Ace of Spades Sneak Peek(106)

The waves crash against the sand, and Devon takes a seat on the ground.

I’ve lived in this town most of my life, but never been here. I don’t think I even knew of its existence.

“How did you find out about this place?” I ask him, taking a seat next to him now.

“Used to come here a lot when I was younger, when things at home and at school got too much,” he says.

I nod.

I can see why. It’s really peaceful here. I sit up, crossing my legs. I’m about to tell him how nice it is here, but he’s speaking again.

“I tried to kill myself here, years ago,” he says.

I look at him. That’s … surprising.

“Oh,” I say. Because that’s all I can think to say in response to that.

“I think I thought it would be nice … to just die—drown, in my favorite place. Now I find other ways to drown and cope,” he says.

“What stopped you?” I ask.

He doesn’t respond at first.

“Someone followed me here … pulled me out, didn’t let me do it,” he says quietly.

“Sounds like a good person.”

“He is,” Devon says.

We sit in silence, just watching the waves.

“You’re not a bad person, you know … for grieving him.”

I’m guessing he’s talking about Jamie.

“I’m not grieving him,” I say.

Devon nods.

“Well, even if you wanted to be sad about it … you’re not a bad person. Just human,” he says.

“Okay,” I reply, wanting to end the conversation about Jamie there.

It’s hard to detach the Jamie I liked, my best friend since I was fourteen, from the real Jamie. The one who was a racist coward, who never really liked me, who always had this plan in mind to screw with my life like this.

But I’m going to have to let go of the fake Jamie somehow. I refuse to grieve over someone who probably would have celebrated my death if the roles were reversed.

It’s unexpected, but I feel a weight on my hand as Devon slips his fingers through mine and squeezes. I give him a weird look, but he doesn’t notice.

And I don’t take my hand away.

I’ve felt alone a lot in this world, filled with people and faces that don’t look like me. My parents always working. My friends all backstabbing actors. My relationships never real.

But right now, with Devon, I don’t feel alone at all.

Not one bit.





47


DEVON

Friday


Later, when I’m alone, I look at my tweet again.

The support has doubled since I last saw it. People are talking about the protest and my tweet that sparked it. So many people are supporting us and the truth.

I hope things work out, and the truth remains in the open, unburied. I hope we get to be okay after all this.

I go to my messages and see my inbox filled once again. A message from a verified account catches my eye and so I click on the message.

It’s from a Black journalist.

@CindyIsHere47: I saw your tweet and I’d love to speak with you. Let me know if that is something you’re interested in.—Cindy

I don’t want to trust anyone from any institution that can be paid off easily by Niveus. But then I click on her profile, eyes widening when I see the company she works for.

They are big. Known for their unapologetic articles and fearless takes. All detailing the lives of people like us, wronged by the systems.

I’ll show Chiamaka the message. Show her who it’s from, see what she thinks.

But for now, I close out of Twitter.

I’m back in my room now, in my house.

I close my eyes, pretending it’s already the future, and I’m somewhere else, living a completely different life.

Dreaming is dangerous. But I allow myself to this time.

I think we deserve a happy ending.





EPILOGUE

The Fire Next Time


Sixteen years later


A letter from the Underground Society



Dear Mrs. Johnson,

It has come to our attention that you are planning on enrolling your son, Rhys Johnson, at Pollards Private Academy. We are writing to warn and advise you against sending Rhys to this school, as Pollards Private Academy systematically targets its Black students, practicing a form of social eugenics. Attached to this letter is evidence dating back to 1965, when the first case of social eugenics took place at the now-closed institution Niveus Private Academy, tragically costing the first Black victim there her life, as detailed in the documents. Since 1965, the school caused undue trauma to all enrolled Black students, including, but not limited to, emotional and physical harassment and severe mental trauma as well as attempts to sabotage academic records, college applications, and employment possibilities.

To guarantee your son’s protection from having a similar experience at Pollards, we would love to invite him to join the Ruby Bridges Academy. This is a school set up by the Underground Society—a society founded to tackle the systemic inequality in schools across the country.

Niveus was not the only institution practicing social eugenics, and we are still working to find those connected to Niveus while also providing an alternative solution for students we identify as targets of any of these institutions. Our aim is to reform all the systems, starting with education.