I took a large gulp of my drink. “Oh my God, Aminah. I think . . .”
Aminah had been watching me and she pinched my waist. “I know.”
“What do I do?”
She scraped her chair closer to mine and leaned her head on my shoulder. “Take the risk. Be my Killa Keeks.”
Chapter 29
“What’s good, Blackwell? Welcome to the first ever ‘Live Brown Sugar Session,’ an episode made in conjunction with tonight’s AfroWinter Ball—thanks again, Simi, for this opportunity.”
Simi raised a glass elegantly from her table, and looked around demurely at her constituents, accepting silent praise.
I forced smooth joviality into my voice and let the words melt over the mic as my skin prickled from the spotlight on it, the intensity of eyes on me making my nerves spark. There was a light smattering of cheers, conveying curiosity more than excitement.
I put the mic on the stand and clapped my hands together. “So, normally, I’m reading you guys confessions and giving you my feedback. But I think for this episode it should be the other way round. I’m sure you all watched the video that our dearly beloved petty king Zack released last week, and I’m sure you all have some questions. I thought I’d lay it all out now.” I inhaled deeply. “Uh, first of all yes, it’s true, Zack and I hooked up for a few months.”
Oh, now the crowd had found their voice?! Gasps and murmurs vibrated through the crowd, people turning to each other, whispers of “I told you so” and “rah” rippling through the room. Zack wasn’t here yet; apparently every year he arrived just before the AfroWinter Ball royalty was announced. I cleared my throat.
“But, uh, contrary to what he implied, I did not catch feelings. Actually, if there is one thing I have a violent allergy to, it is feelings for Zack Kingsford. Like, even saying that sentence is making the inside of my throat itchy.” I coughed a couple of times, and the crowd’s laughter grew warmer. I grew bolder.
“It wasn’t a relationship. It was just, well, I don’t know what it was. I want to say it was fun, but honestly? When I really think about it? It really wasn’t that fun.” I shrugged. “It was a means to an end, but actually . . . well, I never achieved the end I hoped for, if you know what I mean.” Guffaws now and knowing hums from the girls. “It was an end I could have achieved by myself. With less talking.” I pulled a face and it pulled in more laughs.
“Thing is, Zack thought he could get away with his lies because he thought I would be too freaked out to tell you guys this. He banked on my silence.”
I pressed the clicker in my hand and the projector behind me flickered alive. It flashed screenshots of texts that dozens of women had sent me with their names and photos blurred. Clear as day though, was Zack’s number, alongside aggressive texts in which he taunted these women, threatening to expose explicit images of them. The picture that Zack had posted of me was in the middle, unblurred. There was a collective sharp inhale, some murmurs, some heckles. I almost buckled. I looked to the side of me to see Aminah making an okay sign with her fingers and gesturing to the two emergency shots of tequila she had waiting for me.
I took a deep breath, wet my lips, and continued. The crowd had settled now, hooked on my every word.
“Some of these pictures were sent, and some were taken without consent. Either way, none of these women deserved to be taunted with them or blackmailed. He is weaponizing our sexuality against us. Zack Kingsford is a misogynistic pig. Silence emboldens him. He is weak and afraid of the truth. He’s afraid of us. Our voice.
“And aside from this, he has his own agenda and it has nothing to do with the good of Blackwell. If he wants to cozy up with the Whitewell Knights to get fast-tracked into being a token Black mascot at a soul-sucking law firm, well, be my guest.” The audience was electrified again, thunder looping through the room. “But what we won’t allow him to do is use Blackwellians’ integrity to do it. We are better than that. We deserve better than him. Whoever you vote for next week just please bear that in mind. We deserve a leadership that cares. We aren’t a mechanism to feed somebody’s ego.
“We’re a community, a movement, and a family. Family don’t sell each other out. Family are honest with each other, and when we’re not, we put our hands up and come clean. So, I’m coming clean, and I really hope you guys will give me a fresh chance and Blackwell a fresh chance in the upcoming elections. Let’s make the right decision for our family and rid ourselves of the real Wasteman of Whitewell. I want to thank all the amazing women who trusted me enough to help share their stories. You’re incredible. And I would also like to note that the screenshots have been reported to the school board by us.”