Halo
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Maddison Poole, Grade 7
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Short Story
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2017
Unlike most kids at my school I’m normal. I like everything ‘normal’ 8th graders like; cartoons, social media, fashion, EVERYTHING! Therefor I have no idea why people would bully me.
That’s a lie; it’s because I’m black.
My full name is Madeline but because of my skin colour people call me ‘Mud-eline’ which has just come to Mud. You may think skin colour isn’t a big deal for kids in the modern day but I go to a boarding school where I’m the only person of colour in the entire school and it IS a big deal.
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As I walk through the halls to my first class I hear people whispering about me, hiding behind their hands passing secrets to their friends.
After an hour of sitting in Math class I make my way to lunch. After I collect my fruit,ham and mashed potato from the cafe and make my way to the back of the eating area. I almost make it safely when suddenly I see a boys leg stick out in front of me, not being able to stop myself I trip my face landing right in the mash potato. Standing back up I see the whole cafeteria laughing.
He laughs “look at the white on her face, she’s finally normal”
To save myself from any further embarrassment I scurry away, wiping potato of my face. On the way to my room way I see a poster for the school talent show; I brush it off knowing no one would be interested in watching me sing. When I get to my room I sit and start web-surfing, my safe space. I come across me and my mother’s favourite song, Halo by Beyoncé. Feeling idiotic of my previous thought that no one would like my voice I think back to how my mother would tell me I sung like an angel. Halo is the perfect song to sing for the talent show. I quickly start practising before anyone else comes back from lunch.
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The day has finally come, it’s December fourteenth and I’m ready to perform. I’m the last on the list since my last name is Zabbai. It’s finally my turn, I walk up, seeing disgusted and confused faces staring back-I roll my eyes. I see the spotlight intensely staring me in the eyes, I close them and sing.
~Remember those walls I built
Well, baby, they're tumbling down
And they didn't even put up a fight
They didn't even make a sound~
~Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby, I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace~
As I finish singing I look around and see everyone smiling in amazement, including my mother looking down on me,
with her ‘halo’.