What does it truly mean to be Black? At Timberlake High Zuri is constantly reminded from her peers and staff that her long dreadlocks and hazelnut skin is not welcomed nor appreciated. Timberlake High student population is ninety-one percent white...
"I never thought I would be walking into the gates of Hell," I ponder as I face the auditorium's doors. Mrs. Williams requested during my last period on a Remind group chat entitled "Black Stagehands/Assistants," to arrive at the auditions thirty minutes early.
Cue the eye roll....
Now, I'm contemplating on whether or not I want to face the Devil herself. Any audition for Mrs. William's production typically takes three hours. Do I really want to suffer through tonight? Too engrossed in my thoughts, I felt someone accidentally bump into me.
Turning around, I noticed two techies attempting to carry a table. An apologetic smile was sent to both of them.
"Well if it isn't my favorite brown-skinned sista!" Greeted one of the techies. His olive skin brought an exciting light to this hellhole. His almond eyes danced with joy causing my lips to stretch into a grin. His curls brushed his shoulders while it's volume complemented his sculpted face. His plump rosy lips plastered a sloppy grin, exposing his dimples and embracing his defined cheekbones.
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"Well if it isn't my favorite light-skinned brotha!" I greeted back. "Hey pretty boy!" Monty was one of the prettiest techies I've ever encountered at this school. I used to have a massive crush on him all through freshman and sophomore year. His looks would always send me into a trance at rehearsals. Well...actually every girl was hypnotized by his beauty in rehearsals. Typically, you're supposed to hate tech rehearsal, but I loved every second of it. Having those hazel eyes even look your way, was a blessing from God to me at the time.
That was before I noticed how tight his jeans hugged his skinny legs. They were so tight, that sometimes I would notice his boxers bunged up at the top of his pants. I know they were begging for air. Then the first time I encountered a conversation with him, I was thrown all the way off. Let's just say his voice did not match up to the expectations I had in my head. Instead of a sexy deep tone, I got a soft and soothing tone that was three octaves higher.
Then to top it off, I started to pay more attention to his body language and demeanor. They were just....very flamboyant. Don't get me wrong....there's nothing wrong with that. I convinced myself for years that maybe he just didn't have a male influence in his life. Although, too many things were just starting to add up, leading me to question his sexuality. I was too much of a chicken to ask him about it though. It just seemed rude. To this day I don't know Monty's sexuality and my crush for him had slowly started to diminish. Now, I see him as more of a friend anyway. He's one of the people who has kept me sane during Ms. Williams' chaotic rehearsals.
"You stayin' for auditions tonight?" Monty asks.
"Yeah, what are you doing for your audition?"
"Oh, Mrs. Williams has me doin' the soundboard. You know, for the music and stuff." He groans while rolling his eyes.
"Hey Zuri. It's nice to see you too. It's not like I'm hurt that you didn't acknowledge my presence yet or whatever." Interrupts a voice. I turned to see hurt sky blue eyes staring at me. His messy brunette hair looked like it's been raked through a few times. His thin crimson lips formed a frown. Although he lacked muscle, I was surprised to see him lifting the other end of the table."I'm sorry Luke! Hey." I greeted with an apologetic smile.
