Somethings You Never Forget

Chapter 1

“I hope we are in the same class, Kelee.” Lovasia says as we are waiting to receive our classes and program cards. It’s September 9, the official start of 7th grade. Lovasia is in the front now, Ms.Martin hands her her program card, I’m next. Lovasia is sad-looking when we wave goodbye to each other. Lovasia is in 7 Harvard and I’m in 7 Columbia. I want to cry. I look down at my card and notice they spelled my name  wrong, It’s Kelee not Kelly, Kelle or Kelli.

 I walk in homeroom and feel the eyes of strangers staring at me as i walk down the aisle One brown skin arm grabs mine. It’s Amoz Neiver. I know him really well through Lovasia. “Hi Amoz.” I say to him as I grab the seat next to him. I look at him very carefully as I wait for him to answer, his hair is black and perfectly shaped around his forehead. “Hey Kelee how was your summer?” “Ok I guess” Then he starts to laugh, I don’t see what’s so funny but I laugh too. “Just try to fit it with this new group”  I think to myself.

I joined Frederick Douglass Academy VIII straight out of 5th grade. The middle school is only has one floor, the fourth floor of my primary school Abe Stark Primary. 6th grade was so golden, me and my friends Natalie Dustin, Kayla Wills, Lovasia Lewis and Laura Yolanda were in the same class together we had been friends since 3rd grade and we did so much together. Oh boy, this year is going to be so much different. I stop thinking about the past and zap back to this unrecognizable reality.

 I keep quiet until recitation where I walk down and join Natalie and Kayla. Natalie is wearing her light brown permed hair up in a donut bun. She has on hair gym uniform, white school logo tee and black school logo sweatpants with her black Nike up-towns. She sees right  through me and hugs me. As she embraces me I watch two of my tears have a marathon down her back. She picks up my face, wipes my tears and says: "Kelee, I know you and you are very strong so stop crying and you, no we will all get through this stuff together." I do as she says and suck it up. I join in on the Pledge of Allegiance and start crying again.

I’m in the guidance room and Ms.Mira walks in. She looks like the supermodels who dramatically walk down the runway like they all that with her black hair with red hints blowing in the wind, but Ms.Mira is not like that. .Actually most of the teachers here I talk to all the time about how I feel. The teachers here are my friends, they listen but right now I don’t want to talk. She sits down at her desk. I am  just sitting there wondering why I’m in this room and then Ms.Mira just starts talking. I hear some things she says, but I’m obviously not trying to listen, why does she keep talking. Then she asks  me a question and in the middle of that question she uses an imaginary salt shaker to add extra attitude. “What’s Wrong, Kelee? It’s only the first day and your glum, What’s wrong?!” I ignore her and start picking at my nails. “Oh brother I really got to let these grow.” I think intentionally so she can see I don’t want to be bothered, it usually works on my dad. She asks me again to try to get my attention but this time I get up and say “Ms.Mira look, I love you but I gotta go I’m late for um....” I check my program card. “French, Au Revoir!” I leave and she tries to set up sessions with me but ignore her and keep walking. Then she stops me holds me and tells me this: “Kelee I love you too, everybody at this school cares about you but it’s like you don’t want to be cared for. You do have sessions with me Fridays, 8th period. If you don’t show up I’ll put you in the save room. Kelee, I’m trying to help.” You are trying to help!! I thought you were trying to kill me with your laser spit, Lady!!! I think but instead I say to her “Ok Ms.Mira, Your highness I’ll be at your door waiting for you, 8th period, Friday.” “More like it” I hear her mumble as she walks away. I missed the whole first period and started the year with 2 demerits for “cutting class”.

I make it to art safe, Ms.Gathers is a very creative old lady. She is wiser than my grandmother, crazier than my whole family, i don’t know how to even describe the lady. She’s my art teacher and she hates when people have a conversation in her class. She claims that “ When you do art there needs to be silence and with silence comes great knowledge and that great knowledge will appear in your work.” So when me and a kid named Jaycob, who I’ve known since the third grade as tantrum boy, kick off a great conversation about video games, music and skating our art ends right away.

At Lunch, I decide, since I don’t have no friends in my class except Amoz and Jaycob, should go sit with Natalie and Kayla but on the way I stop to have a quick chat with Laura and Lovasia. Laura’s is having a great first day but Lovasia seems to be scared out of her mind but she’ll adjust. I sit with Natalie and Kayla and have fun at least one time today.

When it’s time to go home I meet Lovasia at the yellow staircase. We stop to talk to our last year teacher Ms.Wardson. Ms.Wardson is only  twenty-nine years old and acts and looks like a teenager, she understand us, tweens and teens she is so easy to talk to. Lovasia starts off the conversation with: “Ms. Wardson!! Harvard has to be the worst class ever!!” I take a seat in the back by the new computers. Lovasia burgundy Coach glasses are loose. Her school polo shirt has a red stain that looks like ketchup. I stop trying to figure out how was Lovasia’s day without listening to her but looking at her and start listening. Apparently in class today, Lovasia has gotten bumped four times, wite-out spilled on her pants (I see it, its very big too), and her class can never get anything done. “They talk sooo much, they never shut up!!! They are so disruptive!!! I want to switch!!” She says.  “Kelee, how was your day?” Ms. Wardson asks. I go on for at least 10 minutes on how bad my day was. After I give my very  detailed summary of my day, Ms. Wardson gives us a detailed summary: “Girly Girls, This is the year when things are going to change, your becoming young woman. This is the year when you are going to make friends, some wrong, some right, the year you are going to make choices, some wrong, some right. These things need to happen, they’ll make you both better woman in the long run so for right now the only advice I can give you is: Just do what you gotta do.” She hugs us both and plants kisses on both our heads and  says “See you later girly girls.” We leave.

I walk Lovasia home before I go. We don’t say anything to each other the whole way but when we are walking through the front door she hugs me really tight and says “Kelee, promise me these two things” “Ok” I reply, “ 1. You’ll try your best this year and 2. You will always be there for me..” I say “ You have to promise me the same.” We both say “I Promise” together. She puts her key through the keyhole and says “See you later, Kelee.” I leave.

As I am unlocking my front door I think of what i’m going to do when I get in. I do exactly what I thought: Shower. Dress. Video Games. Eat. Video Games. “Hi Dad”. Eat. Nap. Eat. Shower. Sleep.

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