Taboo

4

The rest school day went by slowly, dragging on to the point where I almost fell asleep in my last class. At lunch I had met Maia's friends. Maia's friends were cool, a little rowdy, but very friendly and welcoming. A girl in particular stood out. Her name was Valentina, she had thick black hair and slightly favoured Selena. As soon as I reached the table with Maia she came over struck up a conversation. Over the duration of lunch, I learned that she was originally from Mexico, all of the details of her and her boyfriend Andre's rocky relationship, and how her older sister was a puta who had slept with all of her previous boyfriends.

Regardless of the semi eventful lunch I had, I was dying to get home. My sister had been waiting for me just outside the front door. She seemed to be in an animated conversation with some girl when I, in her words, so rudely interrupted her in the middle of an important discussion.

By the time we had reached my car Talia had apparently forgotten my indiscretion as she had begun a whole other dialogue about some guy.

"And this guy, Malik, kept on hitting on me." She stated in disdain, "I mean he's hot but Tiffany told me that he's a bit of a player. Apparently he . . ."

At that moment I zoned out, not really interested in what 'Tiffany' had to say. My mind began to slowly drift until it finally stopped drifting and somehow landed on a certain gray-eyed boy.

This is going to be so awkward. How am I going to concentrate this assignment with those blasted beautiful eyes peering into my freaking soul. I don't think I'll be able to work for ten minutes before my mind drifts to places that are not suitable for discussion.

"Are you even listening to me?" My sister interrupted my thoughts, looking fairly irritated.

Once she realised she had regained my attention she started again. "Anyway, Olivia told me not to listen to Tiffany because apparently she's had a crush on Malik since middle school but he's not interested. She said he only likes black girls." She said with a look of pride on her face.

I rolled my eyes at my sister's naivety. She had a tendency to latch onto the first guy that showed an interest in her. it didn't always end well and I prayed it didn't happen this time.

I had been so deep in thought earlier that I hadn't realised how far I had driven until our house was in full view. I parked my car and turned it off.

"I'm meeting up with Olivia tonight by the way."

I scoffed. "Dad would never allow that, it's a school night and you still don't know your way around the place yet."

"Then it's a good thing he's not here isn't it. Besides, mom will let me go." She smirked.

She was right. Dad had been working a lot lately. Since his promotion he had been working a lot more, getting accustomed to his surroundings. Mom was more liberal than my dad in everything, whether it be in regards to politics or home life. As kids, if our dad wouldn't let us do something, we would go to our mom and ask and she would talk to him and eventually he would cave in. As we grew older we learned to go to mom first.

Our mom was in the living room when we got home.

"Hey loves, how was school?" She said with a subtle accent. She smiled, sitting on the sofa wearing her reading glasses. She closed her book, "Half of a Yellow Sun" I think it was called. By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

My mom and dad were born in Nigeria, they moved here years ago to study. Mom, law and dad, medicine. We were told that they met at a University event and automatically clicked. Things progressed and they eventually got married, resulting in three of us being born. My older brother Emeka didn't live with us. He was married and lived in his own house in California. I asked my mom a long time ago why she didn't give me and Talia Igbo first names like my brother. "Your father was brainwashed by his friends. they said if we gave you native names that you would be made fun of in school." She scoffed.