Jackson

Two

I stand in the crowded line of hungry teens reeking with body odour mixed with Lynx with their arms reaching out reaching for the only bottle of sweet chilli that we had to share as a school. People queuing behind the person with the bottle following them to their food until they're done, then they take the bottle off them and the cycle continues.

Like robots they work like clockwork - the only time people communicated outside their little social groups was to ask "where's the hot chili?"

Everyone had their own table groups, the geeks, the football players, the popular girls, the group of people with no friends who's only friends were the people with no friends.

I was new, I didn't fit in just yet, and after I'd chosen which group I was in I'd be in that group till I left secondary - which fortunately for me was only 2 years.

I feel arm on my shoulder, the black sleeve of the uniform that everyone in the school wore.

"Hey Jack, I saved a space for you." Daphne grabs my arm yanking me toward the big stair case where the classrooms were.

I follow bend tentatively. "Isn't this where the classrooms are?"

"Yeah," Daphne says not stopping in her strides.

We stop after huffing up the hefty stair, being caution not to drop our lunch and enter the science classroom.

It was empty, no teacher around.

"You eat alone?" I ask as she spreads her books out along with her lunch.

"Yeah, I guess. It's better here then down there. It's hectic! As you can see I'm not exactly a popular or pretty to hang out with the other girls." She said tending to her books.

I wanted to protest, to tell her she was absolutely gorgeous. To tell her that she was different and that was good. But I didn't gave the guts to.

"So, Daphne. What type of music do you like?" I start a conversation in attempts to get to know this new friend.

"Um," I wait for her to swallow her bite of burger, she holds out her index finger to signal for me to wait.

"You won't know them,"

"Try me." I smirk. I wasn't even a huge music lover, so I probably wasn't going to get it but I was curious to know what she'd listen to. She seemed like the person to listen to sensual R&B music like TLC.

"Spanish artists like Ozuna, Maluma, Prince Royce. But my favourite band is CNCO, you probably don't know them." She drowns her mind in her textbook, her eyebrows furrowed as she reads.

"Yeah I know them," I lie gulping hard, causing her head to shoot up.

"Really?" She sounded more interested, that was good. I just hope she didn't expect me to name the band members.

"Okay so this is a debate me and my friend were having who's better Richard or Joel?" She asks. Phew. I could just say a name and get away with it.

"Hmm. Richard because... um..." I dig my brain for an excuse. "He's just cute and a good vocalist, multitalented."

"Yeah I know right. He's so underrated." She looks at me unconvinced.

"You don't know them do you?" She laughs.

I really thought I had it in the bag.

"No," she just giggles in response pushing back stray hairs from her face.

"What about you?" She asks catching me off guard as I eat my food.

"Uh," I didn't know what to say because I didn't really listen to music since my parents died.

I couldn't think of a excuse so I just tell her the truth.

"You should listen to CNCO then." She laughs.

We play a few rounds of truth or dare and I learn there's so much more to a person than your first impression on them.

I learnt today Daphne's into Spanish music, she goes to the skateboard park in her free time and her dream job is to be an influencer despite how awkward and shy she is which she says she's "sure she'll grow out of."

In this hour of lunch I felt over a ton of feelings I didn't know I could feel, love, belonging, happiness, humour, sympathy and admiration.

I felt safe in her words, and I'd known her for a whole lunch time - enough to make me fall in love.

English. My last lesson before I go home, it was filled with the learning of a play which they spoke with the weirdest of words. A peculiar type of English. I didn't take a word in of that lesson and kept checking time.

When the bell rings I breathe sigh of relief. Home time, today was awkward and I couldn't wait to go home in solitude and draw - again, not a typically manly thing to do but look at Toni Mahfud. Fucking legend.

I push past the elbowing and shoving of teenagers pushing everyone no matter their size or who they were. Everyone was in it for themselves and it would take minutes till I got to the door but I finally did.

Everyone dispersed into their own groups turning different directions, taking different means of transport.

I peer over to find the tiny blue Ford with Cherry at the back but I couldn't. I didn't really know my way home.

I see a group of black boys laughing at something on their phones as I enter an alley way. They notice my presence and walk up with me with smiles.

"Yo, my nigga. Where you goin'?" The tall one said. As he inched closer to me I could smell the peppermint on his breath and the fat chain around his tattooed neck glistened.

"I'll be out of your way, sorry." I mumble and attempt to push past but am dragged back by my collar and pushed back to the thug.

"'I'll be out of your way, sorry'" he mimicked his face coming closer to mine. His dark eyes were hollow there was no difference between his pupils and the rest of his eye so it looked as if he didn't have pupils.

"What are you? A white boy." He said humouring the rest of his pack of dogs. They all cackle saying "good one boss."

"No, can you let me go now?" I say with a gulp. Yes, I was terrified. I wasn't used to being bullied by people of my own colour.
We stuck together.

"Can you let me go now?" He mimicked again in a deeper voice an inch between our faces.

"I'm not looking for trouble. I swear. I'm new here." I surrender. They all confer something with each other with their eye contact then I am shoved to the floor with a big shove as one of them punches my cheek.

"You won't last in here, white boy." He says laughing coldly before walking away with the rest of his dogs.

I brush myself off the ground praying to God I never see them again and walk out the alleyway and back to the school.

It's my own colour which is the enemy.

I clutch my cheek with my left hand as it throbs with pain. Just then I see my angry Aunty speed-walking in my direction, her angry face softens when she sees my cheek.

"My child," she holds her arms out to embrace me but I walk straight past her to the car, slamming it behind me, causing the car to slightly rock.

"Daphne, it's not safe. I was let down again." I say trying not to breakdown.

The car ride back home was awkward and to avoid question time at home I lock myself in my room.