black tights and a red top , she hit play on the radio and Boyz II Men’s hit song “On Bended Knee” blasted from the speakers.
Before moving, she observed her reflection, and the body she had grown to hate. Her jaw was too squared. Her eyes were too light and her butt had zero curves. In no way was she attractive or sexy for that matter, to hear her tell it. She was an ugly monster who should’ve stayed with Slack Jaw Morris, gotten married and lived a miserable life.
But when she closed her eyes and listened to the words of the song and thought about Rasim and what they shared last night, something compelling occurred. She stopped coming down so hard on herself and felt powerful. She felt elevated and her body swayed to the moving notes.
Snow’s eyes remained closed as she rocked back and forth. Her arms became wings and she was free to fly.
The music pushed into her chest. Into her heart and forced her to cry. She denied her art for far too long and she was consumed with guilt, which made the performance all the more special.
An older dancer once told her that the only sin greater than suicide was denying a God given talent and she would never allow that to happen again.
When the song was over she opened her eyes, looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled.
She was back and she had Rasim to thank.
****
The aroma of Pine Sol was powerful as Snow and Mute Candy cleaned the tables. Each person had one chore but Snow greedily requested two. As a result, she was in charge of decontaminating the cafeteria as well as the bathrooms. Using her hands prevented her mind from wandering so she appreciated the extra tasks.
To say she did a good job was an understatement. Snow got into her chores so well that one kid dropped his pizza on the bathroom floor on the cheese side. He wasn’t concerned. He just picked it up and ate it anyway. After all, Snow cleaned the fuck out of that floor.
Basically, she had two jobs at Strawberry Meadows, cleaning and caring for Rasim, and she did both with pride. Rasim’s side of the room was so immaculate that Southeast Brian and a few of his boys took to telling Ms. Brush Face that Snow was doing his chores in the hopes of stunting his groove. They were in for a surprise when each received a solid tongue lashing for smelling like weed and were thrown into a two-week suspension.
After Snow was sure the cafeteria and bathrooms were unblemished, she sat on the couch in the recreation room and pulled her legs to her body. It was her most comfortable position.
Since Rasim left Strawberry Meadows on a visit with his family, she was alone and bored. If she wasn’t with him, she was thinking about him and she liked it that way. It gave her something to look forward to because although he didn’t say he loved her, Rasim made it clear that he cared.
In her spare time, mostly on the days Rasim was not around, she danced. She danced so much that her ankles throbbed but it felt terrific.
In the mood for music, Snow turned the radio on just as Mute Candy walked inside.
Mute Candy was a cute girl with chocolate skin and long, fine, black hair that ran down her back. Some thought she was Indian but she was one hundred percent African American.
If it were true that Snow was Queen Awkward, then Mute Candy was the Princess. Born speechless, Mute Candy never said a mumbling word. Her mother, Diane Dallas, loved Candy as hard as any mother could and sometimes it showed. If only she could’ve kicked her crack habit, all would’ve been well in Candy’s world. Instead, throughout school she was picked on, abused and laughed at until recently.
One day a predator decided that since Mute Candy couldn’t talk she probably couldn’t defend herself either. He decided to push her into a pile of overgrown grass behind her high
Before moving, she observed her reflection, and the body she had grown to hate. Her jaw was too squared. Her eyes were too light and her butt had zero curves. In no way was she attractive or sexy for that matter, to hear her tell it. She was an ugly monster who should’ve stayed with Slack Jaw Morris, gotten married and lived a miserable life.
But when she closed her eyes and listened to the words of the song and thought about Rasim and what they shared last night, something compelling occurred. She stopped coming down so hard on herself and felt powerful. She felt elevated and her body swayed to the moving notes.
Snow’s eyes remained closed as she rocked back and forth. Her arms became wings and she was free to fly.
The music pushed into her chest. Into her heart and forced her to cry. She denied her art for far too long and she was consumed with guilt, which made the performance all the more special.
An older dancer once told her that the only sin greater than suicide was denying a God given talent and she would never allow that to happen again.
When the song was over she opened her eyes, looked at her reflection in the mirror and smiled.
She was back and she had Rasim to thank.
****
The aroma of Pine Sol was powerful as Snow and Mute Candy cleaned the tables. Each person had one chore but Snow greedily requested two. As a result, she was in charge of decontaminating the cafeteria as well as the bathrooms. Using her hands prevented her mind from wandering so she appreciated the extra tasks.
To say she did a good job was an understatement. Snow got into her chores so well that one kid dropped his pizza on the bathroom floor on the cheese side. He wasn’t concerned. He just picked it up and ate it anyway. After all, Snow cleaned the fuck out of that floor.
Basically, she had two jobs at Strawberry Meadows, cleaning and caring for Rasim, and she did both with pride. Rasim’s side of the room was so immaculate that Southeast Brian and a few of his boys took to telling Ms. Brush Face that Snow was doing his chores in the hopes of stunting his groove. They were in for a surprise when each received a solid tongue lashing for smelling like weed and were thrown into a two-week suspension.
After Snow was sure the cafeteria and bathrooms were unblemished, she sat on the couch in the recreation room and pulled her legs to her body. It was her most comfortable position.
Since Rasim left Strawberry Meadows on a visit with his family, she was alone and bored. If she wasn’t with him, she was thinking about him and she liked it that way. It gave her something to look forward to because although he didn’t say he loved her, Rasim made it clear that he cared.
In her spare time, mostly on the days Rasim was not around, she danced. She danced so much that her ankles throbbed but it felt terrific.
In the mood for music, Snow turned the radio on just as Mute Candy walked inside.
Mute Candy was a cute girl with chocolate skin and long, fine, black hair that ran down her back. Some thought she was Indian but she was one hundred percent African American.
If it were true that Snow was Queen Awkward, then Mute Candy was the Princess. Born speechless, Mute Candy never said a mumbling word. Her mother, Diane Dallas, loved Candy as hard as any mother could and sometimes it showed. If only she could’ve kicked her crack habit, all would’ve been well in Candy’s world. Instead, throughout school she was picked on, abused and laughed at until recently.
One day a predator decided that since Mute Candy couldn’t talk she probably couldn’t defend herself either. He decided to push her into a pile of overgrown grass behind her high
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