Surviving The Blues

35

Insinuating that you are pregnant should come with a warning of the dangers. At first, widen eyes, huge breaths, and huffs that will be finished off with verbal corporal punishment. There are no take backies because even if you try, you will still be able to feel gazes in your peripheral. Had it not been for the Glendale family, I might not have been saved and lived to see another day.

Mrs. Glendale in particular desiccated the conversation Josephine and Darius insisted was a must. Teen pregnancy is serious to teen parents. The only other thing other than her knocked-up seventeen-year-old that distracted my mother is herself. Mrs. Glendale quickly captured her attention as she raved about how much she loves my mother's work. Darius' eyes wandered to the Glendale boys. The tension between them all is thicker than condensed milk in the winter.

The sister rolls her eyes in the background as Mrs. Glendale and my mother realized they were in the same sorority. After a while, Luke's eyes breaks from my father's, making their way to mine. Even when I broke away from the eye contact when I felt the burning gaze of my father, I could still tell Luke was looking at me.

Before I know it, we end up at a table with the Glendales as my mother and Mrs. Glendale chat. They seem oblivious to the solecism at the table. For one, Glendale number one insisted on plopping himself right next to me even though his family is situated at the opposite side of the table. My father choose the other seat, sandwiching me in. Across from me is the blue-eyed boy gawking at me openly.

"...Noah and Faith hang out at the house everyday and it's like they are always fighting." Mrs. Glendale laughs.

That gets my father's attention. "Wait. You let my daughter over at these people's house without asking me?" He turns to look at my mother who is noticeably turning red. I am not sure if it's embarrassment or anger.

"Darius, don't do this now," she says through gritted teeth.

"Nah, you bugging." He shakes his head. "Faith know I don't play that shit."

"You let me go before," I try to control the situation.

"When?" I shrink, my want to be an arbiter slowly disappearing.

"For the school project."

"Ain't mean shit."

"Darius, you can't always restrict her." My mother says.

"Oh yeah? Did you know he slapped her?"

"Huh? What? Who hit you, Faith?" She's turning into him. I can see why they were attracted to one another. Like attracts like.

"No one," I whine, almost ready to be Alicia. "Can you two stop?"

"The boring-looking one." He says, ignoring me.

"Luke, is that true?" His mother who was sinking in half fear, half embarrassment turns to her son. I don't even have time to question why it's a consensus he's the boring looking one when he looks like he does.

"He didn't hit me. I told you this."

"Who you kidding?"

"Faith, did he hit you?" My mother asks, trying to return to her rational self.

"He didn't hit me. Some random guy hit me when I was going in that night because I would not talk to him."

"Bullshit. Everyone know better not to mess with what's mines."

"There was no hint of terror when they told him my father wouldn't like it. He only left after your name was mentioned if that helps soothe you."

He doesn't say anything. No one says anything. "Um... okay. Now that we... um settled this...um Trevor...honey." Mrs. Glendale stands up as her husband approaches the table.