Fast Life

by Cassandra Carter

  “Kyra, there are no buses. God forbid, but you have to walk.”

  “Walk? I ain’t walkin’ to school every day. It seems like we walk everywhere around here!”

  “It’s not that far. Walking never hurt anybody. Now, here’s a map for you to find your way if you need it. It came in the mail with the uniform. I’m pretty sure you’ll see someone walking along and can ask them where it is if you need any help.” She handed over a small laminated map before snatching her leather bag from the countertop. “I gotta go, sweetie. Have a good day.” She kissed Kyra on the cheek as she bolted out the door.

  As she walked along the roads, Kyra could see people in the distance, groups of students or men and women on their way to work. Kyra was unsure of her direction, but she was too proud to ask anyone for help. Instead, she walked on, passing a small swamp, low-cut pinewoods and a small lake before approaching a path that stretched for what appeared to be several hundred feet. As she wandered down the shaded lane, she was very grateful for the cool shadows provided by the large green trees on either side. Rays of sunlight pierced between the leaves, and a constant gentle gust of wind calmed her. The light combined with the breeze enabled Kyra to keep her composure when she caught a glimpse of her intended destination.

  The one-story brick building at the end of the road would be her new school.

  Prince Paul Academy was in large black letters on the front wall. The building had only one floor but was spread out. There was a dirt basketball court outfitted with chain nets, a large green recreational field, and a few picnic tables outside. Things didn’t look too bad after all.

  Kyra had imagined that her new school would be some one-room shack made of wood, similar to those used during segregated times in the rural South. She’d was sure there would be no running water, heat or enough books for the students.

  Kyra slipped through the thick wooden doors of the school, past the crowds and cliques and the eyes outside that examined her curiously, and inside to a surprisingly bustling school.

  “Excuse me? Hi, I’m Kyra Jones. I’m a new student.” Kyra politely announced her presence to an older woman sitting behind a desk outside the principal’s office, only to receive a stern look. The woman simply looked down at her typewriter as if Kyra weren’t there.

  “Umm…I was wonderin’ if you had a schedule for me. I dunno where any of my classes are. I’m new.”

  “Yah, yah. I hear ya, chile. Yah said yah new. Yah have Ms. Kingsley.” The secretary didn’t even look up as she pecked on the keys.

  “Okay, what after that?”

  “I say yah had Ms. Kingsley, now step!” the old woman snapped. She glared at the stranger before her, and Kyra was by no means slow in making her exit.

  She exited the office feeling confused and angry. It was seven fifty-six a.m. She had four minutes to get to class, and she didn’t have any idea where she was going. Any chance of getting help seemed impossible. She definitely didn’t want to ask for help from a teacher. She assumed they would be just as impolite as the secretary, or worse.

  That was when she saw her coming down the hallway. A tall, slender girl with slightly curled, shoulder-length hair, light brown skin and piercing, glowing blue eyes strolled in with grace as others rushed around her. Kyra could tell she was a goody-goody just by looking at her perfectly pressed uniform, the way she had her books clutched to her chest, and the straight, white smile on her face that seemed permanent. Kyra knew the girl would help her out. She seemed too nice not to.

  “Umm…excuse me? I need some help,” she called out to the girl just as she began to pass by.

  “Sure, what’s up?” The girl responded with such familiarity, it was as though she already knew Kyra.

  “I’m new and I dunno my schedule. That mean-ass secretary said I have Ms. Kingsley, but…”

  “Follow me. I have her, too. We better hurry, though, or we’ll be late.”

  The classroom was spacious. A big wooden desk was in the front of the room. The blackboard served as its background. Many smaller desks were arranged in rows, and windows lined an entire side of the room, offering a view of a small, tranquil pond. The room was rather plain. There were no colorful posters or pictures to give life to the it, only the wall clock and a speaker.

  The bell sounded as soon as the pair stepped into the classroom. Everyone quieted down and stared in Kyra’s direction. All eyes were on her. There were a few open seats, and the girl who had helped her to class occupied one in the rear. The teacher was taking attendance from a small brown book, and Kyra was intently watching her, awaiting instructions. From what Kyra could tell, the teacher looked to be about her height, young and with a thick figure. Her hair was a red, dusty color and was pulled into a bun with loose strands dangling at her temples. Her face was overrun with freckles, and her eyes were a vivid green. She wore a pair of thin-framed glasses and a white floral-print dress with flat-heeled crimson shoes.

  The teacher removed the glasses propped on her nose and let them hang on the chain around her neck. She seemed to be completely engrossed in notes she had written in one of the margins. She glanced up from her notebook for a moment to scan the room and then rose from her position propped against the desk. Seeing her new student brought a smile to her face.

  “Hello. You must be Kyra. Kyra Jones, right?” The woman and walked over to shake Kyra’s hand.

  “Yeah, that’s me,” Kyra managed to answer, despite being preoccupied with returning the stares of the class, which was silently evaluating her.

  “I apologize for keeping you waiting. I was just reading my notes on you. I was expecting you tomorrow, but I am glad you are here.” Her voice was probably velvety and smooth in private conversation Kyra thought, but was powerful when projected. “Class, this is our new student, Kyra Jones! Kyra, I know its clichéd and all, but would you mind telling us a little about yourself?”

  “Yes, I would.”

  “Oh, come on, don’t be shy.”

  Kyra hesitated for a moment before giving in to her teacher’s request.

  “Okay…umm….well, my name is Kyra. I’m sixteen. I’m from Chicago, umm…”

  She was trying to think of something else to say when her breathing stopped. She spotted Justin in a far corner of the room. She didn’t know how she hadn’t noticed him before, but there he was, and he was staring dead at her.

  “…and I moved here about three days ago,” she added hurriedly finishing her sentence.

  “See, that wasn’t so hard now, was it? It’s nice to get to know you a little better. How do you like the island so far?”

  “It’s okay.” Kyra knew she had to have offended some in the room, but if she rubbed them the wrong way, then so be it.

  “Class, get out your homework from the weekend while I fill Kyra in on a few things.” The teacher motioned to her new pupil and took her aside. “I’m sure you know that I’m Ms. Kingsley and I’m your teacher for this year. Here at the academy we have the same class all day and cover different subjects. It’s kind of like the elementary school system in the U.S. We cover mathematics, science, history, English and some Spanish. We will cover each subject for an hour every day, with an hour lunch break at noon. Your parents should have gotten all other information regarding school hours, breaks, et cetera, in the mail with your uniform. Oh, and about the uniform, you have to wear it every day. Don’t be fooled, Friday is not dress-down day. If you need another one, you can order it from a catalog.

  “But enough of me talking your ear off. Let me give you a seat so we can get going.” Ms. Kingsley peered up from the paper and surveyed the class several times before finally giving instructions.

  “Okay, Kyra, you will sit in the back row next to Angel Cartier and Justin Hartwell.” She pointed out what was to be Kyra’s assigned seat.

  “Hey, cutie.” Justin showed off his heart-melting smile as Kyra took her place in the back of the room.

  “Hi,” she managed to mumble as she dropped her bag on the floo
r. She kept her eyes straight ahead as she readied herself for the day’s lessons.

  While Ms. Kingsley delivered her lectures, first discussing science and then math, Kyra found herself daydreaming. Her mind wouldn’t settle down. She didn’t pay attention to the first two lectures of the day, leaving her lost when Ms. Kingsley handed out a stack of math worksheets. Kyra stared at the first paper as if it were written in Japanese. She didn’t comprehend a single problem on the sheet. She had been sure she would be more advanced than the others in the class, but instead, their studies were far more advanced than anything she had ever done. She was only a sophomore, and they were doing senior-level work.

  After about ten minutes, the teacher called for the papers to be passed forward. Kyra held on to hers and then slowly raised her hand to for assistance. Mrs. Kingsley walked to the back of the room where Kyra was sitting.

  “Ms. Kingsley…um, I never learned this stuff back in Chicago.” Her admission came in a whisper that no one else could hear.

  “Well, we can get you a tutor to help you catch up. Who in here is good at math?” Ms. Kingsley’s question to the class immediately blew Kyra’s cover. Most of the students who raised their hands were boys. One curly-haired boy in the front of the class with laughing dark brown eyes shielded by long eyelashes caught Kyra’s attention. It didn’t take long to figure out just from his looks that he was the class clown.

  “Richard, put your hand down. We all know you are not the brightest student when it comes to math. All you do is act a fool.”

  “Aww, come on, Ms. Kingsley, you know I’m smart. Well, at least that’s what you said last night.”

  “Boy, you couldn’t hang with me for five minutes. Who are you fooling?”

  Ms. Kingsley was still quite young and had some sass to her. She was genuinely kindhearted and wasn’t cold like most teachers. Kyra had already taken a liking to her.

  “Now, enough fooling around. Justin, you will be her tutor. You’re good at math and you sit close enough to her that you’ll be able to help out during class.” She nodded at Justin and walked back to her desk.

  Justin smiled at Kyra, who slid lower in her seat and folded her arms on her chest.

  After the history and English classes, the bell rang for lunch. Everyone in the class stood, stretching their legs before hurrying to the cafeteria or outside with friends.

  Kyra was left behind. She was picking up her bag from the floor when someone approached her.

  “Would you like to eat lunch with me?”

  Kyra looked up to see Angel, the girl who had helped her get to class. She wasn’t at all keen on accepting what she considered charity, but she didn’t like the idea of eating lunch alone. She was alone enough already.

  The girls ate in silence at a small round table under the shade of an umbrella. A basketball game between some boys served as their source of entertainment until Angel finally took the initiative.

  “So, you’re from Chicago, right?” Angel asked while wiping her hands with a napkin.

  “Yup, lived there my whole life.”

  “I just wanted to let you know that with you being new and all, if you need anyone to help you out or anything—”

  “Thanks.” Kyra cut her off before sipping her Coke. Even after being assigned a tutor and accepting Angel’s lunch invitation, she wanted to hold on to what little pride she felt she had left.

  “Rahh!” A boy with intricately designed braids ran up behind Angel, scaring her and making her jump. She turned around and playfully hit him in the arm and laughed. Kyra sensed their familiarity, which was confirmed when Angel give him a soft peck on the lips. He was one of the boys from the market the day she’d met Justin. He was Justin’s brother, Quentin.

  “Baby, you scared me half to death! Now stop playing around. I want you to meet my friend Kyra. She’s new. Kyra, this is my boyfriend, Quentin,” Angel said, introducing them.

  “Whaddup?” Quentin acknowledged her with a nod of his head.

  “Yeah, I saw you before. You’re Justin’s brother, right?”

  “Yeah, you’re that girl he was talking about,” Quentin said with a slight chuckle, which stopped when his girlfriend elbowed him in the side.

  Kyra was curious to know what Justin had said about her, but before the opportunity presented itself, the other boy from the market took a seat at their table. He was light skinned with thick lips. She had no doubt that it was Michael.

  “Ooowee! Who is this fine thing right here?” Michael licked his lips.

  “She’s that girl J was talkin’ about from the market,” Quentin informed him.

  “Oh,” Michael said, before his mind drifted off to other matters. “So what’s up, Q? You down for a game of ball?”

  “Nah, I’m not really in the mood. Where’s Justin at?”

  “Probably breakin’ Veronica off by the pond,” Michael joked. His comment made Kyra’s ears to perk up right away.

  So Justin has a girlfriend? Veronica. That name just sounds stuck-up. I wonder if she’s pretty. Hell, I know her ass ain’t prettier than me. She kept her thoughts to herself as she half listened to the conversation going on.

  “You know he dumped her sanfi ass a long time ago,” Quentin said with a laugh.

  “What the hell is a sanfi?” Kyra asked. She had never heard the term before in her life.

  “Sanfi is when you are dishonest, manipulative and will sweet-talk anybody. A gold digger, you know.” Angel was first to offer an explanation.

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah, she’s a newbie. She’s not up on that slang yet.”

  The voice originated from behind her. Kyra spun around and set eyes on Justin, who was without a smile. He greeted everyone except Kyra and took a seat next to Michael. His arrival changed the whole mood of the table.

  “I’m going to play some ball,” Michael announced. He stood up from the table and began to dribble the orange ball.

  “Baby, do you want to go back by the pond and relax?” Quentin asked. Angel nodded and said a quiet goodbye to Kyra as she walked off with her boyfriend, giving in to his loving tone. Everyone had practically run off to give Justin and Kyra some privacy.

  “So who’s Veronica?” Kyra blurted out as she ran her finger around the rim of her soda can.

  “She’s my ex. Why?”

  “Oh, I was just wonderin’.”

  “Yeah, okay, but now it’s my turn to ask you a question. Would I be wrong to assume that little Ms. Chicago didn’t think us island folk knew any slang or talked without an accent?” She was silent as he went on. “It’s all right. It’s a common misconception. It’s just that I could read your type from the day at the market.”

  “Please, you don’t know about my type.”

  “Oh, is that right?” He smiled at her spunk.

  “That’s what I said, ain’t it?”

  “Well, even though I would beg to differ, that’s not what’s important right now. I just want to know when you want me to tutor you?”

  “Psh, you’re not really tutorin’ me. I’ll ask Angel or somethin’. There’s no way you’re about to be up in my house…in my room. No, no and no.”

  “But Ms. Kingsley said so. Anyway, there are such things as libraries, you know? I mean, who said we had to do it at your house? I think you want me to do it at your house, don’t you?”

  “Say what? No! Ugh, yeah, right!” She was trying to hold back her smile. “I didn’t even know if you guys had a library around here. Remember, I’m new? And besides, where else would we go? Your little shack by the swamp?”

  “So I see you got jokes. Do you got a man, too?”

  “Oh, so now what? You wanna try and holla!” She let a laugh slip through.

  “No. I just want to ask him how he puts up with all that attitude of yours.”

  “Whateva.”

  “But naw, on the real, I’m just tryin’ to get to know you.” He took a seat closer to her.

  “Mmm, hmm, sure you are.”

&nb
sp; “You want to know what I think, Kyra?”

  “Not really, but I feel like you’re goin’ to say it anyway, so go ahead, Justin.”

  “I think that you want me to come to your house and that you want me to holla at you. You want me to come over to your house and tutor you on all kinds of stuff.” Justin moved in so close to Kyra’s face she could feel his breath on her lips as he spoke. The way he looked in her eyes, it was if he was trying to seduce her. It was working.

  “Ugh! Bye!”

  She threw away her garbage and headed for the school building. As she neared the school doors, her path was blocked. Kyra sized up each of the three girls in front of her.

  Kyra assumed the girl who stood front and center was the leader of the clique by her in-your-face stance. She was tall and thin but had a large bust. Her silky jet-black hair was long and curled at the tips. Her lips were thick and full, and her cheekbones, as well as the rest of her facial features, were well defined. She had long, curly eyelashes, and her jealous eyes were a pure shade of brown. The girl was beautiful, but Kyra would never admit that to anyone.

  “Who do you think you are?” the leader said in a voice loaded with attitude.

  “Excuse me? I dunno who you think you are, but you need to move up out my way and you need to do it now.” Kyra was quick to shoot back a similar attitude almost instinctively. She was never one to run from a confrontation.

  “Obviously you don’t know who we are. This is my friend Nicole,” she said, pointing to the mixed-looking girl, “and this is Bridgette.” She pointed to the girl with too much makeup. “And me, I’m Veronica,” she introduced herself, placing her hand on her chest.

  “Okay…so what’s your point?”

  “My point is that me and my girls run this school. So don’t think that you’re about to come down here regulating shit, because you’re not. You’re nothing but a newbie, and you need to keep in line, because if you step out you will get dealt with and it won’t be pretty.” Veronica bravely stepped into Kyra’s face as she made her threat. In truth, she was all talk and no action, but to protect her status and image she made sure to pretend otherwise. It worked on her other peers, but Kyra wasn’t having it.