Rafe and Kie: Kook Year

Chapter 6: Turtles

It was now October. The fall weather was showing. Shorter days, cooler winds, and calmer water. The sun didn't shine as bright as it did in the summer. Autumn would always remind me of school. It's during this time that school starts to get serious. Kildare Academy was much harder than I expected. I knew high school would challenge me more than middle school, but the change was insane. All the Kook students seem like they've been working like this since they were born. Proper, studious, and prepared. It made me hate them more, or at least the system. I hate the fact that good education is saved for the rich. Most of these people don't even appreciate it. Pope is the smartest person I've ever met. He'd take advantage of this. I wonder if he's jealous of me moving schools. Pope's probably happy for me instead. I guess I'll never know how he feels. I haven't spoken to him in weeks.

One month at the Kook Academy has destroyed me. I had several bad days, one after the next. I had nothing in common with anyone. No one understood me or made an effort to. I was at my wits end until one day where everything changed. The best day of my life.

It was a dewy morning. The grass glistened from last nights rain. The clouds faded slowly as the sun rose. My dad had to go to work early to receive a new shipment of fish. I took my time walking to school. The mud covered my green converse with each step. The trees swayed in the wind, blocking the sun from my face. I watched the rabbits hop across the path. These moments made me forget where I was headed. When I arrived at the Academy the dark feeling set in. Days blended into one here. A repetitive cycle. The floors weren't as polished as it was on the first day. Still, the school radiated pristine energy. I had English first period. To my surprise I was one of the first people in class. I put on my dress shoes and decided to take a nap until the bell rings. Suddenly I opened my eyes to a room full of people staring at me. The teacher called my name.

"Kiara, are you ready to read your oral report?" Mr. Donovan asks looking at me intently from across the room.

"Report?" I ask wiping my eyes.

"Yes. The report about relating To Kill a Mockingbird to your life or perspectives."

"Oh," I say standing up.

I walk to the front of the classroom, feeling wandering eyes land on me. Everyone has a stack of paper on their desk. Some have flash cards. I have nothing.

"To Kill a Mockingbird is a revolutionary book about racial injustice. It's also about our moral nature as humans. Good versus evil. To relate I guess people need to start taking some accountability here in outer banks. Reevaluate their morals. Their place in society."

I receive blank expressions from the class.

"Could you go into more detail please?" Mr. Donovan asks.

"I just mean we as a society are obligated to assess our own values. Start to consider the other sides of things. People here assume there is one side. A right side that only they are on. But there's always two sides to things. Always more than one point of view. Different people, different morals, different understanding."

I start getting a tone. Feelings of the Pogue mistreatment begin to rise.

"Speaking of understanding, I don't think you understood the assignment. You're supposed to present a well written report about yourself, not those around you."

"I just thought it relates to society more than myself." I look at him.

"Did you even write a report Kiara?"

"I'm sharing my thoughts out loud right? That should count as an oral report." I look around the room.

"I'm sorry but it doesn't. I'm going to have to fail you on this one," he says disappointed.

"What?! That's not fair. I gave a report," I say aggravated.

"Listen Kiara, I was very lenient with this assignment. I gave all of you a lot of freedom to write about what you wanted to. But you didn't even try. It could've been easy for you to. Relating to racial injustice and such." He begins to write something in a book.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I ask enraged.

"It's just that you could relate to the topic of injustice more than most."

"So what? Just because I'm black I suddenly understand racial injustice?" I begin to yell.

"No, you're not understanding me," Mr. Donovan says reluctantly.

"I think I understand very well what you mean." I say annoyed.

"Kiara please be reasonable. Weren't you just talking about understanding others points of view?"

"Yes. So understand mine when I say I'm leaving, and you're not going to fail me on this." I grab my bag.

"You can't just leave." Mr. Donovan says sternly.

"Watch me," I say leaving the room.

My heart races as I close the door behind me. What did I just do? He was wrong. I did the right thing leaving. But will this action have consequences? I break down in the hallway. I think about losing my friends, losing my happiness, feeling alone and different all the time. I sob letting the tears fall. Each tear that hits the floor feels like a weight off of my shoulders. Suddenly the door behind me opens. I look up through blurry eyes expecting to see Mr. Donovan. That's when I see her. Kook queen Sarah Cameron. Her bleached blonde hair covers her face as she leans forward. She closes the door behind her and holds out a hand. I grab it and stand up, wiping the last of my tears. She smiles at me. A warm smile that feels familiar.

"Are you ok?" She asks.

"Ya, thanks," I respond.

"You did the right thing, walking out. He was being an ass," she says peeking through the door window.

"A total ass."

We laugh a little.

"Hey, do you want to go see some baby sea turtles hatch?" She asks smiling.

"Ok," I respond, following her out the school.

During my time here I've always thought Sarah was a popular, self obsessed bitch. She seemed to be friends with everyone. People stopped in the halls to say hi. She was irritably perfect. I was jealous of her for some time. Jealous of the life she had and her lack of problems. But this moment changed my perspective. It was hard to hate her. She was a kook but she was different. It was obvious that her social standing meant nothing to her. She wanted something else. She wanted a different life, a life with adventure away from this structured society. For the first time, I had something in common with someone. We spent the rest of the day watching turtles hatch on the beach. Their little flippers digging into the sand as they made their way to the water. Sarah and I had to jump around the beach waving our arms in the air to keep the seagulls away. We laughed till our stomachs hurt. As the sun set we sat on the beach. Watching the turtles swim away. The waves hit the sand bank. I felt at peace again. We talked about our lives. How much we hate the school and how much we loved surfing. We talked for hours until stars filled the sky. She told me about the constellations. I didn't know that Kooks cared about anything but themselves. But she surprised me. She cared about a lot of things, just like me. We lied down on the sand and thought about life. Suddenly I didn't feel so alone. I felt seen. Sarah Cameron saved me.