The Girl on the Outside (8 page)

“Everybody! And what's worse than a traitor, anyway, Meredith?”

Meredith's eyes searched each face in the circle with a look of suspicion. Then she said in a voice that was a hissing whisper, “We'll brand them
nigger lovers!”

Burt and Arnold! What would they think of this vow? Sophia felt a tremor over her body, but she joined in the giggles with the rest of the girls.

After they moved out of the locker room, as soon as Sophia got a chance, she cornered Marsha. “That Meredith. What nerve, using
that
word.”

“She just doesn't want them at Chatman,” Marsha said.

“You think I want them there? Do you?”

“Of course not. But you know a lot of people use that word, Sophia.”

“Not my friends.…” Sophia placed her hands on Marsha's shoulders and held on, looking Marsha in the eyes. “Fortunately,
not my friends.”
She grinned and then skated off through the crowd, her eyes and mind alert for Arnold.

Over the din, the loudspeaker announced a skating round for girls only. Sophia rolled gracefully along, telling herself that she must forget Arnold and have a good time. Whenever she skated by one of the pact members she gave part of the signal: hands over eyes, then over ears, then mouth. They would crack up with giggles.

Then it was time for partners to skate together. She watched Kim, Marsha, and the others scramble for a partner. Suddenly it all seemed so childish, with everybody appearing so young. It really was not much fun anymore. She wanted to get home. In spite of the pact, there were still questions that had to be answered before she could really cope with the coming tomorrow.

Chapter 9

Shadows lengthened. Mockingbirds sang. Blue jays screeched at the hummingbirds darting swiftly to suck nectar from honeysuckle vines. Eva sat on the back porch, putting the last stitches in the hem of her dress. Smells of fresh rolls rising in pans and chicken sizzling made her hunger almost unbearable. How glad she was her Aunt Shirley had not listened to her pleas not to cook because of the heat. Would she be able to wait until her parents came before getting at the food?

She listened to the birds' songs. How nice it was to have her dress finished on time and to hold to her heart the pleasure of knowing she would be seeing Cecil later. The thought forced a silent spring of joy. She smiled. If her good fortune lasted, she could get a bath and even rest a few minutes before supper.

Humming a tune that made her aunt smile, Eva passed through the kitchen on the way to her room. Eva stopped, sniffed the air, closed her eyes, and pretended she was going to faint. “Oh, I'm starved.”

“Here, take a wing. That'll hold y',” her aunt said, giving Eva a piece of fried chicken.

On entering her room, Eva's hopes for a peaceful rest were shattered. “Tanya,” she shouted, “how could you junk up this room like this? Clean it up, right now.”

“I'm busy,” Tanya said, without looking up. She was dressed in one of Eva's skirts and a pair of their mother's high-heeled shoes.

“You pick up all this stuff and get out of here!”

“It's as much my room as yours.”

The front door slammed and their father's voice boomed through the house. “I know my sister's here. I can smell it.” His laughter mixed with their mother's made Eva rush to the front of the house.

“You'll clean up now, I bet. Mama's home,” she shouted to Tanya.

“Here, Eva,” her mother said, unloading packages in Eva's arms.

“What's all this?” Eva asked.

“Unwrap 'em and see.” Her mother sat and kicked off her shoes.

“What's for me, Mama?” Tanya asked.

“My open arms. Come in 'em.” Her mother hugged Tanya close. “I missed my baby.”

Eva unwrapped the packages. “Oh, Mama,” she cried. “Aunt Shirley! Come see … saddle oxfords, black and white ones.”

“Just what y' need with that dress. She'll knock 'em dead in that outfit, t'morrow,” her aunt said and winked her eye at Eva's mother.

“Why you lookin' so sad, Tanya?” their daddy asked.

“I don't get jealous when Mama buys you things,” Eva said.

“Aw, shut up,” Tanya said.

“Rejoice all of y',” Aunt Shirley said. “I done cooked filed chicken, green beans, made rolls, potato salad, and for my brother, a lemon pie.”

“I'll say rejoice
plus
let's eat,” Eva said, forgetting that she wanted to rest.

Trying to keep cool, they all gathered on the back porch for supper.

“Ain't many sister-'n-laws like my sister-'n-law,” Eva's mother said as she went for seconds.

“Yeah, it's a good thing Aunt Shirley came by, or I'd never have finished my dress. Mama, how come you left me sleeping this morning?”

“'Cause I told 'er to. After last night, y' needed that sleep,” her father said.

“Y' shoulda seen y' brother this mornin', Shirley. Sittin' b'hind the door, nodding with the gun in his lap. I woke up and he hadn't been in bed. When I saw that gun, scared me nearly t' death.”

“Which way was the gun pointin', Audrey?”

“Toward the door I was comin' through. I didn't know what t' do. I didn't want 'im shootin' me. So I tipped around in back of 'im and said very sweetly, ‘Roger, Roger, wake up.'”

“Y' was ready, eh, Bro?” Shirley said as they all laughed.

“I guess I musta looked a bit funny sittin' there in broad daylight. But I'm about protectin' my family,” her father said.

“And Mama slept through it all. It wasn't funny last night,” Eva said.

“Daddy, how come y' had the gun?” Tanya asked.

“That's grown folks talk,” Eva said. “You come with me and clean up that room.”

“I don't have t',” Tanya said.

“Oh, Eva, I forgot, Mis' Floyd wants you guys that's goin' t' Chatman at her house 'fore the party. 'Round six-thirty, she said.”

“That leaves me little time to get way over there. Come on, Tanya.”

“No.”

“Mama, tell her, please.”

“Go on, help your sister, baby.”

“Why do you take everything out and put nothing back?” Eva asked as she busied herself about the room. “I can't stand all this clutter, you know that.”

“I guess y' want me t' stay with Aunt Shirley, eh?”

Eva felt a pang of guilt, but she was still angry. “I want you to stop being so messy.” She looked at Tanya standing with the big, long skirt pinned around her small body. She thought of why Tanya had gone to their aunt's in the first place. She softened. “I told you I was glad t' see you home, didn't I?”

Tanya looked up at Eva and remained silent.

“Didn't I?” Eva asked, feeling even more guilty.

“Yeah, but y' didn't mean it.” Tanya lowered her head.

Eva took Tanya by the shoulders and drew her close. “I meant it, Tanya.”

“Why'd Daddy have the gun?” Tanya asked, still in Eva's embrace.

Eva stiffened. “He was protecting us.”

“How come?”

Eva moved away from Tanya and busied herself picking up a cardboard puzzle. “Oh, because.…” She didn't want to talk about it. Tanya didn't need to be as upset and frightened as the rest of the family.

“How come y' wanta go t' that school?” Tanya asked.

“Oh, Tanya … it's a good school.”

“Better 'n mine?”

“It's bigger than yours. And when you're bigger, you might wanta go there. I wanta go there so
you
can go there, too, okay? Now, let's clean up so I can get ready and get out of here.”

In an uncluttered room, Eva laid out what she would wear and dashed into the shower. She hated to rush, but she was glad to have shared supper with her parents. She recalled the laughter on the back porch and smiled, pleased that her mother had made them all laugh. Maybe things would be all right as her aunt said they would be. How could they
not
be with neighbors like Mr. Charles and a family like hers. She thought of Cecil and sang in the shower.

She presented herself on the back porch in a pale yellow organdy dress with yellow and white daisies pinned at her slender waist above the wide flowing skirt. When her family looked her over from her pearl earrings to her white sandals, they were pleased.

“Honey, that's what y' oughta be wearin' t'morrow,” her aunt said. “Y' look like Mis' Lena Horne, herself.”

“This is a party dress, Aunt Shirley,” Eva said, feeling a bit self-conscious.

She looked at her father and remembered when she was a little girl how she would ask, “You like my dress, Daddy?”

“It's okay.”

“You think it's pretty?”

“What's pretty?”

She had learned to study his face to see if he approved or disapproved of what his womenfolk wore.

Now he smiled. He was pleased and Eva felt good inside.

“I'll drop you off and pick you up later,” her father said. “I want t' git back and listen to the governor. Y' jist might not be goin' t' Chatman t'morrow, y' know.”

“Now, don't go puttin' the cart 'fore the horse, Roger,” her aunt said. “Don't read the man's mind 'fore he reads his speech. Let's wait and see. Anyhow, now we done made that dress,
nobody
better not say she can't go. I'll take 'er up there m'self after all that work.”

Eva laughed and said, “If anybody can do that and get away with it, it's you, Aunt Shirley.”

“Eva, you go on and have a good time. If you as nice there as y' look, Mama'll be mighty proud.”

Eva and her father left, laughing.

Still waving good-bye to her daddy, Eva hurried up Mrs. Floyd's walk to join Lisa and Roberta who were also arriving.

“We're late,” Roberta said. They all called Roberta, Bobbie.

“If everybody else is here they'll blame us for holding up the party,” Eva said.

“Now they know we wouldn't do that on purpose,” Lisa said. “Not me, anyway, the way I like to party.”

Everybody else was there. Harold was off to himself looking at
Crisis
magazine. Ronald and Arthur were together talking about football practice at Carver, and the other girls, Janice, Mary, and Lillian, were in the kitchen helping Mrs. Floyd put together the sandwiches and punch for the evening.

“We can finish this later, girls,” Mrs. Floyd said. “Let's go downstairs in the rec' room and get the meeting over. Won't take long.”

“You mean there'll be no great decisions, today, Mrs. Floyd?” Eva asked.

“I'll let you guys decide that.
I
don't have anything new. Not yet, anyway.”

They all gathered downstairs, laughing and talking—in a great mood.

“This time tomorrow, we'll know what it's all about,” Harold said.

“If the governor doesn't blow the whistle and stop the show,” Arthur said.

“He has to abide by the federal law even if he is governor,” Eva said.

“There're ways, eh, Mis' Floyd?” Arthur said.

“We hope he doesn't find any,” Mrs. Floyd replied. “But you know the governor. We don't know what he's going to do. As for now, I have the school superintendent's word you'll be going tomorrow.”

Eva felt a surge of joy, and for the moment she forgot she had ever been afraid. She looked around the room. She caught Bobbie's eye, and responded to Bobbie's smile. How happy she was to have been chosen with this group.

Of the six girls only Lisa, a freshman, was younger than Eva. All the other girls were juniors, a year older than she. Ronald and Arthur were juniors, too. Harold was the only senior as Eva was the only sophomore.

Mrs. Floyd sat in the middle of the group and talked in a quiet friendly voice. “I hate to keep reminding you, but it is important for you to know that …”

“… this is no picnic.” Eva finished Mrs. Floyd's sentence.

“Eva, you got that spiel down pat,” Bobbie said, and everybody laughed.

“I want
all
of you to get it down pat,” Mrs. Floyd said. “You'll be out there on your own and you must use the ‘buddy system' as we've planned. Try never to be alone when you are outside of the classroom.”

“Nine out of two thousand,” Ronald said. “We'll need to stick together.”

“Indeed!” Mrs. Floyd glanced at them with a look more solemn than Eva remembered. “There are a few students who want you to come to Chatman. There are a few who don't want you there and will do all in their power to make it miserable for you.”

Eva looked at Bobbie, happy that they were buddies. They would support each other, be together on the grounds and in the halls.

“Just so they don't hit me,” Lillian said. Lillian was tall, an outstanding basketball player who had had to think twice about going, for none of them would be allowed to participate in any sports, or other extra-school activities their first year there.

“I don't want anybody
spitting
on me,” Eva said. “I think I could take anything but that.”

Everybody started talking at once: “Don't call me names.…” “Don't step on my heels.…” “Don't kick me.…”

“Now, now,” Mrs. Floyd said. “There's likely to be some or all of that. But I want you to promise you'll control your tempers to the point you'll not act the way they do.”

“That's gonna be hard, Mis' Floyd,” Lillian said.

Eva glanced at the faces, trying to imagine how she could let somebody hit her and not hit back. “Why do we have to take that?” she asked.

“Get it into your head, most of the students really have not decided whether they want you there, or not. They are neither for, nor against, your being there. So you must act in a way that, if they have to take sides, they'll choose
our
side. See now? You must understand what you're being asked to do.”