Devil

-23-

-Esla-

I sat in class with Kiersten, trying to focus on the board as my mind slowly reverted back to school and less to all the imaginary people that were watching me. I needed to relax and calm down, half of these kids probably could care less about what had happened to my father and the fight I was apart of. I was being paranoid, and that might cost me.

"The bell doesn't dismiss you, I do," the teacher called out as the bell rung. She slowly made her way down the aisles to hand us our homework and I grumbled in my head, knowing that she wouldn't give us passes to our next class. I hated when teachers did that. Then the next teacher usually didn't believe you.

She handed me my homework sheet and laid a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I smiled back at her politely then hauled ass out of that room. I was making my way to my next class, Kiersten in tow, when I felt like all eyes were on me again. And this time it wasn't my imagination. "Yeah, that's her," I heard somebody whisper leaning against a marred locker.

I wanted to desperately duck into a bathroom or hide behind Kiersten's tall figure, but I couldn't. My best friend caught up with me and whispered quickly into my ear. "I heard the girl you fought is back," she informed me. My blood seemed to freeze as I forced myself to keep walking, "Does she want to fight me again? Where is she?" I gulped. I could handle my own, but I'm sure she wasn't too glad her loss had been highlighted and that her trigger happy friends had probably been taken into custody at some point.

I expect she would have other tricks up her sleeve. This wouldn't just be another fight- it'd be a battle.

I was sitting at lunch with Jashaea and Kiersten flanking my sides when I saw her. She looked tired and her braids were severely pulled into a bun with a net over her hair. She was covered up in long sleeves and sweat pants with a gaze worth its money. Her skin was bumpy and had small cuts and her eyes were red. The entire cafeteria stilled, even the admins in happy conversation. I could have heard an ambulance a mile away in the quiet, even could hear laughter from outside the cafeteria doors.

Kiersten squeezed my thigh gently and Jashaea glanced over at me with a look that asked "are you ready"?

I stood up slowly, taking out my earrings and my necklace. I tied my shoes tight and went around the table for the girl to meet me there. We paused in front of each other and she sucked her teeth.

"I been hearing a lot of big talk about yo pussy ass," she snarled. She brought her fist back and I caught her hair, dragging her head down as I allowed her to punch my shoulder. Sometimes you had to take the shit to pull a win. I then grabbed her dominant hand and twisted her around, starting to pound at her face. No one intervened as they all watched in shock and climbed the tables to enjoy a good fight.

And... was that the principal I spotted on a table?

I focused back on the fight: I could hear Kiersten yelling and other people shouting out directions, but I was too into the fight. This all too much reminded me of the last fight I had with her, but by her strength it seemed like she remembered all too well too. I kneed the bitch in the face then slid on a fruit cup tray. I landed on my ass and she didn't waste any time plopping down on me. My fist connected with her throat, making her fall to the side momentarily. That was enough for me to roll over on her and slam my thumb under her eyelid.

I'm going to win.

I'm angry at her.

This is all her fault.

My emotions fueled me to finish the fight, leaving shorty witta bloody nose, a knot on her forehead, various other injuries, and a broken nail. It was a real nail too. Her body shook and Kiersten pulled me off of her. The adults in the cafeteria seemed to shake out of their daze, and quickly ran up to the fight. It felt like it had lasted an hour, and my body felt that way too, but I'm sure it had only been ten minutes at the most.

Someone was hauling me off and Kiersten was arguing to stay with me, and somebody was calling for an ambulance because the girl had stopped breathing. The cafeteria was loud and people were acting a fool on top of the tables, and yelling good remarks at me.

"...she beat that dirty bitch ass!"

"...let's go..."

"Alright Esla!"

"Period! Period! Period! Period!"

"Damn, that bitch dying!"

I was practically shoved into the front office. I felt my back being turned around as a cop recited my rights and cold, firm handcuffs were placed around my innocent and feeble wrists. "She started it," I weakly said, hanging my head low. My mother and father would be disappointed in me, but shit, she swung first! My mama told me not to start a fight, but to end it!

But again, not everybody was my mama.

"Tell it to da judge," the cop smirked.

I don't know how many times I had heard that stupid phrase on television, but now it seemed to sink in that it would soon be my reality. "I wanna make a phone call," I told him quickly. "You can down at the station...or are we going to take her to security," he directed the last part to a familiar admin I didn't know by name.

"Security office first. Miss Walter did initiate physical contact," the admin said, tilting her head towards me with a quick smile. It was good to know somebody had my back. I was led through the school in handcuffs, trying to look as dignified as I could as I was marched down the hall. The cafeteria was being let out in increments now, probably so another fight wouldn't break out.

People curiously watched me and hyped me up.

I was finally led into to the security office, trying not to resist at all. I remembered watching my peers cuss and struggle their way down the hallway and inevitably end up really arrested- that wasn't finna be me. Shit, the whole cafeteria was witness to what happened, there was no reason why I should be cuffed and the other girl was not. Well, she was being shipped off to the hospital, but still.

"Name?" a bored woman asked me, in the school district's cop uniform.

"Esla Lavigne," I said quietly.

The woman looked up and the boredom seemed to drop from her face. "Like-

"Yeah, my dad was the one who got shot," I told her. Maybe that would gain me some sympathy points.

"I want you to fill out this form," the cop shook herself out of her curiosity. I was familiar with forms like this. They wanted my side of the story and the "When, What, Where, Why".

I filled it out slowly, trying to calm myself down as I rubbed my now uncuffed wrists. I'd never understand how someone could grow used to something so restricting. "Done?" the female cop asked me. I nodded and gently gave her back the clipboard. "Okay," the lady breathed out. "I'll be back in a short second. Since no one will be in here I'll have to cuff you to the chair, mhm?"

I nodded slowly like I even had a choice and was placed back into the restrictive clasps. I watched the female cop leave, noticing that the male had left a long time ago. I felt anxious and scared of what the outcome of this all could mean for me. I didn't want to go to jail- I had life plans. This was my senior year and I was months away from graduating. Something like this could fuck up my chances of college.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, nearly scaring me out of my seat. My handcuffs wouldn't give me anywhere to go though, and they wouldn't allow me to get on my cell either. I sighed, feeling hopeless. This wasn't the plan. This shouldn't be my fault.

But it was.