Nathan was disappointed to find that he had no classes with Anita that semester. It made sense, though, -her only fulfilling the required courses for math and him for literature, since they weren't their respective focuses.
He did have a few classes with Thomas, Fred, and Janine, who was one of only three girls in the math program.
They helped each other when they could.
They had no classes with Rebecca. Apparently, she had to take the lowest levels of a some of her classes again. It was clear that she didn't really belong there. The chancellor only tolerated her because of family's significant financial contributions.
Nathan and Anita had to take what they could, in terms of time together.
They still met for their study groups, of course, and occasionally in the stairwells. Though, that had been foolhardy.
They had an unspoken pact that they would not be "too friendly" in front of the other students, if they didn't have to.
Nathan did worry about Ben, though. He knew he would talk. Though most of the campus suspected anyway, he didn't want to egg anyone on if he didn't have to.
He knew that his colored friends would pay the most, -Anita especially since she was most visible, as the group's clear leader.
Ben moved out of his dorm shortly after the confrontation.
They had begun to relax this semester, as they had gotten used to the taunts and slurs. With their bond even closer, it rolled off them like water.
They'd grown comfortable in their defensive routine.
That had been a mistake.
****
The school-bell blended with the sound of the high-pitched whine of an ambulance.
Many of the students were changing classes, as it happened close to the end of the hour and they all stopped what they were doing to gape and try to figure out what was going on. They had never heard a siren on campus.
The group frantically tried to find each other on the quad.
"Anita! Anita!!" Nathan yelled, looking for her at their designated emergency meet-up spot, beneath the University Blvd sign.
"I'm here." she said, running up.
"Oh, thank God. Where's everybody else?" Nathan asked, careful not to touch her too much. It had been difficult not to simply hold on to her, but they were still in public.
"I see Janine and Fred!!" Anita yelled and ran towards them.
They looked into one another's frightened eyes.
"Where's Jasmine?! -Where's Thomas?!"
Janine shook her head, looking very shell-shocked.
Jasmine came running out of a building from across the way.
Janine started babbling, "I tried to help, but they pushed me out... -They pushed me out!"
Anita placed a calming hand on her shoulder.
"Janine, please just tell us what happened."
"Some nutcase threw acid on Thomas in Chemistry." she said, shaking from shock.
Everyone gasped.
" ...oh-god." Jasmine said. "He's twelve! He's just a boy."
"I- I knew what to do...I neutralized it with a strong chemical base -but...he may not..."
YOU ARE READING
ASHWOOD ACADEMY
Historical Fiction[EDITORS' CHOICE, June 2020][#1 History June 2020] -- Five black students make history as the first to integrate a prestigious school for gifted students in 1950's Vermont. One student, Anita Prescott, is a young girl whose strength and leadership...
