A Familiar Face

A Familiar Face

The school bell and the hallways were buzzing with chatter from the high school students being dismissed from class. Today was Imani’s first day at Chatsworth High School and so far, she hated it! The halls were too crowded, some of the teachers were mean as hell, and she missed her old friends from her old high school, but she knew her mother wasn’t going to put her back in her old school. Immediately Imani noticed how diverse her new school was and to say the least, it was huge compared to her previous school. With her class schedule and binder in her hand Imani made her way to her next class, which was not too far from her last class, so she found it with no issues. Imani sat down quietly and observed how other kids talked and interacted with each other. There was Mike, the class clown who could make anyone laugh, including the very strict history teacher Mrs. Hernandez. Imani could not help but laugh at his history jokes, but that joke also cost the class extra homework. The entire class showed a deep disdain for their support for Mike’s jokes. Thirty minutes later the bell rang again and like a well-oiled machine the students dispersed and walked to their next class. Mrs. Galicia, the AP Honors English teacher quickly became Imani’s favorite teacher because she was laid back and didn’t try to be a billy badass teacher. She showed all her students respect, and they all respected her in return. After introducing herself to her class, they all gave her a warm welcome and proceeded with the lesson of the day- similes and metaphors.

The whole time Imani sat in class she couldn’t help but daydream about the cute boy that was at her bus stop this morning. She couldn’t get him out of her head. Did he go to her school? How old was he? What’s his name? she thought. Imani couldn’t get him off her mind. He was tall, about 6’1with a beautiful dark-skinned complexion. He looked like he could’ve modeled for Karl Kani or FUBU urban clothing. His eyes had the nerve to be a light brown color which further attracted Imani to him. She remembered briefly when he greeted her. Oh, my goodness! His smile alone could’ve melted paint on the wall! She felt herself blushing and quickly sat up straight in her chair and cleared her throat. I can’t wait for this class to be over she thought. Imani tried so hard to stay focused, but it was just too hard. Between the constant whispers of her classmates and the humidity rising in the bungalows where the class was held, Imani was ready to go. It seemed as if the good Lord heard her silent prayer and was relieved when the bell rang, releasing her from her educational prison.

As the day went on, it was everybody’s favorite time of day, lunch time. Imani walked over to the cafeteria and looked over her menu options. Not feeling too impressed about the lunch menu and not wanting to have bubble guts should she consume some of the questionable menu items, Imani opted to purchase two chocolate chip cookies and a bottle of water. She sat down at one of the empty tables where she took out her CD player and started to play the latest Missy Elliot album. Imani felt like an outsider. Everyone had their own clique, their own set of friends. She didn’t know where she fit in. Of course she was asked the usual questions about what school she came from and where was from, but that didn’t make her feel any less alienated from her usual environment that she was used to.

School was almost out and so far, it was a pretty chill day. No fights, no drama, no fakeness. Just a regular day at Chatsworth High School. When the bell rang signaling their educational lockdown was over for the day, Imani quickly grabbed her books and backpack and walked to her locker. Great, she thought. I survived my first day at my new school. Slamming her locker shut she double checked that she locked her locker and started walking down the stuffy overcrowded hallway.

As Imani started walking down Lurline Ave towards De Soto Ave, her thoughts went back to her chocolate crush from the bus stop. Listening to Missy Elliot talking about how she likes those hot boys, this guy was for sure one of them. His style was so fly. She remembered his whole outfit—a baggy pair of Sean Jean jeans, and an x-large Sean Jean signature shirt, and a pair of the newest ’97 blue and white Jordan’s. His hair was so wavy it could make a sailor sick from his 360 waves (with help from his durag that hung loosely around his neck). Finally crossing the street, Imani changed the batteries to her CD player and finished listening to her music. It felt like forever as Imani sat there waiting for the 168 bus to arrive. She was eager to get home to watch her soap opera shows—Passion and General Hospital. The heat from the late afternoon sun felt like her skin was on fire. When she looked up the 168 bus was approaching. Imani showed the bus driver her student pass and paid the discounted rate for students and made her way to the middle of the bus since the back was taken up by older high school students who looked like they were up to no good. With her headphones around her neck, Imani could hear little comments and small conversations being made. At some point Imani must have been lost in her own thoughts because she jumped and was startled when she felt a tap on her shoulder. I’ll be damned she thought, that’s the cutie from this morning, Imani thought, her heart pounding. She felt her palms starting to sweat so she tried to discreetly wipe them on her pants.

“Hi,” the cutie said. "My name is D’Shawn. I saw you at the bus stop earlier this morning. Do you remember me?” he asked flashing his million-dollar Hollywood smile. Do I remember you? she thought. Hell, yea I do! Was what Imani wanted to say, but she said “Yea, I remember you. We rode the bus together, but I got off on Lurline,” she said smiling back.

“You mind if I sit next to you. I overheard some of the other students in the back of the bus trying to find out what set you were from since you ARE wearing an all blue and white outfit,” D’Shawn pointed out. “You gotta be careful with what you wear because some people might think that you are in a gang or being initiated,” A surprised Imani thanked D’Shawn for schooling her and the pair talked all the way to their exit point. When they realized they literally lived around the corner from each other, the two became inseparable. Hmm, Imani thought smiling to herself when she walked through her house door and greeted her mom.

“How was school today?” her mom said.

“You know what ma,” Imani said turning around to look at her mom.

“I gotta say…today was a good day,” Imani said quoting one of Ice Cube’s lyrics from his rap song. Imani’s mother smiled and continued fixing dinner. Imani ran up the stairs and looked at those 10-numbers that made her heart skip a beat. She called D’Shawn after she’s taken her shower and the rest was pure puppy love history.