As I sat at the cafeteria, Grace has been bubbling about how this school is cool. I'm bored already. The thing is, back at Jefferson private school, you see the arrangement of social ladder. The cheerleaders and jocks, the bad boys and tomboys, the cool kids and nerds. I was part of the cool kids.
I wasn't bullied at Jefferson, i was sexually assaulted. I also prevented Alice Norton from bullying a nerd. she pushed me and I hit my head. I think there got to be a bad blood with the Mr. Jefferson owner of the school and my dad. Because the moment he came from the office, he never stepped foot there again. No charges, nothing. He can sue him but he really believes in bro code.
At St.Martins catholic high school, I had a crush on the golden boy, tom pierce. He's really religious. A mass servant actually or it is called alter server. There were some girls who actually call themselves the sisters led by Madison. I think they were forced into it because they really don't have it within them.
You know what I mean.
They told me about seeing a hole in a tree.
and since I'm called Alice maybe I would end up in wonderland. I believe in prophesies and fairy tales. so I joined the trip.
It wasn't a natural hole. It was a man made one and it wasn't in a tree just beside it.
"Alice in the wonderland was white, but this black Alice is from hell"
I started laughing at the jokes they were cracked.
Only it wasn't a joke and the laughter converted into screams.
With that I was pushed into the pit and darkness engulfed me.
I couldn't remember when I fell in it and broke my leg. I remembered being at the hospital with tom constantly sending flowers and notes and Alicia's chats about madison denial of everything. Also, my brothers swayed him off do he stopped. I had been angry at them.
Talk about overprotective brothers.
I was home-schooled for some months year until our trip to Ghana in august to visit my mother relatives. So here I was, telling grace about here being different. No Arrangement for cheerleaders and jocks or bad boys' groups. They were all cool kids. Everyone talks to everyone. No drama.
"Yeah! Here is different though but we have the hotties, the smart and the rich around here. Everyone is unique in their own way. So we don't stereotype here." She stated glancing around. I wonder what she was looking for.
"I don't know why my brother and dad wouldn't want me here? They said here is worst then my former schools." I spoke
"listen girlfriend," she whispered." ...there are no rules here. We only follow what the robotic woman says. No one cares about anyone. Who dates who? Who kissed who? And who is who? But at the end of the year you leave a legacy for the other generation. Nobody gives a fuck about what you do. It's a public school you do what you want. It's a freedom!" she shouted the last sentence making everyone stop what they are doing. A minute later everyone continues to do their own thing.
This is it I guess.
"Don't you have friends?" I asked curiously.
"Well, I do but they are not in school today and when they come don't judge them "she cautioned.
"I'm not god nor a judge so I don't."
"Great" we ate in silence. She keeps typing on her phone maybe chatting with her friends.
"Grace" I called out.
"Hmm" she answered without looking up from her phone.
"If here is that cool why do people prefer to go to other school to get bullied and so forth?"
"Well good question girl. People love power., others loves religion, others love being told what to do. Following rules in systematic order. We love freedom but we do it in a reasonable way. We know smoking in public is not good so no one does that here. Though no one judges you but you would question yourself. So I screamed. yeah, people look at me and do their own thing. I will question myself, 'I'm I insane'? you get me girl" the robotic woman spoke.
"...and that's my cue. Let's go" and I followed like a lost puppy.
No, and we all followed Robotic woman like lost puppies.
****
Alan came to pick me up from school and all the girls were watching him. A few of my mates were conversing with him. No one was throwing themselves at him. They conversed like civil people. A few came introduced themselves to me, especially the guys and my brother was like a bodyguard. Giving warnings here and there but they were all jokes.
As we got home, I'm met with an excited Alicia. The reason Alicia and I became friends was because of the almost similar names. Alicia and Alice. We approached the other Alice, Alice Norton. But she was being a bitch. Throwing tantrums everywhere crying to her mum how I have stolen her name. she should be the one and only in Alice in wonderland.
She didn't like me one bit. But she use to play with Alicia. And whenever Alicia calls me to join them she destroys the play toys or take it away. She started calling me black Alice. I had cried to my mum that day because of that name. but my mum told me. Do you know black looks good on you? You should be proud of who you are. You are the new generation of Alice in wonderland and she is still stuck at being in the old generation.
"Take advantage of the name"she said to me.
She then told me a story of how someone became famous of a false accusation.
She had turned the whole thing to her own benefit and took advantage of it. Now she's a star.
Since then I started wearing black clothes and African wear. I remember when I wore black in Ghana, my grandmother complained how black is worn when someone dies. It also attracts heat there. So I had opted for different colour. But I didn't get much compliment. When I started choosing dark things, a boy had shared with me how he also loves everything black. That was the first time a boy apart from a relative complimented me.
Percy was his name. I started crushing on him until I saw him beat a guy one day. Since then I never talked to him again. I hate bullies. Tom was the cool one among them. He wouldn't beat anyone but console them. He had seen me staring at him and since then we started hanging out together. He even pegged my cheeks and I couldn't stop smiling that day.
When we graduated, he went to St. martins catholic with Alicia and a few mates from our school. I went to Jefferson high. I transferred to st martins because I couldn't stand Alice and Dean. I knew she was dating Percy but also with Dean. Not my problem. I stuck with my own group of people. After school and weekends, Alicia and I hung around together and talk about our crush.
She has a crush on Derick. Knowing he's a player, she can't risk her heart. Tom and I started dating secretly. He was my first kiss. After a year, we mutually broke up. He wanted to be dedicated to being a mass servant. Well, I didn't have a reason but my brother started giving me suspicious look so I went for that reason. Saying my brother knows about us. So we remained friends and promised to try again in the future.
"Well. Tell me about it" she commanded.
"It wasn't so bad. No stereotyping. No cheerleaders table, no bad boys table and no nerds table. I never expected that. I met a lot of people today."
"Have you replaced me already?" she pouted.
She always asked when I change schools.
"yeah! Her name is grace" she faked a hurt. "kidding. You know no one can replace you. I will make friends but you will always be my bestie." I hugged her tightly.
"I love so much Ally" she whined.
"I love you too Licia" and that we fell asleep cuddling in bed.
My first day wasn't so bad but I was dying of boredom.