In A Matter Of Time

Chapter 3

I came down for dinner, because if I didn't, I knew someone would come up and get me. Everyone was sitting at the table, not eating until I was eating. "Well, I have good news." My father cleared his throat and looked at each of us with a smile on his face. "We have good news." My mother chimed in. "Well then Diane I think you should tell them." They were acting strange. But they were happy. "What's going on, dad?" Lisa looked at Willy with concern. "Well, um we're having a baby!" My mother yelped with glee as did everyone else. Except I didn't care that we were having another baby that looked exactly like the rest. Another Rivers baby. That would look like Lisa or Willy. I ate my spaghetti silently and after dinner I fed Sunny. And I was tired. So I went to my room and fell asleep in my clothes. The next morning was Monday and I wasn't looking forward to going to school. I got up like usual and put on a dress that was handed down to me by Lisa. I let my hair down and slipped on some white shoes. My father stood at the stairwell again but I didn't stop to talk to him. Before I entered the kitchen he grabbed my forearm. "Blue, don't act like we've just killed a dog." He said to me. "Oh I suppose that's next though, isn't it?" I ripped my arm away and went into the kitchen where eggs were waiting to be eaten. But I wasn't hungry, so I ate nothing. Lisa knew how to drive so she took us to school everyday. She let me out at my school, for a terrible day of 8th grade. As I entered I thought maybe I should skip my locker today, and I should've. I walked over to it but before I could open it, I heard the piercing voice of Richey Bennett. "I heard your hippie brother had a run in with my brother. Your brother lives in the clouds!" Laughs filled the air but I just ignored them. "He's a pansy! You have a sissy for a brother!" They yelled. "Pansy! Pansy!" They continued to scream. I had had enough by then. I threw my books down and tackled Richey, punching him as hard as I knew how. He was really strong though and he turned me over and did the same to me. And just my luck, principal Phillips came trotting down the hall in her 5 cent heels. She grabbed both of us by the ears and dragged us to her office. "What is the meaning of this?!" She asked as she shut the door behind her. I sat silently afraid of getting more punishment than I already knew I was getting. "She attacked me Ms. Phillips. I was just trying to get to my locker." Richey lied right to her face. "Okay Richey, thank you. Now go to class." Richey got up, smiled at me, and left. "Okay Miss Rivers. I have no choice but to call your parents. That's the 4th time this month." She picked up her phone and called my mother. And when I left I still didn't care. Nothing could make me more upset. I went to class and met my best friend, Lori at the water fountain. "Why'd you have to go and fight him Blue?" She always did have a motherly way about her. Her hair was red like a cherry and her eyes were brown like a chocolate bar. Together she was such a beauty inside and outside. "Listen Lori, he was making fun of Mikey." I grabbed my books and we walked to History. "You didn't have to do anything about it." She always told me what to do and what not to do. "Lori lay off willya?" I walked in and sat down in my desk. Lori sat down too, right next to me, and since she knew I was upset, she shut up. Just then, Charlie Russell walked by me. He was the cutest boy in the 8th grade. He had dark brown hair and green eyes. He was cool and he wasn't mean. And right when I thought he'd go to Linda Avery's desk, he stopped at mine. "Hey. I heard you beat up Richey. That was pretty groovy." He smiled at me. "Uh yeah I guess. It wasn't that hard." I giggled slightly so that I wouldn't make myself look bad. "So would you wanna grab a coke sometime?" He leaned his hand on my desk and had the most lovely smile I'd ever seen. "Oh yeah sure. I'm always free." I smiled as he went to his desk. I daydreamed the whole time we were in class. By the end of the day when Lori and I walked home, I hadn't said anything except, "he's so cute!" Lori laughed like always and I went inside my house. I was smiling like crazy until I opened the door. Both of my parents were standing in the kitchen and Scotty was doing a puzzle in the front room. "They want you in there, Blue." He didn't look up. He was too focused on the Flinstones puzzle that grandma got him for his birthday. I walked in and set my backpack on the chair. "You wanted to see me?" I stood in front of them. "You wanna tell us how you got that black eye?" My mother had a calm voice but it was stern. "Not really but I will. I had a fight with Richey Bennett." I turned around fast to walk to my room but they stopped me. "I thought we talked about not fighting boys. Or anyone." My mother was appalled. "It's not like I killed him!" I always raise my voice when I'm angry. Well I'm always angry. "Do not give us that tone, Michelle." My father raised his voice too. "Stop calling me that!" I stomped my foot hard on the ground. "Well maybe we'll have to if it changes your attitude! And as far as we're concerned, your party is canceled!" My father always was the one to crack a joke when I was being punished. But not this time. "I hate you! And I never want to see you again!" I took off upstairs, knowing they wouldn't follow me. I slammed the door as hard as I could and opened my window. I wanted to just leave. Not leave the earth leave. I mean I want to leave my house, as in run away. I was gonna find Mikey if it was the last thing I did.