Chapter 2 – Clover Robinson #2
The boys already have their 16 ergometers set up in the room. There’s hardly room for us to step around and Jude has my gym bag slung over his shoulder, ready to complete the eviction.
“Jude, put that down!”
“I’d rather not.”
“Put it down, now!“
My heart races. Why is he taunting me? Isn’t it bad enough that he humiliated me?
“I’m going to see what’s inside.”
Jude unzips my gym bag and hot shame courses through me.
“Condoms, really?” Jude says. I want to sink into the ground.
I do not have condoms in my gym bag, but that doesn’t stop the entire crew team from bursting into laughter.
I swear I hear one of them mutter the word slut.
Sylvia springs at Jude, snatching my gym bag from him.
He relinquishes the gym bag to her instantly and then runs his tongue over his lower lip with satisfaction. Asshole.
“Give that back, you big doofus!” Sylvia yells. “And get out of here. All of you.”
“Get out of here, all of you,” Thomas mocks. “Come on, Syl. We have a race in three weeks. Next time you girls can throw your little dance party. It’s preseason. We need to train.”
“We don’t have to leave,” Kola says.
“Would you like me to tell the headmaster you disturbed our practice session? Listen, ladies. We’re a sports team. You’re dancers. I think we all know which one is more important.”
Snickers again. Sylvia gets up in Thomas’ face but again, he doesn’t budge. He quickly casts a glance in my direction before putting his hands on his hips and directing his annoying gaze at Sylvia. We can’t physically make them leave and if they don’t want to go… We seriously can’t make them.
This isn’t fair, but two days on campus, and I already get how this place works— like everywhere else in the world. The rich and the powerful rule over everyone else and treat them/us like their little minions. It sucks, but that’s life.
“Condescending fuck,” Sylvia hisses. I’ve never heard her cuss someone else like that, so she must be pretty mad, not like Thomas cares.
He smirks, and Sylvia’s defeated look suggests she’s already given up, which I can’t believe.
I guess it’s the three of us versus sixteen boys. We don’t exactly stand a chance.
“Bye, Syl. I’ll text you later,” Thomas says. His voice really sounds like a villain’s. I hope I don’t have to hear him say another word. Sylvia stuffs her things into her gym bag.
“Don’t bother,” she snaps. “Come on guys, let’s get out of here. I’ll talk to the headmaster.”
The boys make a dramatic “Oooooooo” together, still mocking us. Maybe my mom was right and leaving the bullshit behind by coming to England was a mistake. I can’t let her get in my head now. I’m already here. I chose this fight over several others available to me and I need to own that.
“Just so you know,” I say once we get all our stuff together. “This is sexism. The dance team is just as important as whatever the hell this is.”
I glare at Jude, but Thomas is the one who answers.
“It’s a crew team, Clover.”
“Whatever.”
My girl friends and I link arms and we storm out together.
Kola’s furiously texting our future dance team with updates and I’m too dejected to protest auditioning the new hires.
I just want a sign we’ll still be able to have our team.
I don’t want to end up playing women’s cricket or worse, field hockey.
I just can’t believe this already happened to us. Seriously? Those guys just walked in there and pushed us out. We could have fought back harder. Maybe we can fight back harder. Just not yet.
Sylvia shakes her head. “Thomas can be such a dick.”
“We just got here. Remind me how you know him?”
“We just got here and you already hooked up with someone,” Kola says. “Or two people. You won’t tell us.”
Thankfully, Sylvia answers her question first, so I don’t have to say anything.
“He’s my sister’s best friend’s brother. It’s complicated. We met over the summer.”
“Ohhh you smashed a white guy,” Kola says. “Dangerous.”
“Ew!” Sylvia says. “Girl, I am not attracted to Thomas. Like at all. I’ve seen his gamer nest. No thank you.”
We go to the bulletin board in the gym to search for an unoccupied room.
The only available room is the gross kickboxing gym in the basement.
It’s literally a gross concrete room with two bags from the ceiling, no ventilation and no windows.
There’s a permanent stench there and several mouse traps in the corner, a definite hazard for dancer toes.
It’s no place for dance practice, but we don’t have any other options. Kola sets us all up and lures the new recruits to the room. Sylvia works on her moves and tries to get us all hype.
“This is even better than the studio!” Okay, she’s definitely reaching, but I appreciate her trying to keep us positive. I’m still livid about Jude and that idiot Thomas managed to become even more annoying than Jude. Ugh.
This isn’t the last time we’ll have to deal with them, but the next time I encounter this Thomas guy, I’ll be ready. I won’t let anyone push me around here. That’s not how Clover Robinson moves. Hell to the no.