The Crippled Savage

Chapter 10 : Inner Demons

By the time we got back home it was 10:35 pm and Lashonda could not stop talking about that party tomorrow.

"Oooh. I can't wait. I'm going to be twerking and drinking all night long."

"Of course you will." I laughed.

Lashonda was always twerking. It was like an addiction for her. She was pretty good at it. I mean her butt was jiggly enough for it.

Unfortunately I couldn't enjoy the motion of her butt from across the room because I was lost in my own thoughts about Tyrell.

"Lashonda? I think me and Tyrell are moving too fast."

"How do you figure?" She questioned.

"I don't know I just think this is happening too quickly."

"Oh come on. Can you forget about your boyfriend for two seconds and enjoy the night? I'm staying over anyways. I brought clothes for school in the morning."

She was always declaring when she would be sleeping over. I didn't mind it though she was my best friend. She was supposed to do these things. But I didn't like how she always ate most of the good food in my house.

It was about 1:30 when Lashonda had finally knocked. I'm glad she was asleep so I could be in my thoughts alone.

...

I woke up the next morning to Lashonda's terrible singing coming from the bathroom.

"Why is this shawty always so loud." I said angrily.

I got up and banged on the bathroom door several times until she unlocked the door.

"Why are you in here so long? Acting like other people don't have to get in the shower."

"Ain't nobody stopping you. Damn, I'm just trying to do my hair."

"Whatever." I said as I took off my clothes and hopped in the shower.

By the time I got out ten minutes later Lashonda was already out. My hair was still in a ponytail from the night before so I just left it. I wrapped a towel around myself and brushed my teeth. When I finished I walked towards my room. I picked out a pair of baggy gray sweats and a black shirt and grabbed my converse sneakers. I mean it was Friday I wasn't really wasn't in the mood to get all dressed up.

...

As I was driving my mom's Nissan Altima I just fell into a mood. I don't know what came over me by the time we got to school. I didn't know if I was upset or angry or what. I just didn't know. I just couldn't wait for school to be over so I could go home.

"Do you want to go out in the hall or something?" Lashonda asked.

"Sure, why not." I say uninterested.

It was as if she knew that Tyrell would be out there because when I got out there she gave me a smile and left to go talk to some other girls. He was standing there with a big smile on his face.

"Why are you cheesin so much?" I asked him.

"Baby - I mean Mani. Guess what?" He said.

I had heard the little slip up he made but decided to just let it go. As he was about to tell me why he was so happy I had to cut him off.

"I'm sorry. I can't do this. We're moving too fast. This isn't right."

Instantly his smile turned into an undefinable expression.

"Iight. It's cool." He said with a straight face.

Before I could say anything else he walked away from me. Leaving me in the hallway standing there alone.

...

"Come on Mani. You already know you're the most beautiful girl in the whole school. " Jerome said as he wrapped his arm around me.

"Sorry. I'm not interested." I said pushing his arm off me.

Jerome was relentless. He was always hitting on me but I paid him no mind. He always thought he was making progress with but he never was. He wrapped his arm around me once again.

I really wasn't in the mood to play his childish games today so I let him be. At that moment Tyrell walked passed the table and saw Jerome's arm around me.

"That's cute." He said sarcastically and continued walking.

"Wait, Tyrell. It's not what you think. I have no feelings for Jerome at all. Let me explain." I said pushing his arm off me trying to get to Tyrell.

"You don't need to explain anything Armani. You got it." He said as he left me alone once again.

I walked back to my table and sat down. Jerome put his arm around me once again and even tried to kiss my neck.

"Don't you ever know when to quit?!" I yelled at him.

...

I hated staying after school. Especially since I wasn't in the mood after that little stunt that Armani pulled at lunch today. But I had to finish up a test for my math teacher. I couldn't wait to go home. Fifteen minutes later the teacher told me I had to hand in my test.

"Gladly." I said as I strolled out of her classroom.

I made my way the lobby and asked someone to open the door for me so I could get outside. I couldn't stand being in this school for another second. I strolled down to the lower grounds of the school and started heading up the sidewalk. I turned my heard as I heard loud laughing coming from the school behind me.

That was the kid from lunch and a couple of his friends. He obviously knew that Armani was mine but he tried to rub it in my face. When he saw me a devious smile crept up on his face. He told his friends something and they disappeared as he started walking towards me.

"Hey fam." He said offering me a dab which I refused.

"Knowing damn well I don't fuck with you." I said with anger in my eyes.

"Well your girl sure does. I even invited her to my place today. I'm planning on smashing that tonight. I'll have her moaning my name and drippin all over." He smirked.

"Watch your mouth." I said angrily.

I knew he was lying. Armani would never let some random dude smash. He knew what he was saying was getting to me.

"I'll do her so good. She'll be walking funny. Then you'll know I left my mark on her."

I couldn't deal with his shit anymore. I just snapped. I couldn't let him talk about what's mine. Before I knew what had happened I whipped out the knife I kept in the pocket of my wheelchair.

"Is it still going to be funny when I stab you with this?" I yelled at him.

At the moment Armani walked around the corner and ran towards us.

"Oh my God. What are you doing?!" She screamed as she ran over and tried to get the knife out of my hand. In the attempt to get the knife it caught Jerome in the face. He started bleeding profusely. She tried to help stop the bleeding but it just kept flowing out. Her hands were covered in his blood. She gave Jerome a large part of her shirt to put over his face.

"Oh my God, Tyrell! What were you planning on doing? Killing him?! Oh my God."

She put me in the passenger side of her car and buckled me in. She quickly put my wheelchair in the trunk and climbed in the car buckling herself in. She speed off as fast as her car would go.

"Oh my God, Tyrell! What the fuck! Don't you ever do anything like that again!" She screamed at me.