September 1, 2005

The bus ride was silent. Quiet putters were heard as the bus drove over a bumpy road. Nobody made one peep, except for the driver who was making a few bored grunts. Looking out, I saw the rolling hills and little communities.

My stop was the first, which meant that all the seats were empty. As the bus entered the small village, it came to an abrupt halt. I caught a glimpse of the person who we stopped in front of.

Their skin was a mesmerizing shade of midnight black. And her charcoal-colour hair was in multiple braids, tied back into a ponytail. The wind picked up on her navy blue hoodie as she stepped into the bus.

She trudged to the back of the bus, clearly unhappy. Well, come to think of it, who would be happy on the first day of school? Although I was slightly ecstatic to return to the "fresh" new books and note-taking, I was not so happy to be noticed by the homophobic public. It was never exciting to be assumed of gender or to be questioned sexuality. But nevertheless, I am confident in myself for getting through this last year of High school.