A/N: Hey everyone. Since the Evolution fic is coming to a close, I decided to post this quick one shot. This was originally a character sketch I created before writing "The Sweetest Taboo" to give me a feel for Kyra's character. This incident has been referenced in both of my previous fics as the root of Kyra's take-no-shit attitude. Takes place in Oakland and Kyra is 14 years old.
Disclaimer: I have no rights to the Neeta character.
Kyra James slinked quietly through the hall of McClymonds High School. She was surprised at how easy her day had been. All summer she'd heard the rumors about how McClymonds was rough and she'd gone through her first day on edge, waiting to hear a foul word slurred in her direction, or to be pushed or tripped as she walked to class. She'd wondered as she dressed for school that morning if she'd be a target or go unnoticed. At 5'3", 115 pounds she was slim and unassuming. She was cute, but not one of the more popular girls in the neighborhood, so she didn't receive a lot of attention. Add to that the fact that she kept to herself and came alive only in math class, and you had the perfect recipe for either a quiet, solitary existence at McClymonds, or a battle to gain and keep the respect of her peers. As she rounded the corner of the hallway to enter her final class of the day, she was at ease. Once she knocked out this English course, she could head home and report that her first day had been a successful one.
Her attention span drifted into and out of Mrs. Washington's explanation of the syllabus, until the sound of her name pierced through her thoughts. "Kyra James? Can you read the final paragraph of the syllabus please?" Kyra sighed, quickly finding her place on the sheet in front of her and reading the absence and late assignment policy out loud. As she read, she could hear snickers from a few seats behind her. A red flag went up in her mind. Here we go…she thought. She wanted to find the face of the guilty party in case she'd need to look out for her later, but she didn't want to appear concerned if the girl was just a smartass. Kyra kept her face forward until she could get a better read on the situation.
"Excuse me, Miss…Morgan," Mrs. Washington directed to the back of the classroom, but before she could reprimand the girl, a security guard appeared at the door, asking the teacher to step into the hallway briefly.
Kyra leaned back in her seat and cracked open the English book in front of her. She couldn't show nerves by fidgeting, and as far as she knew there was no real problem yet. A high pitched voice continued to chuckle behind her. "Ay. Why you talk like that?" she cracked out between giggles.
So much for a peaceful day, Kyra thought as turned to face the offender. She quickly sized her up. They were about the same size, though the girl had a slight height advantage over her. She recognized her from around the neighborhood as Shanice. "Like what?" Kyra finally answered.
"Like a stuck up little white bitch. Don't nobody from Oakland talk like that," Shanice replied, continuing to laugh.
Bitch. She just called me a bitch. Kyra's blood boiled beneath her medium brown skin. "You can't let nobody disrespect you," Kyra heard the advice she'd received from her Aunt Neeta on the drive to school that morning. "They're gonna try you because you're quiet and if you let somebody get over on you too early, they're gonna keep doin' it for the next four years. Don't let them talk to you crazy and if one of those lil heffas comes at you the wrong way, beat the brakes off her ass." Kyra's eyes turned to narrow slits as she spit out "Better that than sounding like an ignorant bitch. What? They didn't teach subject-verb agreement at your middle school?"
Laughter erupted from a few corners of the room as Mrs. Washington returned to the classroom. Sensing tension, her eyes went from Kyra to Shanice. "Everything okay in here?" she asked the girls.
Kyra turned forward and settled comfortably in her seat. She heard Shanice shuffle similarly behind her. "No problem," Shanice said. Kyra heard the calm in her voice and knew that things were everything but okay. When the bell rang, she moved slowly, waiting to see if Shanice would attack in the classroom or wait until they hit the hallway. She didn't see Shanice walk by, so Kyra gathered her things, clutching pale knuckles around the thick English book, and exited the classroom. She counted her steps as she walked. Counting always kept her calm. One. Two. Three. Four.As her heel rose from the fourth step, she felt a hard push from behind and stumbled forward. Heat exploded through the top of her head as she pivoted on her right heel, and slammed her English book into side of Shanice's face.
The move had caught Shanice off guard and Kyra used the advantage to push her onto the hallway floor and pounced on top of her. Her fists flew, landing four solid punches to Shanice's face before she felt a hard tug on her arms and was pulled away, her feet flinging and kicking as she was dragged across the floor. "Alright Iron Mike, that's enough" she heard a male voice say as he pulled her to her feet, "to the principal's office you go."
Kyra knew what was coming as soon as she walked into her mother's hair salon after school. As the door closed behind her, her mother's angry glare was the first thing she saw. "You," she pointed at Kyra, "In the back. Now." Kyra sighed as she made her way to her mother's office in the back of the shop. On the way, she walked by Neeta's station and caught her eye. Her brows were raised, a question on her face: You kick her ass? Kyra met her gaze with a subtle nod and a smirk. Neeta smiled and nodded before going back to pressing her client's hair and Kyra knew. She'd done good.