Breeze

by Sarah Asuquo

  “I know. I know, but this just doesn’t make sense, Bell.”

  “I hear that, Breeze. It’s weird. They even glow and all sorts, but magic… could it be?”

  They stared at each other, deeply considering if what they had always believed was impossible was actually feasible, and in unison they both whispered, “nah”.

  – 6 –

  Rumour Has It

  The Regional Athletic Heats were a week away and Breeze had completely grasped how to use her trainers. She could now control her acceleration and when she triggered the customised pressure points within the soles, Breeze could run up to 100 miles per hour! Bella had tried on the trainers (B Squared had the same shoe size, another commonality), but they didn’t activate for her feet; they didn’t even glow when she wore them. The shoes were destined for Breeze, and they both knew that. Breeze had decided that she would never trigger the speed function in her trainers for athletic purposes because she wanted to be sure that she had an accurate judgement of her progress and sprint timings. The fit, cushioning, and anti-slip grip features (as well as the splash of burgundy) made Breeze’s trainers ideal for running. Once they were on her feet, she felt complete and ready to take on the track.

  “On your marks. Get set. Go!” Bella instructed. Breeze was a bolt of lightning, striking past Bella as she crossed the finish line.

  “Fifteen point five seconds,” said Bella, aware that Breeze would be disappointed. Although Breeze was the current national champion for the 100-metre sprint, there were endless rumours spreading through the school about a girl, called Tanya, from the Aspire Academy in Homerton, who had the potential to defeat Breeze this year. According to Chanel, who wasn’t the most reliable source, Tanya’s personal best was fifteen point five seconds, only two seconds longer than Breeze’s and Breeze knew that she would have work hard to maintain her title.

  “Don’t stress about it, Breeze. We’ve trained so much recently. Maybe your body just needs a break.”

  “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

  “I always am,” she joked. “Anyway, I’m marvin’, mate.”

  “Same.”

  “Let’s go to Uncle D’s, he promised us a free meal time ago!”

  “Oh yeah. It’s true, you know! Let’s go… After you practice your javelin throw.”

  “But I’m so hungry!” Bella pleaded.

  “So am I. So, hurry up!”

  “Ah, man. Fine,” Bella whimpered, dragging her feet.

  “What? Did you think I was the only one training today? Behave, darlin’!”

  – 7 –

  The Regional Athletic Heats

  “Come on, Bella!” Breeze cheered, with every particle of oxygen within her lungs.

  Steadily, Bella jogged across the runway towards the marked boundary, her javelin a Peltast’s spear. As she released her javelin towards the skies and regained her balance, it soared and then descended like an eagle’s glide.

  “Sixty-eight point two seven metres.” The commentator’s voice pierced through the tannoy megaphone, sparking the celebration of the crowd around the arena, but the sound that was most prominent to Bella was the roaring and prolonged “YES!” of her best friend.

  “That’s my bestie, you know!” Breeze boasted to random members of the crowd. “That’s my best friend.”

  Bella pounced on Breeze and they fell to the ground. “I’ve beaten my PB, Breezy! I did it!”

  “I knew you would, Bell. That’s the best score in your event as well. I’m so proud of you!”

  “Thanks, Breeze. Now c’mon, track events in five. Go and boss it!”

  The B Squared handshake gave Breeze the boost that she needed. She tied up her braids as she walked towards the track and approached her opponents.

  “You all right? My name’s Tanya. I’m from Aspire in–”

  “Homerton,” Breeze interrupted.

  “Yeah.”

  “Yeah, I’m alright. Welcome to our school.”

  “This arena is so sick! You lot are lucky to have it. I don’t think any other Aspire Academy has facilities like this.”

  “Yeah, it’s a shame they’re closing it down.”

  “I heard about that. That’s proper sad,” said Tanya.

  “Yeah. We’re all gutted… So, I hear you’re quite the runner.”

  “I’ve heard the same about you.”

  The girls’ eyes alternated between each other and the stadium as they both thought of the next appropriate thing to say.

  “Good luck,” they both said.

  “You too,” they replied together, followed by a brief and subtle grin. In that moment, their nerves were shared, and their smiles signified their respect for each other.

  Mr Peters approached the track, his megaphone in one hand, a starting pistol in the other. “On your marks. Get set. Go!”

  The shot fired and they were off! Breeze and Tanya were significantly ahead of their competitors. Initially, Breeze was in the lead, but Tanya was rapidly closing in on her. The finish line felt like it was miles away. Breeze and Tanya were now adjacent to each other.

  “Come on, Breezy. You’ve got this,” whispered Bella, concerned about her best friend’s fate.

  Breeze’s focus faltered and she found herself frequently looking over at Tanya beside her… then behind her… then beside her again… and then, in front of her. Breeze panicked. Suddenly, she blasted ahead and overtook Tanya. She crossed the finish line in first place and continued running around the stadium. The crowd cheered in astonishment. Chants of Breeze’s name resounded through the arena and before she realised, Breeze was surrounded by Aspire students she didn’t know existed.

  “That was sick! How did you do that?” asked Ming.

  “You just blasted out of nowhere for the second half of the race!” Jason exclaimed.

  “I couldn’t even see your creps anymore, Breeze. They were all blurry and ting!” Ade yelled.

  “I rate that, B. You’re a G,” said Jayden.

  Even Daisy, a member of the ‘selective mutes’ who sat next to Breeze in Science, approached Breeze and covertly said, “Good job.”

  “Thanks, Daisy. You all right?”

  Daisy didn’t respond and rushed back to the stands, but Breeze was touched and grateful for the words she had received.

  “That was cool, Track Girl. Here,” said Chanel, handing Breeze an envelope. “I think that race deserves V.I.P. status. Now, you can come to my party.”

  “Really! Thanks, Chanel. Can Bella come as well?”

  “Is Bella a V.I.P.? Uh, No. She can’t come,” she snarled.

  Tanya graciously approached Breeze and without speaking, shook her hand. The sadness she felt was palpable and suddenly, Breeze’s victory didn’t feel so great. As the crowd dispersed, Breeze could see Bella looking at her in disappointment. Timidly, Breeze walked towards her bestie and was met with two words that ran through her body and filled every part of her being with guilt:

  “You cheated.”

  “No… I …”

  Bella shook her head and left the stadium, leaving Breeze standing alone with her thoughts.

  “I cheated.”

  – 8 –

  Jealous

  Breeze had always loved being a big sister; it was a responsibility that she took very seriously. She would help her parents look after JJ as much as she could. From fetching the changing bag, to singing to him as he fell asleep, Breeze was always ready to help. Anytime she heard him crying, she would race to the nearest parent and alert them by repeating, “Baby cry, baby cry, baby cry” until they responded. Eventually, Breeze learned how to comfort JJ on her own. She would do the ‘chicken dance’ and cluck away until he stopped. It worked every time. Their bond was special, but at times, Breeze found being a big sister challenging. Things began to change, and Breeze didn’t understand why. For instance, when Breeze was three, she was given her own bedroom. Her mum yelled, “ta-da!” as she revealed the safari-themed decor, which excited Breeze initial
ly, until she noticed one thing: a single bed.

  “But Mummy, where will you and Daddy and JJ sleep?”

  “We’ll be right next door, my love.”

  “But I like putting JJ to sleep and sleeping in your room.”

  “You’re a big girl now, Breezy, and big girls have their own rooms.”

  “I don’t want to be a big girl!” she sobbed and ran downstairs.

  This was the first change that upset Breeze, but many other adjustments soon followed. Once, Breeze’s parents had ran out of milk, so JJ had the last bottle and Breeze was given water.

  “That’s not fair! I don’t want water with my cookies.”

  “I know darling, but the milk’s finished,” her mother replied.

  “But why can’t we buy some more?”

  “It’s late now, and the shops are closed. I’ll buy some first thing in the morning, and you can have a big cup of milk with your breakfast, ok?”

  “But I want milk now. It’s not fair. Why does JJ get everything?”

  As Breeze continued to complain, her mother became increasingly frustrated. “JJ’s a baby. He needs it more than you do, Breeze.” Although this was hard to hear, Breeze could accept her mother’s point. But what she couldn’t accept was what came afterwards. “Don’t be jealous, Breeze.”

  Whilst Breeze knew that her mother was stressed at the time and didn’t actually believe that her daughter was a spoilt, selfish child, she felt so guilty. She always did everything she could to be the best big sister ever and her mother regularly told her that she was doing a great job. She had never been called a jealous person before and never wanted to be called one again. Breeze didn’t realise how much those words had affected her, but they had and continued to impact her as a teenager. From that day on, Breeze didn’t complain when JJ, or anyone else for that matter, had something that she didn’t, even when she was well within her rights to do so. Even when something was genuinely unfair. Like the times when she would say a correct answer in class, but the teacher would mistakenly praise another student for it. Or if she was the first in line but the dinner lady served someone else before her. The fear of being called jealous or being perceived as an unkind person would always stop Breeze from protesting, and she had never been accused of being jealous again.

  ***

  Since winning the athletic heats, Breeze’s newfound popularity had caused her friendship with Bella to deteriorate. Her friendship with Jayden however had blossomed and Chanel’s jealousy towards them was the talk of the school. They would train together, meet up to walk through Victoria Park on Saturdays and text each other every day without fail. Breeze had gotten to know a different side of Jayden and was pleasantly surprised when she realised that beneath his charm and bravado, was a nature-documentary-loving, board-game-playing and vintage-video-game-collecting teenager, who was just as passionate about athletics as she was. She admired the way in which he looked after his younger sister, Tia, since his father died, and he felt even more responsible to make sure that she was always ok. Jayden also shared Breeze’s love for MC Hammer, although he didn’t let anyone else know that. Their friendship developed quickly and after a few weeks of bonding, Jayden asked Breeze if he could take her out for dinner.

  The day of their first date had arrived (although Breeze preferred to call it their first meal, as ‘date’ felt too formal) and they both agreed that Uncle D’s would be the perfect choice. However, as they walked towards the end of Roman Road and Breeze saw that half of her year group were there as well, she regretted her decision.

  Jayden and Breeze were seated at their table and could hear Oga D, the owner of the Nigerian restaurant next door, and Uncle D arguing. Everyone in Aspire Academy knew how lucky they were to have these two restaurants in the area. They were both award-winning and recognised for having the best African and Caribbean cuisine in East London. They were also a popular choice for students because they had special meal deals for under-16s, a fact that Breeze had forgotten when she agreed to eat at Uncle D’s that evening.

  “Why is it so busy in here today, Jayden?”

  “Tun’ up Tuesdays. Have you never come here on a Tuesday, Breeze?”

  “Only straight after school, not in the evening.”

  “Oh ok. Yeah, Tun’ up Tuesdays is a vibe. Uncle D gets a DJ in and there’s free fruit punch all night. They even have a non-alcoholic version for the youngers,” Jayden explained.

  Their conversation was impeded by a combative Nigerian accent. It was Oga D. “Would you turn down that bumba bumba, fire bun, ta rass music! You’re disturbing my customers,” he demanded.

  “Look nah man, wha’ ’appen to ya? Ya bright and brazen! Don’t come up ina my shop with all ah dat nonsense. Ah my restaurant!” Uncle D yelled.

  Their insults flew back and forth like cannons in a war zone. Eventually, their slander ceased, and the room became silent as everyone looked on in apprehension. They stared into each other’s eyes before unexpectedly braking into uncontrollable laughter.

  “My brudda!” said Uncle D.

  “Yes oh!” Oga D replied.

  “Don’t forget to bring my jollof and suya later, na man!”

  “Ah ah! This man and food. I said I will bring it, relax.”

  As they embraced each other, the DJ switched the music back on and the lively atmosphere was restored.

  “Why do they always do that?” asked Breeze.

  “They’re best friends, you know,” replied Jayden. “The other day Uncle D was telling me how they’ve been friends since Oga D came over from Nigeria in Year 9 and their teachers always used to say, ‘Desmond and Dayo, stop arguing’, but they always had each other’s back.”

  “Well, guess not much has changed then.”

  “Trust. Anyway, what do you fancy?”

  “Huh?” Breeze was overcome with embarrassment.

  “To eat…”

  “Oh… of course — to eat, obviously, that’s what people do in restaurants, right?” she cleared her throat and chuckled nervously. “What else would we do? Dance? Imagine dancing at a dinner table instead of eating! That would be nuts, innit?” Breeze realised that she was overcompensating for her blunder and quickly composed herself. “Erm, yeah, I’ll have the curry chicken meal with a side of plantain and a Sun Exotic tropical drink, please.”

  Jayden smirked contently. “Nice, nice. I’m getting jerk chicken with rice and peas, mac and cheese, coleslaw, plantain, festival, and dumpling. All washed down with a can of Ting. Big man meal, you see it! I’ll go and order.”

  “Thank you,” she replied. As he walked towards the counter, Breeze reprimanded herself. “Dance… really Breeze. Why? Just why? You alwa–” Her rant was interrupted by her acknowledgement of Bella walking into the restaurant. “Great. Just, great. Because things aren’t awkward enough already.”

  “Hey.”

  “Hey.”

  Bella sat in Jayden’s seat and Breeze felt her heart rate increase.

  “You look nice, Breeze. You wearing makeup?”

  “Yeah, just a lil’. I tried a ting.”

  “Tried a ting, fair enough. I thought you hated makeup and putting anything on your skin.”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “You do… Ok. Looks good, though.”

  Bella’s began to nervously tap her fingers and Breeze subconsciously mirrored her.

  “This is a bit awkward, Breeze. I feel like we haven’t spoken for months and it’s only been three weeks.”

  “And two days… not that anyone’s counting.”

  They briefly paused and once again, their trail of thought was identical.

  “I miss you,” they said at once.

  “I’m sorry, Bella… I shouldn’t ha–”

  “Yo, Belly! You crashing our date?” Jayden interjected.

  “Date? Oh, course… date. Erm, no, I just came over to say ‘hi’. Enjoy your date.” As Bella left the table and approached the counter, her heart became heavy; she felt as though she was l
osing her best friend. “Can I get a cheesy beef pattie and coco bread, please?”

  Whilst waiting for her order, Bella eavesdropped on Jayden and Breeze’s conversation.

  “Food should be here soon, B.”

  “Thanks, J.”

  “J?” Bella muttered. “Since when?”

  Jayden danced along to the music playing from his phone. “Listen, this new YC song bangs! When the beat drops, it slaps differently!”

  “Yeah, it’s catchy,” Breeze spoke as quietly as she could, but Bella’s hearing had always been extraordinary; she could hear every word.

  “YC. Catchy? Wow, Breeze,” said Bella.

  “Wha’ ya say?” replied the waitress.

  “Sorry, I wasn’t speaking to you,” Bella explained.

  “Then who ya ah talk to?”

  “Erm – myself!” Bella chuckled as the waitress glanced at her from head to toe and went to serve the next customer.

  Breeze and Jayden began to rap along to the song:

  “Money, cash, coins and pounds,

  Every day we’re making rounds,

  Stacking P, without a sound,

  Rolling through these London grounds.”

  “Jeez, Breezy! What you know about these tunes!”

  Bella was horrified. “This cannot be real. This can’t be happening.” Her sadness was swiftly replaced with rage and before she knew it, Bella was marching over to Breeze.

  “What’s happened to you? You hate YC!’

  “He’s all right, actually.”

  “Really? Really? He’s all right. Please explain the meaning of what you just rapped.”

  Breeze stood up and tried to console Bella. “It’s just about working hard to earn money. It’s encouraging people to strive for success. What’s wrong with that?”

  “Wow. Really, Breeze?” Bella’s voice grew louder. “Hard work? Success?”

  “Chill out, Bella.”

  “Yeah chill out, Belly,” Jayden echoed, “one day you’ll be cool enough to know about YC too,” he joked.