Teasing vs. Bullying II

My 6th grade year I went to a school that was a horrible experience in integration.

Upper middle class white students and black kids from the projects. And me being bused from the black, middle class side of town to sit in classes with all white kids because they program I had tested into wasn't offered at my neighborhood middle school.

So, of course all the black kids wanted to know why I'm in class with all the white kids because the classes are OBVIOUSLY segregated.

Two schools in one...one black, one white.

Oh and I'm still getting teased about my lips. At this point, I don't even like to chew gum at school.

Oh and I was definitely fashionable challenged, too. (I didn't wear brand names-the horror!)
I went through an identity crisis and insisted on being called by my middle name. That last for 1 semester. I kept forgetting to answer to it.

Well, Gym class was the only class where I got to see other brown faces. One face in this class was Carmelita Bull. Yep, that was her real name. She did look kinda bullish. She was cute. She had a wide nose. And she was thick...like if she hit me it would hurt! I don't think that heffa could wait to start teasing me. Well, I guess maybe it was my fault. I wore my house key on my earring...you know...like Janet. So everyday, I got "*smack, smack* dis girl thank she cute...thank she like janet jackson or something with that key on her ear." Now I did get that from Janet, but I didn't think I was Janet, nor did I want to be Janet. (Well I did want to dance like her)

Anyway, Carmelita and her crew would terrorize people in the locker room before and after gym. You know adults are never around when stuff is going down. Anyway, one day they put this girl's clothes in the toilet. Yep, her hammer pants and patent leather shoes. I was already scared to undress because they would grab people's clothes and throw them around and I thought if they were teasing me about my lips what would they say if they saw the rest of my body?

Well one day, the orchestra was taking a trip to the mall. (Yes, I played the violin and was pretty good!) So I had $10 dollars for lunch and any other incidentals, courtesy of my dear mother. I locked the money up during gym class. Or so I thought. Carmelita and her crew got to it. They stole my money. I didn't go around announcing I had money, but they knew I was going on a field trip. Only the most unfortunate student didn't bring money for a field trip.

Of course she denied it so hard I thought maybe I just lost it. But eventually she confessed.

The life of a middle schooler is not for the faint of heart!