Expect the Unexpected

Shea: Chapter 1

Shea: Chapter 1       

            My eyes snap open as my alarm clock begins to scream at me from my bedside table. Sleep is such a vital part of human development, yet I've been deprived of it since I was four years old. I've got severe ADHD, and one of the side effects of my medication is partial insomnia. It's really difficult for me to fall asleep. Last night, I tossed and turned in my bed for about three hours, waiting for sleep to overtake me. I even tried counting sheep.

            My alarm clock starts to shriek at me again, so I throw it across my room. It hits the Childish Gambino poster on my wall, and then shatters. I stare at the pieces as I haul my ass out of bed and rummage around for my uniform. After getting dressed, I wake up my younger siblings and tell them to get ready for school. I put some frozen waffles into the toaster, and then I walk our dog, Dulce.

            When I come back inside my siblings are grabbing their waffles and racing towards the front door to catch the school bus. They're so lucky.In Philadelphia, high school students have to take public transportation to school because the school district refuses to pay for bussing past middle school. I grab two waffles and my backpack, and then I remember that today is the first day of my new job. I'm going to be working as a nanny for some rich, White lady. I sigh as I race back upstairs to grab a change of clothes and my babysitting bag. I look at the time, and then rush to the door so that I won't miss the train. "Bye Mama!!" I shout as I pause in the doorway. She doesn't answer so she's probably sleeping. She's a nurse, and she works the graveyard shift at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. I gently close the door and run to the subway station.

            When I get to school, I elbow my way through the throngs of rich white kids who are preventing me from reaching my locker. Some of them snicker and mumble things like "rude!" and "bitch!" and "who peed in her cereal this morning?!" I roll my eyes and make my way towards the Colored section of the hallway. My school isn't lawfully segregated, of course, but the African American and Latino kids just happen to stick together, while most of the White kids kind of look down on us. My school has to meet a diversity quota in order to qualify for certain grants, so they give scholarships to inner city Black and Latino kids so that we can afford to attend the school in order to provide diversity.

            "Hey baby" my friend, Julian, says as he smacks my butt.

            "Boy, don't touch me!" I mumble as I playfully swat his hands away from my backside. Julian and I have been sleeping together, on and off, since freshman year. We've agreed to simply remain friends because Julian's too much of a whore to remain monogamous, and I'm too indecisive to have a boyfriend. Julian leans against the locker adjacent to mine, and sighs. I stop gathering my books in order to stare at him. Julian is stunningly handsome. He's so attractive, that even elderly, White women do double-takes when they see him walking down the street. Julian's mother is from Puerto Rico, and his father is from Barbados. He has hazel eyes, curly black hair, dimples, and milk chocolate skin. His lean, 6'4 frame and insane athletic ability earned him a full scholarship to our school. He's the captain of the basketball team, and he's also a track star.

            "Shea," Julian says as he gently rests his hands on my shoulders, "Were you even listening to a word I just said, woman!?"

            "Um, yea." I lie. Julian rolls his eyes under his thick black lashes.

            "No you weren't." He sighs. "It's ok, I'll repeat it. I asked if you wanted to come over today after I get out of practice. My mom has the late shift at the daycare center so no one's gonna be home." Julian displays his signature smirk and wink as he waits for my answer. My heart rate spikes and my palms start to sweat as I think about all of the naughty things that Julian and I could do tonight. But then I remember that I start my new nanny job today after school.

             "I'm sorry, but I can't Jules. Today is the first day of my new job." Julian pouts, but doesn't ask any more questions. I finish collecting my books as Julian slings his muscular arm around my shoulders, and then we head to our first period calculus class.

            I'm walking through the doorway when someone shoves me into the doorframe. My head starts to throb, and my vision blurs. I can feel blood spurting from my nose and down my lips.

            "Ow!" I wail, "Excuse me, asshole, but you just shoved me into the door frame!" I point at the culprit. It's some pretty, White boy. He just stares at me with his mouth ajar.   

            "Yo! Watch where you're going, you dumb ass motherfucker!" Julian shouts at the White kid. He's always been protective of me. "Apologize to her and go get her a tissue, pendejo!" Julian shouts just as our math teacher enters the classroom. Julian curses in Spanish whenever there are adults around. The white kid blushes furiously as he runs a hand through his hair.  

            "Yo I-I'm really sorry, man." He stutters as he grabs the box of tissues from the teacher's desk and tosses it to me.

            "Yea, well, watch where you're going next time." I mumble as I hold a couple tissues to my bloody nose. The White boy nods and gestures for me to tip my head back to stop the bleeding.

            "My bad, yo. I know that's really gotta hurt, man." White boy says, as he brings the trash can over to me so that I can dispose of my bloody tissues.

             "Ugh! Stop calling me man. Do I look like a man?" I snap. He blushes, then looks away from me. "Yea that's what I thought, asshole." I mumble as I make my way to my seat.