A Queer Kid In A Small Town
Oxygen fled my lungs as the back of my head bounced off the cold bathroom wall. The blinding white lights merged with the tile until I couldn’t separate the two. I’ll never forget the menacing smile spread across her face as my lungs burned. Tears welled in my eyes, but I fought them back with whatever I had left.
Will I die in this bathroom? Just when I was convinced this was the end of the road for me, her hands fell from my throat. My knees crashed to the tile as I gulped up as much air as I could. My nosed burned from the smell of cleaning products. “She’s my best friend. Not yours!” She spat before leaving the girls’ bathroom.
Using the wall as a crutch, I pulled myself up. So school really was just like the movies? I tidied myself up as best as I could before walking out. I grabbed a spot on the floor of the hallway and crawled inside myself. Snack time wasn’t over yet.
That girl she was willing to choke me to death over just happened to be the most popular girl in Third Grade. Nakia moved into our class the previous year and swore she was from Hollywood, California. None of the girls believed her, and the boys were too busy drooling over her to care where she came from.
I stayed away from her for the most part, too busy trying to fit in with the boys. One day she plopped down next to me during snack time. She…
