Killing In The Name

three

●RAPE MENTIONED●

AUGUST 5TH, 2024

The rest of the night, from about 5:30 pm to 6:15 pm, we sat on the two recliners while our parental figure talked nonstop. Well, it was mainly his mom who was yacking, but my dad listened, or she never caught on for her to leave. South Park played in front of us, and normally, I would enjoy it. When watching it with someone I barely knew, it just made me uncomfortable. Especially because it was the Jennifer Lopez hand puppet episode.

"I don't think you're what she called you." I say out of the blue then. I can see from the side that Brandon shifted in his chair. He chuckles, which comes out in more of a relaxed huff.

"I didn't think you did. My moms right, though, Andrew, Leah, people like that, they aren't the best to surround yourself with." Brandon tells me, "But I'm sure you'll figure that out eventually."

"Brandon, are you ready to go?" Tammy asks, coming around to the living room with my dad standing a couple feet away.

"Yeah." Brandon gets up, walking to the door. He walks out with his mom, and my dad follows behind, escorting her out. It's another fifteen minutes or so, and he comes back in. I give him an obvious look. He furrows his eyebrows together in confusion.

"What?"

"Tammy seems to like you... a lot." I say lowly, hinting at the possibility that maybe they had something going on that I wasn't aware of.

"We're just friends. She's always been chatty." I knew that on his part, but on hers, it looked different. As a man, though, it went right over his head and kept on going.

I went to shower, then went to bed shortly after.

AUGUST 6TH, 2024

It was cloudy today, though it was still about eighty-five degrees. I hated Texas weather, I always have dreamed of living some place else, colder, some place in the mountains. Away from the bland plains and fields of crops. Maybe one day it would come true.

First period passed like a boring day. It wasn't anything except an introduction to the book we would be reading - the Great Gatsby. I've read it before, several times, actually. It was a good read. I stayed quiet when she asked if anybody had read it before.

When gym class came along, the coaches gave us a free day since it was the second day. After they took roll, of course. I sat on the bleachers by myself. Andrew was playing basketball with five other boys. A few other girls sat at the top of the bleachers, getting louder and louder. I eventually got bored watching the boys run around chasing a ball, so I got on my phone. Not five minutes later, I feel something hit the back of my head. A crumbled up piece of paper from above.

"Hey...you...girl!" I didn't turn around, becoming anxious. Whoever the voice belonged to was probably their leader. I didn't want to give them any thought- just ignore it. I heard her loud stomps coming down the bleachers.

"Ev, don't, oh my god!" I heard one of the girls' cackle.

"Leave the poor thing alone!" Another one said, again in a tone that sounded condescending.

"Are you fucking stupid or something?" She asks, sliding into my side. She reeked of cigarettes and a faint scent of weed. I avoided eye contact with her, "What? You think you're too good to talk to me?"

"N-No." I finally acknowledged her. She wasn't overly pretty, I could tell she used to be. Before whatever drug she was on made her face thin, her blonde hair thin out and her eyes sunken in with dark circle like she hadn't slept in weeks.

"Good, look, I need you to do something for me." She grabbed ahold of my arm where I couldn't leave.

"What?"