City Gurl

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I silently send a prayer to God that I will go out of this house alive. I beg forgiveness of all the sins I have committed.

'Oh please, oh please let me leave this house alive, God! Please! I'm sorry for cheating on that math test back in eighth grade! And the one in sixth! And in kindergarten! And that time when I stole a piece of candy from the Halloween bowl when I was nine! Forgive me!!' I think.

"There you are," Beatrice growls. "Why the fuck are you still here?"

"Uh. . ." I stammer, the prayer through my head again. 'Oh please, oh please let me leave this house alive, God! Please! I'm sorry for cheating on that math test back in eighth grade! And the one in sixth! And in kindergarten! And that time when I stole a piece of candy from the Halloween bowl when I was nine! Forgive me!!'

"We, well. . .we. . .we were, uh," Byron jumps in. I shoot him a "Help me!" look. He nods.

"Stay out of it, Byron!" Beatrice snaps. She turns to me. "Now, tell me the truth, Evelyn."

"Yes, ma'am," I say. I decide being polite would be best for the situation.

"How long have you been here?"

"Ever since you opened the door for me and Byron, ma'am." Duh!

"When I came home, what were you doing?"

"Uh, we were. . .watching TV." I lie. Will she take it?? It's a pretty lame excuse.

"You were, were you?" Beatrice eyes me suspiciously. "No, you weren't."

"But ma'am, you can't just accuse-"

"You weren't watching any TV, and you know it! Is that right, Byron?"

"Well-"

"Ah-ha! You two ARE guilty!" she barks.

"What. . .what do you mean, Miss?" I ask worriedly.

"I mean you were fucking each other!" Beatrice crowed triumphantly. How did she know?!

"Mom, you're-" Byron starts.

"I am right! Here's proof!" Beatrice holds up my lost bra. OH, SHIT!

"How-how did you find that?" I gasp.

"I saw it when I came home!" Beatrice smirks. "Perfect evidence to show to your parents!" She smiled evilly at me.

"NO!" I scream. "I mean, please don't do that!" I almost get down on my knees and beg for mercy. Help me, God!

"Mom, don't. . ." Byron says. He walks over to me and puts a protective arm around my shoulder. "Just don't."

"Oh, but I will," she snarls. What happened to that friendly, perky woman who I met only a few hours ago?

"Please," I beg. I feel like crying. "Don't."

"What are you gonna do about it?" Beatrice sneers. Why is she doing this?

"Mom, seriously. You can't just go up to her parents and show her that bra. They'll think you're a psycho."

"No, they won't. Because you'll support me!"

"What? No! That's not fair-"

"I don't care if it's FAIR or not!" Beatrice spits out the word "fair" like it's tobacco.

"I-I won't support you! And, uh, besides! Haven't I done it with other people and you don't object?" Byron smiles sheepishly.

"But you'd been dating those people for a longer time! This is your first fucking date."