Black Beauty

Latreece Finally Gets Her Revenge

Trying to ignore the pain in her jaw, Shemeya brushed her teeth. She had no idea how she got home yesterday. All she remembered was fighting off Jason and having some type of hallucination about snakes. No, the herb didn't get you high, but it sure as hell made you hallucinate.

Shemeya covered her bruised jaw with foundation before she tied her hair back in an intricate braid down her back. She looked good, she thought as she admired herself in the mirror.

Her mom popped her head into the bathroom. "I'm passing your school on the way to a patient's house, you want a ride?"

"Yes!" Shemeya exclaimed, relieved she wouldn't have to see Jason or Latreece on either bus.

"Hurry the fuck up. I'm leaving in five minutes."

Shemeya appreciated herself in the mirror one last time before she walked out.

"I've been hearing stories about Jade. Stay away from her," Mary said, as she pulled in front of the school.

Too late for that. "She's crazy, but Rashawn is pretty normal."

"Stay away from Jade," her mom reiterated, "and Rashawn."

"Okay." That won't be a problem after she had me smoke that crazy shit.

Mary hesitated, as if expecting a bigger fight. "Well good."

Shemeya opened her car door and stepped out. "Bye, I'll see you later."

"By the way, you look pretty," Mary said. "Those dreads are looking nice."

Shemeya touched her hair. No snakes. "Thank you."

"Maybe I'll grow me some. I'm tired of messin' with those damn relaxers." Mary drove away, leaving Shemeya standing in front of the school gaping. Her mother had never complimented her dreads. Never.

***

Shemeya sat in her third-hour chemistry class pretending to study the course notes from yesterday. Today no one had pushed, groped, or called her out of her name. Her mother, who had never approved of her hair, had even given her a compliment. Just like every other person in Oklahoma, she'd been taught dreads were unnatural and dirty. But truthfully, once started, dreads naturally locked on their own. And, unlike when she had a relaxer, she could wash them as much as she wanted without messing up her hair. 

She gnawed on her pencil and smiled. Maybe the herb worked. She felt strong, confident and beautiful. Now if she could only get out of seeing Jason. His seat was empty. Maybe he'd skip today and save both of them the embarrassment of having to deal with what happened last night. She could barely remember any of it, but the throbbing in her jaw wasn't reassuring.

"I'm sorry to hear about your lab partner." Jasmine, an advanced placement sophomore, stood beside Shemeya's lab table.

"What are you talking about?" Shemeya stared up at Jasmine's shiny metal braces.

Jasmine grinned but then frowned. "He died last night, of not one, but five snake bites." She stopped for breath then licked her braces. "He could have survived if it was just one or two bites, but no one can shake off five snake bites."

Shemeya's chest tightened. "How do you know this?"

"It was on the news. They didn't release his name, but I live down the street from him. I saw the ambulance and the news trucks last night at his house."

Fuck. She had just been with Jason. Her eyes widened as she remembered the hallucination from last night. Without another word, Shemeya sped past Jasmine and out of the class. She hurriedly made her way to the girls' bathroom, took down her braid, and ran her fingers through her dreads and along her scalp. Nothing lived in her hair.

Her dreads were not alive.

Whatever had happened with Jason had nothing to do with her.

Nothing.

Once completely convinced she possessed dreads instead of snakes, Shemeya stepped into the hallway. Latreece, her two cousins, and a small group of students wearing gym clothes were standing outside the bathroom waiting for her.

Latreece separated herself from the crowd. "I've been looking for you." 

Shemeya looked for an escape, trying to think of a way to leave without looking like a punk. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now, Latreece." Shemeya tried to push Latreece to the side but the girl grabbed Shemeya's arm and pulled her back.

"No, we're dealing with this now." She swung, hitting Shemeya in the eye. The blow sent Shemeya to the floor. Who knew that bag of skin and bones could hit that hard? Before Shemeya could recover, Latreece sat on top of her and began punching.

Shemeya's scalp began to itch. The same itch she'd had when she'd been fighting Jason. Fuck, that hadn't been a hallucination! The itching increased, eclipsing the pain from Latreece's punches. She needed to get out of there before the entire school saw her.