First Day Back
Chapter 2
Joe could not understand a word that the radio announcer was saying. ‘It must be in African or something,’ he thought.
“What’s she saying?” he asked ‘Azraa.
“I’m not too sure,” she replied, “I’m not very good at Afrikaans.”
“Sis, that’s disgusting,” Mr Conrad said quietly.
“What is?” Joe asked, leaning towards Mr Conrad.
“Why don’t you ask Ameera?” he said dismissing Joe’s question.
He turned away from Mr Conrad and looked at Ameera’s scowling profile.
“What did she say, Ameera?” he said softly.
“Well,” she began, “she was saying that this guy- uh- shot his kids in front of his wife. Every time he shot a kid he would look at his wife and say ‘This is your fault’ because he thought that she worked too hard. That’s basically it.”
“Wow.” Joe whispered. ‘That’s so messed up,’ he thought.
The drive to school seemed to take longer than it normally did for Mr Conrad.
‘What is my daughter,’ he thought, ‘my smart, talented daughter- doing with a rockstar? She could’ve had a bit more taste’. They passed Lupo’s- a trendy restaurant where he and his family would have breakfast on a Sunday morning.
‘Thank God. We’re almost at school’
Next to him, Ameera did not share his excitement. She didn’t know what to expect people to think or say or do. Amanda Bynes once told her that when she went back to school that every one was bitchy and mean- would the girls at her school be the same? ‘Probably not. I mean, the Table will be totally cool with it, they support me through everything,’ her positive side said. ‘But,’ her negative side chimed in, ‘what about all those girls who never liked you in the first place? Won’t they be catty and mean and stuff?’ ‘Of course not- you’re with Joe Jonas! What can they say to you to get you down?’ Ameera smiled.
‘Wow,’ Joe thought, ‘what an incredible smile! She’s so innocent and pure; I can’t wait until her sweet 16 when I can announce to the whole world that we’re together!’
He gasped as they pulled up to Wynberg Girls’ High School. It was a normal civvies day, girls in skinnies and tight tops, a few in jackets for the cold. Joe had been to a school where civvies was the uniform so most people didn’t make an effort to look good every day. But here, a civvies day came around once in a blue moon so everybody put on their best clothes and shiniest earrings.
Ameera felt underdressed- she always did. Even in her ‘True Religion’ jeans and Guess t-shirt she felt as if she was wearing a paper bag. Her look was always understated, plain t-shirt and a pair of good jeans, that’s her style- but that’s not Wynberg’s style. To be cool you have to look flashy- your labels have to be big and visible, or else you’re out. Luckily for Ameera she’s never really cared about that kind of thing, but today was different. Today she was a celebrity- an actress- living the dream. Today she had to look exceptional, like someone who just stepped off of a catwalk. But she didn’t, and she knew it. Her simple style had let her down.
Joe looked around. ‘Is this what it’s like when South African girls dress up?’ he wondered.
He turned to Ameera, “What’s with all the shiny people?” he asked, “I mean, girls in Hollywood don’t even make such an effort to look good when they go to school!”
She didn’t look at him when she answered. “Yeah, well, that’s Wynberg for you. Every civvies day is like a day at New York fashion week. It kinda sucks if you don’t like to dress up for school.”
“What about you? Do you like to dress up for school?”
“Uh- does it look like I like to dress up for school?”
Joe laughed. “Well,” he said, “you are wearing very expensive clothing!”
“But,” she retaliated, “can you see that it’s Guess? Can you see that it’s True Religion?”
“I suppose not,” Joe laughed, “the logo thingies are pretty small.”
“Yeah, they are, so there,” Ameera said.
Mr Conrad turned to look at them, “Go on then you two, it’s time for school.”
As they stepped out of the car, Ameera could feel the stares of the usual crowd hanging out at the front gate. ‘Oh yeah,’ she thought sarcastically, ‘today’s gonna be a great day.’
“What’s she saying?” he asked ‘Azraa.
“I’m not too sure,” she replied, “I’m not very good at Afrikaans.”
“Sis, that’s disgusting,” Mr Conrad said quietly.
“What is?” Joe asked, leaning towards Mr Conrad.
“Why don’t you ask Ameera?” he said dismissing Joe’s question.
He turned away from Mr Conrad and looked at Ameera’s scowling profile.
“What did she say, Ameera?” he said softly.
“Well,” she began, “she was saying that this guy- uh- shot his kids in front of his wife. Every time he shot a kid he would look at his wife and say ‘This is your fault’ because he thought that she worked too hard. That’s basically it.”
“Wow.” Joe whispered. ‘That’s so messed up,’ he thought.
The drive to school seemed to take longer than it normally did for Mr Conrad.
‘What is my daughter,’ he thought, ‘my smart, talented daughter- doing with a rockstar? She could’ve had a bit more taste’. They passed Lupo’s- a trendy restaurant where he and his family would have breakfast on a Sunday morning.
‘Thank God. We’re almost at school’
Next to him, Ameera did not share his excitement. She didn’t know what to expect people to think or say or do. Amanda Bynes once told her that when she went back to school that every one was bitchy and mean- would the girls at her school be the same? ‘Probably not. I mean, the Table will be totally cool with it, they support me through everything,’ her positive side said. ‘But,’ her negative side chimed in, ‘what about all those girls who never liked you in the first place? Won’t they be catty and mean and stuff?’ ‘Of course not- you’re with Joe Jonas! What can they say to you to get you down?’ Ameera smiled.
‘Wow,’ Joe thought, ‘what an incredible smile! She’s so innocent and pure; I can’t wait until her sweet 16 when I can announce to the whole world that we’re together!’
He gasped as they pulled up to Wynberg Girls’ High School. It was a normal civvies day, girls in skinnies and tight tops, a few in jackets for the cold. Joe had been to a school where civvies was the uniform so most people didn’t make an effort to look good every day. But here, a civvies day came around once in a blue moon so everybody put on their best clothes and shiniest earrings.
Ameera felt underdressed- she always did. Even in her ‘True Religion’ jeans and Guess t-shirt she felt as if she was wearing a paper bag. Her look was always understated, plain t-shirt and a pair of good jeans, that’s her style- but that’s not Wynberg’s style. To be cool you have to look flashy- your labels have to be big and visible, or else you’re out. Luckily for Ameera she’s never really cared about that kind of thing, but today was different. Today she was a celebrity- an actress- living the dream. Today she had to look exceptional, like someone who just stepped off of a catwalk. But she didn’t, and she knew it. Her simple style had let her down.
Joe looked around. ‘Is this what it’s like when South African girls dress up?’ he wondered.
He turned to Ameera, “What’s with all the shiny people?” he asked, “I mean, girls in Hollywood don’t even make such an effort to look good when they go to school!”
She didn’t look at him when she answered. “Yeah, well, that’s Wynberg for you. Every civvies day is like a day at New York fashion week. It kinda sucks if you don’t like to dress up for school.”
“What about you? Do you like to dress up for school?”
“Uh- does it look like I like to dress up for school?”
Joe laughed. “Well,” he said, “you are wearing very expensive clothing!”
“But,” she retaliated, “can you see that it’s Guess? Can you see that it’s True Religion?”
“I suppose not,” Joe laughed, “the logo thingies are pretty small.”
“Yeah, they are, so there,” Ameera said.
Mr Conrad turned to look at them, “Go on then you two, it’s time for school.”
As they stepped out of the car, Ameera could feel the stares of the usual crowd hanging out at the front gate. ‘Oh yeah,’ she thought sarcastically, ‘today’s gonna be a great day.’