ASHWOOD ACADEMY II

GENRE: Historical Racial Drama

RATING: R

SUMMARY: The sequel to Ashwood Academy. Filling in the blanks of the second year.  New black students integrate and new white  students are welcomed into the fold.

est. reading time: 95 – 110 minutes

I  BEGINNING AGAIN

The new school year had begun and Anita was giving Bianca a tour.

Anita was a pretty black girl, who always made certain that her clothing and manner were impeccable.  She was quite tall with perfect posture, proud of her height. Her hairstyle of choice was slicked back and up away from her face, not a hair out of place, usually tightly curled ponytail or bun.   She wore a white sweater over her lilac calf-length dress, which was cinched at the waist and flared out wide at the bottoms, loafers, and bobby socks, as was the fashion.

She and four other students, Fred, Janine, Thomas, and Jasmine, had integrated the formerly all-white school for gifted students, the previous year, Ashwood Academy for Gifted Boys and Girls.

Along the way, and against near impossible odds, she found love with a white student named Nathan. Both excelled in their respective subjects, Anita a voracious reader, with a photographic memory, and Nathan, who could solve just about any equation.

Now, there were a new crop of colored students entering the school…

In her hands, she carried a clipboard with a list of places she had been assigned to go with the new colored student, Bianca.

Bianca had just turned fourteen and was just beginning to blossom with puberty. Her interest lay in criminal justice. She wanted to be lawyer, so she could make more changes in the fight for racial equality. …And possibly go into politics. At fourteen she was at prodigy level in many subjects, surpassing more than ninety percent of the other students in Ashwood, regardless of age.

***

“…and this is the new art studio. It was just remodeled this past summer.” Anita said, smiling.

“It’s much bigger than the one we used to have. This school encourages elective courses especially the arts, in order to diversify our expertise. We tend to stick to the subjects we love most-”

Bianca sighed impatiently and rolled her eyes. “-Are we done? I’d really like to unpack and get a head-start on my reading.”

“No not just yet. We have a few more buildings to get to-“

“Well can you hurry up? -Dang.”

Anita pursed her lips. This girl had been sucking her teeth and huffing since she’d met her.

“Okay, -just what is your problem?” Anita said, stopping short.

“You’re sleeping with the enemy…” Bianca replied, meeting her eyes levelly and stepping closer.

Anita blinked at her.

“We should be fighting against these crackers, not sharing a bed with them” Bianca said, looking her up and down. “And yet before I even got here, all I hear is about one of us shacking up with one of them.”

“…I’m trying to change things for us. White men have been using us since slavery. -Taking what they want, when they want. …You know my mom got raped by some of the good ole’ boys from around my way?? -Hasn’t been right, since.

And here you go, voluntarily going steady with one. It’s not right.” she said, shaking her head dismissively. “Colored folk ought to stick to colored folk.  It’s not like there’s many of us here and they always stick together.” Bianca said, her arms crossed over her chest.

“You hypocrite.” Anita said, her eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry about your mother, truly, but how dare you accuse me of not standing up for my race. You have some nerve berating me about something you don’t know a solitary thing about….  Trying to push away one of your own?” Her voice was level but anyone listening could tell she was close to her threshold.

“You have no idea what we have been through here.” She said, her voice still steady.

“All of us.”

“We were the first here.  That meant open-slurs, being spit on, our property being vandalized, assault…” Anita closed her eyes, gathering herself for a moment.

“You’re still new to this.” Anita said, halfway to herself.

“It is one thing to insult me, but bringing Nathan into this…”

Bianca sucked her teeth.  “You are with them.” She said, gesturing at a few new white students, further down the hall, chattering happily as they left the building. “Whatever you got, serves you right.”

“Look at you, with your nice dress  and your white boyfriend, thinking you’re better than the rest of us coloreds. Well, you’re not better.”

“-Just a willing house nigr-“

Bianca didn’t get to finish.

Anita had slapped her, rocking her back on her feet. It echoed in the nearly empty hallway.

Bianca, rubbed her cheek in shock, open-mouthed.

“You’re supposed to be smart.” Anita said, quietly. “-Not smart-mouthed.”

She stepped closer.

“Listen closely, Bianca.” She said, her voice low, her mouth tight. “I am not your enemy.”

“Believe me, you’ll find out who is and soon. When you do, you’ll need us.” she said, seriously afraid for this stubborn, pigheaded, girl.

“And when that happens, regardless of whether you want it or not, we’ll be there for you. That goes for my Nathan too.”

“You best learn to accept it.”

***

Janine and Fred were busily unloading their bags in the campus house that had served as their dorms, during the previous year.

When they’d arrived last year, it had been in poor shape, falling apart from non-use. Later, it had been vandalized by some racist students at the school. Their friend Jasmine, who was currently training at a top ballet company, had convinced her wealthy relatives to pay for the fix-up. And now, it was in tip-top shape.

They heard a loud laugh and foot-steps coming up on the porch. Keys rattled at the door and two students came in, in the middle of a lively conversation, a colored girl and boy.

“…I swear, he just about killed himself trying to eat all of them black eyed peas.” The girl said, laughing.

“Well, maybe you can cook them up, while you’re here. It must be a religious experience.”

They both turned at the same time and noticed Janine and Fred, coming down the steps. More accurately, they heard them. Despite the repairs, the floor boards were still pretty creaky.

“I’m sorry, we didn’t see you there.” The girl said, stepping forward with an outstretched hand and a wide bright smile.

“I’m Corinne.” She said. She was dressed like she was going to church; hat, wide swishy flower print dress, and all.

She was light-skinned with high round cheekbones and a rather wide mouth. She looked older, at least as old as they were.  Likely seventeen.

“…And this is Zeke.” she said, still smiling. It was clear they got along well already.  Zeke was slightly darker, brown-skinned. He had friendly eyes and an easy-going look about him.

He was slim and pretty tall, at well past six feet. They were certain he played basketball. Because of his height, it was difficult to guesstimate his age.

“It’s good to meet you.” he said with a firm handshake and a smile almost as bright as Corinne’s.

“I’m Fred, and this is Janine.” Fred said, smiling. Corinne’s excitement was contagious.

“Oh, my goodness!” Corinne exclaimed. “You were the first ones to integrate here. My, goodness.” She said, shaking her head, her eyes wide, with her hands on her chest.

“This is such an honor! You must tell me everything about your experience here. I’ve read in the papers about some of it…Oh, it must have been so difficult for you.” Her words came out in a rush.

Corinne seemed to be very talkative.

Zeke stood back with a knowing smirk on his face, giving a look to Janine that said. “Yeah. She’s like that.”

Janine was the one who spoke up, managing to find a space in Corinne’s run-on sentences.

“-Maybe you ought to get unpacked first. You have your pick of the unoccupied rooms upstairs.”

“Oh!” Corinne said, adjusting her hat.

“We’re virtually the first ones here! And we have our pick of rooms. I’m just so excited…” Her voice faded as she went up the stairs with Zeke, him amiably rolling his eyes at the both of them.

***

Anita had finished her tour with Bianca. Amazingly, the girl had continued on. After a moment of hesitant consideration, Bianca had followed along behind her, without another word, sullen and silent.

That done, Anita was eager to get back to her room, so she could finish unpacking.

On her way there, not paying attention, she nearly bumped into another student, a white boy with golden blond hair, neatly parted on the side.

“Oh! Excuse me…” She said.

“Hey…” He said, stopping her.

“Say, aren’t you one of The Five?” He asked, snapping his fingers, excitedly.

Anita hesitated before answering. “…Yes.” She said.

She wished Jasmine hadn’t talked to the press while she as away. She didn’t like their personal stuff being shared with the world.

“Wow…” He said, briefly awestruck. “Anita Scott, right?”

She briefly nodded.

“I’m Chris.” he said extending a hand.

Anita briefly shook it.

“This school has been my first choice since I heard about you guys. One of the first integrated schools. So, cool… You guys are a part of history.” He said, walking along side of her.

Christian Whitaker was a 16 year-old middle class kid from the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He’d grown up in very liberal household. He was idealistic and eager to be a part of the many changes going on in his country.

Anita, on the other hand, seemed eager to get away.  She had hoped to have a nice brisk walk to help her forget about her argument with Bianca.

“I’m very interested in the movement.”, he said.

“What?”

“-The civil rights movement. …I’ve participated in several protests. When I’m old enough, I’d like to join The Congress of Racial Equality on one of their Freedom Rides. …You know, CORE.”

He seemed to be watching her carefully, taking her in. …Gauging her.  He thought she was very pretty in papers and even better-looking in person.

Anita looked straight ahead. She was still wary of any white person aside from Nathan. Very few others had proven trustworthy so far, a few members of the faculty, the Chancellor, and Sandie, Nathan’s mother.

“Well, that’s nice.” She said, cautiously.

“I also plan to organize a group on campus” he said, smiling. “It’d be great if you joined, when I do.”

“I’ll think about it.” She said, with a strained smile.

“Um, Chris? It was nice meeting you, but I really have to go meet my friends.”

“Okay. I’m sure I’ll see ya’ around campus.” He said, grinning a bit wider. His eyes smiled as well, Anita had noticed.

At least there was no artifice there, that she could detect. She was just turning to leave, when Nathan walked up behind them.

He too had been heading towards their meeting space in the quad, when he spotted Anita talking to a blond boy. He seemed to be just within her personal space, a little too close for his taste.

“Hey ‘Nita.”

He gave her a brief kiss on the lips before acknowledging her companion.

Chris blinked a couple of times, obviously taken aback. He noted that indeed, there had been a white person in their circle, as had been written about in papers. The Sixth was evidently her boyfriend.

He took his hand and shook it.

“Hi, I’m Nathan.” he said, before Anita had a chance to introduce them.

He squeezed it a bit tighter than usual.

“This is who I was meeting.” Anita said. “So, I’ve gotta go now.”

Nathan had a slightly smug look on his face. He was pleased Anita was ready to leave.

“It was nice meeting you.” She said with a polite head-nod and a smile.

Once they were out of earshot, Nathan spoke. “He looked disappointed to see you have a boyfriend.”

Anita smiled up at him, her eyes narrowed.

“Jealous?’ She said, smiling “Think I might find another white boy to replace you?”

“No.” Nathan said, a little too quickly. “I know who your heart belongs to.”

He gave her a side embrace as they walked along.

“And besides….” He said, glancing back. “I could take him.”

***

Bianca used her key to open the door to the house.  She was dragging her things in when Zeke showed up in front of her.

“Need a hand?”

Bianca rolled her eyes at him.

“What do you think?” She said, an edge to her voice.

What Bianca had said about her mother was true. After the assault, her mother had withdrawn into herself, in a permanent state of mental retreat.

Being a single mother, Bianca’s other family members had taken turns sharing the responsibility of caring for her and her catatonic mother.

Because of what had happened, her family spoiled her. They tried to overcompensate for her trauma and she ran right over them. Coupled with her keen intellect, they treated her like a special thing they always needed to please.   After skipping three grades, her IQ had been tested by the state.  It was 180.

Being a genius had made her an outcast at school, so she learned to defend herself by speaking in a harsh, rude, tone, frequently making cutting remarks. She bullied other kids to insure that her own bullies left her alone.

Bianca could not bring herself to be around her mother in this state, so she avoided her. In truth, deep down, she blamed herself, despite the fact that it had not been her fault.

It had happened during a walk, after her mother had gone out one evening.  She went to buy a few things Bianca had forgotten to pick up from the store earlier that day. Her mother had gone back out to get the things she had forgotten and was raped.

To see her mother, was to confront her own guilt.

Zeke shook his head and sighed, grabbing two of her bags. He headed up the stairs in silence.

He didn’t bother to introduce himself.

__________________________________________________________________

Anita used her key to open the door to the house, their house. She took a deep breath, an automatic smile spreading across her face as she looked around. Nate walked in behind her, rubbing her shoulders.

Everything was just as they’d left it.

“It’s so good to be back.” She said, and hanged her sweater up in the closet.

“‘Nita?!” Janine let out the high-pitched girlie scream, at the sound of her good friend’s voice.

“AHHHH!!!!”

She screamed and threw her arms around her. Both rocked and hugged each other, until it was almost painful.

“I missed you, girl!”

“NATE!”

She said and gave him a big hug as well, knocking the wind out of him.

“Oh, Janine. We were only gone for the summer.”

“Far too long, girl.”

“Is that Nate and ‘Nita I hear downstairs?” Fred’s voice rumbled down with his footsteps.

“Hey, man” Fred said, smiling broadly at Nathan. He shook his hand, pulling him into a brief hug.

In turn he gave another hug to Anita.

“Hey, little sister’.”

“What’s all the fuss about?” Corinne said, as she peeked down the stairs.

She went down the steps, with Zeke close on her heels.

“Anita, Nathan, this is Corinne and Zeke.” Janine said, an arm raised in their direction, indicating them both.

“Oh, this is Nathan.” Corinne said, unabashedly giving him, the once over.

“…The white boy who joined y’all. It is a pleasure.” She said, shaking his hand. “I didn’t think he’d be quite so handsome.” She said giggling.

“Nice to meet you.” Nathan said, politely.

Now, it was Anita’s turn to give someone the evil eye.

The girl even wore a hat, is if she were in church.

“Wow. Wow.” Corinne said, looking at their faces. “You’re here.”

“The famous Five!”

“Well, I don’t know about “famous…” Anita said. “…And we are missing two-”

But Corinne ignored her, and went on. “-Nathan, it must’ve taken a lot of courage joining up with them, -I mean you’re white…-You didn’t have to put yourself in harm’s way. -You could have just stayed with your own. I mean that must be-“

“-I did it for ‘Nita.” he said pointedly interrupting her. This pleased Anita, very much.

Janine cleared her throat a bit during the brief awkward pause. “There’s someone else upstairs.”

Anita sighed deeply, her lips downturned.

“We’ve met.” She said.

“I don’t think she much cares for socializing.”

Janine smacked her lips. “Well she’d better learn. She’s gonna need us here.”

“That’s what I told her, but she doesn’t believe it.   …yet.”

________________________________________________________________

The next day was orientation.

Once again, Dr. Kensington, the Chancellor, called all of the students to the auditorium to discuss the new school year.

She looked the same, a stern-looking older white woman with white blond hair and glasses balanced precariously on the end of her upturned nose.

Nathan had gotten out of the habit of wearing his, except for reading.

The only thing that was different that year, was her hair. It had been cut shorter, in the bob style Julie Andrews wore in The Sound of Music.

“Good afternoon.” She said, quieting the students’ loud buzzing chatter.

“Welcome back.” she said significantly.

“I have called you here to announce some new procedures, rules, and of course, to introduce you to our new group of colored students, …as well as a new professor.”

This year the bigoted students weren’t so obvious with their dislike. There were still a few shifting chairs and smacking of the lips, though.

“I’d like to introduce, Corinne Grey…she stood and and twirled around, waving with a wide enthusiastic smile, Zeke Alton…he stood up just long enough to hold up a hand, and Bianca Whitley”  …she didn’t bother to stand up at all, simply wiggling her fingertips slightly, an inch or two above her head, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips.

“As I said, we also have a new faculty member.” She said, smiling brightly. She was uncharacteristically excited.

“She has is a prolific and extremely talented writer, who has won an unprecedented two Pulitzer prizes, becoming the first woman and colored person to do so, for By the Wayside and Beyond Reason.”

The whispering began at the mention of ‘two prizes’. Every student there, already knew who it was. Anita’s face lit up excitedly. She unconsciously squeezed Nathan’s hand in anticipation.

“It is my great pleasure and honor to introduce, Dr. Estelle Winter.”

The woman walked out onto the stage with a wide confident stride. She held her hand aloft, waving, wild applause coming from many of the students. She was medium in height, light-skinned, with light brown eyes and even features. She was a striking woman.

“Thank you.” She said. “I prefer, Miss Estelle.” she continued, before taking a step back, her hands clasped in front of her, at her waist.

Kensington continued, “She is only teaching here during the first session.” She said with a stern fingerheld up.

“A select few of you who have qualified, will be placed in her class. …Ten, in all.”

A few surprised “What”s? were heard in the disappointed chatter.

Kensington held up a hand, her face set. The auditorium immediately quieted.

Kensington went on to remind the students to respect one another regardless of color. She reminded them that the school had zero-tolerance, when it came to breaking the rules, and she advised them of where to go for assistance.

“Thank you, students” She said, after that was done.

“You are excused.”

II WRITER’S BLOCK

Anita sat up in her room late into evening, after everyone else was fast asleep. She read her assigned books for the third time, which for her, meant sliding a palm down the page sideways, in a smooth, fast, motion, photographing each line, in her mind. She had already memorized it, but she enjoyed rereading her books.

They had one more day to register, before their classes began.

Anita glanced at the clock. It was well past midnight. She could hear faint whooping, laughter, and Great Balls of Fire blaring on some student’s radio, far off on the campus.

This was the last time the students could party on their own, so many took advantage of it. Anita was in no mood to hear a party. She had her pajamas on, soft pink flannel pants and shirt. She was preparing to go to bed soon.

Her pajamas were slightly too large for her, the sleeves’ cuffs dangling over her hands.

Anita got up to shut her window. As she grabbed the ledge, Nathan propped himself up, making her jump.

“Nathan!  You really rattled me!” She whispered, catching her breath. “Just what are you doing here?”

In answer, he hoisted himself up and leaned into a kiss.

“I came to see you, of course.” He said pulling himself in the rest of the way. His eyes betrayed his intentions, darker even than the brown-black they were naturally.

He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against him, kissing her more deeply.

As much as she hated to, she pulled back, looking questioningly into his eyes.

“Nathan- Are you sure this is a good idea?”

He simply nodded and pulled a rubber out of his pocket. “I’ll take care of you. I’ve missed you, so so much.” He said bringing his face down to hers, gently touching his forehead to her own.

“I’ve missed you too, Nathan.” She said quietly, giving him another lingering kiss.

He pulled her deeper into it, her body flush against his own. She could feel how eager he was, his hardness pressed against her, just below her panty-line. In-between kisses, Nathan unbuttoned his shirt, shedding it from his shoulders. His physique was sleek and athletic from running track.

Anita took a step back and pulled her pajama-top up over her head revealing and her white bra. She had been raised to wear them to bed, her chest being well above average in size.

They returned to kissing, while Nathan’s hands wandered over her breasts.

Nathan walked her backwards to her desk, until her bottom bumped the edge. He lifted her up by her waist and sat her on the edge.

Anita reached behind her back and unhooked her bra. Nathan slowly slid it down her shoulders, and tossed it to the floor.

Anita propped herself back on her elbows, accidentally knocking one of her books to the floor with loud thump.

They both froze, listening for movement in the house.

Satisfied that everyone was still asleep, they smiled at each other and began to kiss again. Anita parted her legs, and looked up at him, her eyes steady with clear arousal. Nathan lowered himself down between them, his expression an open book of his needs. His eyes were shining, betraying his deep desire for her.

He rolled his hips, his length rubbing her most sensitive spot, in a slow steady rhythm.

Anita arched her back and let out a soft moan. They writhed against each other for a while and kissed, their hands exploring each others’ bodies with abandon. They made out like the teenagers, they were.

Then Nathan broke their contact, both of them breathing heavily. Nathan sat up and dispensed with his pants and boxers.

Anita leaned forward and helped him put on the rubber.

That done, Nathan untied the waist band of her pajama bottoms, struggling with the double knot and making Anita giggle. He slid them down her legs along with her panties, caressing her hips and legs along the way.

Nathan entered her ever so slowly, wanting to savor this first time he’d been with her since the summer. It was like coming back to life. …She was his life.

Anita closed her eyes and exhaled, her lips slightly parted. She felt the familiar warm flutters, stirring within her. His face was close to hers, both watched one another’s expressions as he increased his pace, her own movements, matching his.

Anita was taking in rapid snatches of air, gasping every time her body edged closer to her plateau. Nathan too, was breathing fast and shallow, whispered chants escaping from his lips.

“…I’ve missed you so much…you feel so amazing…god I love you so much, ‘nita…”

Anita nodded her head, letting him know she felt the same, urging him on. It was becoming difficult for her to speak.

Eventually, she leaned up and whispered into his ear.‘…I love you too, nathan…

He wrapped both of his arms around her hips and scooted her up so she was almost in a sitting position. He deepened his strokes. She moaned and her voice pitched, and cracking like tinkling glass with each firm thrust.

Anita wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him languidly as they continued to make love. Nathan adjusted her hips again, tilting her pelvis in a slightly upturned position. He quickened his pace.

Anita whimpered louder, her arms slipping down to his broad shoulders, now slick with sweat. She gripped them tight, her fingertips digging into his skin.

Nathan’s eyes were squeezed shut, his face buried in her neck, his breath coming out in hot shaky drafts.

Anita reached her peak first, a look of strained bliss on her face as she tumbled over the edge, letting out soft, clipped, cries. Her voice was muffled against his shoulder.

With her legs wrapped high around his waist, his arms tightly wrapped around her back, he increased his pace, following her over the edge soon after, his own moans smothered against her neck.

They both held each other, their bodies still shaky in the afterglow.

Nathan planted a series of gentle kisses across her neck and clavicle, while both smiled sleepily.

“…thank-you…thank-you..thank-you…”  and he was thankful to have her back with him, wrapped securely in his arms.

***

He slept in her bed, his head laying between her breasts while she, in that state between dreaming and wakefulness, lazily twirled her fingers through his thick dark hair.

Dawn was beginning to break and she knew he would have to go. The others would stir soon. So, she roused herself completely and gently shook him until he opened his eyes. They were heavy with sleep.

He propped his chin up on her chest and smiled, sighing as he looked at her.

“Nate, you have to leave.” she said, her voice below a whisper.

His smile faded as he glanced up at her clock. It was getting late.

He kissed her and got up, quickly dressing.

Anita watched him, her own eyes wandering all over him; at his thick brown hair which seemed always to lay in nicely on his head. He ran a hand through and it flopped down in thick waves, perfectly.

…At his bottom, tight and round, his broad back, his shapely muscled legs, his face, which was perfect, two parts innocence and one part naughty. His face was youthfully boyish, his smile and dark eyes devilish.

He was now fully dressed, his clothing slightly disheveled.

“He crawled up on her bed again, a grin on his face and kissed her several times. In-between them, Anita admonished him.

“You-”

“Have got-”

“To go!”

“Now!” she whispered, a smile playing on her lips, as she pointed at her window.

With one last longing glance, he lowered himself out of the window.

Anita flopped back on her pillow, a huge smile on her face, reenacting the previous night in her mind.

She eventually got up, washed and dressed herself, and prepared for the day. That day, she wore her sweater, jeans, a big bright pink ribbon, tying back her hair in a bow, and Mary Janes with bobby socks.

She met Nathan in the library, along with the others in their group, getting a head start on their studies.

They both had quite a bit of trouble concentrating, that day.

***

The next day, Anita was excited. As it turned out, she was one of the select few chosen for Miss Estelle’s class.

Estelle was already seated at her desk when the first students arrived.

To Anita’s great displeasure, Bianca was among them. Miss Estelle called roll, as all ten students settled into the uncrowded benches.

“Janice Tucker.” A pert blond, raised a hand.

“Kirk Hudson.” A boy who looked like he was more suited for football, than a school for prodigies, nodded his head. He ogled the professor, openly.

“Sallie Mae Jansen.” “Present!” She was prim and proper with a cherubic face, and long wavy dirty blond hair.

“Christian Tyler” He also raised a hand.

‘Great.’, Anita thought sarcastically.

Anita drifted a bit, as the other five students names were called. She’d realized a page was bent in her textbook. …Bent, from having been knocked from her desk.

She smiled at the recollection.

“Anita Scott!”

“Here.” She said, snapping back to reality.

Miss Estelle paused for a moment, giving her a stern look.

“Good morning, class.”

She strode from behind her desk, and stepped up into the tiered wooden benches.

“Everybody, come on down. No need to spread out.” Everyone moved down to the front row, sitting next to each other. Anita ended up between Christian and Bianca.

“Here.” Miss Estelle said handing out a stack of dog-eared books.” She then, went back down to the front.

Anita frowned, when she saw the cover. “Redemption by Charles Green.”

“It is a collection of poetry.” she said,  as she leaned against her desk, her legs crossed at the ankles.

“Has anyone ever heard of him?”

Everyone turned their books over in their hands and gave each other quizzical looks.

“No one?”

“Wonderful.” She said, smiling.

“His book has been out of print for nearly thirty years, but Green is my favorite poet.”

She opened her own copy and read one of the poems. It didn’t rhyme and it had no rhythm. It was just a rush adjectives and obscure words to Anita. There was no pattern or meaning she could glean from it.

“Anyone have a clue what it means?” She said.

“No one spoke, but everyone looked around at each other, hoping someone would speak up.”

Bianca huffed loudly, and raised her hand.

“It’s a code.” she said. “Green seems to have three codes in this poem.”she continued.

Estelle smiled. “Good, Bianca. Very good.”

“Out of all of my classes, she is the first to see the pattern.” She said to the rest of the class.

“Now, here is your assignment. You must decipher all of the codes and write your own interpretation of what they mean.”

“See you in short awhile.” She said glancing up at the clock.

Kirk looked confused.

“Miss Estelle, Miss Estelle!” He had a heavy Alabama accent. ” W’ere supposed leave and to come back to class?”

“Yes. Indeed.” she replied.

“Well, that means we’ve only got an hour and twenty-five minutes left!” he said, exasperated.

“Then you’d better get started.” she said.

“I want you all back here before class is over!” she said, making sure the rest of the class had heard her.

Anita’s stomach dropped. This was going to be a far more challenging class than any she’d ever had.

III FIVE NINE TEN

Anita left class feeling apprehensive. It had been a long while since she had been truly challenged. The was the first time it had happened in her own subject. She followed behind the group, noticing Bianca was heading in another direction. She broke away and caught up to her. She realized she was heading back to their group’s house.

“-Wait a second.” she said, as she reached her.

Bianca turned around and huffed, her lips pursed, her eyes heavy with attitude.

“Are you going back to the house?”

“-Yeah.”

“What about the poem?”

“I’m done with it.” she said, shrugging.

“-And don’t ask me for any help, because you’re the one who’s supposed to be helping me ….right? …If you call slapping people in the face, helping.”

Bianca frowned and brought her hand up to her face, her knuckles curved under her chin, in mock consideration.

“Didn’t you say, I’d find out who my enemies were?” she said, squinting her eyes.

“Seems to me, I already have.”

“Hitting you happened before I could stop myself.” Despite saying this, Anita was not feeling apologetic.  She was certain, it had been long overdue.

“Well, now this is happening.” She replied with a chuckle.

Bianca turned and walked away.

Anita turned around and jogged back up to the group. The previous year, Kensington had made sure all of her classes had at least one other colored person present, for their own protection and comfort. With Bianca gone, she was now the only colored student in the class. This was not a position she was used to. She had never been in a group where everyone else was white.

She ended up walking behind Jan and Sallie Mae, who were talking to each other.  It seemed, they both lived on the same hall.

“Well, I think it’s likely an acrostic poem.” Jan offered. “But it will be impossible to solve without the cipher. We find that, and maybe the solution will serve as the key for the other two puzzles. …If we’re lucky.”

Sallie Mae’s whole body deflated.

“But there are approximately 1.5 million possible combinations…We have approximately…. one hour and twenty-minutes.” She said glancing up at the clock tower in the middle of the campus.

“We just don’t have time.”

Jan turned to Anita. “Where’s the other colored girl? She knew about the three codes.”

She was being rudely vague, but Anita ignored this. Jan seemed ignorant of that fact and Anita did need them for this project, after all.

“She’s not participating.” she replied.

Jan scoffed. “Well, this is just a fine kettle of fish. She’s the only person who had a clue how to solve this, and she’s not gonna help?” Jan threw up an arm and let it drop back down to her side, looking frustrated.

“-I cannot let this ruin my grades.” she said, under her breath.

“My folks will kill me if I get less than an ‘A’ in any of my subjects. They’d likely pull me from this school.” Jan said, looking stricken.

“Well, then-.” Anita said, stepping into her usual leadership role. “Let’s get to work.”

***

Jan, Sallie, and Anita walked through the heavy wooden library doors, which had been propped open, and looked around.

Grace sat at the front desk, busily stacking returned books. Jan walked up to her.

She didn’t bother with a greeting. “Did you just see a small group of students come in here?”

Grace blinked. “Many students come through here, young lady. I don’t pay attention unless they ask me a question. None have in awh-.   -Oh, hello! Anita.”

She said smiling, “How was your summer?”

“Good.” She replied. “But I’m glad to be back.”

“Of, course you are, dear.”

“Ms. Grace, this is Sallie Mae and Jan.” Anita said, modeling the polite behavior, she hoped Jan was picking up.

The previous year, The Five had need of a safe space to study and do research. Grace had been the person who’d opened the doors to the library, five hours before it actually opened every Saturday, just for the colored students; allowing them to study without fear of being harassed.

…And for the most part, they weren’t.

Grace was what you would expect, short, bookish-looking, and unmarried. Her salt and pepper hair was loosely pulled back into a bun.

“I’m sure I’ll be seeing you plenty in here.” she said to Anita, smiling. “I’m sorry, I can’t help you young ladies.”

“It’s alright. …Thank you, Ms. Grace.” Anita said.

They continued to look for the rest of the class. They scanned all of the tables on the lower level, recognizing no one.

“I don’t see them.” Sallie said, her voice naturally high and soft.

Anita decided to be proactive, walking past them to the spiraled staircase in the back, beginning to climb them. She knew this library very well. She glanced back at Jan and Sallie who looked at each other.

After a moment, they followed behind.

***

It was 1:17 pm. Class would end at 2:30 pm.

“Oh, there they are.” Jan said, pointing at two students.

Kirk and Christian were sitting across from one another at a hexagonal table in the corner. The bright Fall sunlight was filtered by institutional curtains, brightening the low-lit space.

They table was covered with various books and open notebooks. None of the notebooks had been written in, yet. They had just gotten settled in.

The three girls walked up.

“Where’s the rest of the class?” Jan asked.

“Divided up in the study halls, probably.” Chris replied.

“There’s room.” He said. Indicating the four empty chairs.

They plopped down, and scooted their chairs in around the table. The girls ended up sitting next to each other, like the boys were. Anita sat next to Sallie, who seemed to be the quietest; the open chair, beside her, next to Christian.

Kirk sat up, and asked the girls in his heavy country accent,  “Whatcha’ think?”

“I think, we need the cipher.” Jan replied.

“Yes, but how do we narrow all the possibilities down enough, so finding it is actually feasible?

“…and we have a limited time, here, Guys.” Chris reminded them.

“It would be nice to have a Rosetta Stone for this.” Anita said, smiling slightly.

“But we don’t.” Jan said, a little sharply. Anita decided to attribute that to her frustration.

“Well, we’ve got every book on codes, puzzles, and brainteasers, right here on the table.” Christian said.

“Let’s start digging in.-“

***

They all read pretty quickly,  as it turned out that two of the other students at the table also had photographic memories, Kirk and Christian. It was not lost on Anita, that she was the sole girl that she knew of, with this talent. The limited studies she’d read indicated it was a trait likely not possible for females. And you can forget colored females. The leading study said this was due to their temperamental natures, a result of their menstrual cycles.

Of course, Anita knew that was sexist crap.

Everybody gave her a bewildered look, when they saw she had this ability. She pretended not to notice, continuing to stack the books she’d read on the right-hand side of the table, in front of the empty chair. It took her two minutes to read each book.

Blinking at her and each other for a moment, they went back to work.

1:30 pm

Kirk, Christian, and Anita had taken over the reading duties, while the other two took notes. Anything Kirk, Christian, and Anita thought might be pertinent, they wrote down. They had just finished this task.

“Great. Now, all we have to do is find the method our Mr. Green used in his fucked up…Excuse me ladies, uh, messed up poem.” Kirk said, leaning back in his chair.

Anita guessed he wasn’t in the habit of using his ability, much. …If at all.

1:50 pm

“Okay, we’ve gone through the list, twice.” Christian said. “What else can we do?”

Anita sighed. “Let’s look at this poem, again.”

She said, sliding the book a little closer. The others followed suit. She’d seen it so many times, and yet nothing leaped out at her, like it always did.

“I’ve got nothing.” Jan said, pushing the book away. “It’s just words.”

“It’s not just words.” Anita said. “We’ve just got to keep at it. We’ll find it.”

…But Anita was beginning to seriously doubt that.

2:00pm

“I’m thinking we ought to start writin’.” Kirk said, his left hand adjusting his neck, with a crack.

“He’s right.” Sallie supplied. “It’ll take us 5 to10 minutes just to walk there.”

So, they buckled down to the task of writing about what their process was and what they did know, …which was all the things this puzzle was not.

2:20 pm

They walked down the halls of the building, their heads hung low. Sallie looked like she was on the verge of crying.

They all filed into the room, where Miss Estelle was leaning back against her desk, a few finished papers in her hand. She looked up at them, her eyebrows raised.

“Well?”

“We have no idea what this means.” Christian said. Estelle looked at them, her eyes derisive …”So, then what did you write?”

“Just what our process was and the possibilities we’ve eliminated.”

“Hmm.” she said, not bothering to reach for their papers.

“Well, all my other students have solved it. They’ve been here and gone. So, what do you think I should do with you?”

Their egos were crushed. Sallie Mae,was now beginning to sob, though her eyes were as dry as a bone.

Estelle walked up to her and sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Do you mind? That’s distracting.” She said calmly, hip to her game.

Sallie abruptly stopped, but sniffed and hitched like she had been crying.

“Well?” She said, with a shrug her arms thrown wide.

“You could grade our work based on what we’ve written.” Jan said, tentatively.

“I could…” She said. “Or I could, …hold off on your grades for this assignment.”

She began to walk around them. “I could give you another chance to work together to solve this…”

There was a pregnant pause.

“That’s what I’ll do. You get to work in a group, until you get this right.” She said, like it was her intent all along.

“Now, wait a minute…” Jan began, casting a short glance at Anita.

She’d tolerated working with her on this assignment, even broken her daddy’s rule to do so, but it could take the entire semester to solve this. Her daddy didn’t allow her to associate with coloreds.

Neither did Kirk’s, but he was the rebellious type, and he was curious. He’d barely even seen a colored person, before.

Jan’s father was bigoted, but Kirk’s family was on a whole other level. Only Janice’s father had been the bigot, but he tried to hide it in his day-to-day life, working in a factory.

There, he worked with countless colored people. He was afraid to say anything, thinking they might gang up on him. Of course, the colored workers could tell he was a bigot, shaking their heads at him, and exchanging knowing glances whenever he said something unknowingly offensive.

Her mother was afraid to disagree, ….to his face. But she did tell her daughter, in private, that her daddy was wrong. She’d had an affair with a colored man, long ago, before she married her husband.

Kirk’s father was proud of his racism, talking openly with every person he found, in his all-white town. His mother and brothers openly agreed with him. Kirk often suspected that his daddy did more than just bowl during his weekly meetings.

Kirk was an extremely logical person. Being the gifted one in his family, he could see that his family treated everyone who was white, morally. They did not do the same for colored people. He’d never even heard of a colored person killing or threatening a white person. But he heard and read about horrible things done to colored people, by whites. There was simply, no proof that his parents fears were justified.

Estelle chuffed, a hand raised, stopping Jan from finishing her appeal.

“Just do it.” “…And I’ll know if you don’t work together on this…” She turned her back to them and walked back around to her desk.

Sitting down in her chair, she said. “You may leave.” indicating she’d be more than happy to give them all ‘F’‘s.

***

Thirty minutes earlier.

“Here’s my assignment.” Bianca said. The solutions were clearly written out, and interpreted on her paper.

Estelle took a moment to read it. Bianca turned to leave.

Without looking up, she said, “You haven’t been dismissed, yet.”

Bianca turned back, with a strained smile.

“Everything is order, but…” Estelle got up and walked up to Bianca, her head cocked to the side, to better meet her eyes. Bianca was a short girl.

“…I’d like to know what took you so long?”

Bianca shrugged and said. “I took a break.”

Estelle frowned. “A break,” she said, a little attitude creeping into her voice. “You don’t take a break during my class time.”

Bianca shifted most of her weight, on her left foot, her eyelids heavy with arrogance. “It doesn’t matter.” she said. “I’m dropping this class.” She said this matter-of-factly. She was definitely going to follow through, regardless of what happened from here.

“This class is boring, it’s not enough of a challenge.” She said, shrugging.

Estelle laughed once.

“Okay.” she said, in a dismissive tone. “Enjoy the rest of the school year. Hope the rest of your classes, provide enough of a challenge.”

Bianca turned, and left.

As her voice trailed off, she said. “…I doubt it” and stalked off .

Fifteen Minutes Earlier.

The other students had arrived, papers in hand. “Let’s see it,” Estelle said.
The leader of the group stepped forward and handed in all of the papers at once.

“Hmm.” She said, considering for a much longer while than she had, with Anita’s group.

“You’ve solved it. Great work.” She said. They let out held breaths and clapped each other on the back. The all were white boys.

Estelle noticed they focused most of the back-claps on one member of the group. She smiled.

“Wonderful work.” she said, and stepped up to the group, clearly only back-clapping for the one they’d unknowingly singled out.

He was tall, with slouchy shoulders. He wore typical nerd clothes.  His hair was a greasy, flat, shade of brown and his face was a little pimply. “Good work, Bernard.” She said.

Their faces dropped.

“Now. You have another poem here.” she said to the rest of them. I’m holding off on your grades until you solve it, …without Bernard.”

“Mr. Edelmen?” she said to him, “You will have other assignments for the rest of the session. You will be working with Bianca.” she said.

The other boys reacted. They didn’t dare say the n-word in front of Estelle, but she could see their disgust. Bernard didn’t seem bothered at all.

“Okay.” He said, barely moving his lips.

after class, in the dean’s office

“Dr. Kensington, I really need a favor from you.” Estelle said.

***

4:26 pm, the registrar’s office

Bianca was stunned.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, I CAN’T DROP THE CLASS??”

IV HUMBLED

Nathan entered the large auditorium-sized classroom and saw twenty three students were present.

The subject was analytical number theory. He looked around and noticed four of the colored kids in his classroom, Corinne, Bianca, Zeke, and Fred.

Nathan settled into a bench next to Fred.

The professor, standing at the front of the class looked very…eccentric. His hair was wild, curling brightly in reddish-silver. Had a large round belly, but was skinny every where else, his face was a little splotchy with rosacea, and a wild mustache. He looked… overly-enthused.

“WELCOME! WELCOME! WELCOME TO -ANALYTICAL. -NUMBER. -THEORY!. He yelled, making most of the students in his class, jump.

“I’M PROFESSOR PULANSKI!!

“NOW!” he said, clapping his hands together “-That I have your attention, I can speak at a normal level.” he said, with a big toothy grin.

He dramatically jogged to the board and tugged the shade hanging over the chalkboard, making it roll up quickly, flapping around a few times.

“Look at this board!” He said, just above a whisper, still talking in an excited tone. He crouched down low, intimately meeting the eyes of random students,

“Look at these incredible equations!” He said rubbing his hands together, like a greedy man anticipating a delicious meal.

Everyone was smiling. A smattering of giggles reverberated throughout the class. He was enjoying this. Professor Pulanski seemed cuckoo…and fun.

On the board were three equations. E=MC (squared) And two very long ones, written in small print, easily covering half of the very long board.

“What is analytical numbers theory?Discovery!The art of using math to create,…decipher-!”

“This one? Is the most famous of all! -REL -LAH -TIVITY. It’s been there all along. Einstein just discovered it. It was used to advance our civilization to places we would never would have known, otherwise.”

He ran to the other side of the chalkboard and pointed to the jumble of numbers and symbols.

“YOU!” He yelled, pointing at Bianca. “Solve it.”

He hooked his thumb back at an equation on the board, indicating the one he wanted her to solve.

Bianca slid from her desk smugly, immediately writing down several numbers and symbols, taking quite awhile to so, because the answer was so long. It almost extended beyond the board.

He frowned as she did this, his eyes suddenly brightening up as she completed it.

“EXCELLENT!, EXCELLENT!….-IT’SWRONG!!” He said, with that big, stupid, grin still plastered on his face, his words all said with same happily enthused tone.

The entire class laughed. Bianca’s mouth fell open.

“GO HAVE A SEAT!!-SHOO!!” he said, mock kicking her off the stage, aiming his foot at her behind. He shuffled across the floor behind her, doing a little dance, as she headed back to her desk, sulking.  The class  laughed even harder.

She slid low in her seat, dark-faced and clearly embarrassed.

“YOU!” He said pointing at Nathan. “Solve it.”

He took a moment, scanning the problem. Then, he erased the mistakes Bianca had made, writing his own symbols and numerals in their place.

“NOW THIS? -He said pointing at the board. “THIS IS. EXACTLY. RIGHT.

“You deserve a hug, come ‘ere.” He said, ‘come ‘ere’ as if he were cooing at an infant.

Nathan took his time walking over to him, glancing at the students sitting at benches with a “help me!” look. The class regaled with loud laughter again, with Fred laughing the loudest.

The professor opened his arms wide and squeezed poor Nathan in a tight hug, lifting him off his feet.

The class laughed even harder and, so did Nathan. Thoroughly embarrassed, he looked down at the professor like he was nutty.

Pulanski was far from crazy, …but he was a weirdo, a joyful oddball. He had been the best mathematician in the world.   A genius from birth, he had easily surpassed Bianca’s current level, at nine years old.  At his age, he simply didn’t care anymore what other people thought of his cookeyness, as long as he was happy.

This had been a test. He had done his research on his students.  He knew Nathan and Bianca had been evaluated at genius level in math, the brightest in his class. He simply wanted to know who was better at it.

Bianca had been confident, but she hadn’t learned to take her time.   She had no patience.

Nathan, however, did.

Having had a blast in Pulanski’s class, the students were dismissed…  Except, for Bianca, Corinne, Zeke, Fred, and of course, Nathan.

The students scrambled out the door, chattering noisily about the past hour and a half.  For the students he’d wanted to stay, Pulanski wrote a note for them, at the top of an equations hand-out he’d given to all of the students.

‘See me, after class.
… I’ll try not to keep you long…The operative word being, try.

***

After the class had cleared out, they all sat at the front benches, bunched together, and looking at Pulanski, expectantly.

The professor sighed, walking right up to them, his knees nearly bumping the wood paneling on the front of the high benches.

“Hmm.” he said .

“One of these things is not like the others…” he whispered, leaning slightly over Nathan’s desk, a smirk playing on his lips, his arms crossed behind his back. Nathan ignored him.

“So…How are you ladies and gentlemen doing, so far?” He asked, casually.

Corinne piped up first, looking at everyone else, as she did. “We’re cool, Professor P.”

Corinne had on a beige brimless hat, a large red flower sitting on the front of it..
Her pencil skirt, was in matching beige. She wore a white blouse with short puffed sleeves and chunky red heels.

“Professor P…. That’s what they called me last year. …And the year before that. …And the year before that… Still, I like it.”

He went on. “So, no one’s harassed you, -bothered any of you so far?”

“…So far, this year.” Fred said, his voice low and full of doubt.

“What do you expect to happen, young man?” he said, addressing Fred.

“I have no idea what to expect.” he said. “The worst of it last year, was something we could never have predicted”, he said, his face grim.

Nathan knew what he was referring to; Thomas, the twelve-year old boy they all cared for like a little brother had been irreversibly injured. A racist student had thrown acid on his neck and chest, just because he’d felt slighted. He would have to wear an oxygen mask for the rest of his life.

Pulanski took a deep breath. He then told the new colored kids about Thomas, as the entire campus had heard about it, including him. Corinne, Bianca, and Zeke were stunned. He described details, things that hadn’t been written in the papers.

The newspapers had only reported “an attack.”  The editors were afraid of causing a riot.

Corinne clasped a trembling hand over her mouth and gasped.

Zeke shook his head vigorously, saying “No man, If he’d done that to my little brother?? I would’ve pounded that sucka’” he said punching his fist into his palm, for emphasis.

Fred looked at him  like he was crazy. “Man, shoulda’, coulda’ woulda’ … That’s dumb talk.”

“You wouldn’t have been able to do a damn thing.” Fred said with a dark laugh. “You would’ve gotten thrown out of this school. …but not before these crackers got to ya’.”

Bianca was staring at the floor, frowning, and shaking her head.

Nathan and Zeke looked weary.

“And…Didn’t that happen during a lull in the threats and harassment?” Pulanski said, scratching the back of his head as he slowly paced, in front of them.

“…yes…” Nathan said, his voice very small and distant.

“-I see.” Pulanski replied.

He looked at the three new colored students, significantly. “Now, you see too.”

***

“You may go.” He said.

Corinne scrambled out of her chair first, practically running to the door.

Zeke walked out slower, looking at Fred as he went.

Bianca made a move to get up, but Pulanski held up a hand.

“Unh, uh.” He said.

“You two stay.” He said, indicating Nathan, as well. Fred left discreetly, after Pulanski had said this.

Bianca sighed, slightly irritated.

“Bianca. You both could have solved that equation.”

“…But you are waaay, too cocky, young lady.” He said, with scornful wag of his forefinger.

Bianca let her head fall to the side, her brow furrowed, her mouth hanging open, completely dumbstruck.

After a short pause, she leaned forward in the bench, with a huff…“What do mean, I’m cocky!?. It’s called self-assurance. …I just know, what I can do.” She said,rolling her neck..

She twisted up her lips and crossed her arms over her chest.

Nathan put a hand to his head and rubbed his temple, as if he were getting a headache.

Pulanski walked over to him.

“You have something to add, Mr. Fulton?” He turned and looked at Bianca, directly.

“You know who really was ‘self-assured?… Thomas.”

“…And you heard where that got him.”

He shook his head.“And he’s not even close to the stubborn, grating, ninny you are… I’m sorry my friends have to live with you.” he said, looking at her with disgust.

“ Mr. Pulanski, may I take this up with you, later?” Nathan said, getting up, as he collected his things.

“Certainly, Mr. Fulton!” He said. “…but take this with you”, he produced a stapled set of papers, and handed them to him.

Nathan strode out the door.

***

Pulanski shook his head as he continued to pace in front of her bench.

“Bianca, Bianca…” he said, flatly.

“You are a genius…but you’re also astoundingly, stupid.” Bianca was focusing her eyes on a spot on the floor.

“I’d like you to be a better person than that…  All of this attitude you have, will destroy you before you even have a chance to truly use that brain of yours.” he said, tapping his own head.

“….You’re clearly compensating for something.”

“I bet…” he said, crossing his arms “…you… already have an idea, of what hate can do.” he said, rubbing his chin.

Bianca looked up at him, then.

He walked right up to her bench, his hands splayed acrross the flat-top.

“Don’t let it win.”

V BONDING

The two days which followed, were miraculously incident-free. Corinne had only heard a student passively call her “nigger” once as she was walking down the quad. She turned and looked up at his back, and quickly walked away, looking appalled.

….On the 4th of September, one of the Three, as Corinne had started calling herself and the other colored students she’d enrolled with, had their first real run-in, with a racist.

Bianca had been grumbling to herself as she walked down the halls, on her way to Miss Estelle’s class.

“….I cannot believe this, I do not want to be in this lady’s boring-ass class….Kensington ain’t following the rules herself …she’s making me do it…just goes to show, you can’t trust, crackers….”

A campus security officer, Randall Gates who was headed in the opposite direction had stopped in the middle of his stride.

“Are you calling me a cracker, you little nigger spade?”

“ …I wasn’t talking to you.“ She said.

“What did you say?”

“I said I wasn’t talking to-UNH!”

Officer Gates elbowed Bianca in the face, making her stumble back, against the wall. Dazed, her hand wandered up to her lips, which felt wet. Bringing her fingers to her eyes and seeing blood, she realized her lips had been split open. Her two front teeth also felt loose.

“I gonna’ do something about that uppity little mouth of yours. ”

He wasn’t finished. He put her in a headlock, and began punching her in her ribs. The few white students who were in hallway, stopped and stared at this, but did nothing.

He suddenly switched to a sleeper hold and Bianca’s eyes began to roll up in her head. She then passed out and Gates, released her. She dropped like a stone to the floor.

He walked around her unconscious body and kicked her a few times. She began to stir.  He then knelt down and cuffed her wrists behind her back, squeezing them until they cut into her.

That awoke her fully, but she was still dazed and now, going into shock.

As he dragged her along, the cuffs tightened even more. A pained scream was ripped out of her…“ANNNHH!”

He began to lead her down the hall towards the door.

“I DIDN’T DO NUTHIN’!!” She said. That earned her another sharp jab in the ribs.

Once the officer got to the door, one of the frozen students snapped out of his shock and turned around, running up the stairs.

He was ten years old. He was the only one who had moved.

He met Miss Estelle halfway up the steps.  She was coming down because she had heard loud noises.

“What’s going on?! I thought heard screaming…”

“It’s Gates, mam’ he was beating on a colored girl, he arrested-“

“-oh, lord!…” She pushed passed the boy and swiftly ran down the steps.

She ran around the corner of the first floor and stopped where several students were still gathered. She thought she saw something red and the floor, and knelt down to get a closer look.

It was a fresh blood smear.

The ten year old had jogged up behind her.

“Go get Dr. Kensington… RUN!!” She said, her voice shaking with panic. The little boy took off like a shot.

Estelle, got up herself and ran through the front double-doors. She looked everywhere and just had time to catch Gates’ security car leave through the front entrance.

She could see Bianca, her hair mussed, leaning in the back seat.

She tried to catch up, running fast….. “No…No… STOP!! STOP!!”

But instead the car accelerated.

Bianca was going to jail.

***

Estelle went back to the spot where it had happened. She also saw the wall had been smeared as well.
She ran back up the stairs to her office to get her car keys.  She looked all around her desk, so panicked she couldn’t see the keys hanging right in front of her.

“Where are those DAMN KEYS!!”, she yelled.

Bernard appeared at her door. “…what’s going on, ms. Estell…”

“Not now!”she said, sharply. “I need to find my keys.”

Bernard simply looked up at the nail tacked into the wall next to her door and grabbed them, holding her keys out to her.

Estelle looked up… Her face full of relief. “Oh, thank you.”

She yanked the keys out of his hand and ran out the door….

***

Estelle turned keys in the ignition of her white Buick. Her tires screeched loudly as she took off.

***

“Git in there!” another officer said, as he pushed her into a windowless room. “I hear you were smarting off at an officer.”

Bianca’s hands were still cuffed behind her back, her face frozen in an angry-defiant frown, but her swelling lip trembled and tears were beginning to leak out of her eyes.

The officer removed his hat… “We’re gonna’ halfta’ search you little girl…”

***

Estelle ran up to the front desk of the local jail out of breath…

“I’m here…*-pant-*….to pick up my student…  A Bianca Whitley?”

“Bianca Whitley, Bianca Whitley.” the officer said, taking his time looking through his ledger.

“Yeah…  She’s here.”

“You not allowed to hold her. Hand her over to me.” She said, her voice was level but shaking with fury.

“What you mean, girl? She’s been arrested!”

“She is a fourteen year-old student at Ashwood Academy… Now, unless you want to deal with a lawsuit backed by the most prestigious and moneyed school in the country, you’ll release her into my custody…”

The officer looked pissed. He slumped in his desk stared up at this uppity negra.  Oh yeah, he knew about Ashwood, he wasn’t dumb.

“…NOW!” She said.

The man slowly turned at his desk and got up. He walked to the back with Miss Estelle following closely behind him.

***

Once she got to the jail-cell, she spotted Bianca, her legs hugged to her chest on her cot, crying into her knees.

The officer’s keys rattling at the bars, made her look up. As soon as the officer opened the bars, Bianca got up and ran into Estelle’s open arms, sobbing.

***

She’d arrived at the police station just as Estelle and Bianca were leaving, with Bianca crying into the side of Estelle’s brown tweed jacket.

“Oh. “ she said, looking relieved. “You’ve got her.”

She paused just a brief moment to look at the girl, who she could see had been beaten.

An unspoken communication passed between them. Estelle would take the girl to the hospital.

Dr. Kensington strolled into the police station.

“I need to see the chief of police this instant!”

The officer seated at the front desk stood up, and removed his hat in respect of the older white woman in his prescence.

“Uh, just what seems to be the problem mam’?”

“-I need to see the chief. …NOW.” She repeated.

“Well, he’s busy at the moment…Uh, mam, mam?? You can’t go back there!””

Kensingtion had walked around the partition and down the short hall. She looked up at signs on the doors. After spotting the Chief’s name, she swung the door open. It rattled the hinges and banged up against the wall, loudly.

The Chief, who had been sitting with his feet kicked up on his desk, laughing into the phone, started..

“-the hell??”

“One of my students was assaulted this afternoon. Who was the arresting officer?”

“-One of your students?”

“A colored girl by the name of Bianca Whitley.” She said, her arms sternly crossed.

The chief scratched the back of his head.

“Well, Randy didn’t say she was from your school.”

Kensingtion huffed, he knew where Gates worked.  “Now, you know she is. I want Randall Gates arrested for assault.”

“You know we can’t do that mam’. He’s the mayor’s son. He’d have my head!”

Kensington stood for a moment tapping her foot.

“Then, I’ll bring him up on charges, myself…”

“It has to come from the victim, mam’”

Kensington ran a frustrated hand through her hair, she could see the girl was in no shape to do that.

“Well then, you’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”

Kensington turned to leave…

“Now, wait a minute mam’!” He said, hold up his hand.

“Now, I can’t do anything about Randall, but… I can assure you, we’ll take care of the officers who took her into custody.”

“…..She’s fourteen years old.” Kensington, said, making the chief’s eyes drop.

“We’ll take care of it.” he repeated.

***

Kensington yanked off her glasses, walked around her desk, and stood in front of the officer, mere inches away from his face. She met his eyes. Though she was much shorter than him, she glared him as if he were small.

He looked away, unable to stand her gaze. She was sixty-six years old and only five foot-four, but she had always carried a great air of power.

She could see he was about to protest. “-I don’t care who you’re father is.”

“YOU ASSAULTED ONE OF MY STUDENTS!!”

“I’m sure your father, the mayor, would love to see this incident played out in the newspapers.”

He sputtered..

“-LEAVE…”

He turned to go, a little bit too slowly for Dr. Kensington “NOW!!” she said.

The new security officer escorted Gates out of her office, taking him by his arm.

He yanked it from his grip, “Get your hands off me!” and walked out ahead of him.

She sat down in her chair and tossed her glasses on wearily on her desk.

She then rubbed her face with both hands.

***

“You’re going to get through this.” Estelle said, as she hugged a very stoic Bianca.

She was walking her up to her house on campus. The emergency room doctors had looked her over and found no injury that wouldn’t heal on it’s own.  She hadn’t been raped, but she had been roughly frisked… all over.

The other colored students and Nathan were all waiting in the front room of their house.

When Estelle brought her through the front door, they all stood frozen not knowing what to do.

Janine was the first to approach. “Is there anything you need?”

Bianca shook her head.

“I’ll fix you something to eat,” Corinne said, and hustled into the kitchen.

The rest of the afternoon, quietly passed with silent eating and everyone staying close, but also keeping a respectful distance from Bianca.

***

The next day, Bianca went to her regular classes on schedule, as if nothing had happened.

But what had happened, had gotten out around school.

Miss Estelle spent the period allowing the students to write freely.

As the class ended, Estelle watched her go, looking worried. She didn’t bother to ask if she were okay, because she knew she wasn’t.

***

“Here.” Chris said, as he handed Anita a flyer.

“What’s this?”

“An anouncement of the first meeting of the Ashwood Commitee for Civil Rights.”

“…I’m sorry about your friend.” he said.

Anita almost corrected, by saying she wasn’t her friend, but in light of what she’d been through…“So, what do you want me to do?”

“I was hoping you could make it to our first meeting… You know, Gates wasn’t even arrested for this?”

Bianca had filed charges, but they were somehow buried in paperwork limbo, likely courtesy of the mayor.

“Yes. I do know.” Anita said, clearly unsurprised.

“Well, we’re going to do something about it.”

“What?”

“Civil Disobedience,” he said, as if excited by the concept.

“We’re going to stand in front of the mayor’s office with signs, telling everyone who passes what happened. If the media shows, then they can’t ignore this.”

“We?…Who else is doing this?”

Chris rubbed his neck… “Well, so far… Only you, if you agree to do this.”

Anita began to walk away.

“Please wait!”

“I’ve seen how the others treat you. You have their respect. You’re their leader. If you join? They’ll join.” he said.

Anita sighed. “I’ll think about it.”

In the end, Anita decided to at least attend the meeting.

Chris had been right. A number of the others also went, because of Anita. Nathan, of course, who was there more to keep an eye on Chris than anything else, Janine, her best friend, and of course, the rest of the colored students at the school, including Bianca.

It was who else was in attendance, that was a shock; Jan, Sallie Mae, and Kirk. Apparently, Chris had convinced them to come. They were, after all, the group he’d spent the most time with, trying to solve their poetic enigma.

They’d managed to solve one part of it. Or least they knew how to solve it. The words themselves actually formed other letters when assembled together, yet another puzzle. They meticulously copied each letter as it appeared in larger form, and cut them out, working together to complete the picture. In all, there were four-hundred and sixty one similarly shaped pieces, all the same inky black color.

Jan looked most uncomfortable of the students there. She kept her arms folded tightly across her chest and squirmed, looking at all the colored students apprehensively.

“There are so many of them here.” She thought.

Kirk sat forward in his chair, eager to listen and Sallie Mae sat quietly, distractedly picking at her nails.

They all sat at different chairs which had been spread out in a circle. The had met at the library.

Chris was last to arrive. In his hands, he carried a stack of large white signs which said in clear black print:

YOU CAN’T JAIL TRUTH

THE MAYOR PROTECTS LAWBREAKERS

I AM A HUMAN BEING

He passed them out to everyone.

“So, this is what I was thinking.” he said, standing in the middle of the circle. “It would defeat the purpose if any of the white people here carry ‘I am human’ signs, because you’re already treated that way.”

“But the colored students here, are not. Therefore, they are for you to carry.” he said, indicating them.

“Now, I must prepare you for what we might face there…”

“There very well could be, hoses, dogs, slurs, spit, screaming, pushing… And we will likely be thrown in jail…”

At that, Jan shook her head and got up, quickly leaving the room.

Chris continued without a missed beat. “-You name it, we will likely face it. BUT -the number one rule…” He said, holding up his index finger for emphasis, “…is DO. NOT. FIGHT. BACK.  No matter what.”

Bianca looked up at Chris, her lips still slightly swollen, “I can handle that.” she said.

“Mahatma Ghandi says, ‘Be the change, you wish to see in the world.’ Nathan nodded his head, remembering he had invoked the same quote after an attack, during the previous year.

“We will be peaceful, law-abiding, citizens in the face of cruel intolerance. We will remain honorable, in the face of dishonor. We model the change.” he said, finishing.

Everyone sat in rapt attention, galvanized by his words. Anita felt some guilt at having dismissed him so easily, earlier.  Nathan had noticed the change in her regard for him.

“Now, I think we should be at the Mayor’s office at eight am on Monday morning, just as he arrives for work…”

“Wait a minute, here…” Kirk said. “That’s during class!”

“I know.” he said, smiling. “I’ve spoken to all of our professors about what we are attempting to do here and they are allowing it, without marking us down. Some, are even giving us credit for this as an assignment.”

Kirk’s eyebrows raised at that.“Well, that’s it.   I’m in!”

Kirk had initially gone to the meeting just to see what the other coloreds were like, but the thought of doing this sort of thing stirred the foolhardy teenaged boy in him.

It sounded exciting.

“From here on out, we’re in this together,” he said, looking significantly at Anita. “…bonded by our stand. If you want out, now is the time.”

No reply.

“…because we have to be able to trust each other, here.”

“If the girls are attacked,” he said, looking at Nathan, Zeke, Fred, and Kirk. “We have to protect them, cover them with our own bodies.”

“Corinne, would you come over here so I can demonstrate?”

Corinne grinned and got up, patting the back of her hair. That day, she wore a page-boy cap to match her more casual pedal-pushers.  She took it off and placed it on her chair.

“Now…”

“Say, there’s a policeman holding a nightstick, trying to beat this lovely lady.” Corinne giggled and blushed. The others laughed at her always unabashed flirting.

“Well then.. She would get into fetal position.” He looked at Corinne, but it took her a while to get the message.

“-Oh!” she said, realizing what he wanted her to do. Once again, there was a smattering of chuckles.

She delicately got down on one knee, as if the floor might contaminate her.

Chris sighed. “The pavement’s much filthier than this.”

“Okay…-oooh-!” She said, letting out a high pitched squeal. She eventually got all the way down.

“Just like atomic bomb drills, Corinne.” She nodded, and finally got herself into the proper position, her knees folded under her on the floor, her face in her lap, her hands over her head.

“This is what we all would do, if we are attacked.”

“Now, if I am to protect her…” He knelt beside her and covered her body with his own, making sure as much of her was covered, as possible.

Eliciting a playful whistle from Kirk. “Well, alright!” he said. “That’s the news, baby!”

Everybody laughed again. Chris straightened up and helped Corinne to her feet. She was now as red as a beet.

“Thank you, Chris” she said, with a slight curtsy and went back to her seat.

“Now, I know we’re all laughing a little bit, but this information is serious. Remember it, for your own safety.”

“If you change your mind before the protest? You are free to simply not show up. …But I will be there regardless.”

Bianca stood up.

“…And, so will I.” She said.

VI PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

“Don’t go.”

“What?!”

“Anita, I’m begging you, please don’t go to the protest. I mean, Chris even gave you an out.” Anita sighed and shook her head.

“You could get hurt. I’ll go, but I can’t be sure I can protect you…”

“Nathan, I can’t believe you of all people are saying this to me! I have to go. For better or worse, Bianca is one of us. Especially, now.”

He kissed her, to stop her words. “-I can’t risk seeing you get hurt over this when I can prevent it.” he said softly.

“But you can’t either way.  If you love me, you’ll support me in this. If you care for your friends, you’ll support them. I’m not any better or lesser than any of them. I go for  all of us. And I don’t just mean us here. I mean all colored people who would face the indignities Bianca went through. I stand for all of us…

Chris understands this…”

“-Chris? Chris! You barely even know him.”

“I know he’s committed to our cause!”

“Anita. I’m committed to you.” He reached out to her.

Anita crossed her arms and turned her back to him.

“I know. …And sometimes I wonder, -if you weren’t…  Would you still care about them?”

She said, a simple flit of her eyes and tip of head indicating the colored house just down the way.

“‘Nita.  I-” He reached for he but she shrugged him away.

“-Leave me alone, Nathan.” she said, walking away.

***

“…And so, I think it may reference one of the great pieces of art. When assembled it vary much resembles, Anita?”

“Anita? What do you think?” Chris asked.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah. I think you’re right, Le Buisson, by Matisse.”

He frowned at her but kept on talking about the poem with the others.

Anita sat in silence, only the barest surface of her mind focused on the project at hand.

***

“Okay, you two.” Miss Estelle said, indicating the remaining two students in her classroom.

“I want you to work together on…”

Estelle dug through her bag, while Bianca and Bernard gave each other puzzled looks.

“Ahh. Found it.” She said, allowing the heavy tome to fall to her desk with a loud thud. Dust flew up as it did.

“Come here, come here.” She said, waving at them.

“This is Oubliette, another rare favorite of mine. One that is…” She sighed with wonder.

“The most difficult to book to translate, in the world.”

“It has a language of it’s own, you see. No ciphers, no words derived from other languages. It simply is… a language onto itself.”

“Who’s the author?” Bianca asked.

“No one knows.” She said with a smile. “It is said, that his or her name is in the text somewhere. Only five hundred of these were printed and less than ten copies exist in the world today.”

“This…” She said dramatically. “Is your assignment.”

“Wow.” Bianca said, as she ran her hand over the heavy silver lettering.

“Feeling challenged now?” She said, smirking at Bianca.

“Now. You two get acquainted, because this will be your assignment for the rest of this session. Translate as much of it, as you can.”

Bianca picked up the book and hugged it in her arms. She held it like a close friend, a treasure she couldn’t wait to discover.

“Bernard, is it?”

He nodded.

“Let’s get cracking.”

***

Nathan sat in the back of his class with Professor Pulanski, his head in his hands. Pulanski, was loud and excited, as usual.

He continued his lecture as he discreetly bawled up a piece of paper on his desk, and tossed it at Nathan, bouncing it off his head.

“That got your attention didn’t it, Mr. Fulton.”

Giggles reverberated through the room.

“Stay with it!” he said, snapping his fingers.

Fred, looked at him but didn’t dare ask what was wrong with Pulanski’s antics. He’d likely get a spitball or worse, at that point.

So, he waited until after to class to ask him,“Okay. What happened with you and Anita?”

“What? How could you even know…?”

“What else would make you look like a wounded puppy who hasn’t been fed? It’s obvious man.  So. What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.  She’s the one who bit my head off! I was just trying to protect her.”

Fred sighed. “Okay, listen. I’m only going to tell you something that is the best piece of advice my daddy ever gave me.”

Fred rubbed his index finger lightly across the bridge of his nose

“The woman. Is ALWAYS. Right. You hear me?”

Nathan blinked a few times. “But…”

“Ahh-Ah!”

“She’s right. Now, go get her something nice and apologize.”

Nathan frowned for a moment, then sighed, and nodded his head. “Well okay. The woman-“

“-Is always right.” Fred completed. “And don’t you forget it.”

“…So, what did she say to you, anyway?”

“She said, I wouldn’t care about you guys if it wasn’t for her.”

Fred blinked a few times at him and then threw back his head and laughed.

After he caught his breath, -whew!-  he said   “Damn, Nathan.  She is right.”

***

“But what does it mean? I mean it’s just a tree!” Jan said, frustratedly.

“Well, the branches could mean family ties, fruits of our labors…” Sallie said.

“…It’s actually a bush.” Kirk said.

“Umm, guys, I really need a break. Okay?” Anita said, distractedly.

“Sure.” Chris said, still frowning with concern.

“I’ll be back in five minutes. I just need some air.”

Anita took her leave and climbed the stairs at the back of the floor. The heavy doors at the top led out onto the library’s roof.

***

Once there, she leaned over the edge, and watched the students below.  She loved Nathan, but that unanswered question continued to bother her. Would he even give a colored person a second glance if he didn’t know her?

“…They look like ants from up here.”

“Oh! Chris. You startled me.”

“You?” He said, raising an eyebrow. “But nothing scares Anita Scott.”

“You have no idea…” Anita said, smiling a bit… “Spiders are quite terrifying for me.”

“Really? Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret.” he said, whispering as if it really were

“…They scare me too.”

She stood quietly for a moment, smiling a bit.  She thought Chris was quite the puzzle, himself.

“Chris? What made you start doing this?” she said, quirking her head a little.

“I mean why are you so involved with colored people’s civil rights, of all things? You’re the last person I would’ve thought would be doing this…” she said, with a chopped laugh “…and to be this involved.”

“I guess I can see that. Some blond white boy doing this.” He said.

Anita chuckled a bit.

“Well, it started out with my parents. I used to go with them to women’s rights marches, back when I was too young to even know what that meant. We also marched for worker’s rights and then we marched for colored people’s rights.  I guess I just grew up with it.”

“Wow. Your parents sound so progressive.” she said, with genuine awe.

“Mine aren’t anything like that, just very old fashioned. They stick to what they know.”

“-Hunh.” she said, as if something just dawned on her.

“What.”

“I guess, I’m just surprised, I’m sharing this much with you.  I’ve been admittedly wary of most of the white people here”

“-but not Nathan.”  he said.

“No. He’s special.”

Chris nodded and looked away.

“Lucky guy.  I mean, you’re beautiful, smart… I truly envy him that.” he finished seriously.

“Uhm, I think-  we’d better get back to the group.”

She began to turn away.

He reached out and took her hand gently drawing her back.  ”-Wait.”

Chris’ eyes changed, and even Anita knew what was coming. She was dreading this and praying he wouldn’t, but she couldn’t quite will herself to move out of his reach.

He kissed her.

She was as he’d imagined, so many times, soft, warm, and sweet…too brief.

Anita placed a hand to his face and gently pushed him away.

“I have a boyfriend. You know that.”

“Then why did you let me kiss you?”

“Because, I’m being stupid and weak, and I’m vulnerable, right now.” She said, quietly.

“…Please, don’t take advantage of that.” She said.

“I want to help you forget him, -the doubts , the problems” He said, leaning in again.

“-And in so doing, cause me bigger ones…” She said, finally backing away.

“Anita, I really like you… Like a lot.” He said, with an embarrassed little laugh.

“Really?” she said, her voice tinged with sarcasm. “Well, I love Nathan. Very much.” she said, very seriously.

He sighed, disappointedly. “Yeah.”

She took a deep breath, hugged herself, and looked over the roof’s edge across the campus. Her mind was suddenly elsewhere. …With Nathan.

“Well.” He said, looking wounded. “If it doesn’t work out between you… “

“-I know.” She said, caressing his cheek.

***

Bianca hogged the book, her eyes wide and excited as she flipped through the pages, her fingers barely touching the edges, for fear of damaging them. Estelle had said that books are meant to be read… but THIS??? This was something all-together different.

Bernard keened over, as far as he could trying to see the pages, but she didn’t seem to notice him.

“Uhm, Bianca? I would like to work together, but I can’t really see…”

“Oh. Sorry, Bernard.” She pushed it over as little as possible, barely an inch.

“Uhh, yeah, still can’t see.” She shoved it over a full foot, with more than a little attitude.

“Okay. Thanks.” He said smiling, seemingly oblivious.

Bianca didn’t know how to react to this…She had been baiting for awhile now, him but he didn’t bite. She had a feeling he wasn’t dense in the nerdy way, but..

“I think, I may have picked up a few words,” He said.

“How many?” Bianca said.

“Well, five, so far… It’s strange. Some are really obvious while others,”

“…Just seem like a jumble.” She completed.

There was a pause.

“Um. Which ones did you translate?” She asked, as she had only spotted three…

***

Anita was very eager to get out of Miss Estelle’s class that day. She thought she might just be paranoid, but she could swear the kids in her group picked up on a little son what happened between her and Chris.

Sallie Mae, especially, seemed to be shooting daggers at her… She kinda’ had a feeling she might have been harboring a crush on Christian.

***

“Class dismissed!” And everyone, having just returned to class and reported on their progress, left the room.

As Anita stepped out into the air, she noticed big ominous clouds… They looked amazing, especially with all the colorful Fall tress, but…the rumble told her she had better hustle back to her house.

Having the rain ruin her hair, was the last thing she needed.

But, she wasn’t so lucky, the sky opened up in torrent so heavy it was like a shower turned full-blast.

“AHHH!!!” She screamed and headed for the nearest cover, a gazebo in a shaded area just on the edge of the forested grounds.

She stood inside rubbing her arms and assessing the damage. Her hair of course, had gotten wet and was now quickly reverting back it’s natural state. Her clothes were also well-soaked, a white blouse, which she now knew was a bad choice, in combination with a white bra. And a grey woolen pencil skirt.

The rain had been ice cold, so she was now freezing.

She sat on one of the benches, rocked and held herself close, shivering.

Then she heard other feet stomping into the space behind her. Her heart lept and lurched at the same time.

It was Nathan, his hair slicked back from the rain.

She was feeling guilty so she did what most guilty people do, feigned anger at the innocent party.

“What are you doing here?”

“Getting out of the rain..” he said, sitting next to her. His eyes, wandered over her body, the effect the rain had on the state of her clothing, not at all lost to him. Everything clung, revealing every curve.

She shivered.

“Are you cold?” he asked, knowing she was.

She took a moment before answering, her pride messing with her.

“Yes.” She said, finally relenting.

Nate took off his jacket and threw it over her, drawing her close so he could rub her arms and warm her up.

After a long moment of doing that, he ventured quietly, “Anita…I’m sorry.”

She looked up at him, as if waiting for more.

“I’m sorry I asked you not to go to the protest. You’re right. If it’s that important to you, I should support you, no matter what. …Even with the risk.”

She sat up a bit and continued to look, waiting for even more.

“And- you were right about the others. If it weren’t for you, I would have never known them. But I‘m thankful for you, because now…I do.  And even though it’s just a smidgen, less than you…” He said, the ghost of a smile appearing on his lips. “…I love them too.”

Anita inhaled and exhaled deeply, the cold long forgotten. Or maybe Nathan had succeeded in warming her. She didn’t care which. But she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.

His body relaxed against her, the tension released with her forgiveness.

Eventually, he pulled back to look into her eyes. “I have something else for you.”

She swallowed as she watched him get down on one knee. He reached into his pocket and he closed his eyes for a second, building his courage.

“Anita. …Will you marry me?”

He opened a small black velvet box.

Inside was a very intricate carved ring, platinum, etched on all sides, so it sparkled even in the rain. It had a unique off-center setting, like nothing she’d ever seen in store windows, several tiny diamonds winding into a surprisingly large, pear-shaped yellow diamond.

“It’s an antique.” He said, clearly apprehensive about whether she’d like it.

“It was my grandmother’s. Legend has it, a royal parade passed through when she was a child in Moldova, and she managed to filch it from a duchess.”

Anita was quiet for a moment and began to shake again. Poor Nathan was in agony.

They had talked about marriage, but she hadn’t expected something like this until after she’d graduated.

She looked down into his eyes, her own sparkling with tears, a few slowly rolled down her cheeks. And he knew.

“Yes. Nathan. Yes. -Yes.” She threw her arms around him and kissed him.

She held up a shaking left hand, while he delicately slid the band on her finger…It seemed, who ever made it, wanted it to sparkle as much as humanly possible. It glinted no matter how she shifted it, even in this rainy weather.

“This is…too much. What if I lose it?” She said, knowing the piece had to be priceless.

“It’s for you. It’s yours know. No matter what happens, it’s for you.” Letting her know, whether she’d said yes or no, it would still be hers.

She blinked a few more tears away.  He gently wiped them from her cheeks.

“The rain’s stopped.” He noted.

“Let’s go.”

***

When she got back to the house, she didn’t have to say a thing. The ring was so noticeable.

Janine popped up from her spot on the couch and just began repeating.

“No. No. NO. No. You did not. You are not…” She said, her eyes, flitting between Nathan and Anita.

“Yes.” Anita said, bobbing her head.

Janine clapped her hands over her face and began to cry herself.

Over her shoulder she spotted Nathan. She reached around and punched him in the shoulder,

“It’s about time, Nathan!”

Janine clapped her hands and yelled. “Everybody!! Come on in the living room!”

Again, their eyes immediately were drawn to Anita’s left hand.

Corinne was awestruck. She slowly shook her head back in forth, and said. “You’re arm’s going to get sore.”

Everybody broke out in laughter.

Zeke and Fred congratulated Nathan.

“Good going, man. Great catch. Now, you better take care of her.” Fred said, smiling, as he shook his hand.

***

The whole group was in the house and there was a nervous tension in the air.

The protest was the next day.

Janine had washed Anita’s hair and was know picking out into a large fro so she could press Anita’s hair.  She sat between her knees on the floor in front of the couch, looking sleepy.

Nathan sat across from her, curiously watching. He thought she looked pretty with her hair like that. And somehow, watching Janine press her hair out, was kinda sexy, in a wholesome way.

“Don’t worry, ‘Nita it’s almost finished. You’ll be looking really nice tomorrow at the protest.”

Janine shrugged. “You never know…There could be cameras there.  So, you must look nothing less than perfect.”

Once she was finished, Anita’s hair sat, still slightly billowy, just past her shoulders…

And Corinne came in. “Oh, honey. You have beautiful thick hair.” She said, stroking it a bit.

“You have to let me put some curls in it….Pretty please? We have got to get you out of those ponytails and buns you’re always wearing, girl!”

“What’s wrong with how I wear my hair? It stays neat.” Anita said, shrugging, as Corinne dragged her along…

“Come on up upstairs, so I can get my curler.” Corinne said, with a sigh.

As they disappeared upstairs, Corinne typically chattering all the way, there was a soft knock on the door.

“Now, who could that be?” Janine said as she got up, to peak out.

“Oh.  It’s Christian.”

She opened the door.

“I just wanted to make sure you all had what you needed for tomorrow.” He said, halfway lying. He seemed disappointed when he saw Nathan there, but of course he would be.

Nathan also looked noticeably pissed. He knew why he’d really come over.

“Hey, Christian.” Nathan said, his expression flat.

“Yeah, we do have everything we need. Thank you.”

He could see he was peering around looking for someone… Anita of course.

“Um, I have a few logistical things, I’ve typed up for you.” He said, side-stepping him.

Janine looked at the both of them thinking… ”Deja vu…”

As he passed them out, a high pitched squeal was heard coming from upstairs…

Corinne came stomping down the steps…

“Oh you guys, have to see this.”

Anita came slowly down the steps, wearing bunny slippers and a pink robe, clasping it shut delicately at her throat.

‘I look silly, don’t I…” She said, patting the back of her hair.

“No, girl.” Janine said…”I just wish I’d been the first to do it.”

Her hair was shiny smooth and straight with a side part, tapering down into waves and fat, tightly, wound curls.

“Wow. You do look nice.” Fred said.

Christian didn’t say anything, but just stared up at her,wide-eyed. She was gorgeous, and very grown-up looking with her down, though her face was still smooth and more youthful than her actual age.

Nathan’s face broke into a slow smile as he shook his head. “You look beautiful. It suits you.” He said quietly.

Christian still hadn’t said anything.

He’d noticed her ring.

VII STAND

“Keep pressure on the wound…” Miss Estelle said, her own hands so covered in blood to her elbows, it looked like she was wearing red gloves….

“Where’s that ambulance?!..”

“Oh, God…Just hold on…HOLD ON!!”

***

“-Ahem, testing, testing…You hear me Mike?

Okay, three…two…one-

-This is Gail Rivers reporting live, from Ashwood Town Hall, where a group of students are protesting the alleged assault of a colored Ashwood Academy student.

Ashwood Academy is a special school for students whose IQ’s well-exceed the normal level.

The incident occurred in early September, when the student having allegedly done nothing to provoke it, was attacked by a security officer who was at the time, employed at the school.

The students assert that Mayor John Gates is involved in a cover-up for his son, a one Randall Gates, who is the accused.

Randall, what do you think of these charges?”

“It’s malarkey. I performed my duties as a security officer at that school. She was being rowdy, causing all kinds of trouble in the hallways, and she had to be restrained, it’s as simple as that.”

Though Bianca was within earshot, she made no reaction.

“It’s yet another example of the N. -A-ACP, stirring up trouble where there ain’t none. All those nigroe organizations are Anti-American. And those kids over there?…” He said jabbing a hard finger at students standing on the steps.

“…Are just looking for attention.”

“But isn’t that part of their goal in the first place, Mr. Gates – to bring attention to this alleged injustice?”

“Well. They succeeded in that, bringing attention to where there ought not be any.  Now, I’m done. Get that camera out of my face!”

Randall walked off.

“Mr. Gates! MR. GATES!”

“As those of you at home can see, the students, ten in all and a member of the faculty are standing on the steps holding signs declaring their stance.”

They have been standing up there for at least two hours, barely moving from their positions.”

“Young man, why are you here? What do you hope to accomplish with this?”

“Well…” Zeke began “I’m here for my friend, who still shows signs of the “restraint”, Randall Gates was just talking about. I want people to see what they did to her.”

Gail turned to Bianca.

“Young miss, are you the victim?”

“I am, yes.  And this was done to me with no provocation.” she said, indicating the visible scars on her lips.

She looked directly into the camera. “We are here to get justice. If I were white, there would be no question that this had occurred and the attacker would have been jailed.  I have yet to see that kind of vindication, all because my skin is darker than yours.”

The camera swung around to get a better focus on the rest of the students.

“On the opposite end of the street there is a growing convergence of Klan and locals who clearly oppose these students’ position.”

Gail quickly crossed the street as the camera kept rolling.

“Miss, why are you here?”

“Because those kids are over there are stirring up trouble. No one’s done anything to them. It’s all some kind of conspiracy. You know nothing like this ever happened before the colored’s got here?”

She turned the mic to a member of the Klan.

“And what do you think?”

“I’ll tell you what I think, I think nigras ought to be beat down, to prevent them from committing the crimes to which they are all predisposed. They get rowdy, burn down their own cities, and in general tear down anything the white man’s given them.

They’re ungrateful, I tell ya’ ungrateful…”

“AND SHAME ON YOU WHITE NIGGERS!! TURNING AGAINST YOUR RACE!!”

“Niggers can’t help but be niggers, but these race traitors, shame us. They shame us!  - Look at ‘em, holding hands, contaminating themselves, with nigger filth!“

“WHITE POWER!! WHITE POWER!!”

“This is Gail Rivers, reporting for ABC News.”

***

Christian and Sallie Mae arrived early to set-up, bringing lunches and water along with them in a cooler. They weren’t planning a hunger strike, after all.

“So, Christian.” She said, in that high wispy voice. “You think we’re gonna get much trouble?”

Sallie Mae had grown up in Georgia, in a household full of black servants.  She was quite wealthy and never had to do anything on her own, but she lacked real companionship from her parents.

Her maid had really been the one to raise her. Though the relationship definitely had it’s share of power and race dynamic problems, she was sensitive  in her limited way to the plight of colored people.

Really though, she was involved to impress Christian, who hadn’t given her a second look.

She wondered was wrong with him.  She was the center of attention in her home-town. But she had noticed him looking at the colored girl in a peculiar way. And it -just didn’t seem right.

He took a breath. “You never know with these things. Tear-gas is the worst, though.”

“Hmm,” Sallie Mae said, determinedly not letting her courage falter.

“Umm.” she said, after she helped him haul the cooler behind a nearby pillar. “You think maybe…I don’t know, we could maybe…” She twirled the ends of her hair around her fingers.

“-Go out some time?” She said, biting her lower lip and rearing up on her tip-toes, hopefully.

Christian sighed. “Well, I think you’re nice girl, but…-I mean, I have a lot going on at school. I don’t really have much time for girls.”

Sallie Mae, her ego severely bruised by this, turned on him.

“-Really?” she said, looking pouty…“Well you seem to have enough time for certain colored girl…” She said, a calculating smile creasing her lips.

Chris blanched.

“Hey guys!”  Kirk had arrived, with Fred and Zeke, who were apparently bonding over sports.

He had never been so happy to see them.

Sallie Mae pursed her lips and gave Chris a measured look before pretending to check the signs.

Chris swallowed. The last thing he needed today was for something to come between him and any of the students doing this.  Trust was key in this likely, dangerous situation.

He just hoped Sallie Mae wasn’t planning anything stupid.

***

Anita and Nathan were next to arrive, hand-in-hand and looking lovesick. Christian tried not to look at them.

“Why! Anita…” Sallie said, making a big show of being loud.

“LOOK AT THAT RING!! It’s gorgeous!” She said, taking her hand and peering at it.

“It’s an expensive piece. I can tell.” She said, looking at Nathan. “You love your girl, don’t you Nate?” She said, sing-songing, milking this for all it was worth.

He nodded and Anita leaned into his shoulder while he gave her a gentle squeeze.

It was having the desired affect on Chris.

***

It was fifteen minutes to showtime and all ten students were sitting on the steps enjoying some breakfast.

“Well! Look at you all.” Miss Estelle said to her students as she walked up the steps. “I am so proud you’re in my class.”

She was looking the most casual they had ever seen her in jeans, a quarter-sleeved sweater, and cat-eyed sunglasses  to block the sun.

“I wish, I’d thought of that.” Janine said, indicating her own squinting eyes in the bright sun.

“Oh, hello Miss Estelle… We met briefly, I’m Janine and that’s Zeke, Fred, Nathan, and Corinne.”

“Ahh! Nice to see you all again.”

“I wish I could say I volunteered to come down here, but I just had too much work to do. I hadn’t planned on it.

Dr. Kensington sent me down here to keep an eye on you. She took over my classes for the day.  Hopefully, I won’t really be needed.”

“WHITE POWER! WHITE POWER!”

The crowds outside seemed to be increasing and police protection was much less than what was needed, though not less than what was expected. Only three officers held back an increasingly angry-looking mob, of more than fifty other people.

The very department whose members mistreated Bianca in the first place was now their primary protection. The irony was not lost on them. It was clear that they really didn’t want to be there, but the chief was feeling guilty. Kensington’s visit had affected what little conscience he had.

“I said get back!!” The chief said, as a particularly hate-filled member kept trying to break through the flimsy barrier. Their anger seemed most directed at Bianca.

“You lying wench!! Your nigger boyfriend did that to ‘ya…!!”

Bianca just stood still as statue, pretending to be deaf.

Sallie Mae began to cringe, but Christian who had her left hand, whispered fiercely through gritted teeth, “Do not let them see you falter!”

“…And don’t break the line. If you need a minute we’ll shift.  I’ll take your sign and you can break over there.” Christian said, referring to a nearby pillar, where a waiting Estelle was standing by the cooler with her cat-eyed sunglasses reflecting the light.

Christian thought it might be a good idea to keep Sallie Mae next to him. She seemed to be the weakest of the group.  It had been a wise decision.

They were spread out boy-girl-boy-girl, for obvious reasons. It was Nate, Anita, Zeke, Bianca, Christian, Sallie Mae, Fred, Corinne, Kirk, and Janine.

“Hey! Hey! Girlie, you fucking that nigger?! Huh?! You fucking that nigger?!” A vicious klan-member spat at Sallie Mae, referring to Fred.

“You piece of trash…Defiling yourself with these niggers!! No decent white man gonna touch you now, white-nigger-whore!! ”

He let loose with a nasty glob of spit. It landed in her hair.

She nodded. “I think, I’ll take that break…” She said, her voice shaking. Everyone else, surprisingly even Kirk, kept on standing.

Christian had to eventually pass the word on to the make them take shifts. The last thing they needed was for one or more of them to start passing out.

“Anita, Zeke, take a break.”

Of course, it would have made more sense for him to allow Nate and Nita a break, but…

***

Anita sat behind the pillar where Ms. Estelle was leaning, nibbling into her sandwich.

Zeke ventured a question. “Anita…”

“-Yes.”

“I am seriously wondering…Why are you with that white boy?”

Anita chuffed. “I mean you’ve got nice-looks, you’re smart,  and I mean, stacked. We need more sisters like you to remain in the family, you know what I mean?”

“I get your meaning-” She sighed.

“You know-” She took a sip of water. “I am getting really tired of people giving me unsolicited advice on how I live my life.”

“Well, you know I didn’t mean anything by it…I mean Nate seems alright and all, but-“

“-But what. -He’s not my brother?”

Zeke nodded.

“He’s not supposed to be…” She said, smiling.

“-That would be incest.”

She got up, disposed of her trash and returned to the line, leaving Zeke with his mouth hanging open.

***

The mayor hustled by that morning two hours after the protest began, covering his face with the morning paper and mumbling “…no comment…” to the waiting press.

“Mr. Mayor…Mr. Mayor! Are you preventing your son from facing justice?”

“-Do you believe your son assaulted a student! Mayor! Mr. Mayor!”

It was twelve noon when another group arrived to offer their support and join the protest.

The students visibly relaxed. The numbers were now on their side.

“I’m Rev. Barry Jessup and this is my wife Cindy” the leader said.

He was a short unassuming white man with dirty blond hair. His wife was a brunette wearing black rimmed glasses, with her long hair tied back into a low ponytail.

“Hello-“ she said, smiling.

He made no assumptions about who the leader was. He addressed all the students on the line.

“I’m the pastor at Haverhill Universalist Unitarian church, -just a town over. We saw your group on television and organized a small group to come out and join you. I hope you don’t mind…”

His ‘small’ group, was sixty people strong.

***

It was shortly after one p.m when all hell broke loose…

The press would later say they didn’t know who started it, but it was clear to the students.

Someone from across the street, likely klan, had lobbed a smoke bomb into the middle of the protest group.

Everyone scattered and the police line broke. There was chaos.

The people were now indiscriminately punching and kicking at the protesters, as was the police.

They were swinging their billy-clubs wildly, hitting anyone who happened to cross them.

Miss Estelle ran down to Christian. “I tried to get into the Town Hall, but the doors are locked. The guards aren’t letting anyone in…” She said, her mouth a tight line, protesters pushing past.

“All right. Everyone you know what to do, if you can get behind the pillars…”

Klan members were rapidly heading their way.

“Protect the girls!-”

He didn’t get to finish.

There were several -pops!- in the crowd and everyone started screaming.

Christian looked down and realized Bianca was still holding his hand in a vice-grip.

He pulled her close, encircling her with both hands and tackled her.

The crowd cleared out.

Someone had fired a gun.

Everything was still and unnaturally silent. As the smoke cleared, it became clear that all the girls had been covered. Zeke had Sallie Mae, Fred had Janine, Kirk had Corinne, and Nathan had Anita…All were at least somewhat behind the cover of the pillars…

…Except for Christian and Bianca.

“Is everybody okay?!” Miss Estelle said, coughing.

There was a little blood on the side of her of mouth, her hair was a mess, and she’d lost her sunglasses, but she was no shrinking violet.

She had decked a female member of klan who had attacked her and kneed another in the groin. She was there to protect the students after all. She’s made no vow to be non-violent.

Several “Yeah, we’re fine’s” came up.

…And then came the screaming. “There’s blood.  -Christian!”

Estelle ran to the front. There was Bianca shaking like a leaf, with a far too still Christian laying on top of her.

“Oh Lord, help us.”

***

Anita was the first student to get to down to them.

“Oh God.  Chris, what did you do?”

He laughed weakly. “It’s not my fault somebody shot me, Anita.”

Estelle quickly shed her sweater, intent on using it to staunch the flow of blood.  She tied it around the profusely bleeding wound in his thigh. A bullet had hit the femoral artery.

“Okay, I’m going to need somebody to call an ambulance.” Estelle said, her voice wavering.

As she put pressure on the wound, he grimaced.

Anita took his hand.

“You’ll be fine. -It’s not that bad.  -I mean, it’s just the leg.” She was rambling.

Miss Estelle looked at Anita. “Okay, listen. This is what I’m going to need you to do.”

“You keep him awake no matter what.”

Anita started to sway.  There was so much blood.

“No, no…You stay with me! Keep. Him. Awake.”

“You-” she said, to Nathan who was the next closest student. “- press here.”

“Keep pressure on the wound…” Miss Estelle said, her own hands, so covered in blood to her elbows, it looked like she was wearing red gloves….

“Where’s that ambulance?!”

“Oh, God.  Just hold on.  HOLD ON!!”

She got up and ran, hoping she could flag them down when they got there.

There were still a few cameras out filming the scene, but not offering any help.

Christian lips were turning blue and he was beginning to stare off.

“Chris. CHRIS!! Stay with me. STAY WITH ME!” She said squeezing his hand until she was sure it was painful.

He looked at her.

She nodded. “That’s right, just keep looking at me.”

“That’s easy.” he said, with a weak smile.

Everything was too stressful for Nathan to process this at that moment, but later…

Anita started to cry silently.

“No-, no.  Don’t do that.”

“I’ll be fine… Really, I don’t even feel anything.”

-whoop-whoop! weeeeee—ooohhh!-

The ambulance had arrived.

Anita looked up and laughed in relief through her tears.  “Chris, the ambulance is here.”

“I wish I’d met you first.”

“-What?”

When she looked back down, his eyes were closed.

VIII CASUALTIES

He held her hand.

That’s how she knew he wasn’t gone…Not yet.
The paramedics had to unloosen his grip.

“He’s got a pulse… It’s faint but it’s there.”

They all stood around, looking at each other helplessly. The vague sniffles and sobs, just beginning.

***

“I’ve already contacted his parents. They should be here before the day is out.”

“Good.  He’s still critical.  He might not make it through the night.  He has lost a lot of blood. We had to give him six transfusions. We’ve reconnected the femoral artery, but he’s in a coma. ” The doctor whispered to Dr. Kensington, who was looking more shook than they’d ever seen her.

The whole group was in the waiting room, Anita, Nathan, Bianca, and Estelle especially looking like they’d just participated in a massacre.

Sallie Mae was crying, real tears this time. Corinne sat with her head leaning against Zeke’s shoulder. Kirk sat forward, his elbows resting on his knees looking shell-shocked.

“I can’t believe this happened. I mean… I’d heard about it on the radio, but now…  I mean, this really happened. Chris was shot, because somebody was trying to kill one or all of us…- just for standing there.” he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Janine had gotten drinks for everyone and seemed the most composed of the group. Fred sat as still as a rock, looking up at the ceiling.

Poor Bianca had been crying the hardest.

“It’s all my fault…” She sobbed “I should’ve hidden myself… He’s gonna die because of me.”

She clutched Estelle and buried her face into her shoulder, one of the few places that wasn’t covered with his blood.

“No, no….shhhh… It’s not your fault. It’s the person who fired those shots. That’s who’s responsible.”

“And they won’t arrest him either.” Bianca said, hitching, her voice cynical, hard, and far too young for either.

They all heard rapid footfalls and looked up.

It was Jan.

“Is he gonna be okay?”

No one replied. And she started crying, as well. As bigoted as that girl was, they were all in it together for this. He had been her friend too.

Anita rested her head on Nathan’s chest, her arm extended in front of her. Her eyes were fixed on a long streak of blood on her forearm. Her eyes were red, but she was done crying. She just sat, still not quite believing what had happened, while Nathan stroked her hair and held her.

They all sat in that waiting room for what seemed like an eternity, before the doctor came out and simply advised them all to go.

They didn’t move.

His condition was unchanged. The doctor told them he feared infection and gangrene and the possibility that he might lose his leg, at which Bianca started crying again, and of course, he might not wake up at all…

***

His parents, with a little seven-year old girl in tow, came rushing in past the students, in the waiting room. The girl, his sister, also looked like she’d been crying. She looked more like his father, wide-eyed, with a small nose, and the cornsilk hair, only children have.

“Where is he?!” His mother said, her eyes wide with fear.

Both of his parents were blond, both looked like beatniks. Chris looked most like his mother. Even in this crisis, she had a very friendly open face and like Chris, she looked like she smiled often…but not today.

“The nurse whispered his condition to them and they began to sob.”

Christian’s parents whispered something to Dr. Kensington and she took the girl’s hand, while they walked on to Christian’s room.

The little girl had long since abandoned sucking her thumb, but today she did.

***

She stared at them, especially Bianca, Anita, Miss Estelle, and Nathan, in their blood-covered state. They had shed as many layers they could and washed their hands…But still, they looked a mess.

Finally, after eight hours of sitting in the waiting room, his condition unchanged Dr. Kensington forced them all to leave.

“Half of you can ride with Estelle, and I’ll take the rest. His parents are with him now.”

“When will we be able to see him?” Anita said, sitting up.

“I don’t know…When he’s out of the woods.” She said, not looking confident that would ever come to pass.

Christian’s father came out and recovered the seven-year old, taking by her free hand “Come on, Cindy.”

He paused at the door, a mixture of emotions crossing his face, anger, sadness, fear, a shade of bitterness.

“You’re his friends.” he said, his eyes crossing everyone.

They all nodded. “Yes. Mr. Whitaker.” Anita said quietly.

“Thank you.” he said indicating the most blood-covered of the bunch.

Anita nodded, but she didn’t think she deserved his thanks.

***

Their house was palpably tense with the waiting, for anything, any word on Christian’s condition, but there was none.

Anita couldn’t stand it, so she quietly got up and crept into the bathroom, shedding the rest of her bloodied clothes to the floor… weary tears rolling down her face.

-knock-knock-

“Yes?” She hitched as she quickly wiped at her eyes.

“It’s just me…Is there anything I can get you?” Corinne asked from the other side of the door.

“Umm, no. I just need to get clean and I need some time to clear my mind.” She said, knowing that wouldn’t happen. She dipped her toes into the bath testing the water temperature.

“Okay. When you’re finished, there’s dinner in the oven.”

It wasn’t just the just the trauma of the event -so much blood-, but what he’d said to her also bothered her.

She was feeling very guilty. Her train of thought was not at all rational or even plausible, but we all tend to blame ourselves at some point for our loved ones’ pains. If she hadn’t joined his protest, -but of course, he would have found some way to do it anyway…

But it wasn’t just that. She was blaming herself for his feelings, the stuff he’d let slip as he thought he was slipping away. His feelings for her were deeper than she ever could have imagined. Had she somehow lead him on?

Anita absently rubbed the Ivory soap on her washcloth and began to clean his blood away. She watched as the bathwater turned pink and then felt her mind drift… back to that kiss on the roof of the library.  She’d contemplated what he’d said.

What if he had met her first?

Another knock.

“I’ll be out in a minute!”

“No, you’re fine. Everybody else is already cleaned up. I’m just checking to make sure you haven’t turned into a prune.”

It was Nathan.

“No.” She smiled a little.

“Come in.” She said, softly. The doors the bathrooms in their house didn’t lock, so everyone knew to knock.

He went in and sat on the edge of the tub. He picked up her washcloth and began to wash her back.

“I already got that spot…” She said, under her breath.

“Now, I’m getting it…” He said. She began to relax as he began to massage her.

“Mmm, the feels really good, Nathan.”

“Well, I had to do this a lot for my mom. You know how my father was…”

They were silent for awhile.

“Nathan. Did you hear what Christian said to me?”

After a pause he nodded.

“Are you angry at me?”

“For what, being a girl guys want?”

“-No, I mean do you think I might’ve lead him on?”

“‘Nita, just being you leads guys on.”

“So, I’m a flirt?”

He smiled audibly.

Another pause.

“Nathan. -I-…He kissed me.”

He abruptly stopped rubbing her back.

“When.”

“Before the rain, that day…In the gazebo…”

She couldn’t bring herself to say ‘the day you proposed.’

He was quiet for a long time.

“Nathan. Please, say something.”

“Was that the only time?”

“Yes.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“…No.”

He knew her too well, he could see it in her eyes.

“You’re lying to me.” She’d never seen him look so hurt.

“Nathan, please.”

He got up and left.

Anita sat in the tub, looking stricken.  She just couldn’t keep that from him any longer. They never kept secrets from one another. She knew it would hurt him, but… why did he ask her that?! Was it that bad that the kiss wasn’t unpleasant? Of course, it was, it was admitting that she was attracted to another guy, but she still loved Nathan and she didn’t love Christian. Of that, she was certain. She just hoped Nathan knew that.

If Christian hadn’t already been in a coma, Nathan would’ve put him in one. The kiss his mind conjured was much, much, more than what had actually happened.  He imagined a long lingering kiss, his hands all over her, and his Anita loving every second if it. He imagined her trembling the way she does he touches her just the right way.  He clenched his jaw and shut his eyes and it was all he could see.

He walked straight down the steps and out the door without so much as a backward glance at the others.

Anita didn’t bother to come back downstairs, she simply slipped into her bedroom, lay down and cried. She’d been doing a lot of that lately.

“Oooh, did you see him? What did Ms.“Nita do?” Janine said.

She crept into the kitchen, picked up Anita’s foil-wrapped plate, and headed up the steps to her room.

“-‘Nita? Can I come in?”

She didn’t respond. Janine sighed and made her in, anyway.

“You two have been on the outs a lot this year.” She said, plopping down on the edge of her bed. “Well, a lot for you…”

“Here. Eat something.” She unwrapped the plate, pork-chops, greens, and rice. Anita just picked at it.

“You’re just being tested. God’s making you two tougher for the real times. So, let me hear it. What happened.”

Anita took a deep breath. “Christian kissed me.”

Janine raised her eyebrows… “Uh, huh. -And you let him.” She didn’t ask her. She told her.

Anita nodded.

“Well, that explains it.”

“What?”

“Him. He was trying his darndest not to look at you two at the protest, but kept stealing glances when it was just you by yourself.”

Anita took a deep breath. “Janine. I think he may be in love with me.”

“…but you love Nathan.”

“Of course!”

“Well, make sure Nate knows that.”

Anita thumbed her engagement ring.

“He does.”

“Well, when Chris wakes up, he’s the one you need to convince.”

Anita hesitated. “What if-…?” She couldn’t voice the fear they all had that he might not wake-up.

Janine shook her head and raised a hand. “If he can make through what he has already? The rest is a cake-walk.”

“What about Nathan?”

“He loves you. He ain’t going anywhere.”

***

Though Nathan got little sleep that night, he went to Mass as usual on Sunday morning.

On the row to his right, he noticed Christian’s family, all of them including his little sister kneeling in the pews. They were praying, -praying for Chris to get better. Seeing them like that, he couldn’t quite bring himself to hate him… -as much.

After the service was ended, he spoke to them.

“How is he?”

“Stable. Still sleeping.” His mother said, with a strained smile. “They say, they don’t know if he’ll ever wake up. But I know he will.”

She took a deep breath. “He wrote about his friends here often. His interests made it really difficult for him in Pennsylvania. So, I’m very happy he found a place for himself here.”

“You all stayed in that waiting room for a long time. I can see you really care for him. He knows it, too.” She said.

She gently squeezed his shoulder and walked on.

***

Bianca met her partner Bernard in the library, as promised, but her mind just wasn’t in translating.

So, Bernard did most of the work, simply announcing what he’d found to her as he did.
He had to have known what happened at the protest.  It was on the news and yet, he just acted like everything was normal. He hadn’t mentioned it all.

“Bernard. Aren’t you the least bit concerned with how I’m doing??”

“Um, sure but I figured taking your mind off it would be best. Me asking wouldn’t make it go away, would it?”

Bianca frowned. “No.”

“So, then we should just focus on this book, for now.”

He said, his voice low and timid as usual.

Bianca looked at his notes. “You’ve translated a lot.” She said, genuinely impressed.

“I enjoy it.” He said, with a small smile. “So, do you.”

“-So, why don’t you take over for awhile.”, he continued.

Bianca frowned, again. “But I thought…-I mean you’re doing fine by yourself.”

“Sure, but you like it as much as I do. You need to do something you enjoy right now. …And you work best on your own.” He said, preparing to retreat into a tome he’d brought for himself.

“Well, that’s not exactly true.” Bianca said.

“…At least in this case. You don’t seem so bad. I might be okay with working with you …for a little while.”

She laughed a little.

“Plus, you’re better at translating this. I don’t wanna embarrass myself by translating one or two words to your ten.”

“It’s not a competition. I don’t compare my work to others. It’s all about what I can do, for me. That’s it.”

He dipped back into his book.

“You work on that on your own for awhile.” he said, without looking up.

Bianca looked very confused at this, but she shook her head dismissively and eventually got to work.

***

“And, uh which resident are you here to see young lady?” The dorm resident’s attendant asked, knowing it had to be Nathan. Everyone on campus knew about them.

This was the first time she’d ever risked coming to his dorm.  It was after all, all white boys.

“Nathan Fulton. I brought him this.” Anita said, holding up a foil covered plate. “Can I go up for awhile?”

“Let me get you an escort.” The large white woman said, from behind the desk.

Anita knew the rules.  On weekends before curfew, one just needed to check in and out with a signature and campus ID. Once again, her color meant special treatment. In this case, however, she was grateful for it.

“Don’t want you getting hassled, with you being colored an’ all. The residential monitor can bring ya’ back down. -Malcolm!”

A large fifteen year-old red-headed boy, wearing horn-rimmed glasses, came in from around the corner.

“I need you to escort this young lady up to Mr. Fulton’s room…”

“Yes, Miss Teller.”

“-Right this way.” He said, pointing to the steps.

It turned out Nathan lived on the third floor, and yes there were plenty of white boys hanging out in the halls, who stared, whistled, or whispered vulgar and racist things to her as she passed.

She knocked on his door, softly.

“Yes.”

“It’s me, Nathan. May I come in?”

There was no reply.

After a while, she heard the door unlatch. Malcolm left once she‘d opened the door and closed it behind her. His room was as she’d thought, sparse and neat.

“‘Nita, you shouldn’t be here…” He said, looking worried and angry “Anyone bother you?”

She shook her head. “It’s worth the risk.”

He let out a harsh laugh. “No. It’s not. I’m taking you back down…”

“-Wait.” She said. “I brought you this.”

“Left-overs?”

“Well, Corinne’s cooking is pretty good.” Anita said, chancing a small smile, as a she placed it on his desk.

She slowly sat down on the edge of his bed, hoping he wouldn’t object. She folded her hands in her lap and dropped her eyes to them.

“Nathan, I am sorry. I am so very sorry.” She said, looking up at him.

Nathan turned away, seemingly unable to look at her.

“Please, forgive me.” She said, her voice cracking with unshed tears. “I don’t love him. I love you.”

“Then why did you let him kiss you.”

“I don’t know.” She said, shaking her head. “He’s a good guy.  Maybe, I just didn’t want to hurt him.”

“So, you’d rather hurt me instead.”

“-No!”

“-…Fine. I’ll own up to it. It was after our disagreement. Maybe, some part of me wanted to get back at you.”

Nathan sighed.

“That’s mature.”

“-But I pushed him away! I told him I loved you.”

He looked at her then. “…I saw his family at Mass this morning.”

“He likely won’t recover, you know.”

Anita looked away, stung by his bluntness. “…So, I can’t be as angry at you as I’d like.”

“Anita, you’ve never lied to me. …Until last night. It’s going to take me awhile before I can trust you, again.”

Anita reached for his face and he drew back.

“-I can’t.”

He got up.

“Let me walk you downstairs.”

IX ABOVE IT ALL

Anita looked stricken. She’d questioned herself as much as Nathan did about her action -or inaction. She did like Chris, as a person and she did admire his commitment to the cause, and yes, he was attractive, but…

There had to be more. There had to be another reason why she  had allowed herself to slip in this way and risk losing Nathan.

She was deep in these thoughts as Nathan escorted her to the stairway, carefully checking to make sure the trouble-makers he knew of, weren’t following. He had heard at least five different guys on his floor say lewd things about Anita. He was used to this, but he worried about other ‘Ben’s… Boys bold enough to try something.

He’d been relatively lucky this year. The open bigots were in the minority this term.

But the hour was good. He’d only seen one other kid in the halls as he walked her down, her hand tightly held in his.

He looked into her eyes briefly and could barely stand to see the pain in them. He had to turn away, lest he weaken, taking her into his arms, apologizing and kissing away any sin she’d committed.  He still stubbornly wanted to punish her for this.

They’d reached the front doors, right next to a busily scribbling Miss Teller.

“Bye, Nathan.” Anita said, quietly.

He did not reply at first, thinking his voice might betray him. She sighed and began to turn to exit. Nathan, remembering his upbringing quickly hustled in front of her and held the door, gently whispering “Bye, ‘Nita” as she passed.

Before she walked out of view, he turned to the dorm-monitor.

“Miss Teller could you page the campus police to keep an eye on her?”

Her look changed, just barely, but he could read it well enough. Her lips slightly upturned, her eyes slightly heavier. It was that looked of wistfulness and pity that some people gave Nita and himself.

She opened her mouth to speak .

“-Miss Teller… You’ll have to forgive me, but I just can’t take any advice, right now” he said, before she could.

“Oh, I wasn’t going to give you advice, young man. I was just going to note how hopeful your visitor looked coming in and how sad she looked going.”

Nathan closed his eyes briefly, before walking back up to his dorm-room.

***

Bianca stood up and stretched. “I’m getting tired of this. You willing to get back to it?”

“I guess.  It seemed to me, you were doing pretty swell.”

Bianca tipped her head skeptically. “I translated one word, in just over an hour.”

“Yeah, but you weren’t totally focused on it.” Bernard replied.

Bianca frowned. “How do you know I wasn’t focused?”

“Oh come on. I could barely read, with your shifting and sighing… I can see why, though. It’s perfectly understandable.” he said, his eyes barely peeking from beneath his heavy greasy bangs.

Bianca shifted and crossed her arms…-waiting for him to continue.

“You know what I mea-“

“-Yeah, whatever you say…Just take on the work for awhile, ‘kay?”

He shrugged indifferently and grabbed the huge book, sliding it back over to himself.

Bianca just settled heavily back into her own chair, observing this.

“-Bernard…Why don’t you ever get angry at me?”

“Get mad? Why would I? I barely know you.”

“But…I’ve been egging you on.”

“I know.” He said, his voice low and unreadable. “Getting angry, especially when the other party wants it, never does much good.  In fact, it usually causes more trouble.” He dipped back into the book.

“How do you know?” She said.

“Look at me.” He said simply, and went back to his book.

“Okay. I see a white boy who has never known a trouble in his life.”

“-Then you’re not looking. Or maybe you just don’t see. That’s a good thing sometimes, I think.”

“Would you stop talking like that!?”

“Like what.”

“Like everything’s just hunky-dory. ‘Cause it’s not! White people are shitty! They knock you around for just looking different and just love making my life hell, just because I’m colored!”

“So then. Why make them happy?”

She blinked. “I’m not. I’m still here… -doing what I have to do.”

“…But you’re not happy. That’s what they want, right?”

Bianca was quiet for a moment as he continued to find words in the book. He’d found two more since they’d begun talking. This white boy was really, weird.

“What did you mean earlier? …About not seeing you?” she asked.

“Just that.”

Bianca huffed loudly. “Okay, just what is your deal?! Who are you to tell me what I don’t see and then go around dissecting me, like you know something?!”

“I don’t mean to make you angry. I’m just -not a stranger to being harassed for being different, is all.”

Bianca was silent for a little while… A very rare little while.  She couldn’t believe it hadn’t occurred to her that of course, a nerdy boy like him would get bullied.

“I’m- I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. It’s not your fault. Like I said, I think it’s a good thing. You’re the first kid who hasn’t just called me a nerd right off the bat. Or worse.” He chuckled, a little nervously.

“Well…You don’t look that nerdy to me.”

“Obviously.” he said.

“I mean…You just need to wash your hair more often, hold yourself a bit more confidently…Maybe use a different kind of soap.” She shot back.

“What. Do I stink?”

“No…but it might help your complexion.” She said, completely serious.

“You just said that like it was nothing.”

“It’s not, really. I mean, somebody has to tell you.”

“Oh, I’ve heard those things before…but never with any good intent behind it. How odd that it would sound even a little bit that way, especially coming from you.” He said, voice still level.

“So…” Bianca said, giving an exaggerated shrug. “Why haven’t you done any of those things?”

“What makes you think I haven’t?”

“Well, you’ve obviously given up at some point…”

“…Or just stopped caring?” He said, his voice rising just a tad.

“Ahah! You’re getting angry. Therefore, you aren’t a tainted by ‘Invaders From Mars!’” she finished in a monotone voice.

He chuffed.. “Okay. I’m not talking about this anymore.”

“Finally gotten to you, ha-ha.” Bianca sing-singed.

This was met by the barest whisper of a turned page. Once again, Bianca was forced into silence.

“…Where are you from, anyway?”

“Well. I was born in New Hampshire, but my family moves around a lot.”

“-Why?”

“My dad’s business takes him around the country and he moves us with him.”

“-Who?”

“My mother Sara, my brother Seth and me. -Satisfied?” once again, she was getting under his skin, much easier this time.

She smiled, pleased with herself.

“You don’t like talking about your family… What are you hiding?”

“Nothing.- Look, I’m going to cut out early, okay? You win.” He got up, quickly packed his bag and left the library without another word.

Bianca sat there for a moment looking triumphant, and then realized he’d left the book for her, instead of taking it, like most would.

She felt like the ass she was.

***

Anita got halfway across the campus before she realized the campus police were following her. Her first thought was that this was Randall messing with her, but then she came back to reality and realized that that creep had been fired.

“Of course. Nathan sent him.” she thought. And then thinking of Nathan sent her into an emotional tailspin and her stupid tears welled up in her eyes, again…

“Just stop!” She whispered to herself. She took a few deep breaths and thought about the fact that she would have  done the same if not worse, if he had done this to her, but that just made the tears come more earnestly.

She could finally understand why her older cousin had cried so much over her own boyfriend, a few years back. It had seemed so foolish to her then. And now here she was, doing the same pitiful thing.

She spotted the gazebo and briskly walked up to it. She sat down and let it all out, her eyes turning red, her face getting as wet as it was in the rain. She looked at the beautiful ring on her finger and thought about what Janine had said to her. That he would come around. He’d said this himself, but what stung most was knowing that even with everything they’d been through, she had been the one to really hurt him. She’d caused this all on her own.

She had to find some way to fix this. If Christian would only just, -wake-up.

***

Little Cindy sat on her mother’s arms, her eyes barely open and staring at Christian’s eyelids. She sat up a bit more when she noticed them fluttering a bit.

A nurse walked in and checked his fluids and chart.  She was just about to exit when she heard a low moan…

Christian had been dreaming.  As usual lately, of Anita.  The most common had started with them sitting together on a benched row in Miss Estelle’s class. She’d lean into his space to ask him a question about their assignment and he could almost feel her heat, smell the lotion on her skin.

He would reach out to her again and she would yield to his touch, her eyes slipping closed, her body pressing against his own.

She’d lay back on the bench, her eyes shining and lips parted.  She’d gather her dress in her hands, pull it up her thighs.

The others would disappear and they’d be alone. Between kisses she’d confess her love for him.

She’d tell him she wanted him, twine her fingers through his own, move his hands on her body, beg him to do what he so wanted…

“…Please, make love to me, Christian.” She’d say in a breathless whisper.

The next thing he knew, they were a tangle of nude bodies of contrasting hair and skin, moving inexorably towards the goal, her beautiful face contorted in pleasure. It was such a sweet dream.

He moaned again.  This time the sound was enough to pull him into the waking world.

He blinked and looked around his blurry surroundings, still very disoriented.

He recognized his mother and sister standing over him and it took a moment to remember where he was, how he’d gotten here.

He’d been shot.

The last thing he remembered was Anita holding his hand, and staring down at him, her face full of fear.

He looked down at his lower half, which was mostly in traction and covered with white hospital blankets.  For that, he was very grateful, as the incline had concealed any evidence of the dream he was having before he woke up.

“Chris!”  his sister yelled, and bounced a little.

His mother leaned down and planted a gentle peck on his forehead.

She was smiling through silent tears. “How are you feeling?”

“…groggy.”  he said, and that was true.

The doctor shined a light into his eyes and asked some basic questions to make sure he hadn’t any memory problems.

“You were very lucky.” The doctor said.  ”You had some time there when we didn’t think we could save that leg or that you’d even wake up.  Still, you’re going to have to stay here for a while longer, allow it to heal some more.  We can’t chance the stitches breaking or infection, right now. You’re not completely out of the woods.”

His father then entered the room in a rush and squeezed his hand.  ”Good to see you awake, son.” he said, with a grateful tear-filled smile.

***

“…Wait, girl!  I’ll walk with you.”  Janine said, smiling.

As Anita walked in silence, Janine asked what she’d been wanting to ask.  ”You two still on the outs?”

“For the most part, yes.”

Janine huffed with amusement. “I bet when that he hears that Chris is awake you’ll be back in, rather swiftly.  He wouldn’t want to do anything to encourage that boy.”

“No.  And neither would I. Nonetheless, he’ll be grateful to hear he’s getting better.”

Janine raised a skeptical eyebrow. “…You sure?”

They both looked up then and spotted him exciting the building.

“Okay, then…” She said, with a smirk, indicating an outdoor bench, across the way.  “I’ll be right over there.”

“Nita.” He said, startled to see her.   “What’s going on.”

“Christian’s awake.” She replied, not wasting any time. “We’re all going up to visit him at the hospital in a bit.  Can you come?”

He blinked and looked down at his shoes.  He wouldn’t dare give him a chance to see her alone, again, if he could help it.

“Yeah, sure.” he said.

***

“You have some visitors.”  The nurse said.

Chris’s family still surrounded him, just basking in the knowledge that he was still alive. They all glanced at him and got up to leave, knowing it had to be his friends from school.

His mother leaned down and kissed his forehead.  ”Don’t entertain too long. You have to get some rest. Okay, hun?”

He nodded and watch his family go.

Less than a minute later the whole group entered the room, lead by Fred carrying cards and ballons and Janine.  Anita trailed in last, with Nathan close behind.  But there was something about their body language that seemed…

Fred set them on his nightstand.  ”Wow, man. Look at you.”  Kurt said, noting the the way his leg was strung up.

Nathan crept up to his bedside.

“Looks like you pulled through.” He said, his expression strangely tight.  Anita looked away.

“I’m glad.”

“Janine and I made you this. ” Anita said, indicating glazed pound cake, sitting on a tray nearby.  ”I’m sure it’ll be better than that hospital food they’ve been giving you. “

“How are you feeling?” Corinne said.

“Sore, stiff, groggy.  -Really, thanks for coming to see me.” He said, chancing a look at Anita. She was working hard at avoiding his gaze.

“How long are they keeping you here?”  Nathan asked.

“Just a few more days…Then you’ll be able to call me wheels for awhile.”  He said, smiling. “I’d rather have crutches, but they don’t want me putting too much pressure on my leg.”

“Of course, not.”

Bianca stepped up close to the elevated head of the bed.  ”Chris-”

“-Don’t.  Apologize.  It wasn’t your fault. And don’t thank me. It’s what any one of us would have done for each other. Right?”

Still, she leaned down and hugged him.

****

They stayed for another hour, catching up on the campus gossip, during the course of which he’d figured out something had happened between Anita and Nathan.  And judging from the their demeanor, that something was him.

Everyone had done their fair bit of speaking to him, except for her.

All too soon they were preparing to leave. They said their goodbyes and left his room.

They hadn’t been gone more than five minutes before Anita, came back.  Her small handbag had been left behind on the floor, in a corner of his room.

She picked it up without comment, not even pretending she hadn’t left it behind on purpose.  Then she stood close to him.

“Chris, I had to speak to you.  …Listen.” she took a deep breath and pressed on. “I told Nathan about what happened between us.”

“Yeah, that much I could see.”

“You have to understand that nothing like that can ever happen again. I cannot lose him.  So, whatever you feel for me, please… Know that if you act on it, you’ll be hurting me.”

Chris closed his eyes for a moment before looking at her and nodding.  ”I could never do that.”

She let out a held breath. “Good.”

She secured the strap of her bag on her shoulder and left.

****

That night,  unable to sleep, she focused on her classwork,  falling asleep with her cheek on the pages of an open book.

The next day, after Pulanski’s class, Nathan saw her standing in the hallway, waiting for him.

He walked up to her, his chest tight.  ”I  followed you, yesterday.”

She began to reply, but he went on.  ”You don’t know what it’s like to  want to hurt a cripple,  just for thinking about you, for wanting you.  -I don’t believe that he’ll stay away from you.”  He stepped closer, into her space.  ”-but I can’t either.”

He reached up  a discreet hand and gently squeezed her hip, the fingertips of his other hand tugging a curly tendril of her hair.

She leaned forward and he fully embraced her, her eyes shutting as she buried her head against his chest.  They breathed in each other’s scent.

“I missed you.” she whispered.

****

Later that night, Janine crept up to Anita’s room, intent on checking to see how her plans had gone, but just as she was about to knock, she heard some muffled but unmistakable sounds coming from inside.

She smiled to herself and headed back to her own room.