CHAPTER 10
TELLING
She’d never been so nervous to tell her parents anything. She made them all go into the living room and sit on the big, squishy couches so they’d at least be comfortable. Heidi sat next to her in the recliner. Having Heidi there gave her courage.
“Honey, what is going on?” her mother said, confused.
Yasmin took a deep breath and then told them everything. This time, she didn’t leave anything out. She told them about the notes, about telling Coach, about how Coach hadn’t believed her, and about how she’d chickened out about telling the principal.
Her parents’ eyes got bigger and bigger as she talked. When she was done there was a huge silence. Then both her parents started talking at the same time.
“I can’t believe it,” her mom said. She was near tears. She stood up and came to hug Yasmin. “I’m so sorry, honey. Why didn’t you tell us more of this sooner?”
“I was scared the whole team would hate me if you got involved,” Yasmin said. “I wanted to deal with it myself.”
“Your safety and peace of mind are what matter most,” her dad said. “This is unacceptable.” He turned to Heidi. “You saw this girl put a note in Yasmin’s locker too, Heidi?”
Heidi nodded. “Yes,” she said quietly. “And I was there the first time she said something to Yasmin too.”
Her mom sat back down. “I’m so glad you found the courage to tell us now.”
Yasmin felt tears prick her eyes. She hated to cry, but she remembered that Louise always said it was good to cry. Louise was a fan of crying. Yasmin let herself take that advice for a minute.
“We’re going to go in to speak to the principal tomorrow,” her dad said. “And we’d like you there, of course, Yasmin. And you too, Heidi, if you’d be willing to come.”
Yasmin glanced at Heidi. “Are you all right with that?”
Heidi smiled. “I’d be glad to.”
Principal Higgins’s office was cold and officiallooking. There was a big wooden desk and diplomas all over the walls. There were also framed photos of a lot of the school’s sports teams.
Yasmin’s mom, her dad, and Heidi sat next to her on the other side of the principal’s desk. Yasmin’s mouth was dry.
“So, what can I do for you?” Principal Higgins asked.
Yasmin froze up when she saw that some of the framed pictures were of the school’s basketball teams. One of them was for a basketball championship from a few years ago.
Yasmin swallowed. What if the principal was just like Coach? What if she loved the school’s basketball team so much that she wouldn’t hear a word against one of its stars? What if she thought Yasmin was just a liar.
Her mom squeezed her hand. “Go ahead and tell her,” she said. “And be thorough.”
Yasmin took a deep breath. Then she told the principal everything. It was getting a little easier for her to talk about. The principal’s eyes also got wider and wider, just as her parents’ had.
Yasmin pulled out the notes she’d been given and laid them on the principal’s desk. She pointed. “That’s the last note Kelly left me.”
Principal Higgins’s face was pale. “And this is Kelly Holgar, from the basketball team?”
“Yes,” she said nervously.
“I assure you my daughter isn’t making this up,” her mom said.
“She’s not,” Heidi said quietly. “I was right there when she told Yasmin to go back to her own country. I heard her say it. And I was there when she put the latest note in Yasmin’s locker.”
The principal grew even paler. “I’m so sorry. This is unacceptable. Yasmin, I truly believe that this is a rarity at our school. But even one instance is too much. We will take action. Have you spoken with Coach about this?”
“Yeah, but he didn’t seem like he believed me,” Yasmin said, still nervous. “He just acted like I was ‘accusing’ Kelly. I don’t know if he ever talked to her about it, but I don’t think he did, because she kept acting the same.”
Principal Higgins looked even more troubled. “I’m very sorry to hear this. I’ll speak with him right away. This isn’t the type of thing we want at our school at all.”
“I’m scared she’ll tell the basketball team that I told on her, and then they’ll hate me even more than they did after the game,” Yasmin blurted.
“You still did the right thing by coming to me,” Principal Higgins said. “Racist actions and language are completely unacceptable. It will be up to Coach to tell other students that racism is not tolerated here at all. That’s the grown-ups’ job to ensure that.”
“Thank you for taking this seriously, Principal Higgins,” her dad said. “We appreciate it. We want our daughter to feel safe at school.”
“I’ll speak with the coach and with Kelly today,” said Principal Higgins, gathering some papers together. “And I’ll be in touch about all this. Thank you all for trusting me with this. And again, Yasmin, I’m so sorry. You’re very welcome at our school.”
Yasmin glanced at Heidi. Heidi smiled at her, and she smiled back.