A Life Completed (Hard Time Series Book 5)

Embarrassed

NOTE: This story addresses unchecked and untreated mental illness and what can happen as a result of it. Callie's behavior is a result of this. This is a very delicate matter so please be sensitive to this in your comments. Thank you.

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"I can't believe they are making us cut up an earth worm." Tasha says and her and Baby Stef are headed out the giant high school building relieved that the week is almost over. The young teen was really enjoying her school and her new friend even if she had originally been anxious about being a year older. But so far no one cared, and if they did say something the young girl was not afraid to fight back, and never had been.

From the time Baby Stef was little she had always had a very strong personality, and a very tough attitude. She wasn't one to talk back, but she did stand her ground, and she did stand up for herself and for the people she loved and cared about. Family, even at fifteen meant the world to her especially her little brother Andrew, and her Yaya and Nana Lion.

Growing up she was raised mainly by her grandmothers, and partly the reason she was so tough was Stef had taught her everything, and was preparing her for life. Baby Stef knew how to cook, drive, hot wire a car (without Lena's knowledge), how to get around on every kind of public transportation, she had every family's phone number memorized incase her cellphone died, she knew how to get to everyone's home even by walking, and had emergency cash and one credit card on her at all times, plus a little bottle of Pepper Spray. It was safe to say Stef had prepared Frankie the same way as well as Jude and Noah but it was possible she was even more intense when it came to Baby Stef for more then one reason.

"I know it's kinda gross. Do you wanna be my lab partner?" Shes asks her new friend as Tasha beams with excitement but also shock for originally she was terrified of the girl but came to realize within the last few weeks that she was very kind, but very tough.

"Really? You, you wanna be my lab partner?"

"Sure, why not." Baby Stef asks now munching on a stick of black licorice as Tasha stops looking dead at her with her dark brown eyes for no one ever wanted to do anything with her. Ever and she had no friends, was a tad overweight and many of the kids teased her horribly say she looked like an ugly fat troll doll.

"Well, no one ever wants to be my partner. With anything. Or if they do, I do all the work and they take credit." She says as Baby Stef offers her another piece of candy as the girl takes it.

"Really? Who? Who are these people?"

"Oh, those girls over there. Them. They hate me and I don't know why." She shrugs as Baby Stef looks in the direction Tasha has pointed narrowing her eyes at the rather skinny looking girls who were laughing and flinging their hair back. She can't help but roll her eyes  wanting nothing more but to deck them all in the face for being mean for no reason was something she couldn't stand. 

"Well, don't worry about them. You're my friend and I won't let you do the project on your own. You can come over my house this weekend and we can do it together."

"Really? You don't mind me coming over?"

"Course not. I just have to ask my Nana and Yaya. But it should be fine, even if you just wanna hang out. It's cool." She smile at the girl as Tasha doesn't know what to say for she never had a friend before. Not once.

"Cool. Thanks Stefanie. I'd really like that." She smiles as Baby Stef returns if offering her some candy as the older girls takes it.

"Yeah..um call me Baby Stef. I hate when people call me Stefanie." She says smiling again Tasha looks to her confused. "It will make sense when you meet my family, believe me." Tasha can only laugh as the girls walk down the school front steps towards the bus when Baby Stef hears someone calling her name.