"Psycho...she just went off and started punching me. Bam, bam, bam. My face went into the pavement, and all I heard was cheering. I thought it was somebody in the crowd, but it was her. She just had like...fire in her eyes, and she looked delighted."
"And what led to this?"
"I'll admit...I accidentally stole her mechanical pencil, it looked just like mine, but mine usually has bite marks on it. That's no reason to fight somebody at 3 o'clock though. She acted like I stole her man- everybody joked that she was in love with that pencil for weeks. She's really possessive."
Court.
It was boring and everybody wanted to bring out the bad sides of me and dissect it. Nobody wanted to mention what a loyal friend I am. How I set flowers out at my grandma's grave every year. That one time I went to the zoo and pet the goats. How I always give at least a dollar to every person I see under the freeway. Shit like that.
The prosector was questioning one of the ten bitches that decided to help his side of the law win by testifying about the fights they had been in with me.
They were trying to paint me as the bad guy.
I sat on my side of the court room, my head low, my hands cuffed in front of me in my little jail uniform. I stared straight down, zoning out as the adults spoke. Everybody had warned me that this is where I'd end up at...but I didn't wanna listen.
And still don't.
"Gialla Collins, to the bench."
I stood up, trying to catch my balance a little without the full support of my hands. I sat up at the front, promising not to lie and all that bullshit. I stared out at the sparse courtroom seats. My mother hadn't even bothered to show up.
Only Tara.
My mother called the cops on me after I went back up to the apartment and tried to fight her even after the conversation me and Tee had about controlling emotions and allat. Tara didn't get to talk to her parents that day because she was trying to keep me off of my mom. I'll admit, Mama Collins got some hands, and it wasn't an easy win. Quite frankly...I didn't win at all. She was like trying to fight Adrianna and Felicity in one.
I learned who was the better fighter between mother and daughter that day, to say shit nicely.
I was arrested while my mom was hauled off in an ambulance, complaining about everything sore. I never thought she'd sell me out like this. In hind sight, I overreacted about her not letting me go with Tara (even though I was actually angry about her telling me what to do). she cared and she was just parenting me. She don't know Tara's folks and Tara had a right to her own family privacy. I could understand now why she didn't want me just going over to her place during such a tense time.
But after my mom calling the cops on me...that's just some shit I can't forgive. Just because I put my hands on her.
Tara's parents were stressed out and fed up about Tara's behavior too but they didn't have her arrested and try to kick her out.
Regardless, I'm in court now.
My past isn't doing much to help my future. And me seeing the sky again and twirling around in the sun like people do in the movies and shit just don't look too promising.
I glanced down at my handcuffs.
I guess I better get used to these.
"So, Gialla. Tell me. When did your anger issues begin?" The prosector had sat back down and now some other white man was questioning me about my life.
