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“It was inevitable.” Ollie sighed.
“What do you mean?”
Ollie leaned against the counter and kept eating nachos, getting dust all over her fingers and the front of her clean t-shirt. But she didn’t care, she was so hungry.
“Not only am I the first person of color Jackson has dated, but I’m thefirstperson of color in his life,” Ollie explained. “Jackson’s sister is the perfect example of being intolerant even though she was raised by two great people.”
“Is it normal for me to be confused right now?”
Sighing heavily, Ollie glanced at her best friend. “Jackson’s closest circle is made up of white people, but he wasn’t taught to be racist. He’s never had the opportunity to be around people of color and know what it meant to…understand where they came from.”
Frankie nodded and Ollie ate more nachos, needing to catch her breath.
“And if you’ve never had people of color around, you’re never going to know how that feels.”
“I was taught how to not be racist,” Frankie argued.
Ollie nodded. “Byourgrandmothers. Well, more by Baby than anyone else, because she doesn’t take shit from anyone. But that’s exactly my point.”
Frankie frowned and nodded, prompting Ollie to keep going.
“You spent time with an Indian family as a kid and you spent most of your life around my Indian family, so youknowhow to behave in those situations, what to say and what not to say. But it’s not like everyone has that same experience.” Ollie set the bag of nachos aside. “Jackson has never faced a situation like this before and itdefinitelymade him uncomfortable, but also made me aware of how much he doesn’t know.”
“So what did Jackson say?”
“Mostly what he didnotsay,” Ollie sighed. “He kept defending his sister, like her words shouldn’t offend me. I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t getting it.
“Then I realized he’s never had a reason to deal with a conversation about race. But, it’s on him to rectify it andthatmeans learning about everything related to race and how America sees those of us with different skin color. And I can’t be the one who teaches him, he needs to learn on his own.”
“Wow,” Frankie whispered.
In their entire friendship, Ollie and Frankie had never talked about anything like this. That made her realize they didn’t have to because Frankie had seen it first hand. Between Baby and Nana Willows, Frankie’s grandmother, they had been taught the right and wrong things when it came to race. It didn’t matter if the person was white, Brown or Black—you showed them respect, you understood where they were coming from and youdid notbelittle their situation.
It was definitely Jackson’s responsibility to learn about this and to fully comprehend the damage Beth’s words had done. But more importantly, how to be an ally. Everyone put on airs of being an ally, of being someone who supported the oppressed or the minorities, but actions spoke louder than words. And right now, Jackson’s actions and words were still hurting her.
“I love him, I do. But this reminds me of Pierce’s tiny digs and how he brushed them off as jokes.”
Frankie gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “If anyone reminds you of Pierce, they’ve got to go.”
Ollie smiled sadly. “I thought I was past it, you know? I was past the whole ‘men trying to make me feel small because I didn’t understand where they were coming from’ thing.”
“But Jackson is different,” Frankie argued. “Jackson doesn’t think you’re pathetic or disgusting because you’ve been with women.”
“I know.”
“Anders, that boy went out of his way to take you on the best dates of your life; he isnothinglike Pierce. Even if there are things he said or did thatremindsyou of the asswipe, that’s not who Jackson is. Right?”
“You went from ‘he’s got to go’ to defending Jackson pretty fast.”
Frankie shrugged. “These past few months, you’ve smiled more than you have in any relationship. And I’ve known you most of your life.”
Ollie nodded, offering her friend a small smile. “You’re right, that’s not who Jackson is. Heisdifferent. But that night…it triggered me. And the more he said and the less he paid attention, the angrier I got. And before I knew it, I was asking him to leave.”
“Hear me out,” Frankie started and Ollie narrowed her eyes. “Do you think you werewaitingfor something like this to happen?”
“Yes.” The word came out without even hesitation.
“Oh, that was easy.”
