Poetic Justice & the Truth About Love

Chapter 1

It was 1972 in Laurens, South Carolina, things were changing and not everybody was okay with it. In fact nobody was okay with it. To me things were changing for the better but not everyone saw it this way.

This was the year schools were being integrated in the county. It was my senior year and I would be the first graduating class of the new high school and of an integrated high school in Laurens.

I'm not quite sure why they waited so long but it was what it was.

It was the night before my first day of my last year of high school. I heard my mother calling for me. I hurried down the hall to see what she wanted. Her and my father were sitting next to each other side by side.

They looked worried...

"Yes momma, daddy?"

"Tomorrow is your first day of school and we have been informed that they are integrating the schools." My father replied to me.

"Yes sir I understand that, but what's the big deal? I'll stay out of the way and mind my business like I've always have. It's just gonna be another day."

"Just be careful and watch your surroundings there could be a riot tomorrow. And I don't want anything to happen to our only daughter." My mother exclaimed.

"Momma, I'll be alright." I told her.

"Hazel Grace we just want you to be safe and make wise choices." My father said looking at me as if I was going to be a part of the rebel rousing.

I let out a huff blowing my bright red hair off my face. "It's just school, I'm there to learn I won't do anything stupid tomorrow."

"We're talking about all school year we don't want you to get involved with anyone of a different race." They put it to me delicately.

I looked at them as if they had grown three heads. "I'm not interested in dating anybody not right now I want to finish school first."

They were really starting to aggravate me...

So what if I ended up with a black boy there were worse things in this world.

The next day I got up bright and early and got ready for school. I wore a beige peasant top with flair out blue jeans.

I never really wore much makeup not because I wanted to but because I wasn't really allowed to. I had hazel eyes, fair skin covered in freckles and bright red curly hair that flowed down to my waist.

Mother had been begging me to cut my hair but this was the only thing I had control over and I was not going to cut my precious locks.

I looked outside to see the bus waiting I grabbed my bag and ran out the door.

"Bye mom, bye dad!" I called out behind me as I ran as fast as I could to the bus.

"Welcome aboard." Said the young black man who greeted me as I got on.

I didn't realize that when they said they were integrating they meant they were integrating everybody.

"Good morning." I replied back to him and we both exchanged smiles.

All of the seats had been taken up and I could still see some things hadn't changed.

The whites still sat with the white and the blacks still sat with the blacks.

There was an empty seat next to a black boy with long dreads.

I cleared my throat. "Hey is it alright if I sit here?"

He looked at me funny but nodded his head yes and made some room for me.

He was kinda cute I thought. He had hair like bob Marley, dark brown skin and dark brown puppy dog eyes.