Chapter Text
The Education System:
Nursery:
0 – 4
Primary School:
Reception – Year 6
4/5 – 11
Secondary School (Including Sixth-form)
Year 7 – Year 11 (Year 12 – Year 13)
11 – 16 (17 – 18)
Y/N:
Sex: Female
Born: Summer 1984
Location: London // Manchester
Appearance: Black British descent // 5’11
Situations usually don’t succumb to their resolution until a moral code is broken.
Always tell the truth
Respect your parents
Discernment and Intuition are vital
Embrace the new and adapt accordingly
Use non-violence
London, Spring 1998:
The fire escape had a stupidly loose railing. The single light on the high ceiling barely illuminated the outline of the steps and flickered whenever the door fluttered from the open windows in the main corridor. The eggshell walls were covered in tags, lipstick prints, and drawings created with missing art equipment that is actually wedged between the hardwood flooring beneath the compressed stale green carpet on the 2nd floor.
Hot tears were running down my cheeks and the pressure kept building between my eyes. My bag somehow misplaced its contents at the bottom the first flight of stairs alongside my blazer.
Everything was suffocating me.
My mouth was dry and I could feel what little oxygen I had going through my nostrils drilling into the back of my throat. Why did they lie to me? My parents, they worked so hard to get me here and now we’re leaving to go to Manchester next week. All the plans I made with friends for the summer holiday evaporated and no one to have with me for my 14th birthday at the end of the summer. I could feel my chest tighten as sobs left my body silently.
<<
< That morning
They hadn’t let me even finish my breakfast to break the news to me, smiles on their faces like this was a gifted opportunity that they couldn’t refuse. The whole bus journey to school my leg vibrated along with the bus’ engine. I didn’t even make it to second period without teachers calling my name to hold my attention. I slipped up. First period, Marie threw me a snack, a daily ritual we had, and it landed in the sink narrowly missing a beaker.
>
“What’s wrong with you?” Marie asked, throwing her bag down and propping herself up onto high table.
Marie and I became friends half way through year 7 when she helped me in the disabled bathroom when I first got my period and I had no supplies. Her parents are originally from Hong Kong but moved to the UK when Marie was 8. Our parents met at our induction for year 7 and thought we would be a great influence on each other and in that moment it was thought to be mutually beneficial for their own child’s success. However, though they were right, it gave way to less than appropriate choices in how we presented ourselves in education.
Marie wore our uniform with colour pins and pens with cartoon caps in the breast pocket and colourful scrunchies in her hair. Her tie slightly too loose, since her parents nearly strangled her trying to properly do a tie on her school uniform when she was 9 and defiant. Her skirt was the appropriate length and she would carry her blazer since she runs hot.
I, on the other hand, had my hair either in a bun or two cornrows that had extensions to the middle on my back with star and skull pins in my hair. My Walkman was tucked into my inside blazer pocket and my headphones hidden under the collar of my school jumper. My blazer was littered with academic pins and silver hair grips stacked along the lapels. I kept my skirt as long as I could without my parents thinking I became a harlot but simultaneously got in trouble with teachers for my skirt being too short despite it being the same length as Marie’s, which she always argued with them in my defence.
She had helped herself to the snack I had for her in my bag and ended up laying out all the equipment I needed for the class. “Y/N. Y/N L/N, I am literally talking to you-”
“I fucking heard you-” I nipped at her before sighing, “sorry. I’m just a little distracted by my life fucking imploding” I rub my face again before laying my head on top of my books. I heard Marie scoff at the notion as we both thought secondary school was not the highlight of our lives. “What could be so bad that you got me- Salt n vinegar? What the hell? Where’s my cheese and onion, you prick?”
I eventually sat up and looked at her. “You’re going to kill me” and she rolled her eyes and came down from the table to sit in the stool next to mine as the teacher walked in. “What could it be?” She sighed almost dismissively at the comment as she took her supplies out. I felt my face tense and head get hot. Chewing my bottom lip I glanced down then at the board. “I’m not going to be here in the summer,” Marie almost responded but I cut her off, “or next year, or the year after that for our exams.”
“WHAT?!” She yelped as caused the class to turn to her. Our science teacher glanced at Marie and reprimanded her, gently reminding her that it was 9 in the morning and loud noises could cause chaos in the ‘lab’. Marie looked at me and pulled me closer. “What the hell do you mean you’re not going to be here after the summer holidays?” She gripped my sleeve anxiously, “you’re not dying right? Fuck, you’re not sick right?” She started to pull harder on my sleeve desperately, trying to keep her voice down.
I finally glanced at her and tears pricked my eyes, “I’m moving to Manchester-”
“NO!”
“This weekend” I add.
“WHAT?!”
“MARIE SHENG, WHAT IS SO BAD THAT YOU NEED TO YELL?” Our teacher yelled, standing up from her desk.
“Miss~” she whines over and over.
“Marie, let go of Y/N right now”
“SHE’S MOVING TO MANCHESTER”
…
The class looked over. Some screeched and others murmured.
The class wouldn’t stop talking about it and I couldn’t take it and packed up my shit and left class halfway through the lesson. “Y/N L/N, come back here this instance-”
>>
I didn’t hear the creak of the fire escape door or notice the flicker of the dim light. “Miss L/N. Miss L/N, I understand you may be in distress about personal affairs but please not in the fire escape.” As I wiped my face and looked up.
“Fuck off Ben, I thought you were the custodian”
Ben smile fell when he saw my face, “why do you look like that?”
“Why are you here?” I retaliated, wiping my tears away. He stepped around me and down the stairs to my blazer and bag. He carefully picked my belongings up and packed it all away before climbing the stairs. “I came to get the art stuff from the flooring. Sir said if all the stuff isn’t returned by end of day he’d push all our grades down- practically has my whole class hunting around the school.” He placed my things down and descended the stairs again. He kicked up the carpet in the corner, used the ruler to dislodge a plank, and swiftly reached down to pull out art supplies.
Ben and I lived on the same road. Nursery and primary school together, sleep overs, outings, all our lives. He was that kid. Like that kid. White kid, shaved head, actually had an awareness of how the world works. Always wore his hoodie under his blazer and somehow always got away with the slick shit he said. “So why are you crying? I mean yeah you’re a pussy but you don’t cry…” he came up the stairs slowly and sat casually with a small smile.
“I’m moving to Manchester.”
“Chinny reckon” he said it almost too quickly.
“I’m not lying Ben” I looked away and played with the end of my braid.
“…Shit.Fuck Shit, why?” He asked in disbelief putting the art supplies down.
“My dad got a job up there”
“Nah fuck that. Are you taking the piss? London is prime real estate and because of a job you have to up and leave to the middle of no where. And Manchester? That’s so long, no link ups or anything. I’m going to have to be sending hand written letters”
We sat there in silence for a bit and I patted his head “this weekend” I said.
He was quiet, a pensive look on his face “our parents defo have to get up bricks now. No way else for us to communicate-”
“Ben come on-”
“I’m serious, next thing you know we’re old and Marie is a Jimmy” He laughed airily. The edges of my lips were tugged up. “Marie won’t be a loner, she has you, you fucking bitch” I pushed his head playfully, “and you’ll have each other.” I put my blazer on and lean back “I should make the most of those mock exams then, they probably would have to send that shit to my new school, fuck I hope we’re not going to be the only black family.”
Ben threw his head back and slaps my face around, “Your dad clearly knows what he’s doing if you’re going that far north. You could change your look up and do whatever since you’re not coming back. Dye your hair, piercings…” he sat silently for a bit, “promise to write and bell my line when you get there, and write those letters for Marie…”
“I will.”
By the time I got home from school half the house was already packed into boxes. I heard my mum but went straight to my room, or what was left of it. My books were neatly stacked in alphabetical order next to my art supplies. I didn’t have much to begin with and my room wasn’t decorated. Most of the colour came from my bedding. Cute and pink with flowers and cats on them.
“Y/N L/N, what have I told you about not responding to when I call you?” I hear my mum come up the stairs already irritated. I threw my bag down and grabbed my tracksuit. I started to strip while and darted to the bathroom in the corridor. I locked the door and rested my hands either side of the sink. “Mum I needed to piss-”
“Young lady, language- listen, I understand we surprised you with a lot this morning… and we are sorry, but this is a great opportunity for your dad and the pay is better…” I sat on the floor as tears spilled down my face “The school in Manchester see potential in you,” she called from the other side of the door, “I know this is difficult to leave Marie and Ben behind but you can still write to them and I spoke to their parents and think it’s time to let you lot get one of those… phone things” it’s the way she hesitated, like the thought of giving me a bite of freedom.
I sighed, “I’ll think about it. Can I use the toilet now?”
“Yeah, just pack quickly we have to be out by Saturday afternoon. I’ll leave the suitcases in your room, okay? I love you”
“Love you too mum.”