This Side of Home by Renée Watson

school. You ready?”
    I’ve been ready since freshman year. “Yes,” I tell him. “I really want student council to do something that matters this year, not just plan dances.”
    â€œGood, very good.”
    We say our good-byes, and Principal Green tries to tell Nikki and me apart. He gets it wrong.
    Nikki laughs. “That’s Maya. The one with the twists.”
    Principal Green looks at our hair. “Got it. You’re Nikki, you wear your hair straight. You’re Maya, you wear twists.”
    â€œRight,” we tell him.
    â€œI’ll get it, I promise.”
    Nikki says, “You will. Once you get to know us, you’ll see how different we are.”
    We follow the crowd to the auditorium. Essence spots Malachi, who is sitting in the middle of the fifth row. “Let’s sit there.”
    I search the crowd, trying to find Devin and Ronnie so they can come sit with us. But instead of finding them, my eyes land on Tony. He’s sitting two rows behind me, next to a girl who is stomping and chanting, “Sen-ior Pow-er! Sen-ior Pow-er!” The rest of the senior class joins in, and soon the juniors, sophomores, and freshmen are all chanting for their class.
    Principal Green comes onstage and takes the microphone off the stand. He shouts, “Are the Richmond Warriors in the house?”
    We all cheer and applaud.
    â€œAll right, all right. Let’s settle down.” He waits until the auditorium is silent. “First off, I’d like to welcome you back to school. I am honored to be your new principal. I truly believe this is going to be a great year. We are going to prove to ourselves and to this community that the Richmond Warriors value learning and are committed to excellence.”
    We all clap.
    He continues, “That means showing up not just for games and dances but for classes and tutoring sessions.”
    There are not as many cheers when he says this.
    â€œIn order to do this, we have to take care of each other. If one of us fails, we all fail. We are only as strong as our weakest link,” Principal Green says. “And we can do it! We are in this together, Richmond. Each one of you needs the person beside you in order for this school to be everything it can be. Now I want you to try something with me.” He clears his throat and says, “We’re going to do a call-and-response chant. When I say, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ you’re going to shout back, ‘Yes, I am!’ Okay?” Principal Green is definitely more excited about this than we are. He puts the microphone close to his mouth and yells, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” He points the mic to the audience.
    A few of us respond. “Yes, I am.”
    â€œAm I my brother’s keeper?”
    â€œYes, I am.”
    â€œCome on, Richmond,” he says. “You can do better than that.”
    â€œAm I my brother’s keeper?”
    â€œYes, I am!”
    â€œThat’s right, that’s right! Now remember, when you see one of your peers making a bad decision, encourage them to do the right thing. We all need each other.”
    Principal Green gets serious when he says, “Now,seniors, I especially want you to think about this. This is your last year. What will your legacy be?”
    I look around the auditorium. Some of us are asleep, some are whispering, others have headphones in their ears. Essence has her cell phone out. She quickly types a message and slips her phone back in her pocket.
    Principal Green makes a few general announcements about the new lunch schedule and introduces new staff. Then he says, “Now, I want my juniors and seniors to listen closely,” and he reminds us about registering for the SAT. “Before I let you go, I want you to look at the person to your left and look at the person to your right.”
    There’s laughing and talking.
    â€œSeriously, seriously. Take a good look. A