Shiver Cove Part 1: Tamyra

From Chapter 2

Chapter 2

   Tamyra smelled the cigarette smoke a second before she laid eyes on the three girls. They sat on a bench with empty bottles at their feet. Knowing these girls, they probably spent all night drinking.  She stumbled and all three girls burst out laughing.

   She sought to find her footing while keeping her grip on the makeshift dress.

"Nice fashion statement Tammy!" Spat the school bully, Vicki Burton.

   She hated being called Tammy and the ensuing laughter reminder Tamyra of hyenas. The two smaller girls mirrored their leader, pointing at Tamyra.

   Could her morning get any worse? No doubt the whole school would hear about this. She wanted to run, but feared a chase would incite them to become violent.

 "Stopping to give us a fashion show? Hey, you can be the envy of bag ladies everywhere!"

   More hysterical laughter.

"Look, it's an outfit that doubles as a garbage bag. Hey, it's already full of trash!"

   Strange, Vicki's dirty blond, grease-matted hair didn't bounce around at all when she laughed. As Vicki licked her lips, an image of the big slug from Star Wars made her feel better for a second.

"Yep, you're trailer trash. Your daddy ran out just like all the other trailer trash!"

   Expecting more insults about the leaf bag, the words hurt as much as a slap in the face. Her dad just had to be the principal at her school when he packed up and left. Even though the mean girls had no clue Tamyra's secret had caused him to flee, Vicki struck a nerve bringing up dad. Tamyra bit her lip to stop her chin's involuntary quivering.  

"All our parents are divorced, Vicki." Kate said.

"Yeah and all our dad's still want to see US. Trailer trash's daddy just up and left, never to be heard from again."

   Unable to bare another insult, Tamyra launched herself into a run. Her left foot came down hard on something sharp and the pain shot up her leg, halting her dash immediately. She almost tripped attempting to lift her injured foot.

   She stood with her back to the girls, but she could sense they rose and moved towards her. As she brought her foot up, in an awkward pose over her knee, a quarter-sized chunk of bloodied glass fell to the ground. A few drips of blood rolled down her foot and off her toes. Her eyes followed as red rained to the pavement.

   Tamyra snapped her attention back to Vicki and the ghouls. They were closing the gap quickly and it terrified her. Any of them could try to pull the flimsy bag away. She couldn't allow them to get close.

   She put her heel on the ground and tried to run. Coming down on the one heel, instead of her whole foot, made her gait awkward and jerky, impossible to generate any type of speed.

"Guys she's bleeding, maybe we should leave her alone."

"And miss an opportunity like this? No, no, girls, we should HELP her."

"Yeah Trailer Trash! Come here, weeeeee'll help you."

   Tamyra hobbled along as fast as she could, somehow managing to stay ahead of them. She didn't believe Vicki and her friends had any intentions of helping her.

"Trailer Trash, I'm talking to you. Don't try to run away. It's rude!"

"Yeah. Vicki's talking to you!"

"Look at all the blood. She's really hurt. Come on, let's have another smoke."

"Are you gay or something Jill? Sticking up for trailer trash here because you have a thing for her?"

"It's not like that. Just... well... she's bleeding bad."

"Who cares? If she wasn't running around with no clothes on, her foot would be fine right now. So Trailer Trash, where's your clothes?"

   Tamyra's tormenters seemed content to lag behind her, a small blessing. She knew her tears would only fuel their insults if they could see her face. She hated being unable to stop crying.

"Maybe she lost them working the boys at the trailer park!"

"Isn't that what her mom does?"

   Vicki and the ghouls laughed again. They knew her mom worked as a psychologist. Despite not making sense, the insults still upset her.

   Almost to the path leading onto her street, she couldn't get there fast enough. Tamyra wished she had the nerve to stand up to their bullying. Understanding she wouldn't, she put her energy into hobbling faster.

"Yep, trailer trash mother-daughter team doing the trailer park."

   "And they're so bad they end up having to pay their johns back with everything they've got. Including the shirts off their backs!"

   She no longer cared that tears rolled freely down her cheeks as she emerged onto her street. Between the musty stench of the bag, the insults and the throbbing pain in her foot, she didn't think she'd make it passed the three houses she had to.

"Tamyra? What's going on? Baby, are you alright?"

   The second her mother spoke the laughter died behind her and she heard the bullies slinking off.

"Mom, help me!"