Soar Chaser

The bell blared a second time and Odette watched as her peers filed in late. The teacher didn’t care because she was eager to have her morning smoke. Odette sat and observed everyone at work in an attempt to inspire her. She didn’t like being mean about anyone’s creative efforts but the work that was being produced here was at such a low level that she felt restrained. Odette considered doing a masterful charcoal drawing or maybe an exquisite oil painting but the idea of all these art students burning holes through her head with jealous was not worth it.

She sat and sketched still life and pondered Sonny’s nickname for her. She knew that it was a result of brain vomit; instinctive thought but the first thought he had about her was negative and that irritated her to no end. Odette had tried to make friends on the first day and by the end of the first month she had settled for trying to find one person who could stand being in her company. It seemed that as soon as she opened her mouth people immediately tuned out. Odette figured it had something to do with her comments toward their cotton candy conversations about superficial trivialities.

She decided that she was ok with sitting alone in every lesson, all the time everyday because she enjoyed her own company. Her peers played their music allowed and Odette immediately plugged in her earphones to avoid the ear rape that was Crystal Castles. The plastic fruit had generic contours and Odette crumpled up the paper and threw away the insult to her skill. People inspired her; old people, poor people, fat people, the real under dogs of society struck a nerve with her. She hated the picture perfect place she was in. Everyone at this school was the average person, with an average family in this average little suburb.

Odette’s art class consisted of only girls and all of them rushed to the window that allowed them to see into the hallway. They gushed and gawked at someone walking by. Odette didn’t want to hear about their shameful lusting instead she observed them like animals in a zoo. Some jumped, others giggled and others fanned themselves of like it was the middle of summer even though the winter chill crept underneath the door. Odette concluded that some attractive boy must have walked past. The lesson had been a waste of her time and if the teacher could leave to go smoke she figured she could leave and go to the library and be productive.

There was still fifteen minutes left of the lesson and Odette blatantly walked out of class. With her earphones still plugged into her ears she couldn’t hear a thing. She tried to pull out her Jane Austen book so she could read ahead before English. The next thing she knew she had walked into someone and no thanks to the person’s clumsiness they both tumbled to the ground.

“Ow! Watch where you’re going!” Odette complained and quickly got to her feet. When she had collected herself she saw that she had bumped into Tyson but he was dressed in a horrible, red unitard that was so tight on him that it looked uncomfortable. If it were anyone else Odette would’ve stormed off but seeing as Tyson was the only person in this school that knew her name she decided to extend a hand and help him up.

“I’m so so so sorry, I didn’t see you.” Tyson turned a pink shade in embarrassment.

“Calm yourself Sonny.” Odette smiled at his bashfulness. Once he stood up Odette could see the magnitude of the horrible red number he had on. It was so skin tight that he appeared to be a naked red alien. Odette avoided looking at certain areas to conserve his pride but Tyson’s state of being exposed caught her interest; not in a sexual way though. Tyson was athletically built and perfectly in proportion; his body was every girl’s dream but there was a disconnect between his well defined body and his insecure, boyish face. Almost like he didn’t how attractive he was.

“I like your body.” Odette said and pulled at his arm; inspecting him like she was going to buy him as a slave.

“What?” Tyson looked stunned by her statement. Odette smiled because his response was exactly what she had expected.

“Do you know what would be an ace right now?” Tyson was just as slow as he was at the locker and Odette didn’t have much patience; her budding inspiration wanted instantaneous gratification, “If you could promise to be my model for my art project.” He still had a vacant expression on his face, “Blink once for yes and twice for yes.” Tyson didn’t blink at all, “It’s a joke, Sonny, you can say no if don’t want to be my muse.”

“No . . .” He stuttered, “I want to. . .do it with you- I mean for you.” Odette couldn’t help but laugh at him.

“Good, I’m glad you’re so excited. So do you want to walk to the park with me in your gorgeous red number after school?”

“Park? How about some place private like your house?” Tyson suggested and looked around the hallway like he was hoping no one but her would see him look so exposed.

“Mhmmm, I can see you’re itching to go change so go. We’ll talk about the logistics at break.” Odette said over her shoulder as she walked to the library. She didn’t turn around but she knew that the delayed Tyson still stood there processing their encounter. She walked into the library and smiled to herself when she imagined the pathetic fangirl reaction the girls in her art class would have when they saw her drawing.

“What about Odette?” Nora sat with her group of friends and intentionally spoke loud, “Odette! Come here.” Odette usually didn’t allow people to beckon her but she obeyed and walked over to her table because she saw Tyson talking to Nora and assumed that she was decent and hopefully a future aquintance.

“Hi.” Odette would’ve greeted all of them by name but she didn’t know any of them.

“Ok so we’re doing this little experiment to see if we can read people. Kira said that you’re naturally a skinny girl but I know better. You must have some kind of eating disorder or malnourishment since you come from Africa. So we just called you over to set the record straight.”

Odette stood astonished by the ignorance and cruel arrogance of Nora. Nora’s friends couldn’t bring themselves to look Odette in the eye but Nora stared right at her; showing no remorse whatsoever.  Usually Odette would have spat a snarky comment at anyone as rude as Nora but her assumption that all skinny Africans were dying of malnutrition was a slap in the face. The unexpected slight jumped over her protective wall and Odette was scared that she might cry in front of these stupid girls. To avoid any such thing happening she swiftly walked out of the library and sought refuge in a bathroom stall.

Odette sobbed in the toilet stall and soon felt nauseous from the weakness she shamelessly portrayed in front of those catty girls. She scolded herself and eventually got it together but before she could open the door she hear to boys walk in. Odette cringed at her stupid mistake of running into the wrong bathroom.

The sound of synchronized urination was the only sound that Odette could hear before one of the boys spoke, “Dude, did you see how hot Nora looked in that red thing that she wore for drama?”

“I swear I jizzed a little. Ugh, but I was weirded out by that queer who was performing with her.”

“Shut up! Now I’m remembering how homo he looked in those tights.” The two boys chortled and Odette hoped that they would hurry up so she wouldn’t have to endure anymore of their idiotic conversation. There was a long pause and Odette thought they had gone but one of the boys spoke again, “Hey, do you know who else would have looked bang-able in that red number?”

“Who?”

“That new kid, that African girl with the stupid name . . .Odele.”

“Nah, I’m not into that ebony f**k.”

At that remark Odette felt nauseous again but this time her sick feeling compelled her to confront the two idiots who spoke so ill of her. Odette unlocked the door walked over to the bathroom basins and washed her hands as if nothing was wrong at all. In the mirror she rearranged a few dreadlocks that looked out of place. All the while the two boys stared at her.

“I’m quite certain that my name is Odette and I’m very certain that you owe me an apology for your disrespectful comment.” Odette approached the boys, unsure of which one was the one that insulted her so severely, so she stared at both. Eventually one of them became intimidated by her stare and looked away but the other’s eyes didn’t waver, “Calling me an ‘Ebony F**k’ is not ok by me.”

The boy suppressed a chuckle, “I don’t give a f**k what you think is ok or not.” The boy zipped his pants and pinched one of her cheeks, “In case you couldn’t read the sign on the door; it doesn’t say ‘illiterate Africans’. So you’re gonna have to leave.”

“Don’t touch me.” Odette said with a calm fierceness.

“Or what?” The arrogant boy touched her shoulder, “Touch.” Then her hip, “Touch.” Then he reached out to touch the place between her legs but she smacked his hand away and sent her clenched fist to his cheek bone.

“Touch.” Odette mocked him.

“B***h!” The boy cussed and touched his face.

“I want you to apologize to me,” the boy rushed to the mirror to inspect his face, “NOW!” Odette was annoyed by his vanity. She pulled him by his collar and demanded an apology once more. The boy looked at her with an expression full of animosity and unexpectantly spat in her face. Odette reacted within a split second and punched his jaw. He stumbled backward and fell. The boy and his friend wore identical expressions; awe. Odette jumped on top of him and riddled his body and face with her deceivingly small fists which inflicted serious pain. Odette enjoyed the expression on his face; shocked that an ‘ebony f**k’ could beat him up.