Out Of My League

Chapter 1: Class is in Session

(A/N: The protagonist, Monicka (MON-ICK-UH), is being portrayed by the lovely @serayah from Empire. Vote pleeeease and leave your questions, comments, and criticisms in the comment section. This is my first story so CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is encouraged. :))

Monicka

I just want some ice on my wrist so I look better when I dance

Have you lookin' at it, put you in a trance

Yeah yeah yeah

All I ever wanted was a Rolly Rolly

All I ever wanted was a Rolly Rolly

I reached over to the dresser next to my bed to silence the blaring alarm on my phone. I had already hit the snooze button twice. The clock read 7:15 and my first class started at 8. Lemme get my ass up before I'm late on the first day, I thought. Forcing myself up and out of my bed, I quickly took off my shirt and shorts and slipped my feet into my shower shoes. I hopped in and out the shower then tossed on black jogging pants, a tee-shirt, Jordan 4retros, and my favorite Black hoodie. It read, "four states of matter: liquid, solid, gas, and Black lives".

I unraveled my twists, separated my natural kinky curly hair, and picked out the roots. I put on a pair of gold hoop earrings, applied a little mascara, then added a touch of neutral colored lip gloss.

It was now 7:45. Fuck. The campus shuttle from the upperclassmen suite, had already ran and another wouldn't be back for another 15 minutes. I was grateful that I decided last minute to live on campus because a commute from Compton to UCLA would be a whole bitch. I grabbed my keys and bag, put my student I.D. around my neck and headed out the door.

I did a mad dash to the Humanities building. 8:01. Lord, WHY did I sign up for 8 o'clock classes? As I entered the building, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

Deidra:
Hoe where you at? You know Dr. Houston be with the shit. She bout to lock the door.

I hissed and quickly responded to my friend.

Monicka:
OMW. Save my seat.

Dr. Houston was the English department head. My girl Deidra and I had her last year for our Literature of Black Life in America course. She didn't play and almost everyone failed her class. I got an A though. I hit the stairs then scuffled to Room 245 as fast as I could. Dr. Houston gave us until 8:05 to get to class then she locked the door. If we wanted credit for the day, we had to stop by during her office hours and shit.

As I was approaching the class, I saw Dr. Houston standing outside about to close the door. She stood at about 5'2 with medium length gray hair. Her mocha brown skin was clear and lightly wrinkled. She looked at me over the rim of her glasses. I gave her a faint smile, but she did not reciprocate. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I glanced at the time. 8:03. Whew, I made it.

I entered the classroom and Dr. Houston followed me in, locking the door behind her.

"Nice of you to join us Ms. Ross."

Petty as hell.

Deidra took her purse out of the chair next to her. I sat down and I tossed my bag in the seat next to me. I grabbed my notes and my class textbook, Critical Approaches: An Anthology of Short Stories. I flipped to page 75, our reading for last night was over a short story written by Alice Walker, Strong Horse Tea. Although this was technically the first day of class, we were expected to buy text books and get a jump start on our reading.

"Okay class, last night you should have read and deconstructed Strong Horse Tea. Which of the major critical approaches did you use to deconstruct the text?" Dr. Houston looked around the room. Silence. Nobody had done the reading yet, that was clear. Then, she looked at me. "Ms. Ross?"