Athena Sanders is deaf and new to McFarland, where not many understand ASL. It doesn't help that she has vitiligo, a skin condition that causes her usually dark skin have white patches. She's been judged her entire life because of it. Athena doesn't...
I ran home after work and got there quicker than usual. I started unbraiding my hair as soon as I stepped into the house. I pulled out all the braiding hair that I had and took a shower, washing my hair. I didn't wash my hair with shampoo and condition that often, even though I did take showers every day.
Once I got out, I dried out my hair with a hairdryer and got a package of braiding hair. I started braiding my hair my hair in the living room. I had a good view of the front door so I could see when Josephina got here. By myself, I could braid my hair in two or three hours. With some else, it took about an hour and a half to two hours.
I had almost gotten one side of my head done by the time Josephina showed up. I let her in and after showing her how to braid hair, she started helping. We were done in no time and I thanked Josephina.
We went into my room and Josephina helped me choose an outfit. According to her, Victor was going to be coming over for a bit and then walking us to the party.
I chose a white crop top, black pants with rips in them, and a red flannel. I tied the flannel around my waist and Josephina grabbed a pair of black heels out of my closet.
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After that, I sat in front of my mirror and put my hair up into a bun. It matched very well with my outfit. I saw one of my bandanas but I decided not to wear it. Victor warned me not to because of the gang presence around McFarland.
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With that, I was ready for the party. Josephina touched up her makeup a little bit and she didn't need to change. She had already gotten ready. She complimented my outfit as we went out into the living room. I was excited to go because this was the first party I had been to, even though I had been in McFarland for about a year.
Victor arrived, looking handsome. When he saw my hair, he gasped and grabbed my face and grinned, staring at my new braids. I laughed and grabbed his wrists, smiling at him.
Victor pulled away. "I love your braids, Athena! They're beautiful."
My grin got wider. "Thanks, Victor. I did them today with the help of Josephina."
Victor offered out his hand. "Ready to go?"
I nodded, taking his hand. We left and headed toward the party. The sun was still out and shining bright, though it was getting closer to the horizon.
