Overlooked

Chapter Two: Suspension

     Two Years Later.

School sucks. I'm bored in school, it's not hard enough, and to make things better, I'm a sixteen-year-old junior with no future ahead of me. No boyfriend, no want for one mind you, no money for college when I graduate next year, and no one will hire me except to be a waitress like I said, no future. And the only thing I have now is Jesse and the guys.

Even then, none of them understand. I mean most of them also experience racism like me, even though it's worse for me (being half Hispanic half Italian, and all), but they got it easy, they're boys. They don't get dirty looks for wearing leather jackets, old t-shirts, high tops, and boots. They don't get dirty looks for smoking, cursing, and speaking their minds. They aren't looked up and down by boys, and they definitely don't have to deal with boys staring at their chests. They have no real problems compared to mine.

Oh, and they're not waiting in the principal's office for their dead parents to pick them up because they punched a rich white girl. Her name is Delilah, she's blonde, blue-eyed, large-chested, and fair-skinned. She's practically the queen of Kennedy High. Her brothers are on the football and baseball teams, her boyfriend's our quarterback, and she's rich, and she's a cheerleader. But everyone at our school knows one thing, she's someone to fear and I'm not scared of her.

Oh yeah, that's right, I punched her. "Why?" you ask. She called Echo a slur. She also calls me an abomination, a half-blood, mixed breed, she says I have dirty blood. I don't give a f**k. Honestly, I don't give a f**k about all of that, but you don't call my friend, practically my brother, a slur.

And so I wait for my "parent" (dumb principal thinking I have living parents, and that Jesse's my dad) in the principal's office. Kennedy High's principal is named Richard Howard. Mr. Howard is a racist, sexist, white man in his late 40s. His hair is almost all gray, he has wire-framed glasses that have blue eyes behind them, and he's tall and lean. I go to the principal's office quite a lot, and so does Echo. Lloyd should too, but teachers like him. Kiss up.

Just as I sit staring out the window in the principal's office, past Mr. Howard, Jesse enters the room. I've never been picked up from the principal's office, and Mr. Howard and Jesse have never met. This is sure to be interesting.

"Hi, I'm Jesse, we spoke on the phone," he says, reaching his hand out to Mr. Howard.

Mr. Howard took Jesse's hand, "Hello, Mr. Alvarez, it's nice to meet you. Please take a seat."

"Oh, um, my last name is actually Cunningham, sir."

"Cunningham? But aren't you Annette's father? Come to think of it, the two of you only look similar because of your eyes and freckles."

"Sir, I'm Jesse Matthew Cunningham, and Annette is my sister."

"Isn't her last name Alvarez, though?"

Jesse sucked in a breath, obviously upset, "We have different fathers. Now if you don't mind I would like to know why my younger sister is in your office."

"Oh, um yes," Mr. Howard said after clearing his throat, "Your sister punched another student."

"Then why isn't the other student in this room? Also, was Annette provoked?"

"The other student is currently in the nurse," I roll my eyes, that's total b*llsh*t, "and no, she was not provoked."

Jesse then turns to me, "Is this true, Annette?"

"Well technically, yes. But that b*tch called Echo a racist slur. I won't stand for that."

"Ms. Alvarez, would you like for your suspension to be extended?"

"Sure, why the f**k not?"

"Annette Julianne Alvarez! Sir, I apologize for my sister's foul language. I have one more question, how long is her suspension?"

"Two weeks." Sh*t.

"Thank you for your time, come, Annette, let's go home." Jesse's gonna yell at me as soon as we get home, isn't he? But it's not like school's hard for me. The make-up work will be easy. Well, it's not like Jesse will be any less upset because of that. So, f**k.

Jesse then takes my hand and leads me out of the office. He doesn't speak to me until we have walked a block away from Kennedy High. I forget most of what he says to me. But I know this, he was lecturing me on behaving better. But then he asks me a peculiar question. He asks me what happened between me and the other person and who they are.

"Her name is Delilah Smith. Classic rich white girl. She has three brothers and her boyfriend's QB, so no one messes with her. Cheerleader. Thinks she's better than everyone. Makes fun of me, calls me things like half-breed. Total b*tch. I put up with her though, most of the time. But today she did something unforgivable, unacceptable, she messed with Echo."

"What did she do?"

"She called him racist slur."

"Why?"

"She's a racist b*tch and he accidentally blocked her locker. And she said, 'Move you,' then she said the slur."

"Towards Echo?"

"No, to the ghost of Kennedy High's west hallway. Yes, to Echo."

"Well, you shouldn't have punched her, but I see why you did it. God, what am I gonna do with you for two weeks?"

"I can be a lifeguard. You know I'm good at swimming."

"Don't you have to do special training?"

"Well, I can babysit for the Andersons then, free of charge."

"What do you mean?"

"Well Mr. and Mrs. Anderson both have full-time jobs and Lloyd has school and work so I can watch Liam and Lauren so they don't have to pay for a babysitter. Also, the Andersons trust me, and it's free child care."

"Fair enough, ask them about it later. Wait, what about Luke, Lily, and Leo?"

"Well, Luke's fourteen, so he can practically watch himself, and I can watch Lily and Leo when they come home from school."

"Okay then, talk to Mr. Anderson today when he comes back from work at six." I'm just glad I didn't get grounded or anything.