Ankiza by Gloria Velásquez

Author:Gloria Velásquez
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arte Público Press
Published: 2000-02-02T05:00:00+00:00

Twelve

Ankiza

When the school bus picks us up on Monday morning, Maya mentions that her mom has a new boyfriend, a high school teacher and that he’s Anglo-American. I can tell by Maya’s indignant attitude that she doesn’t like him, but I don’t say anything. Instead, I listen quietly while she complains about him.

After a few minutes, Maya pauses to ask, “What’s bugging you today, Ankiza? You’re never this quiet.”

Acting as if nothing is wrong, I shrug my shoulders, but Maya keeps on pestering me until I find myself talking about the fight at the club house. I tell her about Mark’s startled look when Hunter punched him. I don’t know why Hunter let Mark get to him. Besides, Mark is nothing but a macho jerk and the only thing he wanted to do was show off in front of his friends.

Shocked by what I’ve just told her, Maya remarks, “I’m glad Hunter let him have it! That Mark guy is a real creep. I can’t believe he said that to you!”

“Why not?” I snap angrily. “The other day, Tyrone acted just like Mark.”

A somber look appears on Maya’s face as she replies, “That was different.”

“Why? You think just ’cause Tyrone is African-American, that it’s okay for him to act prejudiced toward Hunter?”

“I didn’t say that,” Maya answers defensively. Then she glares at the two freshman girls in front of us, who have been listening to every word of our conversation, and she tells them to mind their own business.

“Look, Maya,” I go on, not caring whether the entire bus hears me, “no one has the right to put another person down just because of the color of their skin.”

“Don’t be stupid, Ankiza. Don’t you think I know that?” Maya says accusingly as the bus comes to a halt in the school parking lot.

Maya hardly says a word to me on the way to the main building, but I’m glad I gave her a piece of my mind. Maya always thinks she knows everything and it’s about time someone put her in her place.

First period drags by as I listen to Mr. Burns lecture on molecules, but my next two classes aren’t so boring, since we’re allowed to work in small groups. By the end of Health Ed, my stomach is growling fiercely, so I race to my locker for my sack lunch. I’m debating whether I should eat with Maya and the girls, when Hunter appears before me.

“Hi, Ankiza,” he says. “Can you eat with me today? I need to talk to you.”

Noticing the troubled look on Hunter’s perfectly chiseled face, I nod, walking out of the building with him toward the patio area in front of the Liberal Arts building. All of the benches are taken, so we sit next to each other on the grass.

When Hunter turns to look at me, his eyes are bleak.

“What’s wrong, Hunter?” I ask, expecting him to bring up Mark and the nasty fight.

Embarrassed, Hunter bows his head slightly and says, “It’s my parents… They’re acting just like Mark.

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