Broken Mirrors | All American

forty

"The fight is not over! We will take over! The fight is not over. We will take over..."

"Settle... Quiet! If you don't quiet down, you will be removed. Quiet."

The crowd hushed at the sound of the gavel, turning their attention to Spencer as he approached the mic.

"May I speak, Ms. Sanchez?"

"Spencer James isn't a student at this school. It's not his place to speak." A board member subjected.

"But I am a member of this community, Sir. So that gives me every right."

"Go ahead, Mr. James. Two minutes." Sanchez agreed.

"Please don't give up on South Crenshaw high, Ms. Sanchez. Not yet. My moms reminded me today that if we keep taking resources out of the neighborhood, if we keep diluting the legacies and memories created by this neighborhood, there gonna be no hood left standing.

"And, look, I'm guilty of it, too. I took a resource away from my neighborhood. Like superintendent Carter, I thought I was doing it for all the right reasons, but I was wrong. I was wrong. Reinvesting in our community, reinvesting in us, in all of us, is the right choice. That's why I'm bringing back the resource I took away."

"What resource are you referring to?" She inquired.

"Me. I'm the resource. I'm one of the top 100 players in the country, back on top of every recruiter's list. D-1 schools will travel to see my play. That kind of national attention will attract even more resources and talent not just for the school but to the neighborhood without pushing the locals out."

The board members glanced to each other, taking in his words.

"So as of this fall, I'll be re-enrolling as a student at South Crenshaw High. South Crenshaw deserves its shot at being great. I respectfully ask that you all think long and hard about that before you cast your vote."

The crowd erupted into applause as he finished. Sydney excused herself, brushing past Kia and Chris to rush to the bathroom.

The tight scrunchie held her hair back as she emptied her stomach's contents into the toilet. When finished, she washed her face with cold water, cringing at a sudden sharp pain.

Her finger flew to her healing wound, rubbing the covering bandage to soothe the pain.

She found her way back to the group, moving through the dispersing crowd.

"You good?" Kia checked, noticing the girl's subtle sick look.

"Yeah. What's the verdict?"

"They only holding off on converting the school for another year." Darnell sadly replied.

"You babies will be okay. I know it." Grace assured, smiling.

Her smiled dropped when she noticed the frustrating man approaching the group.

"Superintendent Carter, are you lost?" He chuckled, glad to know Grace still had her humor.

"Despite what you may think, I cafe about this community."

"Well, if you really cared about this community, you wouldn't be trying to shove this magnet conversion down our throats." She argued.

"What I proposed is good for the community. Urban revitalization can't happen without gentrification. And studies have shown that neighborhoods gentrify faster with the increased presence of magnet schools."

Grace chuckled.

"Let me tell you something, Carter, gentrification isn't always the answer to fixing the hood."

Carter scoffed.

"Clearly it was a mistake coming over here.. If you'll excuse me."

Once Sydney was home and settled in, she FaceTime'd Spencer. The talk receiver pulled the shirt over his head, plopping on his bed.

"I'm tired."

"Me too."

Sydney propped her phone up, going to tidy up, what she considered, her messy room. Spencer started to ramble on, the girl responding with little noises to let him know she was listening..

She stopped in front of the box of bandages, grabbing a fresh one. Spencer's voice was tuned out as she stepped in front of the mirror, taking off the old bandage.

Her eyes scanned the area while intrusive thoughts rushed through her brain. Spencer slowly stopped himself, noticing she hadn't responded.

He stared in the camera, trying his best to see the wound she'd kept from everyone. When Sydney noticed she was in the camera's view, she let her shirt down, moving off camera.

"So you excited to start back at Crenshaw?"

Spencer stared at her, noticing her attempt to divert his focus.

"Yeah. I can't wait." He played along.

"So, what's up with your dad's girlfriend? Is that what she is or..?"

Sydney shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't know. My dad apparently wants to have two thousand kids or something. The pregnancy cravings are so weird and she's very moody. You should see my dad's face."

"Didn't he go through that with your mother, though?"

Sydney shrugged, forgetting she wasn't in view as she finished placing the new bandage.

"Uh, I don't know. Apparently, I think my parents were pretending to be friends so he may not have been that close."

"And you don't think it's weird that your mom died pregnant, now Savannah is pregnant?"

Sydney sat in front of the camera, sighing.

"I don't care. I'm not faulting my mom but she should've known better. And Savannah... Who even knows?"

Spencer suddenly chuckled, remembering that she was home with the people she was talking about.

"And I don't care."

He laughed at his girlfriend, shaking his head.

"You are something else!"