Tone neutral.
Do not give her anything.
Then she remembered Dana.
Leon.
Cole’s note.
Use your own voice.
Whichever one shows up.
“What was funny?”
Kendall zipped the camera case.
“The voice.”
Brooke closed her eyes.
“Seriously?”
Imani looked at Kendall.
“Six months.”
“What?”
“You have been talking about my voice for six months.”
Kendall shrugged.
“You asked.”
“No.”
Imani stood.
“I’m asking now.”
Brooke quietly reached for her backpack.
Kendall crossed her arms.
“Fine.”
She looked directly at Imani.
“I think you perform.”
Imani nodded.
“Everybody performs on a microphone.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“I know.”
Kendall’s expression changed.
Imani continued.
“You mean you think the way I talk around teachers isn’t Black enough.”
Brooke became very still.
Kendall flushed.
“I did not say that.”
“You don’t have to anymore.”
“That is exactly what you do.”
“What?”
“You take everything and make it racial.”
Imani laughed.
“You literally called me a perfectly articulate Black girl in your own chat.”
Kendall stared at Brooke.
Brooke stood.
“Do not put this on me.”
“You gave her the messages?”
“I gave administration messages.”
“Same thing.”
“No.”
Brooke put on her backpack.
“You wrote them.”
The sentence landed.
Kendall looked back at Imani.
“So what do you want?”
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.”
Imani shook her head.
“I wanted you to stop.”
“I did.”
“You stopped saying it where I could hear.”
Kendall’s face hardened.
“Maybe because you get people suspended.”
Imani stared.
“You got suspended.”
“For private messages.”
“After a warning.”
“You love that answer.”
“What answer?”
“Nothing is ever your fault because technically you didn’t punish me.”
Imani almost laughed.
“You are angry at me because you wrote things about me and the school read them.”
Kendall stepped closer.
Brooke moved between the desks.
“Kendall, leave.”
Kendall ignored her.
“Everybody treats her like she’s perfect.”
Imani’s voice sharpened.
“Who?”
“Teachers.”
“Which teachers?”
“Cole.”
“Because he lets me read announcements?”
“The radio station.”
“They complimented your video.”
“That is not the point.”
“What is the point?”
Kendall stopped.
She did not have an answer that survived being spoken clearly.
Imani saw it.
“So leave me alone.”