Chapter 6 - PART III: HIGH SCHOOL LIFE: CHAPTERS 12-13

CHAPTER 12

Stepping off the bus on my first day of school at the Chicago High School campus in the fall of 2016, school year 2016-2017, the school looked huge, turning left and right could see students everywhere, and it was quite overwhelming. The campus itself was full of buildings, sport facilities, and was a completely different campus on its own from elementary and middle school. We walked right to the main door and inside was a table with a banner that said "welcome grade 9 students," teachers and students were there to help us find our way around the campus. Eventually, Chris, Jaime and I found our classroom and there were other students' already in the classroom seated while others were chatting. The three of us found seats close of the back area; Chris sat in the middle, while Jaime and I sat at the back, there were only three unoccupied seats left. I also noticed that I wasn't the only mixed colored race student in my class nor in the entire school, which was quite a relief, but from the looks of them, they didn't seem to be friendly nor want to be at all friendly.

We were already assigned our lockers which had combinations, where we would keep our stuff; the lockers were on the first floor as that is where most of the grade nine classes were. It was good that our lockers were next to each other; at least we would be able to help each other out when we struggled to open our lockers. The courses we had selected in grade 8, were the courses we got in grade 9: chemistry, biology, advanced algebra, physical education and health, English 9, drama and dance, world history, French and Spanish and classes were sixty five minutes long, something I would have to get used to from the forty five minute classes we had in elementary and middle school.

Classes begun sharp at 8 AM, each class had different teachers; we were each given textbooks, workbooks, notebooks and a student diary which was also a calendar. We were given a full introduction of the curriculum and what will be taught for the entire school year, assignments, information on projects and presentations and lab work that we shall be doing in class or as homework, class rules, and class expectations. Also the important part was about the quizzes, including surprise quizzes-this was the first time hearing of such a quiz, mid-term and final exams. At the age of 14, I was beginning to understand that this was no longer going to be a care center where teachers or students will be looking after students. You were in charge and responsible for your studies, uncompleted assignments, projects and presentations resulted in automatic fail with an F grade. High school grading system also changed going with grades A to F, and GPA (Grade Point Average). The good thing with high school classes was that we didn't have each class every day, instead was every other day which meant if organized and managed your time well, was able to complete and submit any assignment or readings prior to the required deadline. Even though this was clearly a good advantage, the work load was not going to be any lighter.

On the first day of school, homework was inevitable; break time was as usual ten minutes but it never felt like it as had to get to our lockers to put and get books for our next classes as it was just overloading our bags with all the textbooks and other materials from the classes. We had a longer break after the second period which was enough time to head to the restroom, get a snack and breathe before preparing for the next class. For lunch, didn't need to bring snacks from home anymore, as we had the cafeteria which had great lunch but not cheap and they also had snacks with drinks that we could buy during our break time.

After school activities were not going to start until the following week giving us time to familiarize ourselves with the classes and the school. For grade 9, I signed up for badminton, archery, Model United Nations (MUN), dance and journalism. Chris and Jaime also signed up for MUN, dance and journalism; they were not really into sports. Although I have to say they both had a very good physique; taller than me, broad shoulders, muscular toned thighs and arms which I never understood how considering they were not into sports. It wasn't until later on I found out that they love exercising, running and swimming which was something they did during their summer holiday and at summer camps, this clearly explains their great body physique. They were also both quite good looking naturally; Chris having blue eyes with fined black polished eyebrows with a round good looking face and brownish gold hair and tall and slim; Jaime had black eyes, black curly hair, natural good looking face, white smooth skin one would think he was a model, same height and body structure as Chris. In comparison, brown eyes, smooth light chocolate skin color with a few pimples on my face, broad built shoulders, slim body with toned thighs and legs, well-proportional hips, and long mid-length black hair that reached my elbow. When you see the three of us walking together, you would think Chris and Jaime were brothers and I was like their little sister. In contrast, Chris and Jaime are not brothers, but best friends including I. There were lots of girls back in middle school that liked both Chris and Jaime, but their interest in girls was not a priority plus they never liked any of the middle school girls at all!

For the sports, drama, dance, and other performing arts students who wanted to be in the school team needed to audition and try out for the teams. Here is where things got quite interesting in grade 9; it turns out that priority went to grade 10, 11 and 12; for a grade 9 student to actually be selected for the team, one had to not only pass the try out but with a score that was as equally as good as a senior student basically the grade 12 students. Upon hearing this from Chris and Jaime and from the actual coaches of all the sports, I could only shake my head and smile. I looked at Jaime and Chris saying "basically what they are saying is the school team doesn't have space for newcomers and we should wait till in grade 10 and try out then." This really baffled me so much to the extent I did talk to my parents about it. I told my parents who were quite surprised as well. I told my parents "I don't care what rules or what the coaches said about the passing criteria, I am going to try out and make sure I make it to the school teams for badminton and archery." I could see the look on my parents faces how worried they were but I assured them nothing was going to happen. I told them "remember I was the champion back in middle school and in Chicago?" my mum asked "I know but what if you don't make it?" I replied "I doubt if I shall be the only grade 9 student signing up for the tryouts, will have to make sure I put my best performance and show them I mean business." "We shall support you all the way Diana", said my dad. "Thanks mum and dad", I replied.

The first week as a grade 9 student went quite well even better than I expected but the amount of homework we got for each class was enough to keep one busy for a week especially for math, English 9, French and Spanish, chemistry and biology. Thank goodness Chris and Jaime were in the same class, which made it so much easier and I knew with their help and working together I was not going to struggle at all. Also we were very fortunate to have great, patient, funny and friendly teachers which made our learning fun and easy to learn.

The second week took an interesting turn of events, this was the week the tryouts for the sports and performing arts and for the school teams. On Monday were the tryouts for drama and dance. I recognized a lot of the students as they were from grades 9, 10 and 11. It was quite competitive and the tryout sessions especially the dance was not easy. Thank goodness Jaime, Chris and I already had a dance routine that we had been practicing since middle school with music of our choice. We had never presented our dance routine to anyone who was good so when we did it, it was well received; each of us had our own dancing style including break dancing, some African and hip-hop dancing with a time limit of five minutes. We would get the results on Friday. The sports tryouts were on Tuesday and Wednesday; badminton was on Tuesday and archery was on Wednesday. With my badminton rackets and shuttle cock, I changed in the school gym and went to the indoor badminton gym. I saw lots of students seated, others standing, while others were already playing on the courts. When I walked in, Jaime and Chris behind me, the courts went silent you could hear a pin drop. I didn't mind the attention, although wasn't really sure why the looks, then it hit me ah yes, I am newbie from grade 9 and best part a mixed race colored girl. I just smiled, waved at everyone and went and sat at the bleachers. I started looking around while talking to Jaime and Chris, looking at my watch when someone got my attention, I looked at the guy and something was telling me that he looked very familiar, almost like I knew him or had seen him somewhere. I looked at his physique and at that moment my heart started beating really fast, my head was shaking almost like something was banging in my head. It was then I saw a vision of something that had happened to me in the past, at first could not see clearly, but as I got closer I saw and remembered who he was, the student who bullied me after school when I was in grade 7. I started at him for a long time, then our eyes met, but I realized that he didn't and could not remember me at all. Jaime and Chris could see that I was not myself and asked "If I was OK?" I replied "Yes I am cool", still looking at the guy, and then turned to face Jaime and Chris. "Do you know that guy"? They asked. I replied "No, I don't." Which was true I didn't know his name, but I knew what he did to me, plus his two other buddies. I never expected that I would ever bump into him, but since I did, was time to find out his name, class and grade and take it from there.

Our coaches arrived at 3:40 PM; Mr. Stevenson and Mr. Jackson, both looked very built on the shoulder, abs, thighs and legs, straight black hair, dressed in track suits, carrying a pad with paper, a whistle and cell phones. They did not look like the friendly coaches' one could have a conversation about badminton. We were asked to sit in the middle of the court while they introduced themselves, the sport, rules and expectations and the agenda for today's class which was the tryouts. Whether we made it or not for the team, badminton classes were twice a week from 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM for high school students. If we missed more than three classes, we would be dropped out of the class. To be selected for the badminton school team, full attendance was required, practice sessions were mandatory from 3:30 PM to 6:00 PM including some weekends. Finally if unable to make it for the class should inform the coaches 24 hours prior to the class. Upon hearing the rules and expectations my face had a big smile as I knew these were simple rules I would not have any problems with at all. First up was warm up exercises then we were divided into two groups, one group with Mr. Stevenson and another group with Mr. Jackson, we each wrote our names on the attendance sheet. I was focused on finding out the name of the male student as he was in my group along with ten other students and Mr. Jackson. It appeared that most of everyone had already played badminton before and had learned the basic skills and techniques of the sport. The badminton gym was massive; enough for twenty students so was divided into two parts plenty of space for both groups. Within our group we were divided into groups of two each having five people and as Mr. Jackson called out the names of the each group member, the name of the male student I had been eyeing was called out "Jacob". Finally, I was able to put his name and face together something I was to never forget, and as Mr. Jackson called out his name, I walked past him just to get a closer look at his face and body where we made a face to face encounter, I glared and smiled at him and moved on to join my group members. We begun practicing hitting the shuttlecock back and forth, practicing and learning the rules, the skills of hitting a shuttlecock and how our bodies should move when serving, receiving and hitting the shuttle cock, this went on for an hour.

For the remaining hour we played games both singles and doubles. I had thought that being the youngest in terms of age was the only grade 9 student trying out for the school badminton team, but it turns out that there were six other grade 9 students trying out as well, and three of them were in our group, one them being Jacob. I was teamed up to play another grade 9 student, a grade 11 and grade 12 students. First up was the other five students from the other group, next was the student from grade 11 versus Jacob, Jacob won, also beating the student from grade 12 and grade 9. Finally, I played versus the students from grade 9, 11 and 12, my final opponent was Jacob. Mr. Jackson was shocked as he had never seen nor encountered such a tryout in his entire history; the fact that a 9th grader could beat the two best students from grades 11 and 12 was something he could not understand. I beat both the grade 11 and 12 students and was getting ready to play Jacob. I was already feeling exhausted after the first two games, thank goodness I got a five minute break and was able to run to the restroom and get a drink. The final game began which was Jacob versus Diana; apparently we attracted the other students from our group and from Mr. Stevenson's group. Everyone was seated around the courts and bleachers watching our game, even Jaime and Chris were now focused and I could see they were using their phones to video the game. Due to being very nervous playing against Jacob the boy who bullied me back in grade 7 I lost balance and lost the first set. I looked at my watch and saw we had another thirty five minutes before the class was over. I picked up the shuttlecock and my racket, paid close attention, glaring at Jacob; I told myself "I can't and will not lose to this jerk who bullied me", and since he had no clue why I was glaring, smiling and looking at him every second, I had to settle the first part of my vengeance by beating him the next two sets. The game ended in thirty minutes beating him two sets to one. He couldn't believe it and as I picked up my stuff ready to leave, I glared at him one more time giving him a solider wave and walked off leaving him confused as to what happened. As for Mr. Stevenson and Mr. Jackson, they called me before I left asking about my game, skills and techniques. I told them "I have been playing badminton since middle school and during the summer holidays at camp and have been practicing by myself ever since." They responded "You are a very strong talented player and have the right skills and techniques for the game." "Thank you coach" I replied, left the gym with Jaime and Chris to catch the bus. "See everyone on Thursday" replied the coaches. As we were leaving the gym, Jaime and Chris were quite silent all the way till we got on the bus, but I realized they were quiet because of the other students who were walking behind us, almost as if they were following us. We walked calmly to the bus, and once we all got on the bus, we walked and sat at the back seats. I started the conversation asking "How did I do in the game?" "You were great" They replied. The way they answered was almost like they were either shocked or speechless. I then asked "What's wrong, why are you speaking like that, almost like I made a mistake"? Jaime took out his phone and told me to watch the game for myself. I put the earphones on and played the video; as I watched myself playing the students from grade 11 and 12, the speed, the skills and techniques I used were almost like a professional who had been playing badminton for over ten years, then I watched against Jacob and it was the same thing but more of a vengeful game, never giving any of the players space to breathe, run or catch the shuttlecock. After watching the games, I gave Jaime back his phone, and then saw the looks on their faces, almost like they had a fear of me and didn't know what to say. I told them "I also don't know what is going on, why I can play so well, I don't know where the speed, skills and techniques came from that I was able to win." Diana says Chris "no one and I mean no one at your age is able to play as good as you have been playing since middle school, you practically beat the two best players of the school, and how do you explain that?" "I don't know Jaime and Chris, I don't know, but it is quite scary now that I have watched myself play." "By the way, that last guy you were playing asked Jaime, do you know him"? "I don't know him, why do you ask?" Jaime replied "You seem to have a vendetta with him, almost as if you were revenging on him for what he did to you." I looked at both Jaime and Chris for a long time with tears almost falling down my face, wasn't sure if I had wanted to tell them anything or not. I managed to collect my courage and said "I will tell you when we get home."

When we got off the bus we started walking home, then I stopped turned around and told them the story of Jacob. "You remember I once told you that I had been bullied by two built boys and a blond girl in grade 7, but I never knew their names, just their faces?" "Yes", replied both Chris and Jaime. Well one of the boys who bullied me in grade 7 was at the badminton class today, the last student I played with whom I beat two sets to one." I continued "When I entered the gym was looking around the gym and everyone until I came to face a boy whose face and body physique instantly popped in my head, then the past of what had happened came back to my mind, when he finally turned his face, we both came face to face starting at each other, but to make sure it was him, I had to walk past him, glance and his face, and I confirmed it was him." "Even though I glared with a stare and a smile at him, he didn't recognize me at all." "OMG!!" said Chris and Jaime. "That explains why you gave him a funny glare and a smirk while playing him," said Chris. Jaime said "So you were expecting him to remember you before, during and after the game but he didn't." "Exactly" I replied, but he didn't. This is going to be very interesting…..I wonder what will they do and what will happen when they find out who you are and what they did." Immediately I said aggressively "Which is why no one must know of this conversation and what happened until I find the other two students." "Of course, I would like to see how all this is going to end," replied Jaime. We are and will always be here for you Diana, just let us know what you need, alright?" said Jaime. I looked at them and said "there is one thing I need from you guys, I know this is not the first time they have bullied a student, I want to find more evidence of other things they have done to other students. I had once thought of reporting them but without any evidence I would have gotten myself into serious trouble but I think I am ready and finally have the courage to stand up and settle this matter once and for all." If you are able to find any other evidence on Jacob, collect and save, and in the meantime I am going to find the other two students'. We struck our deal and departed waving goodbyes to each other and went home.

CHAPTER 13

When I arrived home it was almost 7 PM, both mum and dad were home, they were very eager to hear how my second week of school was progressing and with a great smile said "All is going great mum and dad, had my tryouts today for badminton, tomorrow will be archery." I went upstairs as I was exhausted, took a bath, changed, and started working on my homework, then had dinner, talked a bit with mum and dad and then returned upstairs to finish my homework. At around 9:30 PM had some hot cocoa, brushed my teeth, hugged mum and dad, they could see I was very tired, they both said "goodnight, sleep well sweetie" and went back upstairs to bed. I think I was so exhausted because last thing I remembered was getting into bed, turned off the bedside lamp, rolled over sleeping till the next morning.

The next day at 6 AM was awake, all dressed, hair done, books packed, went downstairs ready to have breakfast that was made by my mum, "Good morning" I said to both mum and dad, "good morning," they replied. "You looked quite exhausted last night," said dad. It was a full day with tryouts and lots of homework, and today I have archery tryouts so will also be coming home same time as yesterday," I replied. The bus arrived at 7:15 AM to pick up Jaime, Chris, and I, there were already other students on the bus from the other neighborhoods not far from where we lived. We got to school at about 7:45 AM, went to our lockers, got our books and headed off to our classes. I told Jaime and Chris that I was having my archery tryouts today at 3:30PM, they couldn't make it as they were having chess club today, but they would come at around 4:30 PM as their club was for one hour.

My grade 9 classes were going even better than I had expected, not just because Jaime, Chris and I were in the same courses, but the teachers were so awesome, friendly, funny, and they made learning so much simpler to comprehend. Of course a lot of formulas, content information, and special terminologies had to be remembered in math, chemistry, and biology and world history which weren't a problem at all. However, what I truly liked about all my teachers was the same attitude they had as Mr. Sims; everyone was the same regardless of race, gender, skin color, if you were smart, intelligent, stupid or slow learner they were always patient and ready to explain to make sure that everyone understood and was on the same page. If extra help was needed they were available after class or after school to give extra tutoring. I told myself "If my entire four years of high school can be like this, having such lovely teachers, I would be the happiest high school student in Chicago high." Although they gave lots of homework, it was worth the learning.

After school at 3:30 PM, went to the track and field area for the archery, I was not the first to arrive, there were quite a lot of people on the field with their bows and arrows. I looked around and for some reason my head and heart started beating really fast which brought a fear on my face and something was going on with my eyes; I was taken back, a flash back of what had happened to me when I was in seventh grade; it was at that point I recognized the other two students who were also involved in the bullying situation when I was in seventh grade. I gave them a long stare as the flash back of what happened kept on repeating and repeating over and over again in my head, it caused a pain in my head and eyes. It was the pain of anger and revenge that I had in my head and had vowed to get it no matter!! It was funny because when I glared and smirk at them, they had no idea or even remembered me, or did they was my question? I started exercising my neck watching them as they were chatting with their friends. My hand started reaching out for my arrows and was already placing them on the bow to shoot, until we were interrupted by the coaches Mrs. Steward and Mr. Williamson. Looking at both of them I thought to myself "interesting having a female coach, this should be fun." We were told to gather around the center of the field, introductions were given, lesson introductory, rules and expectations were given similar to the badminton club. Of course the only difference was that with archery we were going to be divided into groups based on our levels which were to be tested out today. We wrote our names and grades on the attendance sheet. There were quite a lot of grade 10 and 11 students, fewer grade 12 students, as for grade 9 students, were a total of eight students including the two bullies. Mrs. Steward called out our names again and it was then I finally got to know the names of the two bullies, the built guy was Philip and the blond girl was Ashley, both Caucasians. I and another student in grade 11 were the only mixed race colored students but I was the one trying out for the archery school team.

First up, had to do a few warm exercises, next the practice of how to use the bow and arrows, then the standing position when getting ready to aim and shoot and finally the target practice. Each student was to shoot three times and then would be placed in beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. We were a total of twenty five students. Everyone seemed to be doing well in their shooting; all were aiming either at the red, blue until it came to Ashley and Philips turn. I was blown away when they shot very close towards the yellow and red….their last shot went straight in the middle of the yellow circle. When they shot their arrows, they both looked at me and the other mixed race colored student who was in grade 11. I almost felt like a déjà-vu of the "The Hunger Games" movie, the part where Jennifer Lawrence uses her bow and arrows shoots flawlessly and also "The Avengers" movie where Jeremy Renner has his perfect shots with his bows and arrows. I was not sure who was who but after watching their performance and the way they looked at us I knew it 'game on.'

After everyone had made their shooting debut, it was the grade 11 student Nancy who was up, as she was the best thus far in Chicago High, she was still good as ever shooting two of her arrows in the middle of the yellow circle and one in the red. I smiled at her and we exchanged high fives and I gave her thumbs up. Finally, my turn, I walked up to the platform, prepared my bows and arrows, for some reason I started looking around the field, don't know why, then turned and looked at Nancy, glared with a smirk at both Ashley and Philip then looked at the archery target board shot my first arrow which landed straight in the middle of the yellow circle. I paused, took out my second arrow calmly, placed it and shot the arrow, it landed again in the middle of the yellow circle. As I was preparing for the final shot, I looked across the field and saw a black shadow almost a like a person in a 'black hood' looking straight at me. I stared right at him as I getting ready to release the final arrow but for some reason my body, hands and mind were feeling quite strange as if I was being controlled by something or someone, I tried fighting it but would not let go, whatever it was got me to take two more arrows, placed them on the bow and with a look of anger looking at the man in the 'black hood', I shot all three arrows which landed straight in the middle of the yellow circle. When I turned around to look at the 'black hood', it was gone, like vanished. I wanted to run but it was not point because I would not have known where to find the 'black hood'.

I turned around and looked at Nancy, and all I saw were faces with wide gap mouths opened starting at what just happened. Mrs. Steward and Mr. Williamson were in shock; Ashley and Philips were angry but shocked, walked away not liking what they saw, Nancy gave me a high five with a pat on my back. If I had been asked what just happened, to be honest I would not be able to explain because I also don't know either what happened, it was all too quick and fast, didn't even notice. However, the one thing that was stuck in my mind and kept on repeating itself in my head was the image of the 'black hood'. I don't know who or what it was but it was able to control my actions with the bow and arrow, the same feeling I felt when I was in middle school and when I took part in the archery competition in Chicago. I was not sure what to do or how I would explain whatever happened but I needed to find out sooner to be able to get the answers of what was happening and why I was the only person who could see the 'black hood' and no one else.

After the first practice round, we were divided into the three different levels, Nancy, Ashley, Philip, two other students and I was placed in the advanced level group. This was going to be an exciting archery club I thought to myself, couldn't have asked for a better group and a better way of catching up with Ashley and Philip and preparing for my vengeance against them. For the remaining forty five minutes Mr. Williamson was our coach while Mrs. Steward was in charge of the beginners and intermediate level groups. The advantages of being in the intermediate group was that if any student made great and significant improvements they were automatically moved to the advanced level group which was a good thing as it gave them encouragement and motivation. Our advanced group was very fierce and competitive, so it was also going to be tough for those moving from intermediate to advance, but as long as they were willing to take on the challenge and be competitive that was a good start. Also being in the advanced group automatically granted you access to the school archery team, which meant, didn't need to try out and were automatically selected for the school team, the provisional and state championships. This was the same as middle school but the only difference with high school the competition was fierce and so were the competitors, hungry to be recognized and hungry for the prize. We did a few more practices and then were dismissed from the club a few minutes earlier to be able to catch the bus. Coaches Williamson and Steward requested to see me tomorrow during recess break, was pretty sure wasn't an invitation for a cup of coffee but to talk about what happened and my archery skills.

As I packed up my stuff and prepared to walk to the bus, Ashley and Philips bummed into me and they stopped right in front of me looking me straight dead in the eyes. Fear started growing in my eyes again, but then I was like "why should I be afraid, I didn't do anything wrong?" I also looked at them dead in their faces, glared with a smirk smile and walked past them, and as I walked away I turned around and said to them "I will be watching you two with my two fingers pointing at their eyes." It felt so good doing that, walking with my head up high knowing that I was no longer afraid of them or anyone that tried to bully me or get in my way in Chicago High.

I got on the bus and saw Jaime and Chris seated in their usual seats. The bus was pretty empty, filled with about ten students. We conversed about our after school activities sessions and how it was, I told them what happened and that I had found the other two students who bullied me in grade 7, including their names and grades. The same with Jacob, I told them I was not going to do anything to them until all evidence was collected then will present it to the principal. Jaime and Chris knew very well that I wanted to revenge on them so badly and they could already sense the anger I had inside me and on my face, but I told them my revenge will be in badminton and archery. If they try anything out of that or bully me again during school time, it will not be pretty and I will not be merciful!!

As we were heading home we all sat quietly on our seats, Chris and Jaime were busy talking about school work, homework and other things, but my head was constantly thinking about the 'black hood' that I saw at the archery field today. I had thoughts of telling them and my parents but decided against it as I wanted to get more information and all I could find about the 'black hood' in secret before telling anyone about it. It was going to be a tough grade 9, now that I had found out the faces and names of the three students who bullied me in grade 7, it was going to be literally impossible to stay clear away from them, add on the school work, homework, and the activities and what had happened during the tryouts at badminton and archery. Everyone was going to know about me, so I had to learn how to keep a low profile and not be identified or recognized by anyone. It wasn't that I didn't want to walk with my head up feeling proud of my success and the great accomplishments as a ninth grader or a mixed race colored student, but it was how people would start treating me different and trying to be all friendly. To be honest now that I think about all this, I have nothing to hide, I have nothing to be afraid of, I don't care if they want to be my friend or not, I could care less about what people thought of me and about me…..I was in Chicago High School for a purpose which was to study, pass and get great grades in all my subject, get accepted into a good university, enjoy and be great at my two favorite sports and be a great and outstanding student. I was not going to let anything or anyone interfere with what I set out to achieve and accomplish. When we got home, I was already exhausted, waved goodbyes to Chris and Jaime and went home.

The next day as expected was called to see Mrs. Steward and Mr. Williamson. They asked quite a lot of questions about my archery skills including; where did I learn my skills, do I have a coach, how long have I been learning archery etc. I answered all questions politely and calmly with no hesitation. They were happy and excited to have me in their club and because I was already in the advanced level, I was already chosen to be in the school archery team and to represent the school team in the competitions. The results for badminton, dance and drama were also released; Chris, Jaime and I passed the tryouts for drama and dance while I passed the tryouts for badminton. I started doing my dance in front of Chris and Jaime, and they tagged along with excitement as we headed back to our classes for the afternoon. I told myself "the beginning of the best has just begun."

My journey in ninth grade became even more adventurous than expected, not only was I doing great in all my courses, passing with straight A's, but was excelling even higher than my expectations. Of course my parents were always very proud, supportive and encouraging, but on the other hand something was telling me that they didn't find it normal the way I was excelling in everything and even higher than expected. There were times over and over again I would hear them whispering in their conversations, was not sure if it were good things or things that were worrisome. There were also times I felt like just asking them to tell me something or anything that was worrying them. They didn't want to tell me anything and it was always "it is OK, everything will be OK" they would say. I wasn't sure how to take that response but as a fourteen year old teen, I didn't want to overwhelm myself, nor put or give pressure to my parents. I already had a lot going on with a full plate which I needed to take care of before getting my parents involved or asking them questions about the strange things that have been occurring in my life.

As we were rounding up the school year and my first year in high school, the school was to end with activities, events and competitions. These competitions, activities and events were taking place in our school and other high schools and they were buzzing with excitement and full of energy. It was the first time to see quite a large audience and students from many different schools coming to attend and take part in the drama and dance events, orchestra and singing events, chess, math and science competitions and various sports competitions as well. This year Chicago High School was hosting all the sports, performing arts competitions, almost like it was the Olympic Hunger Games event.

Parents and families were all welcomed to join, attend and cheer at all the sports, events and activities. I was originally supposed to take part in the math competition with Jaime and Chris but since it clashed with the archery competition, I chose to drop out. I felt more comfortable taking part in the archery competition and besides I had some unfinished business to clear and set straight. In the end I was competing in the dance and drama events, badminton and archery. These were all taking place on different dates. I had the opportunity to watch the other events and see students from different grades and from different schools compete in the events. I even got to see Chris and Jaime compete in the math and chess events and OMG were they good, actually the best of the finest. They beat all their opponents reaching the semi-finals. I only watched until the quarterfinals, I knew they had won the semi-finals through their classmates.

Our dance and drama events took place from Wednesday to Friday and the weekends. Jaime, Chris and I had been practicing our dance routine for quite a while, different from the one we had done during the auditions. We had been doing a dance routine rehearsal to a K-Pop song that was quite popular not only in South Korea but around the world. We had four dancers who were our back up dancers. The song was called "Mamacita" by Super Junior (a famous K-Pop Band). I was actually the one who introduced K-Pop music (such as EXO, Super Junior, BTS, NCT 127, BlackPink, etc) to Jaime and Chris, and although we didn't quite understand the entire lyrics of the songs, it was the beat, the rhythm, and the energy and talent put into the songs that really got our attention. We were the last group to perform and we put on our best of the finest performance, dressed in jeans, t-shirts and matching sports shoes, we gave it our best shot ever. The crowd was enjoying it and cheering for us, but we were all just concentrating on dancing and giving it our very best performance. Jaime and Chris along with three other members did some incredible moves I had never seen before which were getting a standing ovation. Jaime, Chris and I completed the final moves with our hands slammed to the floor and it was at that moment when we got a standing ovation I knew we were not only going to be winners but the best dancing trio for life. We were through to the finals and now all we needed to do was practice the new song with different moves. The finals were going to be held on Saturday afternoon.

In the sports side, Nancy, Philips, Ashley and I were set to compete against three other high schools in Chicago, starting from round 1 to round 4 then quarterfinals, semi-finals and the finals. The four of us quickly made it to the quarterfinals eliminating two of the three high school opponents. For the quarterfinals we were eight opponents left, Nancy, Philips, Ashley, I and four other students from the Chicago Christian High School. I had watched their matches and they were pretty good. Each of us were set up with one of them and we beat all four of them, leaving Philips, Ashley, Nancy and I to face each other in the semi-finals. I had not being paying attention to how my teammates were playing but I did notice their style and rhythm of how they paused calmly, the way they positioned before shooting every arrow. Ashley had a habit of always looking at me every time she shot as if I was paying any attention. All I knew was that if I wasn't facing her in the finals, then I was facing Philips. The semi-finals were to be held on Thursday and the finals we held on Friday. I had been looking in the crowds to see if the 'black hood' shadow showed up but didn't see anything, I did notice that my parents, Chris and Jaime were in the crowd and had watched the entire match, not so sure if they witnessed anything strange as I competed against the other students.

As for badminton, there were eight schools, each having five competitors to play against our school, starting from round 1 to round 4 then quarterfinals, semi-finals and the finals. Jacob had made the cut for the school badminton team which obviously meant he was going to participate and compete in today's badminton competition. Our school selected Jacob-grade 9, James-grade 9, Anderson-grade 10, Peterson-grade 10, Suzanne-grade 9, Lisa-grade 9, Tina-grade 10 and I-grade 9, I was only mixed race colored student on the team. Badminton not only included playing singles, but also doubles and mixed doubles. Personally was not really keen on playing in any doubles matches, wanted to focus on singles games, finish my mission, get my vengeance and go home. Unfortunately that was not possible, 'sportsmanship' as they called it was very important in these competitions and it was also something competitors were awarded for at the closing ceremony. As you can see my choices were very limited, being a team player wasn't really my thing especially when you are not liked for being a mixed race color, but surprisingly Anderson proposed to be my mixed doubles partner while Lisa proposed to be my doubles partners for the women's competition. The fact that they proposed and it didn't come out of my mouth was something I never expected; however, I had been practicing them with them during our badminton club sessions and since we three always got along, they were the ideal choices as partners for this tournament. The games begun early Tuesday morning and afternoon with competitions of the first to the fourth rounds for singles and doubles; four schools were eliminated which left four other schools including our school. On Wednesday afternoon the quarter-finals commenced and unfortunately Tina got eliminated in both the singles and doubles. Anderson and Peterson were also eliminated in the boys' doubles quarterfinals. Their opponents were to face Jacob and James in the semi-finals. I was to face the student who eliminated Tina in the semi-finals while eight other students were eliminated from the other four schools. The semi-finals for singles were Jacob and James versus two other students from two other schools in Chicago. Suzanna and I were to face two other students from two other schools in Chicago for the semi-finals. In the doubles Lisa and I were in the semi-finals, Anderson and I were in the mixed semi-finals playing against opponents from other schools. The semi-finals were to be held on Saturday and Sunday morning.

After a full week of activities, events and sports competitions, I would go home exhausted with aches and pains all over my body; the same was for Chris and Jaime especially after the dance competition. I knew that I needed plenty of rest Wednesday night because the next four days were going to be full on with semi-finals and finals of dance, drama, badminton, and archery were taking place. These were the main sporting and performing arts events that took center stage at Chicago High School. My parents had attended most of all the events and competitions I competed and although nothing in particular happened including the 'black hood' event, they seemed to be quite excited and ready for what was yet to come. I on the other hand was not only nervous but excited to be representing not only my family, but myself and Chicago High School in one of the biggest sporting competitions and performing arts events ever, and although being a newcomer in grade 9, and add on a mixed race colored student, the honor and glory was one that I was to make sure it stayed and will always be remembered in Chicago High School.

The first semi-final event begun on Thursday morning with Archery on the sports field; Nancy was facing Ashley while I was facing Philips. This fitted exactly with what I had planned was going to happen, as I had once said "All I knew was that if I wasn't facing her in the finals, then I was facing Philips." The games were set to begin at 09:00 AM, so I was arriving at the archery field straight from home with my parents. On my way to school the entire time I just kept looking outside the window thinking, going over the game, planning what and how I was going to beat Philips. This was the beginning and the end of my revenge campaign which I swore to never look back and since Ashley and Philips couldn't remember who I was and what they had done to me in grade 7, I was going to take this game and remind them very well and teach them a lesson they would never ever forget. My parents, Chris, Jaime and their parents were all seated on the benches eagerly waiting for the games to begin. First semi-finals was Ashley versus Nancy, I had noticed Nancy was quite nervous as she being the best of the best eleventh grader was facing a tough ninth grader who was not easy at all. I could only wish her all the best and to not be afraid of Ashley. I sat where all the opponents were to be seated while watching the game, Nancy and Ashley were warming up, the rules were set up and five minutes later the games begun. They were both shooting at the same time with similar speed. The first two rounds were won by Ashley, the next two rounds by Nancy, and then it was down to the last two rounds. For some reason, I don't know why but something told me that Ashley was determined to beat Nancy and clearly she did winning the last two rounds. When she won, she was jumping up and down, refused to shake Nancy's hand walked off, looking at me with an angry face like I owed her something. I didn't care as I got up and went to prepare for my game against Philip. Now what had been brought to my attention was that Philip and Ashley were brother and sister, something which I found quite shocking because I just couldn't see the resemblance. Anyway, I prepared and warmed up for the game, I looked around the field and spotted my parents, Chris, Jaime and their parents, and then I looked on my left and this time the 'black hood' appeared seated at the very corner where I could see very clearly. I was tempted to go to where it was but that was going to bring me trouble, so I got my bow and arrows and for some reason faced the 'black hood' and closed my eyes and I could hear voices saying 'you can do it, just focus and remember your target and purpose, we will be with you' then the voices disappeared. As I looked one last time as where my family and friends were seated, my mum gave me thumbs up and nodded her head, I don't know if she knew something or was just being supportive and encouraging. I looked at Philip, glared at him with a smirk then turned and looked at the target, placed my arrow on the bow, looked at the target and released the arrow which landed in the middle of the yellow circle, the second round and third rounds were straight hit on the yellow target. I turned and looked at Philip who had not realized what just happened, he fired his arrow just after I had finished but landed on the red circle. There were three more rounds left and I was determined to make him lose in all three of them, not giving him any chance to recover. As I prepared for the fourth round I noticed that the 'black hood' was still in the same spot, this time my parents caught what I had been looking at and it was at that moment I saw the look of fear upon my mother and although she tried to remain calm, at this point there was nothing she could do but when we locked our eyes facing each other, she had tears in her eyes and I sensed a fear and worry but I gave her the thumbs up with the sign language of I LOVE YOU AND WILL BE OK, which she did the same and taking a deep breath and sat down. My dad turned and looked at her, by then I was already facing the archery target board getting ready to begin the fourth and fifth round. Philip was busy preparing and it was then I saw a panic in his eyes and hands, almost as if he knew that he lost which was not looking good. I looked at him saying "Philip, what's the matter? You ready," he gave me a wicked angry look saying "the game is not over," With my arrow set on my bow, I turned looked at him with a smirk and fired my arrow, once again it shot the middle of the yellow circle. I turned at Philip "your turn," Unfortunately, he was not lucky, he missed the fourth which landed on the outside the red circle….Ashley was furiously screaming "what is the matter with you, focus you idiot, we can't lose to this colored girl, cannot, you hear me?" As I watched Ashley screaming her lungs out at Philip, I was seated relaxing and looking at how they were both at each other's neck; it wasn't until Coach Williamson started walking towards them that Ashley cooled off and walked back to her seat. Philip clearly was not in his right mind, guess he didn't see it coming how he was losing to a mixed race colored grade 9 student, not knowing there was more to what was going on in the game. The game finally came to the last two rounds; fifth and sixth round, this was the day archery in Chicago High School was going to write history of the first mixed race colored grade 9 student after Nancy who was going to make it to the final of the archery competition. Philip lost the fifth round, while I hit the middle of the yellow circle. Philip had started losing his temper again; I was not in the mood of any excitement because I knew anything would happen, so I had to play it cool. As I was preparing for the last and final round, a voice came to my head again saying 'it is not over, focus, focus', I turned around and looked at the same corner and this time I could see the eyes of the 'black hood', eyes of red and green, quite scary, but we were locked fixed looking at each other, I don't know what happened but I could feel myself having extra strength than never before, not knowing what was going on, I saw Philip lift up his bow and arrow but by the time he had shot his arrow, I had already shot mine which landed in the middle of the yellow circle, while Philips landed on the red circle. I could hear the entire audience screaming with excitement, I myself got on my knees as I felt so exhausted, turned around and saw that the 'black hood' had turned around and disappeared, I then walked up to Philip and told him "never underestimate what a mixed race colored girl can do, the next time you want to bully someone, find someone your own size and your own skin color, you stay away from me and others of my kind", my hand was on his chin and I was looking at him stone cold as I spoke, "understood", and I got up and left him on the ground. I got my bow, saw the score 6-0, looked at Ashley saying "see you tomorrow Ashley," waved and walked calmly to where my parents, Chris, Jaime and their parents were, they hugged and congratulated me on making it to the finals. Mrs. Steward and Mr. Williamson also congratulated me as well as Nancy with a big hug. I breathed a sigh of relief and was beginning to feel quite calm. Although I still had Ashley to deal with tomorrow and Jacob to deal with on the weekend, I felt one step closer to completing my mission.

I left the field and went straight home, as we were driving home I could feel the pain and exhaustion all over my body as if I had been working in the fields. I started rewinding all that had happened in the archery field, the 'black hood', his green and red eyes, the fear and worry on my mum's face even when she saw the 'black hood'. The amount of strength and energy I was feeling while shooting the arrows all perfect score. All this just made me completely exhausted that I fell asleep in the car until we got home. I didn't talk much to my parents, went directly to my room, showered and lay on the bed again rewinding what had happened. In the vision I had in my mind I tried to get closer to the 'black hood' so as I could see the face, but the force was just so powerful would not let me see, feel or touch anything and it was quite painful so I had to stop or was going to hurt myself. I wanted to talk to my parents about what I saw and what happened, but was not sure how they were going to react or what they were going to think, so I let it go and closed my eyes to catch some sleep. I was woken up by my parents to have supper and it was a very quiet dinner we all had. My parents did ask if I was feeling OK, they could see I was completed exhausted, but I told them I will be fine, just need to sleep and get some rest to be ready for tomorrow. After dinner took my plate to the kitchen, kissed and hugged them good night and upstairs got ready for bed and by 8:00 PM, I was in bed, rolled over and slept till the next morning at 6 AM.

Friday morning and was already preparing to head over to school after having a great full breakfast made by my parents. As I was waiting for the bus, Jaime and Chris were walking to the bus stop when they told me the worst news ever; "the semi-finals for badminton will also be played today in the afternoon." I replied "say what? Are you serious?" It's on the daily messages information page," said Jaime. I quickly scrolled the announcements and it was true, which meant, all the semi-final badminton games were to played today, the finals for archery today and the finals for the dance and drama would be tomorrow as in Saturday, so no activities, events or sports on Sunday. Okay in some ways was good as it would give us Sunday to rest and be ready for our final week of school before the start of the summer break.

We got to school shortly before 8 AM, headed straight to our lockers then I changed into my sports clothes, gave Chris and Jaime my badminton racket to hold for me in case I lost it or someone took it. I went to my classroom to pick up some paper work, and then returned to my locker to check I had everything I needed as today there were no classes, just sports competitions; the last two sports which were the finals of Archery and the semi-finals of badminton. Yesterday when I was with Jaime and Chris I had forgotten to ask them about the evidence they were collecting on Ashley, Jacob and Philip. They said "They were almost done with collecting all the evidences," I replied "Great" with thumbs up. The archery finals was set to start at 9:30 AM, followed by the badminton mixed doubles, boys and girls single semi-finals and girls double semi-finals which would last all afternoon with the hopes of finishing at 5 PM.

At 9: 15 AM, Chris, Jaime and I started walking to the archery field; I noticed my parents had already arrived with Chris and Jaime's parents, all seated at the benches. I got my bow and arrow from Chris, and started walking towards our seats to prepare for the finals. I turned to my left, saw my parents, Chris and Jaime's parents and waved at them, and then I saw Ashley and Philip walking over to her seat, before she sat down, she gave me this stern evil look with a her hand going under her chin saying "you are dead meat," I replied "bring it on, game on" with a smirk on my face. From the looks on her face and how she reacted towards me told me that Philip had already told her everything that happened yesterday including my message to Ashley. After beating Philip yesterday in a simple but exhausting game, I was not going to let Ashley knock me out with fear. I knew she was going to be a tough opponent especially after watching her game against Nancy but I was fully prepared and ready for her today. The finals were to be played in eight rounds total; to be considered even a winner had to hit six shots in a row straight in the yellow middle circle or five shots in the yellow circle and one in the red circle, anything shot below the red circle was a straight loss. Each contestant will shoot their first six shots separately; this will be followed with the last two shots being shot at the same time by both contestants. The referee flipped the coin in which I choose heads while Ashley tails. First up was Ashley, I noticed Philip was sitting very close to her, but he was asked to move and sit at the very back as they thought he would help Ashley. I turned smiling back at both Philip and Ashley and could already see their faces were not happy and that things were already not looking good. Ashley took her bow and arrow, started practicing waving her bow around then turned around and aimed it straight at me, I looked up and our eyes met locked face to face with my head tilted to the right, my right leg on top of my left leg. The crowd, the coaches and the other contestants had no idea what was going on, they were all looking terrified wondering what had gone wrong with Ashley. On the other hand, I was seated very calmly on my chair, didn't move, nor flinch, and could only hear my heart beating at a normal speed. Philip raced standing next to her putting her bow down, reminding her to focus on the game whispering "we will deal with her later." Our faces and eyes were still locked on each other, and when Ashley realized I wasn't moving nor showing any signs of fear, she quickly put her bow down, sat down and looked at the target. She looked over at me again and found me still staring at her this time with a smirk smile.

The finals were set to start in two minutes, our bows and arrows were checked, asked questions, we both didn't have any questions, and the referee raised his flag for the games to begin when the field went in total silence. I saw how everyone was glued to their seats watching the archery target board and both Ashley and I. Ashley's first shot hit on the red circle, her second and third shot hit the yellow middle circle. I paid close attention as to how she was shooting, her focus which was causing her to sweat a lot as losing was something she was not ready to accept, not today!! Her fourth and fifth shot once again hit the yellow middle circle. I was already smiling and nodding at her performance which caught Philip's attention then he said "You are going to lose today for sure," that's when Ashley glanced at me with a smirk smile ready to shoot her last and final shot, sadly it landed straight on the edge at the end of the red circle. This meant she had 2 shots on the red circle and four shots in the middle of yellow circle. This did not make her happy at all; she went crazy, screaming and cursing even at her brother. Philip tried to calm her down saying "we still have two more shots," She slapped Philip saying "you idiot, if you had not lost to her yesterday we would have been winners, but your stupid dam ass brain lost to that mixed race colored ninth grader." I looked at them saying to myself, "Interesting choice of words to abuse your own brother, can clearly see who is in charge." I wasn't really interested in listening to their stories. I was next, got up to prepare my bow and arrows, and as I was getting ready, I saw Ashley turn and look at me with anger and hate on her face which read "this is not over." I didn't mind her as I was prepared, had been prepared for this day since grade seven. I looked up saw my parents looking and smiling at me, not worried but even more confident that I would win this round. As I turned to get ready to shoot my head turned to the left and immediately I saw the 'black hood', green and red eyes this time like smoke coming out of his hood, which was when my body started feeling the heat, but it was not burning instead was more like energy all over my body, my head, my hands. I tilted my head looking at the 'black hood', got my bow up, my arrow ready and shot the first, second, third, fourth all in the middle yellow circle, then I lowered down my bow as I could feel my body's energy draining which almost made me fall to the ground. My coach asked if I was OK, I nodded, got myself together, turned and looked at my parents one last time before I prepared to shoot my last two arrows for the fifth and sixth round. I looked at the target straight through, this time feeling stronger and better, shot the fifth arrow, then took another arrow placed it on the bow, before shooting, I turned and looked at Ashley and Philip, the same way I did when I looked at Philip before I shot my final arrow and by the time I looked at the target, I had already released the arrow which landed in the middle yellow circle, then I lowered by bow down and fell on my knees, wasn't sure if it was pain or the energy that made me feel so tired. I got up, looked at the target and all six arrows were in the center of the yellow circle. Without a further ado I returned to my seat with my bow and arrows waiting to hear the results of the first round and they were announced Ashley 4 arrows in the yellow, 2 arrows in the red, and Diana 6 arrows in the yellow. I was the winner which got the whole crowd shouting with excitement and for the first time I smiled, turned and smiled with tears at my family and friends. It was now down to the final two shots. We were given a ten minute break which was a relief as I needed it to regain my energy. Nancy came and spoke to me patting and hugging me with encouragement and a smile and returned to her seat. The two coaches waved with their thumbs up while my parents and family all waved with their thumbs up but my mum did a sign language of I LOVE YOU, YOU CAN DO IT!! I replied I LOVE YOU TOO! I WILL MAKE IT, DON'T WORRY!! Chris and Jaime were also rooting for me with their thumbs up which got me smiling as I sat down. Although I had passed the first part of the test, I still knew it was far from over because Ashley was not about to give up easily, she did still have a winning chance, but that was something I was about to block from happening and not allowing her to win this game, not today!! I rose up from my chair and started walking around just to relax and be calm when I looked up and once again saw the 'black hood', green and red eyes on the benches, when I returned back to my seat, I felt like there was something around me almost like a force, a wind force which was quite strong, but it was right behind me, when I tried to turn my head to see, it felt like something was blocking me from seeing what was behind me when I suddenly saw myself struggling to move the chair so that I could face the back to see what was going on, but suddenly that force was gone, and could see the 'black hood' on the benches again. I closed my eyes for a minute, when a voice appeared saying "now is not the time for you to see who and what I am, everything will be revealed to you in time." I looked up and the voice in my head disappeared, I got up, got my bow and arrows and prepared for the final battle and final round. I didn't bother looking at Ashley, focused on the target; we both had to have the arrow on the bow before being allowed to shoot. Once we were ready, the white flag was dropped, we released the arrows, and mine landed straight in the middle yellow circle, while Ashley's on the red circle. Once again, prepared our bows, placed the arrows on the bow, the referee dropped the white flag and we released the arrows, Ashley's arrow was almost towards the yellow circle but missed while mine landed safely in the yellow middle circle. I dropped my bow, looked around, could not believe what had just happened; Nancy came running to give me a hug and congratulated me on the amazing win, my two coaches hugged me with congratulations. It was then I realized the finals were over and I had won. I ran over to Chris, Jaime, their parents and my parents to give them a hug and jumped up and down with tears. I turned around and walked over to Ashley and Philip who were not happy at all, I said to her exactly what I said to Philip yesterday after winning the game; I offered my hand to extend congrats which was not taken well. Their faces were so red full of embarrassment as it was the second time in Chicago High School a mixed race colored student won the Archery's final competition after Nancy who was the first in grade 10 and now I in grade 9. It had been a proud moment for my family, my friends and I at Chicago High School, a moment and a day that was to be written in history and I had sworn that I will always make sure I win the archery competition until the day I graduate from Chicago High School.

The second event of the day was the badminton semi-finals matches; for singles were Jacob and James versus two other students from two other schools in Chicago. Suzanna and I were to face two other students from two other schools in Chicago for the semi-finals. In the doubles Lisa and I were in the semi-finals, Anderson and I were in the mixed doubles semi-finals playing against opponents from other schools. The badminton tournament was scheduled to start at 11:30 AM but because Archery took quite long was rescheduled for the afternoon at 1:00 PM. This gave us a good time to have lunch with family, Chris, Jaime and their family. We had lunch in the school cafeteria and since parents were invited to have lunch with their kids, we had the honor of being bought a nice meal by our parents which was a great treat. I made sure to eat a full course meal with drinks and fruits giving me plenty of energy for the badminton games, I even had mum buy four energy drinks to help me stay hydrated during the games as it was going to be a long afternoon.

At 12:50 PM we headed over to the gym, my parents, Chris and Jaime and their parents went and sat by the bleachers. I got my badminton racket from Jaime as he had been holding and keeping it safe for me all morning. All the contestants were asked to meet on the courts; we were explained the rules and how the first server would be selected which was again coin flip. The first game was the mixed doubles; Anderson and I versus two students from Chicago Christian High School, followed by the girls' doubles: Lisa and I versus two students from Chicago Christian High School, then a break, then the girls' singles semi-finals Suzanna and I versus two students from Chicago Christian High School and finally the boys' singles semi-finals Jacob and James versus two other students also from Chicago Christian High School. It was a match of two sets unless, we had won one set each, that a third set was to be played to determine the winner. For the mixed doubles Anderson and I were so in sync that it only took us one hour to play, finish and win the game in two sets, which took us straight to the finals. Next up was Lisa and I for the girls' doubles; playing with Lisa was so different and her style, skills and techniques were a bit challenging to grasp. It was quite difficult knowing when I should hit the shuttlecock because she constantly wanted to run in all corners of the court to hit the shuttlecock not realizing that I am her partner and can also help her. We lost the first set badly and I didn't want to blame or say anything to her, but what was funny was that she realized we were not in sync when playing the first set and she apologized. We hugged each other and decided to work together which turned out to be so much better than the first set. We almost lost the second set by two points, but thanks to Lisa's duck I was able to swing the shuttlecock to the left side twice catching my opponents unexpectedly winning the second set. Lisa and I had to seriously come up with a strategy as our opponents were quite fast and skillful. The only way I saw to win the game was to play hitting the shuttlecock in the unexpected sides so Lisa and I would switch sides to confuse them which worked so well and soon we found ourselves leading by ten points, with just eight more points to go, the score was showing 12-8 (we had 12). We continued the same strategy and it got us to the final serving match point, which I left for Lisa, she served and it landed right over the net on their right side of the court and with that point, it was 21-12. We hugged each other jumping up and down exhausted. For Lisa it was another win to the finals, for me I still had the singles semi-finals, which was the next game. Apparently the boys had already finished the doubles games which we didn't make it, but there was room for improvements and a winning chance next year.

Since I had just finished a game, was given time to rest which was good because it gave me the opportunity to watch the boys' finals Jacob and James versus the two boys from another Chicago Christian High School. To be honest I knew Jacob and James were good but I didn't think their skills and techniques were so professional, almost like pros. When they were both playing on separate courts you would think they were twins because their game was so coordinated and refined to the way they picked up the shuttlecock to the way they served with grace. It was already 3 PM and their first set was already completed, that's how good they were on the courts. They had a five minute break and prepared for the second set, and from the way the game was going, it seemed quite obvious who the winners were going to be and was moving on to the finals. The second set was like watching Tom and Jerry entertain the audience, Jerry being both Jacob and James were basically throwing the shuttlecock left and right, making their opponents run left and right, not giving them a chance at all. The score for the first set, both scoring 21-10, the second set was even worse 21-9. I was just shaking my head looking at both James and Jacob wondering how they were able to finish the game in less than two hours, this was basically unbelievable, their opponents were not challenging and far from what we all expected which begs the question, how did they even get to the semi-finals? I had heard that Chicago Christian High School had the best of the best players in all sports but from what I saw today was what I called 'disaster' at its finest.

The final game was the girls' semi-finals Suzanna and I versus two other girls' from Chicago Christian High School. It was already 4 PM and everything was scheduled to end at 5 PM, which meant Suzanna and I had one hour to play and win the game. I spoke to Suzanna earlier asking how she was doing and whether she was ready for the semi-finals. This game would result in either one of us losing or both of us winning and meeting each other in the finals. Suzanna and I had been practicing our single matches after school and although we would often play each other, we were both aware of each other's tactics, style, rhythm, skills and techniques. Apparently our opponents were from a top school in Chicago, they were grade 11 students, and they were the top five best high school badminton players in the entire Chicago. Suzanna and I were both in grade 9, and we were not sure how were would compete with the best of the finest players and I knew this was going to be one of the toughest games ever, but Suzanna and I told each other that we will not give up but play and fight till the very end. It was good I had that one hour rest as it helped me prepare and warm up for my game. 

The games were on, and Suzanne was playing on the right court while I was playing on the left courts, both courts were smack in the center of the gym, while the audiences were seated on the right and left side of the bleachers. To be honest, I had not practiced for a while as I was busy practicing for archery and dance competitions so when I started playing against my opponent my serves and shots were quite rusty. I looked over at Suzanna and she was already leading in the first set 5-0, I told myself I better set up my game or I will lose badly. It was my turn to serve and the score was 3-3, I glared up at my opponent and smiled at myself and served the shuttlecock, it was a back and forth shots for almost five minutes until it dropped on her court 4-3, I served again and went 5-3. My opponent served twice and went to 7-3, I had intended to make sure to leave her at 3 but that didn't seem possible as she caught with me pretty fast, but I still had the upper hand and the shots and we were now at 15-10. All I needed was 6 more points to win the first set, she served and I smashed getting three points leading 18-10, she once again caught up with me with 18-15, but the final three serves, two being my serves, she lost leading 20-15. She was now serving while I was at match point and I could see she was really determined which I gave her credit because she was catching up and got two points 20-17. I was still on match point and it was my serve, I was not going to waste any more time or chances, I served, smashing the shuttlecock which landed on the right side, and the first set was over 21-17, I had won. I looked over at Suzanna's court and she was already on her second set but not doing well at all. She had won the first set, but her opponent was already leading 5-0 in the second set. I went to my seat and got myself a drink, and as I was sitting and having my energy drink, the 'black hood' appeared again, this time it was on the same side as where my mum was seated, my eyes opened wide and my mum noticed as well, she saw the fear and worry on my face, she noticed I was not only looking at her but at what was standing right behind her. She turned and looked around but the 'black hood' disappeared, it then appeared on the other side of the bleachers and was now staring at me never flinching or moving an inch and it was quite scary, I tried looking away, turning my head but it was just so hard not to look at it, this time there was like black smoke that appeared from its hood which freaked me out even more. As I put my drink on the floor, I got my racket, stood up and started walking towards my court. I could already see that Suzanna was losing the second set badly once again, and was not sure if she was going to make it to the finals. I stood on my side of the court and as I was stretching I felt a heat of energy behind me, almost as if it was heating my entire back and legs, it was not painful but that force was too strong, the exact same feeling I felt when I was competing in the semi-finals and finals during archery. As I turned to see my parents before serving the shuttlecock, I noticed my mum was standing, almost as if she could see what was happening and going on with my body, she was in a state of shock and panic, but I looked at her and nodded and motioned my head towards her to not do or say anything, all will be OK. She still had not sat down, and it wasn't until I started serving and had gotten a win of three points that she finally sat down. My dad who was sitting next to her funny enough didn't notice anything even at the archery field which I found to be quite weird. I continued playing scoring 10-3 in the second set, but it was not all good news, Suzanna had lost the second set and was now going to play the third set for a spot in the finals. I decided I was no longer going to focus on her but to try and win my game with the hope that she will make it through. I didn't waste any time with my opponent taking the score to 18-10 and with just three points away; I felt a little bit relaxed but had try to finish up the game as quickly as possible as one ever knows what tricks your opponent can pull at the last minute. I finally won the second set 21-10 with a score of 2-0, shook my opponents' hands and said "good game". I was relieved and could finally breathe, knowing the games were finally over and could go home and have a good rest. My teammate Suzanna's third set game was still going on and it was a fast paced game, her opponent was not giving Suzanna any breathing space or time to think and catch up. Suzanna was already looking exhausted and almost giving up, but she truly fought hard to the very end, and although she lost the third set, she still managed to rack up a 21-18 final score which was a very close, was a good game with lots of energy, skills and techniques put into the game. She did cry which I felt her pain; I gave her a hug and tried to calm her down as did the rest of the players. Before I left the courts, I took a very long hard look at Suzanne's opponent as she was the person I was to play tomorrow morning for the girl's singles finals including the mixed doubles and girls doubles, truly was going to be a big day for me and my family at Chicago High School tomorrow. We each hugged each other, had a brief meeting with our coaches who thanked us for the hard work, encouraged us not to give up and lose hope as we still have next year and will have plenty of time to practice and be ready. On that note, we got our stuff, waved goodbyes, left the gym heading straight home. My parents, Jaime and Chris and their parents were very happy and excited giving me hugs with congratulations for a job well done. Although I knew tomorrow's games were going to be even more challenging and tough, I was satisfied with today's win and I knew now more than ever I was going to do even better at tomorrow's finals. We got home around 6:30 PM, but before we could rest and have dinner, Chris, Jaime and I had to practice a few more times for the dance finals competition tomorrow morning. We practiced at Chris' place as their house had a big yard where we could play the music and practice our dance moves. The song we chose to dance to was "All I wanna Do" by Jay Park X 1Million/Jay Park (feat. Hoody, Loco), another K-Pop we were going to dance too, the moves were a bit complicated but with the six other back up dances that we had, we were good to go. We arranged to meet at school at 8 AM to practice all of us just to make sure we had all the moves and we would all be present.

On Saturday morning at around 7 AM I asked my mum or dad if they could drop us at school so that we could practice our dance rehearsal before the show this afternoon. We would not have time as we have the badminton finals competition starting at 9:30 AM. My mum agreed; Chris and Jaime came with me as it was easier going together. When we got to school was around 7:45 AM, took our stuff to the locker, and then went to the dance studio to perform, we found most of our back up dancers were already waiting. We warmed up, then practiced for over an hour and it all seemed to have been going well and falling into place. We had an audience who helped check on our dance moves to make sure all was well and moves were in sync in accordance to what we had practiced. I had known all my life I had wanted to become a dancer, but didn't know that it required lots of devotion, dedication and being passionate about it… I just hope after today's final performances will finally be able to call myself a 'True Dancer'. After the rehearsal, said our goodbyes and planned to meet again at 1:00 PM to practice again, get our outfits, makeup and hair done for the show which was scheduled for 2:00 PM.

At 9:15AM, I headed straight to the gym for preparations of the badminton finals. It was going to be a tough morning; boys finals Jacob versus James (both from Chicago High), girls finals I versus another girl from Chicago Christian High School, mixed doubles Anderson and I versus two other students also from Chicago Christian High School and girls doubles Lisa and I versus two other girls also from Chicago Christian High School. Since the beginning when we were playing the qualifying rounds, first and fourth rounds I never did quite catch the names nor paid attention to the schools we were competing against until the quarterfinals when I found out that this was one of the top elite schools with the best of the finest players in Chicago. I guess we were going to find out how elite and best of the finest they were today now weren't we?

First up were all the doubles matches starting with the mixed doubles. It has been a tough season for both Anderson and I as the only time we could ever practice was during our badminton classes after school. We had been so busy during the school year, that there hadn't been enough time to practice, but what I found very interesting and surprisingly were whenever we did play and practice during our badminton classes we clicked so well, played so in sync and always knew what was going through in our heads, almost like we were twins (I think I had mentioned this before). We had five minutes before the match begun; Anderson and I spoke while looking at the opponents. The good thing we had seen them play in their previous matches, so we had an idea who they were and saw some of their skills and playing techniques. The game started 09:30 AM sharp; in my mind I was determined to win this match in two sets, didn't know if Anderson felt the same, but the minute the match begun we were already at 3-0, that's when I knew it was game on and we were not going to lose, NOT TODAY!! In forty five minutes, we had clinched the first set 21-15, had a break, when I asked Anderson, "I see you are ready to end this game in two sets"? "For sure," best way to make sure we don't give them any space or chances to get any points." He said…."But that was close" I replied, good thing we ran, but that was a good first set, let's see how we go in the second set," I replied. We got up, I had an energy drink, and we walked to the courts, whispering to Anderson, then we gave each other a high five and prepared to serve for the second and final set of the mixed doubles finals. As we were playing, I could sense Anderson was kind of getting a little impatient, almost as if he was done, finished, wanted this match to be so over, he was literally not giving the opponents any breathing space or chance of catching up with us. Before I realized it the score was 10-0. I served and had a back and forth returns which lasted three minutes which I won, three points easily putting us at 13-0. Looking at our opponents, they were already quite tired and had that mean unfriendly angry look as if we owed them money. They served and lost their serves, taking the points to 15-0. Next Anderson was serving and his two serves were slick and unexpectedly falling right over the net on the opponent side, I was already sweating as I could see one of his serves was going to land on our side, 'phew that was close,' I said to myself. I went and gave him a kiss on his cheeks and two high fives for that second serve which was iconic, and we both started laughing. I looked at the score and we were at 17-0, then it was my turn to serve, I need to make sure that the next two points were ours, and just like that two smashes landing smack between the opponents, they looked confused almost unsure of what just happened, 19-0. All we needed was two more points and the game was over. Anderson gave us 20-0 and I gave a smash ending the game at 21-0. I threw my racket in the air and gave Anderson a hug, did our special handshake, shook our opponents' hands saying "good game" and walked to our benches. We were both just smiling at each other and laughing. Anderson was in grade 10 and already this was his second championship in the mixed doubles. Apparently in grade 9, he had teamed up with another girl Sophia, who was also in the same grade 9, but things went sideways between both of them and they parted never being partners again and as it turned out Sophia dropped out of badminton club because their issues were just complicated. Anderson liked playing with her and other students as well, but because here is the interesting part, Sophia liked Anderson and couldn't handle seeing him practice or playing with other members not only girls but with boys too….how complicated was that!!! As I was looking at Anderson, my mind was like; I am not sure how Sophia is going to react once she finds out Anderson reclaimed his title and with another girl and a mixed race colored girl in grade 9!! Anyway, for me that was not my concern, as long as we clicked and gave a good match that was all that mattered and most imortantly kept a good relationship. Anderson requested that we team up again next year, and with pleasure I agreed. I had two other matches to prepare for, so needed to get ready. Anderson stuck around to watch my other matches which was very kind and nice of him.

I prepared for my second doubles matches with Lisa, luckily was given an extra thirty minutes to catch my breath and speak to Lisa on the strategies of our game. I had seen our opponents play their last two games and they were no monkey business, their two games didn't even last more than two hours. Playing with Lisa was very different than with Anderson, but at this point I didn't want to start comparing as it was just going to frustrate me especially in this finals game. I told myself three things: prepare, focus and just have fun, you win great, you don't at least you gave it your best ever!! We had five minutes to warm up, which went well with Lisa. Our opponents were first up in serving; they didn't seem to have their game as they lost two points just like that hitting the net. Next was List who served and I have to say she is skillful when it comes to serving, we got two free points and just like that we were up by 4-0. Our second opponent served and finally we were playing a match, back and forth lasting for three minutes scoring 5-1. Then it was my turn to serve and with my unexpected smashes were up 7-1. The game continued on for the next thirty minutes scoring 15-10, then another twenty minutes and it was game over first set 21-18. "That was close" I told Lisa. She could only look at me and smile, could sense she was not happy at all with the score. In my mind I was thinking "girl it was a tough match but won so cheer up." The second set begun and I was already getting irritated with Lisa, so I decided to take matters into my own hands which led us to a score of 5-0. I turned looking at Lisa, she looked at me and I went with my body language, "I don't know," smiled and returned to my position. For the next forty five minutes it was like a race to see who will strike first, catch the shuttlecock, smash, slam to the opponents. I made sure to run and catch every single shuttlecock that came my way, at one point I nearly lost control and almost fell, thank goodness for balance was OK. We crashed our opponents with 21-10, and the girls double semi-finals game was over. Lisa hugged me for a very long time, and I could sense that this game was not only important to her, but winning was even more important to her, she was crying and screamed out loud. I just smiled and gave her a hug again, we both said thank you to each other, returned to our seats, and as I was getting my drink, all our teammates came to congratulate us and we all hugged each other including our coaches. Although I had already clinched two titles, I still had one more game which was not just the most important game but from what I gathered the game of the century.