Other Half
September 5, 2012 ~
Charlie Ray’s first day at his new school is a disaster. He’s put in two wrong classes: English 9 and Earth Science. His English teacher makes him stand in front of the class and introduce himself, and as he’s standing there he thinks of his mother.
She would tell him to be brave, to remember that no one cares if he’s nervous. That these kids probably won’t even remember him by next week, when he’s hopefully switched into a tenth grade English class.
He takes a deep breath and says, “My name’s Charlie Ray and I’m in the wrong English class.”
“Are you a freshman?” The teacher asks. He can’t remember her name.
“No, I’m a sophomore.” He quickly adds before she can ask, “And I passed ninth grade English.”
“Okay,” she says simply. “But you’re new to this school. So introduce yourself anyways. Where are you from?”
Charlie Ray wishes she would realize how much he hates this. “I’m from Alabama.”
A couple kids in the back snicker, the same ones who outright laughed when he first opened his mouth to speak. He hadn’t been around many people who didn’t share his accent, only his aunt and her husband, and even they had a slight Southern lilt. He’s suddenly hyperaware of his accent.
He goes home to his aunt and uncle’s house, dragging his feet as he walks from the bus stop. His uncle’s at work, but his aunt is in the kitchen when he uses his shiny new key to unlock the front door.
“How’d it go, hun?”
Charlie Ray sighs. “I got the worst accent, don’t I?”
Aunt Kelly laughs. “Well, you’ve got an accent. But it’s not bad. I bet some people will like it.”
“I stick out like a sore thumb,” he says. “Before it was just old clothes, now it’s a hick accent.”
“Don’t worry about it, Charlie. I’m sure your soul mate will love it.”
“Maybe,” Charlie Ray says and shrugs.
She would tell him to be brave, to remember that no one cares if he’s nervous. That these kids probably won’t even remember him by next week, when he’s hopefully switched into a tenth grade English class.
He takes a deep breath and says, “My name’s Charlie Ray and I’m in the wrong English class.”
“Are you a freshman?” The teacher asks. He can’t remember her name.
“No, I’m a sophomore.” He quickly adds before she can ask, “And I passed ninth grade English.”
“Okay,” she says simply. “But you’re new to this school. So introduce yourself anyways. Where are you from?”
Charlie Ray wishes she would realize how much he hates this. “I’m from Alabama.”
A couple kids in the back snicker, the same ones who outright laughed when he first opened his mouth to speak. He hadn’t been around many people who didn’t share his accent, only his aunt and her husband, and even they had a slight Southern lilt. He’s suddenly hyperaware of his accent.
He goes home to his aunt and uncle’s house, dragging his feet as he walks from the bus stop. His uncle’s at work, but his aunt is in the kitchen when he uses his shiny new key to unlock the front door.
“How’d it go, hun?”
Charlie Ray sighs. “I got the worst accent, don’t I?”
Aunt Kelly laughs. “Well, you’ve got an accent. But it’s not bad. I bet some people will like it.”
“I stick out like a sore thumb,” he says. “Before it was just old clothes, now it’s a hick accent.”
“Don’t worry about it, Charlie. I’m sure your soul mate will love it.”
“Maybe,” Charlie Ray says and shrugs.
♥ ♥