Aurora

"Ms. Wright, please stay awake or I will have no choice but to send you to the principals office." My math teacher said to me as she walked back over to her desk. I could hear the whispers of students around me as they gossiped to their friends about me.

Rolling my eyes, I wiped them, as I laid back in my seat. The air coming through the vents made me put my hood on as my right leg started to shake. The rude comments didn't phase me. I started to zone out as the teacher kept talking. All I could think about is after school. What's going to happen after school? I have no idea but I wish that I did.

A hand on my shoulder took me out of my trance as my friend, James looks at me with concern. "Are you ok?" I nodded my head as I turned my head back to the front. I'm so ready for class to be over; school in general if I'm being honest. With it only being September, I have eight months until I graduate but I'm ready to be done with it now. I could only imagine what my mother would say or do to me when I get to that hell hole. I got a call home for sleeping in class and being late.

It's not like it's the first time that's happened. That shit ain't gone change so I don't even know why they did it but I understand. It just fucking sucks when you have everyone on you and you can never take a break. It's only 9:00 but it feels as though I've been here all day. My stomach started to growl but I had to contain myself. I haven't ate since yesterday but I'll try to get something during lunch if I can. I don't need these motherfuckers commenting about how I "barely eat". I haven't gotten paid from my dead end job since last week and I've been living off of the money that I've been saving.

I have up to $600 but with my siblings and I's needs, money is being spent more than I'd like. Sometimes my siblings didn't understand why they couldn't have the brand new cars, Bratz Barbie dolls, or even the GI Joe figures. I was lucky enough to have a best friend like James. We've been close since we were born and our parents used to be best friends until the accident, in which James' parents stopped talking to my mother after she went off on them. But one thing about James' parents, they will always have love for me. They let me stay over, buy me clothes, and even bought my siblings phones. I was able to buy my phone with some of the money I saved but I don't even know if I'll be able to pay the bill next month.

"Mom is cooking after school. You're coming with me right?" James asked me. I shook my head and yawned.

"Not today. My dear mother wants me to go to the house after school. Seems like she has some news for me." He just nodded with a sad expression. I wish I could go to his house after school but with Kane getting into it with my mom the other day, she wants us all at the house today unfortunately.

I don't know what she has to say but I'll just have to face the music at this point. Time started to go by a little faster as it's finally time for lunch. Security guards walked by with a straight face, not waiting to show any sort of emotion. Looking around, people were standing in different lunch lines. You could tell this is a black school as you could hear Megan Thee Stallion playing at one table, and Sada Baby playing at the next. James and I stood together as we talked about what we're going to get, nachos. Nachos is our favorite food and we get it almost whenever they have it which is only on Monday's. The best part about it is that nachos only cost $1. I would have signed up to get a free lunch but my mother would have come up here to do it, and she's not very welcoming about it.

We got our food, paid for it, and then sat down at an empty table. Our food is hot which makes it even better. "Do you think that we're gonna win this Friday?" I looked up at James as he took a bite of his food.

"Our football team has loss two games in a row. Now, I don't know if we'll win. But it's really 50-50." James nodded as he took a bite of my food as well.

"We have the same nachos crazy." He just laughed as he grabbed his juice.

"I know that but yours is better." I just rolled my eyes as we continued to eat. Looking around, the cafeteria is basically filled with all black people. My people, our people. We come in many different shapes and sizes but we're all black people.

"Wassup Ro." A guy name Daquan said to me as he walked over with his homeboys.

"Hey." I could feel James' eyes on me as I wiped my hands on a napkin.

"You haven't been responding to my messages. Something wrong with your phone?" I shook my head. I had to think of something to say on the spot. Daquan is your typical black boy. His chocolate covered skin was the first thing I noticed about him, and I liked that about him at some point. He used to be a nice guy at first, that was until junior year when he became aggressive.

"No, I've just been busy." I really don't do well with conflict or any type of situation where someone has a problem with me. You can call it me a push over, I call it surviving. I looked down at my food and was about to finish eating when Daquan suddenly leaned down close to my ear.

He laid his hand on my lower back firmly as he whispered. "I'm starting to get impatient with you Aurora. If you keep ignoring me, I'll have to hurt that pretty little face of yours." He kissed my cheek and then walked away with his friends. The nachos I ate started to feel like it was going to come back up so I grabbed my stomach in pain.

My anxiousness pushed me over the edge and I found myself racing to the bathroom before it was too late. Once I made it, I opened the first stall, and puked what felt like was a whole day's meal. Out of nowhere, tears started to roll down my face, and I couldn't stop. I suddenly felt a hand rubbing on my back and I could tell it's James. "Is it your anxiety?" I nodded my head.

I wiped my mouth with tissue and sat against the wall as James sat next to me.