New Native Land (The Blossoming)

Chapter 17 (My Pride)

A couple of weeks later, I totally gave up on Chuck and my life has seen brighter days because of it, my "boyfriend" has been so nice to me since then. However, my pride has taken a major blow and I haven't been as fiery as I usually am. I noticed and I couldn't help it, it was like he got me so good and he knew exactly how to do it.

"So in short, the illusion your mind sets out for you, is actually your environments cry for help." My philosophy teacher finished right on time because the bell rang. I got up and I sighed out loud and packed my bag and got up. Everyone was rushing out because it's the last class of the day. "Reagan, can I have a moment?" Mr. Gaines asked me and I nodded.

He sat down at his desk and motioned for me to come closer. "You've been excelling in this class; you have the highest grade out of all my students. Do you have interest in the class?" He asked me and I nodded lightly. "Great! I wanted you to compete on my team at the Competition USA scholastic decathlon coming up. Your essay alone pushed me to ask you for this position." He said excitedly.

"Competition USA? I'm not an academic competitor, I have dyslexia, it won't work." I explained and he looked shocked. "That doesn't mean that you can't compete, don't tell me that you'll let that stop you from excelling." He reasoned with me and I just shrugged. "I'm going to be late for practice." I told him and he let me go.

I had no interest in competing academically for the school, nor competing academically in general. It was hard enough having dyslexia and being a smart ass. I had to take special test because of my testing anxiety, I did not want to go embarrassing myself in front of a whole bunch of people and disappoint the people who thought I would do well.

I got to practice and Draya was already in there changing. "Hey, how was class?" She asked me and I sighed out loud "Pretty cool, I guess. What about you?" I asked her and she shook her head "Am I ever going to choose a career path?" She joked. "What do you like doing the most? Like what's your favorite class?" I asked her. "None, I hate school." We both laughed. "Come on before we have to run suicides for being late." I told her and she laughed with me.

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Draya, Drew and I were on the bus tired. It was a hard practice for both our teams because we both lost last week. "Man, I think Coach wants to kill us." Drew admitted and Dray and I nodded our heads in agreement. "Reagan, Chuck wants to know why you don't fuck wit him anymore." I sighed. "You know why." I told him in a dreaded voice and he shook his head. "I don't know if you're cursed to have Ahm claim you or you lucky. Do you even like him?" he asked me and I looked up and really thought about it. I mean there were feelings there. "I won't say I full on like him, maybe just a crush." I said and he laughed.

"You are going to end up in love." Drew joked and I looked at him like he was crazy "Please, don't say that. Get yourself a man who's not in the streets." Draya begged and I nodded. "If I could ever go out with anybody. Damn, it's like he has eyes everywhere." I said paranoid. "That's cause Drew can't keep his mouth shut. Maybe we should find you a secret boyfriend only you and I know about." Draya plotted and I nodded my head. "As always, you are so right." I told her and she smiled.

My stop was coming up so I pulled the string. "We wouldn't have to do that of course, if Drew would stop being a big mouth." I said and he mugged me and I mushed his face playfully "You treat me bad." He told me and I grabbed his cheeks "Aw, don't be like that Drewsie." I said to him in a playful voice and it made him blush and smile.

When the bus stopped I got off and I waved those two good bye. I guess you can say in this little time the crew became like my own mini family. They're so open and we talk about everything no matter what. We're open and honest and it reminded me of my friends from back home. I guess that's why I get along with them so well.

As I started to walk I felt the cold breeze that came with October in New York, I sighed because there was no way to avoid this cold ass winter that New York had in store for me. I can't wait until I graduate, I'm taking my ass right back to Texas for school so I didn't have to deal with a Northern winter.

I turned the corner, and I saw the crew sitting there. But someone was missing. Ahm. Why wasn't he here but they were, it was weird. I approached them and Scrap stood in front of me and stopped me. "Yo why do you come home so late every day now? You get in trouble at school that much?" I've been fabricating my alibi for staying at school just a tad.

I sighed and said "I'm on the volleyball team." Scrap's face lit up "Aye! That's mad dope! Why you ain't tell me? I would've come to yo games!" he told me and I made a face and said "That's why I didn't tell you." I heard someone clear their throats. "Ahm asked me to ask you, how was your day and what you learn?" Smokey asked me on Ahm's behalf. I looked at him weird because Ahm's been asking me that every day and I usually tell him that it was a good day and that I didn't learn much because I probably already knew it to begin with.

I sighed and said "I didn't have a good day, and I learn about utopian ideologies." He made a face as if confused. I smacked my teeth and stepped to the side of Scrap and kept on walking. I made it to the car and Cecil as always was standing there waiting on me. "Ce's will you teach me how to drive?" I asked him and he nodded "What for?" I laughed "So I can drive myself to where I need to go." I said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I'll do that. How was your day?" He asked and I just sighed and looked out the window.