Читать книгу Chemistry of Desire - Melanie Schuster - Страница 9

The hallway of the middle school was quiet, much quieter than it was during the normal school day. There were only a few students left taking part in after-school activities. Two girls were lingering outside the gym, eavesdropping for all they were worth. One was tall and rail thin, and the other was so short she could have been in elementary school. They were standing as still as possible and listening to every word being spoken in the gym, which wasn’t hard because the words echoed loudly in the corridor due to the poor soundproofing.

The first voice was the coach of the girls dance team, Mrs. Carter. “Emily, you need to find another after-school activity. You’re just not suited for dance.”

A second voice chimed in. This time it was the assistant coach, Mrs. Johnson. “You just don’t have the feminine grace to succeed in dance. You would do better in soccer or basketball, something like that.”

“I don’t understand,” Emily said, her voice clear but slightly shaky. “I can do all the dances and I don’t forget the steps. I know all of the moves we’re supposed to do, so why can’t I dance?”

“Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should,” Mrs. Carter said condescendingly. “I’m sure you thought you could do this because your older sisters were such lovely dancers, but this just isn’t for you.”

“But I can do it,” Emily protested. “I can show you.”

Mrs. Johnson cut in. “We’re not trying to hurt your feelings, but our decision is final. Get your things and get on home. Think about something else you’d like to participate in, because you’re not getting on the dance squad. You are so different from your sisters, it’s like night and day. They’re so petite and graceful, and you’re just not. Face it, dear—you’re just too big and clumsy-looking for this. Find another activity.”

The two girls looked at each other with anger and indignation. Emily was their best friend, and nobody had the right to be so mean to her. They heard the door to the locker room forced open as Emily went to get her things. They also heard the two women continue to talk to each other.

“I don’t know how that girl could be related to Attiya and Ayanna. They got all the beauty in that family, and that’s the truth,” said Mrs. Carter.

“They took after their mother,” Mrs. Johnson agreed. “That Emily looks like a big ol’ bear next to them. It’s a good thing she gets good grades, because she has nothing else going for her. It must be hard being the big ugly one in a pretty family.”

“Too bad for her,” Mrs. Carter agreed. “Turn off the lights and let’s get out of here.”

The two girls waited until the lights went out in the gym before running into the locker room to get their friend. The teachers left by the side entrance and didn’t even notice that Emily was still in the locker room. The girls got there just in time to see Emily wiping away angry tears.

“I’m not going out for the dance team,” she mumbled. “I’m not going out for anything. I’m going home.”

“Don’t listen to those old bats,” said the short one, who was named Alexis. “They’re just old and senile, and they don’t know what they’re talking about.”

The tall one, named Sherri, agreed. “You should tell your mother and get them suspended without pay, because they have no right to say those things to a student. It’s discriminatory.”

They were trying to make her feel better, but it didn’t really work. She’d been hearing the same kind of things from people since she was a little girl. Nothing she ever did was good enough, because she didn’t look like her sisters. It wasn’t her fault that she was tall and sturdy instead of little and gorgeous. So she was done trying to be like them. From now on she was going to be the smartest girl in the family, since she couldn’t be anything else. And she had something else to look forward to, according to Sherri.

“Don’t worry about it, because tomorrow I’ma put a worm in their desks. That’ll fix the old hags.”

Emily was surprised that she could laugh, but she did. They all laughed together as they left the building and started the long walk home.