His Secrets And Lies (Bwwm)

Chapter 11 They want our culture but not our struggle

Ok I just wanted to say this book gets better so don't automatically write it off as bad. Promise it gets pretty good. Hope you like this chapter. Love ya

Cherry POV

Its been 2 weeks since I started school again. There were not as many whispers as there were the first day. My cast is full of names. It makes me feel warm inside to know my friends and classmates cared.

I am doodling in my journal not even listening to Ms.Resume teach 12 grade lit. I'm pretty good at lit so not listening wasn't hurting me. I just wanted the bell to ring so I can go to lunch.

I didn't even know Zaire was in this class until today. He usually skipped and whenever he came back he smelled of cigarette. He sat right next to me. He wasn't really paying attention like EVER all he did was look out the window.
Sadly Luke is right next to me. Luke elbows me.
"Hey" he flips his head up. But I ignore him.

"Hello?" he says waving his hand in front of my face that is glued to my doodled paper.

"I like your drawing." he points to a crying girl with flowers in her hair. "Thanks." I mumble.

"So you can talk" he said.
"Luke don't even act like that you know I can talk." The bell finally rings saving me from Luke.

Gathering all my things I stuff it into my book bag. Just as I am about to grab it someone else grabs my bag. Its Luke. I look at him his brown curly hair and his pretty brown eyes that use to make me melt every time I looked at them. He has broad shoulders with nice muscles and is pretty tall. He is attractive but his ego had to go.

"I can handle myself." I snap at him. He ignores my comment and grabs my bag.

"So where are we going." I stand up in my crutches and grab my bag from him.

"I don't need your help Luke!" Slinging my bag over my shoulder I walk out and head towards lunch.

" What was that about?" Zaire pops up right next to me.

"Nothing I just...."I trail off.

"What?" He says with a stern tone
I throw on a fake smile "nothing Zaire stop worrying everything is cool."

"Yeah ok" he says not even buying my whole fake smile thing.

"Why did you say that moment will never happen again?

"What moment?"

"When you said that moment for us to kiss will never happen again."

"Oh that. Um I was saying that because your not really my type. It doesn't really matter" I say

"What is your type?"

"Um my ty-" but a blonde chick gets wedged between us and oogles over Zaire. As I'm walking away I say at a tone he can hear me "I only date chocolate guys."

"Hey I'm kat I'm in your english class." The easy blonde girl says. Giving Zaire a smile I mouthed the words "good luck" to him but he doesn't look too happy.

The bell rings and I am still in the hallway. There are a few kids running to their classes. I really needed to go to the bathroom. Just as I am about to go in the bathroom I feel hands on my waist.

"Hey why were you being so rude earlier Cherise?"

I roll my eyes, "Luke I'm really not in a mode right now. Just leave me alone." I tried to leave but his grip got tighter.

"Let go of me Luke." But he pulls me closer to his chest. My back is towards him so I couldn't really kick him where the light doesn't shine. "Come on Cherise." he kisses my earlobe. Shivers are sent through my body and not the good ones.

"Please get off me." I mumble. His hands are inching their way up my skirt.

"Please-" but I stop when I hear grunting. His grip on my waist is released and Luke is on the floor with a bloody nose. He jumps up from the ground and looks pist.

"What the hell man?!" Luke nearly screamed
"She said leave her alone."
"She was enjoying it. Weren't you baby?" He looks over at me smiling.
I could feel a blush on my face and I start staring down at my feet.

"N-no." I mumble. Zaire is now in front of me. It is actually amusing watching Luke that douche finally get was coming to him. Grabbing a hand full of Zaire's shirt all you can see is anger in his eyes. "White boy you goin wish you ain't ever touch me!"

"Why, what are you going to do?"
Why is Zaire so calm? Its kind of freaky. I hope he isn't one of those silent angry people.

"Or else I'll bust you in yo lip." Luke yells. People in the hallway are staring at us now. Its only a few because everyone's in class.

"Luke just leave already." I say sounding irritated. Luke looks at me and then Zaire. "Oh I get it Cherise. I'm not good enough for you. Black men ain't good enough for you. You just another bed wench." Luke is pressed against the wall in a heart beat. "You wanna repeat that?" Zaire growls at him. Zaires eyes are a piercing angry green. "Nah man what the hell! Call off your dog Cherise!"

"Zaire its alright he's not worth the trouble." He let's him go and Luke runs off. "You might want to watch your back white boy!" Luke yells. "Don't let him push you like that he's just a prick."

"So where are we going Cherise?" he says picking up my book bag. He has that same serious face from the first time I met him.

"Um cafe." Ok lets go he says walking in front of me.

"But I have to use the bathroom." He ignores me.

"Zaire?" I call out to him. He still ignores me. Grabbing my crutches I follow him to the cafe.

I can feel the anger radiating off of him. "So are you mad or something?" I say breaking the silence. Stopping dead in his tracks I bump into his firm back. "Cherry what did you mean chocolate guys?"

"Oh you're still stuck on that. I mean black guys."

"So you would never date me because I'm white?"

"Uh yea...I don't date my oppressors and people would talk."

"Who cares if they talk. Black guys are always dating outside their race."

"Well its different when black girls do it. We're called bed wenches traitors the whole thing and its my senior year..I don't want to deal with any of that."

"I don't think its that big of a deal to go out with someone of the opposite race."

"Of course you don't think that. But tell me this how can the least oppressed person be with the most oppressed person?"

"What do you mean oppressed when have you ever been oppressed?"

"Oh gawd. I've been in court a few times for it. And what I mean is people are oppressed for color and gender. I'm a black female so yeah we would be considered the most oppressed minority group in America."

"I never thought about it that way."

"Not your fault you never had to. You're a straight white male America loves you. And I bet you aren't poor either."

"Well yeah my family might have some money."

"Exactly you're sheltered from the world of discrimination you probrably thought it died in the 60s."

Zaire stands there taking it all in. He's probably about to say well white people can be oppressed too. They can but never for the color of their skin. "I'm sorry for sounding ignorant." He says. I curl my eye brow and look at him. "What?"

"I said I'm sorry. I assumed something didn't happen because it didn't happen to me."

"Um...ok." I stare at him confussed as hell because this is usually the part where someone calls me a triggered whiney black girl seeking attention. "Why are you so understanding? Usually I'm called all types of horrible names for saying what's on my mind."

"I'm trying this thing where I don't seem like a sheltered white boy who knows nothing about discrimination." I smile a little because maybe there was actual hope for him and I. I'm not anti swirl but most white guys around here want to be black but don't really want to be black.
They want our culture but not our struggle.