Chapter 11

~I was walking towards my school filled with pride and nervousness. For some reason there were a whole bunch of people blocking the entrance. Some had signs and others had weapons. I stopped when I saw a swarm of police, the National Guard. What was going on? I thought to myself. I felt someone tap my shoulder and I turned to find Atlas. He gave me a worried look then entered the school without a word. When I tried to follow him in, that's when hell broke loose. The police unblocked the barricades and everyone came running...towards ME. I was too shocked to do anything. Right before they touched me, I looked up and saw Atlas from a distance smiling at me. All of a sudden everything froze except me and him. I ran towards Atlas but by the time I got to him he disappeared. The big angry white mob surrounded me again and I closed my eyes.~

I woke up in an instant with sweat dripping down my neck. I hurried up and wrote the dream down in a notebook I keep near my bed. When I was done I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Tic-toc, tic-toc. Once my heartbeat slowed down, I opened my eyes and stared at my clock: 7:15 am. The open house was today from 8am to 12pm. I got up and picked out my outfit before I headed to the bathroom: plain jane jeans and a crisp purple t-shirt. I placed my white converses right next to that along with a purple hairpin and bag to match my shirt. As I showered, I started to think about the dream I had. What could it mean? Pfft...I should know by now. Being in the South nowadays requires a new type of pride and bravery. Dad definitely has it but Mama still has that fear from the North. I don't know where I stand. One minute I'm proud to be a mixed girl livin' in the South but another minute I feel isolated and lonely more than ever. I shook these thoughts out of my head and shut of the shower head. I got ready and headed downstairs. I saw Dad sitting in the kitchen with Mama. Why weren't they dressed? "Good morning! Sorry but did you guys forget that I have my open house today?" Dad chuckled and said, "Relax Mira. The Johnson's will take ya instead. I shrugged, sat down, and started eating breakfast. I sensed that something was wrong but I didn't want to ask. At least, not yet. I finished my breakfast and went outside to wait. I sat down on one of our new porch chairs and soaked in some sun. I closed my eyes but before I could take a deep breath I heard a car honking. I opened one eye and to my surprise guess who it was? Atlas was sitting upfront, IN the drivers seat of a brand new red corvette. I noticed Mr. and Mrs. Johnson weren't with him. "Gooood morning!! Hop in, Mira!" He got out and opened my door for me. "Since when did you learn how to drive?" I asked. He smirked and got back to his seat once I was in and said, "There's a lot you don't know about me, Mira." I rolled my eyes and said, "Right."

We arrived to Brookforest right on time. Atlas parked somewhere in the back then we got out and started walking towards the entrance. I saw the three annoying boys standing by the entrance. I clenched my teeth getting ready. Atlas held my hand as we got closer. "Well well, lookie here! What do you see boys?" "A nigga lover AND a nigga girl!" Ryan and Jim said then they all started laughing. I glanced down and saw their name tags: Mikey Flunder (brown head one), Ryan Coup (blonde), and Jim O'Neal. I snorted, pointed to their name tags and said, "I love your names. They clearly fit your idiotic and boring faces" Ryan got angry for a second but then an officer came out. He escorted Atlas and I inside. Atlas gave me a fist bump and said "Nice one." I smiled then we went up to the front desk. It was the same lady but luckily she didn't give me any problems like before. She asked for our names, wrote down each of them on a sticky name sticker, pointed behind her to a long hallway and said, "First door to your right!" She smiled handsomely at Atlas but gave me a deathly look. I ignored her. Once Atlas and I got to the assembly we found some secluded seats in the back. The assembly began. "Good morning students! I am Principal Rex. It is so nice to see some new faces! Anyways, lets get right to it. I will be splitting all of you into groups. Each group will have a tour guide. Our very own seniors of course. Give them a round of applause!" We all clapped then quieted down. "You will be given a full tour of our school. Afterwards, you will break off into different groups and complete four main activities which are: icebreakers, a quick sports tournament, and a big scavenger hunt. Don't worry we have snacks and bottled water in between and a big lunch at the end. Remember to play fair and of course...HAVE FUN!" Jeez. Why is Principal Rex so hyped up? It's...it's just school. Atlas laughed at my raised eyebrow look. I quickly stopped and said, "Sorry. I never really see people so excited like that." "You'll get used to it but good luck" said Atlas. Soon enough we were split into groups of 10, 30 people each group. For the icebreakers, I got paired with one of Wilma's minions, Sally Richardson. She was chewing gum so loudly most of the time and when I asked her to stop she snapped and said, "I can chew howEVER I wanna chew, Mira!" Well, at least she said my name and not a horrid one. When it came to sports I was on a team with Mikey, Ryan, and Jim. Why is this happening to me? The three main sports were volleyball, soccer, and basketball. The boys didn't let me get a chance to have a say and they picked soccer. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to look athletic but not have the physical capacity to even open a jar. The boys kept tripping me and making mixed/black jokes. I tried not to let them get to me but I almost snapped.

The scavenger hunt was individual. There was a maze like field behind the school. "Whoever finds the golden eggs hidden will be granted a wonderful prize!" the principal said. We all stood in a line. There was a bunch of baskets almost ten feet away from us. Principal Rex blew the whistle and everyone started running. I didn't care to get walked over again, LITERALLY so I took my time. Surprisingly I found a golden egg. I hid it well and made it out of the maze. Everyone that found a golden egg was waiting in line to receive a prize from the Principal. When it was my turn, I was expecting nothing but I was soon proven wrong. Principal Rex gave me a big smile and said aloud, "And our last winner, Mira Washington! She will get a $100 check." I tried to hide my shocked face and thanked him very much. "Lunch time everyone! There is plenty of food to go around. You can even bring some home. Don't forget to interact with your peers. You can go home right after!" Finally, I thought to myself. I went looking for Atlas. I didn't see him in line so I grabbed some food for him and I and headed back to the car. I saw him have a blanket set up next to the car with food already there. He looked up when he saw me and said, "The more food the merrier!" with a mouth full of mac n' cheese. I laughed and joined him on the ground to eat. I instantly felt better. After what happened today, this is what I needed: a good friend and some food. Atlas put a piece of bacon above his mouth and pretended it was a moustache. I did the same thing then we both laughed. We finished eating then he drive me home. "See you tomorrow, Mira!" he said. "See ya!" I said back.