I want to see how this chapter goes before I continue with this story.
Enjoyyyyy :P
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•Toni•
I watched as the blue jay landed on the picnic table in front of me, eating the bread crumbs I'd laid out for it. I admired the way it's feathers would ruffle and stick up, just to settle back down neatly. Its feathers were so vibrant and soft looking it was beautiful. I reached out to touch it but it flew away quickly before I got the chance.
I watched as it let the wind carry its wings, gliding through the air so effortlessly. I wish I could be a blue jay. I know that God doesn't make mistakes but somehow I feel like I was the one exception, like I had slipped through the cracks some way. I would much rather be a bird or a fish, hell I'd even settle for a cat. Anything other than a shy, goofy looking seventeen year old who wore binocular sized glasses and had a mouth full of metal. Mama says, I shouldn't fuss too much about my appearance but it's easy for her to say, considering she's been beautiful her entire life. I felt a nudge to my shoulder that brought me out of my thoughts,
"Toni." Jackie furrowed his eyebrows and pressed his lips in a thin line knowing I wasn't listening.
"Huh?" I hadn't even heard a word he said.
"hUh?" He mimicked me dramatically, squinting his eyes and sticking his tongue out slightly.
"I asked if you were still coming over after school today so we can finish that project."
"Oh yeah, but is it alright if I come a little later? I have choir practice today and you know how my mama gets." I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose. Jackie smiled from ear to ear and took the other half of my pb&j sand which.
"Alright sounds like a plan and don't worry bout it boog, just as long as you come." I frowned at the nickname and watched as he ate while talking with his mouth full. Boys are so disgusting. And as for the nickname 'boog', I hated it. It started back in the third grade when Sean Baxter who sat next to me, dug his nose and flicked his booger landing it on my face making me cry. I've had a phobia of boogers ever since and Jackie thought it was the funniest thing in the world. He calls me 'boog' as an inside joke which is short for booger, and to this day he won't ever let me forget that traumatizing memory. I shuttered thinking about it almost gagging.
Jackie and I have been best friends since kindergarten, most people always found it odd that we were so close since we were complete opposites. Jackie was a football star, and the towns popular golden boy, while I was the quiet nerdy girl who barely spoke a word to anyone accept Jackie. Girls were always trying to suck up to me in order to get close to him, but I could always spot the fake ones a mile away. They even went as far as starting a rumor in seventh grade that I was secretly in love with him and that's why I never liked any of them. That was the farthest thing from the truth I mean sure, Jackie was handsome anyone with a brain could figure that out. He was tall and lean, with a bright smile and beautiful bronzed skin, not to mention he was kind and smart. But he was more like a brother to me than anything else. Just thinking of being something more made me want to crawl out of my own skin.
The bell rang signaling the end of our lunch period and we made our way back inside. Jackie walked me to my class like he always did before leaving to go to his own. He moved a little slower now since he sprained his ankle at practice and was now on crutches.
The rest of the school day was a drag, the only thing I was looking forward to was choir practice. My father was the pastor of our church and my mother the First Lady, was also the choir director. Mama has made my sisters and I sing in the choir since we could properly form words. Most of my sisters hated it, but I didn't really mind it all that much as long as they put me in the back row where nobody could see me.
I waited by the bleachers for almost twenty minutes after school for my sister Traci and I was getting annoyed at this point. Finally I saw her walking my way, holding hands with some boy I recognized from one of my classes. He kissed her cheek and left as she made her way to me, my arms were folded and I know she could see how irritated I was.
"Ton I'm sorry, me and kev we're talking I lost track of-" I held my hand up stopping her,
"Save it, now let's go and get the little ones and hurry up to practice before mama has a fit." We made our way to the middle school and then the elementary for the rest of my sisters before heading to the church building. I honestly didn't care if my sister had a boyfriend or whatever he is to her, as long as she's safe and happy it was really none of my business.
Practice was long and tedious, mama kept stopping us because someone couldn't get their note right and she ended up making every single person sing by themselves until she found the culprit. Of course it was Angela, she swore up and down she could sing circles around us all, but she couldn't even hold a
B-flat to save her life. She never liked me and insisted on picking on me for no reason at all except that I was Jackie's best friend and she was in love with him like every other girl at Oakwood High.
"Alright for the last song we're going to do 'His eye is on the sparrow' and Toni you're taking the lead." Everyone went silent and turned to face me in the back row. I didn't think I heard her correctly at first until I saw everyone's face. I was shocked when I looked at mama to see that she was being completely serious. I had never sung a solo before and I don't know what exactly made mama choose today out of all days to make me do this.
"Mama, maybe Towanda or Traci would be a better fit for that song." I tried to convince her but she only shook her head,
"But I want you to sing it." I knew better than to argue with her so I just shut my mouth. She agreed to let me practice at home on my own instead of doing it in front of everyone today and I was at least glad for that.
After practice was finished I helped clean up and made sure to check with mama first before making my way to Jackie's house. Our town was small and everything was so close together it never really took long to walk anywhere, the walk from church to the Jacksons house was maybe ten minutes tops.
I made it to the house and knocked twice before opening the door and walking in. Ive been here so many times over the years that I never really bothered to wait outside anymore, this was like my second home and the Jacksons were like my second family.
I heard commotion in the living room and I walked in to see all of Jackie's brothers watching the game, yelling at the tv like they could hear them. I giggled and Michael turned around and smiled at me,
"Oh hey T. Jackie's in the shower, you wanna watch the game while you wait?" I shrugged my shoulders and he made room for me next to him on the sofa. Michael was always really nice to me whenever I came over, even though I barely spoke a word to him he somehow understood me. I didn't really understand football that much, all I knew was that it looked painful. A few moments later and Jackie walked down the steps,
"Hey boog, you wanna get started?" I nodded my head and got up following him up to his bedroom. He opened the door and the smell of sandalwood and axe body spray filled my senses. I plopped down on his bean bag chair in the corner and adjusted my glasses. We spent the next two hours putting the finishing touches on our history project. We chose to create an informational poster about the most influential Black female activists over the span of 200 years. I of course chose the topic and did most of the work, not because Jackie wasn't capable but because I was kind of a perfectionist. I looked over at him gluing Harriet Tubman's picture next to Rosa Parks,
