shirt, tie, and trousers - no jumpers or anything?" She asked. Valerie nodded her head, still looking down and gazing at her chipped nails that had dirt in them. Akia stomped out, taking long strides with her arms swinging back and forth; her fists were clenched and her jaw was tight. There was a knowing glint in her eye.
*********************************************************************
Re: Pakistani Boy Vs. African Girl
Pakistani Boy Vs. African Girl (3)
This chapter is dedicated to Rabiya for being a fantastic reader!
"You look like crap," Abdul Rehman's first words came as soon as he saw Rashid stepped into the Open Education Area, also known as the O.E.A.
There were four O.E.A grounds in JTC; each decorated in the same way with the hard, square chairs, and triangular tables, pieced together to make a circle, big enough for a group of six. The grounds were separated into four categories; North, South, East, and West, following the school's House Point system. The open areas themselves had desks and chairs arranged for a class to study out in the open. The O.E.A that Rashid entered was South, which was easily identified from the rest, with its bright orange furniture. In the O.E.A, there were seven classroom doors fixed in places that lead to small rooms. Rashid spotted the sign S3, the classroom on the far end. He jogged there.
"I said you look like crap," Abdul repeated loudly and monotonously as he followed his friend. Rashid stopped walking and sat down on a square-cushioned orange chair. There was a row of them stacked against the wall, near S3. He heaved a sigh and took in Abdul's appearance.
Abdul was wearing a red and white checkered shirt; dark denim jeans with black trainers that had a red outline of a lion's head. Like Rashid, he was a Pakistani. Unlike Rashid, he was a Muslim. His brown eyes were big and his eyelashes were long and thick. He had a long nose with a little black mole at the top, just under his left eye. His lips were pink, almost red and his ears were big and slightly pointy. He had black hair that was trimmed lightly and he came up to Rashid's shoulders.
"Tissue?" Abdul offered, pulling out a crumpled piece of tissue from his pocket, after seeing Rashid wipe his nose with his hand. Rashid looked at it cautiously. "Don't worry, I haven't used it," he lied.
Below the ground floor, there was a red O.E.A, the color of North. Akia stomped in, fury shown in her dark gray eyes. She scanned the open area and saw a head full of curly, ginger hair, covered with a black beanie on top. The figure wore dark jeggings and a long, white top that had black sleeves, and in the middle of the top, there was a panda. This was her friend, Marley. As soon as Akia approached her, Marley turned around and grinned at her.
"Sup, girl?" She asked, echoing the words of Connor Hopkins, a boy in their year. Akia shook her head, her weave flying with her harsh movement.
"Not much. Just the usual. I'm gonna kill that motherfucking rat," Akia answered, her voice wobbling with anger. Marley nodded her head slowly, her blue-green eyes were focused on the red and black beads stringed on to Akia's weave. "Guess what that stupid, fat ape did?"
"My guesses are always wrong, you know that," Marley said, waving a hand in the air, mimicking Mr. Omez's famous gesture which he uses to dismiss a subject or person. "By the way, you look really nice. I love your hair and shoes! Your necklace is pretty too! It's a heart necklace, ooo la la," she trilled, nudging Akia. "Was it a present from your secret boyfriend?"
"My brother, actually," Akia replied sourly. She entered the classroom, N4 and sat down at the back of the classroom, directly next to the long, big window, which revealed a small part of the school playground. Looking outside, she could see two trees with white, long benches on either side and four ping-pong tables set out in front of the big, blue square - a separate building from the school.
"Did I tell you about the Illuminati?" Marley asked quietly as the teacher took the register. The African girl turned to her with a bored expression. Her eyes were lowered, droopy, and her mouth was tugged down. She shook her head. "Oh, right, I must have told Sachiko! Not you."
Akia didn't say anything. She observed Marley's appearance, who was whispering to her about a Satan-worshipping secret society. Marley's hair was a lot more frizzier than usual. Her ginger curls reached her shoulders and while she talked, she had a tendency to blink frantically. Her complexion was a pale white and her cheeks were a rosy pink. Her eyes were small, just like her nose which was straight and curvy. To finish off her look, freckles were sprinkled on her features. Akia counted the freckles on her friend's nose while she talked, and she counted a total of twenty-seven.
"Marley," the teacher, Mrs. Lambert called out, "what did I just say?"
On the floor above, in S3, Rashid slammed his head down against the table. He let out a long, loud groan. Abdul was in front of him, sitting diagonally across him. Abdul's body was turned, so he was facing Rashid and his left arm was propped up on to the back of his chair. He chuckled at Rashid's misery.
"Sad, man. He's making you do your tests again," he said, joyfully reminding his moody friend. Rashid groaned louder, which sounded muffled as he still kept his head face down on the scratched desk. "Seriously, why did you cheat for?"
"I didn't! You know, I didn't! I don't know why they lied to him!" Rashid spluttered out, his eyes burning with rage as he picked his head up. He slammed the desk with his closed fists. "When I find out who these witnesses are," he said, his voice lowered in a hiss and he leaned in closer. "I'm going to kill them! I'm gonna make them pay."
"Rashid," Mr. Sardon said in a lazy, deep voice. Rashid looked up at the teacher who was towering over him. He was a black man, born, and raised in England. He was the tallest teacher in their school, about 6'7. He had thick lips and a wide, flat nose that didn't have bones. His eyes were small but looked enhanced with his thin eyebrows, arching over the top. His ears were long and oval, like his face structure. He moved his big, thick finger to his big, dark lips, indicating for Rashid to be quiet.
Rashid could feel his dislike bubbling in his stomach, ready to explode anytime soon. He took a deep breath before calmly saying, "I didn't cheat."
Mr. Sardon yawned quietly as his eyes turned watery. There were light bags under his dark, brown eyes. As he rubbed his eyes, Rashid looked at the gold ring on his finger in disgust. There was a time that the tall, black man admitted that his ring was permanently stuck in his big finger and that it couldn't be removed. His past words echoed in Rashid's head. 'I don't want to remove it because I know, I'll always love my wife.'
Mr. Sardon's present voice brought Rashid's attention back to the small, dull classroom filled with chatter as students talked to one another.
"Sorry, buddy, but there are too many witnesses that saw you. There's nothing I can do except follow the rules. It's only fair if you retake assessment one, two, and three." The teacher placed a big, warm hand on Rashid's shoulder. The Pakistani boy stared ahead, straight at the whiteboard. When he didn't say anything, the teacher said in a soft voice, "Hey, cheer up. It's only three exams. You could have had to resit the whole lot, but you got off easy. Just stop complaining and do your best, yeah?"
Rashid nodded, still focusing on the whiteboard. His jaw was clenched and his shoulders were hunched. The atmosphere around him turned quiet as Mr. Sardon returned to the front of the class.
On the floor below, in N4, Akia's stomach rumbled loudly.
"Wow, that's the sixth time your tummy farted!" Marley said as she added another tally to her table. Akia scrunched up her features as she eyed the table.
"Is it necessary to check how many times my belly rumbled?" She asked crankily. When Marley nodded her head, another rumble sounded from her stomach.
"Seven!" The ginger-haired girl said happily as she added yet another tally to her table. "I hope we make it to ten!"
Akia rolled her gray eyes and stared out of the window. The sun was still shining bright, illuminating the playground. The trees stood tall, providing large shades over the long, white benches. The benches were rough and bumpy, quite unpleasant to sit on as complained by many students. There were little smudges of dirt staining the seat, as well as dried-up bird poop. The big blue square summoned a wide shade, almost covering up the small part of the playground. The only place that didn't have shade was in the ping-pong tables section, where the equipment shone invitingly.
Akia tried to focus her vision on the ground, hoping to catch an ant moving. She couldn't see any ants, but she knew where most of them were. Although it was not visible in her view, she knew that behind the big blue square, there was a small, narrow corner where there was a little oak tree. Underneath the oak tree, there was a pile of squashed up dirt, where many ants roamed around. Her stomach rumbled again.
"Eight!" Marley said as she bounced in her seat. She drew a big, wobbly line in her table. "We're so close! This is so exciting! Your tummy is sure farting a lot today, I wonder why. Did you have breakfast? I did! My mum said it's important to have breakfast 'cause it's, like, fuel for your body! That's so weird, right? It's like we're cars!"
Akia drifted off, confused with her body. She didn't feel hungry but her stomach was demanding to be fed. She didn't eat anything this morning and only drank a glass of water before stepping out of the house, which belonged to the council. She thought about the ants in her back garden, scattering about in the rose bushes and wandering around the soil. Then her mind drifted off to Valerie and her anger came back.
It took a while for her to realize that Marley was still talking.
"...Yeah, I know. I'm speechless too. I just found out yesterday. How weird is that? I mean, do you really think aliens created this world?" The ginger-haired girl asked, her blue-green eyes wide with expectancy.
Akia stared at her, unblinking. A loud, deep cough made the two girls look behind them, only to see Mrs. Lambert standing there with her huge arms on her big hips. She was a small, round woman, known for having a loud voice. She had short, wispy hair that came up to her ears and she had a double chin. Her face was smooth and her eyes were a golden-brown, which she covered with her round glasses. Her complexion was white and she was partially deaf.
"Aliens have nothing to do with Shakespeare," she boomed, grabbing the attention from the entire class. She began to lecture them and during her speech, Akia's stomach rumbled loudly, to which Marley eagerly added another point.
"We need one more and it'll be ten!" She said, interrupting Mrs. Lambert, who raise her voice in anger. Akia shot Marley a glare, blaming her for being told off, yet again. Her gray eyes looked up at the ceiling and traced the wires that were connected to the big projector.
Above the ceiling was another classroom, S4 and on the right-hand side of the classroom, there was S3. The school's Head of Year, Mrs. Murphey opened the door and poked her head through the classroom. She was in her late fifties and it showed in her features. There were wrinkles on her cheeks, near her eyes and above her mouth. She was a small woman with long, brown hair that had blonde highlights and her eyes were a warm, honey-colored brown.
When she spoke, her words came out soft and croaky, "Everything alright, sir?"
Mr. Sardon turned to her, straightened his posture and gave her a big grin, "Yup."
The students greeted her and she waved back. Abdul turned to face Rashid and whispered, "Isn't it obvious who started this shit?"
"Who?" Rashid demanded.
"You're so stupid, it's a miracle you're even in this set," Abdul said as he shook his head, chuckling. "Take a guess, go on."
Rashid looked around at his surrounding, his eyes staring at his classmates in fury. Then his dark brown eyes landed on the front of the classroom where a group of loud-mouthed girls were. There was Chanelle Luckman, a mix-raced girl and next to her was Ladasha Cole, a black girl. Opposite them were Courtney Hamilton, a white girl and Suniya Ahmed, a Pakistani girl. Courtney caught him looking and whispered to the group, making them laugh. Then all four pair of eyes were on him, daring him to come over.
"I bet you those bitches lied," Rashid said in a low voice as he looked straight at Abdul. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the girls still staring in his direction. His heart raced viciously while he scrunched his fists up. A slight panic settled on his stomach when he saw Mrs. Murphey lead Mr. Sardon outside the classroom.
"There's no doubt they were in on it," Abdul said quietly as he kept his eyes fixed on Rashid's desk.
There was a little drawing of a heart-sketched in pencil and inside that wonky heart, there was the name 'Luke'. When Rashid didn't reply, Abdul added in a soft voice, "I heard Akia mention something about a test to Ladasha. I think she paid them to lie and get you into trouble. She probably wants you to fail in school."
There was a moment of silence between the two boys. Mr. Sardon returned and informed everyone that they had ten minutes left before the bell for second period rang. Rashid's face had turned a dark shade of red. His nostrils were wide and he was huffing loudly. His eyes were watering while snot ran down. He used Abdul's tissue to wipe it off, swiping at his nose violently, causing it to sting. His teeth hurt from grinding so hardly and he could taste blood as he bit down his lip.
There was nothing more that he wanted than to get Akia on her own and hurt her.
*****************************************************************************
This chapter is dedicated to Rabiya for being a fantastic reader!
"You look like crap," Abdul Rehman's first words came as soon as he saw Rashid stepped into the Open Education Area, also known as the O.E.A.
There were four O.E.A grounds in JTC; each decorated in the same way with the hard, square chairs, and triangular tables, pieced together to make a circle, big enough for a group of six. The grounds were separated into four categories; North, South, East, and West, following the school's House Point system. The open areas themselves had desks and chairs arranged for a class to study out in the open. The O.E.A that Rashid entered was South, which was easily identified from the rest, with its bright orange furniture. In the O.E.A, there were seven classroom doors fixed in places that lead to small rooms. Rashid spotted the sign S3, the classroom on the far end. He jogged there.
"I said you look like crap," Abdul repeated loudly and monotonously as he followed his friend. Rashid stopped walking and sat down on a square-cushioned orange chair. There was a row of them stacked against the wall, near S3. He heaved a sigh and took in Abdul's appearance.
Abdul was wearing a red and white checkered shirt; dark denim jeans with black trainers that had a red outline of a lion's head. Like Rashid, he was a Pakistani. Unlike Rashid, he was a Muslim. His brown eyes were big and his eyelashes were long and thick. He had a long nose with a little black mole at the top, just under his left eye. His lips were pink, almost red and his ears were big and slightly pointy. He had black hair that was trimmed lightly and he came up to Rashid's shoulders.
"Tissue?" Abdul offered, pulling out a crumpled piece of tissue from his pocket, after seeing Rashid wipe his nose with his hand. Rashid looked at it cautiously. "Don't worry, I haven't used it," he lied.
Below the ground floor, there was a red O.E.A, the color of North. Akia stomped in, fury shown in her dark gray eyes. She scanned the open area and saw a head full of curly, ginger hair, covered with a black beanie on top. The figure wore dark jeggings and a long, white top that had black sleeves, and in the middle of the top, there was a panda. This was her friend, Marley. As soon as Akia approached her, Marley turned around and grinned at her.
"Sup, girl?" She asked, echoing the words of Connor Hopkins, a boy in their year. Akia shook her head, her weave flying with her harsh movement.
"Not much. Just the usual. I'm gonna kill that motherfucking rat," Akia answered, her voice wobbling with anger. Marley nodded her head slowly, her blue-green eyes were focused on the red and black beads stringed on to Akia's weave. "Guess what that stupid, fat ape did?"
"My guesses are always wrong, you know that," Marley said, waving a hand in the air, mimicking Mr. Omez's famous gesture which he uses to dismiss a subject or person. "By the way, you look really nice. I love your hair and shoes! Your necklace is pretty too! It's a heart necklace, ooo la la," she trilled, nudging Akia. "Was it a present from your secret boyfriend?"
"My brother, actually," Akia replied sourly. She entered the classroom, N4 and sat down at the back of the classroom, directly next to the long, big window, which revealed a small part of the school playground. Looking outside, she could see two trees with white, long benches on either side and four ping-pong tables set out in front of the big, blue square - a separate building from the school.
"Did I tell you about the Illuminati?" Marley asked quietly as the teacher took the register. The African girl turned to her with a bored expression. Her eyes were lowered, droopy, and her mouth was tugged down. She shook her head. "Oh, right, I must have told Sachiko! Not you."
Akia didn't say anything. She observed Marley's appearance, who was whispering to her about a Satan-worshipping secret society. Marley's hair was a lot more frizzier than usual. Her ginger curls reached her shoulders and while she talked, she had a tendency to blink frantically. Her complexion was a pale white and her cheeks were a rosy pink. Her eyes were small, just like her nose which was straight and curvy. To finish off her look, freckles were sprinkled on her features. Akia counted the freckles on her friend's nose while she talked, and she counted a total of twenty-seven.
"Marley," the teacher, Mrs. Lambert called out, "what did I just say?"
On the floor above, in S3, Rashid slammed his head down against the table. He let out a long, loud groan. Abdul was in front of him, sitting diagonally across him. Abdul's body was turned, so he was facing Rashid and his left arm was propped up on to the back of his chair. He chuckled at Rashid's misery.
"Sad, man. He's making you do your tests again," he said, joyfully reminding his moody friend. Rashid groaned louder, which sounded muffled as he still kept his head face down on the scratched desk. "Seriously, why did you cheat for?"
"I didn't! You know, I didn't! I don't know why they lied to him!" Rashid spluttered out, his eyes burning with rage as he picked his head up. He slammed the desk with his closed fists. "When I find out who these witnesses are," he said, his voice lowered in a hiss and he leaned in closer. "I'm going to kill them! I'm gonna make them pay."
"Rashid," Mr. Sardon said in a lazy, deep voice. Rashid looked up at the teacher who was towering over him. He was a black man, born, and raised in England. He was the tallest teacher in their school, about 6'7. He had thick lips and a wide, flat nose that didn't have bones. His eyes were small but looked enhanced with his thin eyebrows, arching over the top. His ears were long and oval, like his face structure. He moved his big, thick finger to his big, dark lips, indicating for Rashid to be quiet.
Rashid could feel his dislike bubbling in his stomach, ready to explode anytime soon. He took a deep breath before calmly saying, "I didn't cheat."
Mr. Sardon yawned quietly as his eyes turned watery. There were light bags under his dark, brown eyes. As he rubbed his eyes, Rashid looked at the gold ring on his finger in disgust. There was a time that the tall, black man admitted that his ring was permanently stuck in his big finger and that it couldn't be removed. His past words echoed in Rashid's head. 'I don't want to remove it because I know, I'll always love my wife.'
Mr. Sardon's present voice brought Rashid's attention back to the small, dull classroom filled with chatter as students talked to one another.
"Sorry, buddy, but there are too many witnesses that saw you. There's nothing I can do except follow the rules. It's only fair if you retake assessment one, two, and three." The teacher placed a big, warm hand on Rashid's shoulder. The Pakistani boy stared ahead, straight at the whiteboard. When he didn't say anything, the teacher said in a soft voice, "Hey, cheer up. It's only three exams. You could have had to resit the whole lot, but you got off easy. Just stop complaining and do your best, yeah?"
Rashid nodded, still focusing on the whiteboard. His jaw was clenched and his shoulders were hunched. The atmosphere around him turned quiet as Mr. Sardon returned to the front of the class.
On the floor below, in N4, Akia's stomach rumbled loudly.
"Wow, that's the sixth time your tummy farted!" Marley said as she added another tally to her table. Akia scrunched up her features as she eyed the table.
"Is it necessary to check how many times my belly rumbled?" She asked crankily. When Marley nodded her head, another rumble sounded from her stomach.
"Seven!" The ginger-haired girl said happily as she added yet another tally to her table. "I hope we make it to ten!"
Akia rolled her gray eyes and stared out of the window. The sun was still shining bright, illuminating the playground. The trees stood tall, providing large shades over the long, white benches. The benches were rough and bumpy, quite unpleasant to sit on as complained by many students. There were little smudges of dirt staining the seat, as well as dried-up bird poop. The big blue square summoned a wide shade, almost covering up the small part of the playground. The only place that didn't have shade was in the ping-pong tables section, where the equipment shone invitingly.
Akia tried to focus her vision on the ground, hoping to catch an ant moving. She couldn't see any ants, but she knew where most of them were. Although it was not visible in her view, she knew that behind the big blue square, there was a small, narrow corner where there was a little oak tree. Underneath the oak tree, there was a pile of squashed up dirt, where many ants roamed around. Her stomach rumbled again.
"Eight!" Marley said as she bounced in her seat. She drew a big, wobbly line in her table. "We're so close! This is so exciting! Your tummy is sure farting a lot today, I wonder why. Did you have breakfast? I did! My mum said it's important to have breakfast 'cause it's, like, fuel for your body! That's so weird, right? It's like we're cars!"
Akia drifted off, confused with her body. She didn't feel hungry but her stomach was demanding to be fed. She didn't eat anything this morning and only drank a glass of water before stepping out of the house, which belonged to the council. She thought about the ants in her back garden, scattering about in the rose bushes and wandering around the soil. Then her mind drifted off to Valerie and her anger came back.
It took a while for her to realize that Marley was still talking.
"...Yeah, I know. I'm speechless too. I just found out yesterday. How weird is that? I mean, do you really think aliens created this world?" The ginger-haired girl asked, her blue-green eyes wide with expectancy.
Akia stared at her, unblinking. A loud, deep cough made the two girls look behind them, only to see Mrs. Lambert standing there with her huge arms on her big hips. She was a small, round woman, known for having a loud voice. She had short, wispy hair that came up to her ears and she had a double chin. Her face was smooth and her eyes were a golden-brown, which she covered with her round glasses. Her complexion was white and she was partially deaf.
"Aliens have nothing to do with Shakespeare," she boomed, grabbing the attention from the entire class. She began to lecture them and during her speech, Akia's stomach rumbled loudly, to which Marley eagerly added another point.
"We need one more and it'll be ten!" She said, interrupting Mrs. Lambert, who raise her voice in anger. Akia shot Marley a glare, blaming her for being told off, yet again. Her gray eyes looked up at the ceiling and traced the wires that were connected to the big projector.
Above the ceiling was another classroom, S4 and on the right-hand side of the classroom, there was S3. The school's Head of Year, Mrs. Murphey opened the door and poked her head through the classroom. She was in her late fifties and it showed in her features. There were wrinkles on her cheeks, near her eyes and above her mouth. She was a small woman with long, brown hair that had blonde highlights and her eyes were a warm, honey-colored brown.
When she spoke, her words came out soft and croaky, "Everything alright, sir?"
Mr. Sardon turned to her, straightened his posture and gave her a big grin, "Yup."
The students greeted her and she waved back. Abdul turned to face Rashid and whispered, "Isn't it obvious who started this shit?"
"Who?" Rashid demanded.
"You're so stupid, it's a miracle you're even in this set," Abdul said as he shook his head, chuckling. "Take a guess, go on."
Rashid looked around at his surrounding, his eyes staring at his classmates in fury. Then his dark brown eyes landed on the front of the classroom where a group of loud-mouthed girls were. There was Chanelle Luckman, a mix-raced girl and next to her was Ladasha Cole, a black girl. Opposite them were Courtney Hamilton, a white girl and Suniya Ahmed, a Pakistani girl. Courtney caught him looking and whispered to the group, making them laugh. Then all four pair of eyes were on him, daring him to come over.
"I bet you those bitches lied," Rashid said in a low voice as he looked straight at Abdul. From the corner of his eyes, he could see the girls still staring in his direction. His heart raced viciously while he scrunched his fists up. A slight panic settled on his stomach when he saw Mrs. Murphey lead Mr. Sardon outside the classroom.
"There's no doubt they were in on it," Abdul said quietly as he kept his eyes fixed on Rashid's desk.
There was a little drawing of a heart-sketched in pencil and inside that wonky heart, there was the name 'Luke'. When Rashid didn't reply, Abdul added in a soft voice, "I heard Akia mention something about a test to Ladasha. I think she paid them to lie and get you into trouble. She probably wants you to fail in school."
There was a moment of silence between the two boys. Mr. Sardon returned and informed everyone that they had ten minutes left before the bell for second period rang. Rashid's face had turned a dark shade of red. His nostrils were wide and he was huffing loudly. His eyes were watering while snot ran down. He used Abdul's tissue to wipe it off, swiping at his nose violently, causing it to sting. His teeth hurt from grinding so hardly and he could taste blood as he bit down his lip.
There was nothing more that he wanted than to get Akia on her own and hurt her.
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