didnât notice Pearl until one of her cronies nudged her and nodded in Pearlâs direction. Kate gave her a dirty look and then went back to her card game.
âBitch,â Pearl mumbled, and gave Kate her back.
A few minutes into the period they were joined by their fourth member. Sheila was dark-skinned, with short hair, thick lips, and a button nose. She wasnât an ugly girl, but hardly anything to write home about, especially when measured against Pearl. Whereas Pearl was naturally beautiful, Sheila needed a bit of help from time to time, which is why her gear was always on point and she had damn near professional skills at applying makeup. What Sheila lacked in looks she more than made up for in body. She was only slightly older than the other girls but already had the body of a woman in the full bloom of her life.
Like Ruby, Sheila was also the child of immigrant parents who had had to pull themselves up by their bootstraps to provide a better life for their family. They had come to the United States from Haiti, her father finding work as a janitor, her mother as a schoolteacher. They pumped every dime they made into providing their children with top-flight educations. Sheila was the oldest, so they were harder on her than her siblings. They heaped an almost unfair amount of pressure on her to excel in school and set what they thought was a proper example for her brothers and sister, but it had an adverse effect. Sheila coped with the strain of being the reluctant savior of her family by embracing her inner alcoholic. All the girls in the clique enjoyed an occasional sip to get a good buzz, but Sheila drank to get drunk. It wasnât unusual to smell the faintest hints of vodka coming out of her pores in the middle of a school day.
âWhy are those hos looking over here like they got problems or something?â Sheila asked once she was seated. Kate and her friends still were staring at Pearl and her crew, whispering and snickering.
Marisa sucked her teeth. âThem chicks is soft with a capital T .â
âDonât pay them no mind.â Pearl waved them off. âNow that weâve got a fourth, we can get a proper game of spades going. Ruby, did you bring the cards?â
âYou know I did.â Ruby pulled out a fresh pack of Bicycle cards. She handed the cards to Pearl, who began to shuffle them. They were halfway into the second hand when Pearl felt someone lingering behind her. She peered over her shoulder to see Kate and a girl she only knew by face and not name hovering over her.
âIâve got next,â Kate said. It was more of a statement than a request.
âSorry, private game.â Pearl turned her attention back to the card game.
âHow you gonna have a private game in a public cafeteria?â Kate challenged.
âWhat I think she meant is, no, you canât play,â Ruby capped sarcastically.
âI wasnât talking to you, Oreo,â Kate snapped. âLike I saidââshe turned back to PearlââI got next.â
âPwoblèm?â Sheila asked, reverting to her native tongue. She had worked for many years to drop her accent, but it tended to peek out when she was upset or drunk. Judging by the glassy look in her eyes, she was probably a bit of both.
âThis is America, where we speak English.â Kateâs friend gave Sheila a disapproving look. She was a short, fat white girl who wore her hair in a bob.
âWell, this is the North Cafeteria, where we whip bitches out for popping shit,â Marisa chimed in.
âWhat, am I supposed to be afraid of you because they say you cut a girlâs face in your last school?â The girl puffed up.
âNo,â Sheila answered for her. She rose to her feet, cracking her knuckles. âYou should be afraid of her because she has a best friend who will gladly smash you the fuck out if you keep wolfinâ.â All the girls were capable of defending
âBitch,â Pearl mumbled, and gave Kate her back.
A few minutes into the period they were joined by their fourth member. Sheila was dark-skinned, with short hair, thick lips, and a button nose. She wasnât an ugly girl, but hardly anything to write home about, especially when measured against Pearl. Whereas Pearl was naturally beautiful, Sheila needed a bit of help from time to time, which is why her gear was always on point and she had damn near professional skills at applying makeup. What Sheila lacked in looks she more than made up for in body. She was only slightly older than the other girls but already had the body of a woman in the full bloom of her life.
Like Ruby, Sheila was also the child of immigrant parents who had had to pull themselves up by their bootstraps to provide a better life for their family. They had come to the United States from Haiti, her father finding work as a janitor, her mother as a schoolteacher. They pumped every dime they made into providing their children with top-flight educations. Sheila was the oldest, so they were harder on her than her siblings. They heaped an almost unfair amount of pressure on her to excel in school and set what they thought was a proper example for her brothers and sister, but it had an adverse effect. Sheila coped with the strain of being the reluctant savior of her family by embracing her inner alcoholic. All the girls in the clique enjoyed an occasional sip to get a good buzz, but Sheila drank to get drunk. It wasnât unusual to smell the faintest hints of vodka coming out of her pores in the middle of a school day.
âWhy are those hos looking over here like they got problems or something?â Sheila asked once she was seated. Kate and her friends still were staring at Pearl and her crew, whispering and snickering.
Marisa sucked her teeth. âThem chicks is soft with a capital T .â
âDonât pay them no mind.â Pearl waved them off. âNow that weâve got a fourth, we can get a proper game of spades going. Ruby, did you bring the cards?â
âYou know I did.â Ruby pulled out a fresh pack of Bicycle cards. She handed the cards to Pearl, who began to shuffle them. They were halfway into the second hand when Pearl felt someone lingering behind her. She peered over her shoulder to see Kate and a girl she only knew by face and not name hovering over her.
âIâve got next,â Kate said. It was more of a statement than a request.
âSorry, private game.â Pearl turned her attention back to the card game.
âHow you gonna have a private game in a public cafeteria?â Kate challenged.
âWhat I think she meant is, no, you canât play,â Ruby capped sarcastically.
âI wasnât talking to you, Oreo,â Kate snapped. âLike I saidââshe turned back to PearlââI got next.â
âPwoblèm?â Sheila asked, reverting to her native tongue. She had worked for many years to drop her accent, but it tended to peek out when she was upset or drunk. Judging by the glassy look in her eyes, she was probably a bit of both.
âThis is America, where we speak English.â Kateâs friend gave Sheila a disapproving look. She was a short, fat white girl who wore her hair in a bob.
âWell, this is the North Cafeteria, where we whip bitches out for popping shit,â Marisa chimed in.
âWhat, am I supposed to be afraid of you because they say you cut a girlâs face in your last school?â The girl puffed up.
âNo,â Sheila answered for her. She rose to her feet, cracking her knuckles. âYou should be afraid of her because she has a best friend who will gladly smash you the fuck out if you keep wolfinâ.â All the girls were capable of defending
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