Precedent

Chapter Eleven

A-M sighs. He looks nostalgic now.

"What does A-M stand for?" I ask. He turns his head from side to side.

"Come along or not at all," he says brusquely.

"You promised me answers," I remind him. I follow him across the lawn anyway though.

"I thought by now you would have guessed," he replies, still sounding brisk. "I haven't let something go; I'm going to resolve it now."

"Well, what is it?" I press. I recognize his path. He is heading towards the uniform shop. Did he have a crush on Mrs. Hopkins?

"You'll see," he snaps impatiently. I stop walking, placing my hands on my hips.

"I don't want to "see"," I reply, not even attempting to keep my irritation out of my voice. He glares at me, as if upset I'm not showing respect. "I want to be told all about it."

"You can just run off to your mommy then, can't you, you arrogant child?" he asks. I can tell he hates my mother. She is the reason he's hated me since I was born. He'll always hate me because of her. Just like so many other people will hate me because of her.

"Do you know who my father is?" I ask timidly. I am not really sure why I'm asking him of all people. He knew Venus though. At least, he's implied that he knows her. I need this question answered.

A-M stares at me.

"What type of question is that?" he demands. I set my jaw and try to appear older. I want him to see my determination, my spirit.

"It's a question every child deserves to have answered," I reply. "Venus doesn't want me to know who he is, so..."

"So you should accept her answer and move on," He interrupts. "You mother was a slut. Truth is she probably doesn't know who it is."

I think of the two boyfriends of hers I actually met. Neither relationship looked serious.

"He would've had to be a student, wouldn't he?" I ask.

"I am not having this discussion with you," A-M says. He sounds irritated. I keep talking as we continue to walk to Mrs. Hopkins'.

"You already are having this discussion with me," I state. Before he can reply, we arrive at Mrs. Hopkins.

"Get your uniform on." He orders this so loudly, Mrs. Hopkins comes bustling out of her shop.

"Olivia!" she exclaims, looking me over. "Oh thank goodness you're okay!" She looks up at A-M. "And who is this?" She purrs. I snicker.

"This is A-M," I tell her. She stops looking at him to stare at me.

"Yeah," I say, "psycho name. Listen, do you still have the outfit I wore when I came here?"

"Why I never throw out an outfit!" she exclaims. "Come in, come in!" A-M follows her and me inside.

"What's going on out back?" A-M asks. I frown. I didn't hear anything. There aren't any windows in the shop, so I'm not sure how he knows whether or not something's happening.

Mrs. Hopkins freezes in the action of handing me my clothes.

"Oh," she says, no longer her cheery, enthusiastic self. "That's nothing of concern."

I raise my eyebrow. I glance at A-M. He looks frustrated. I am too, a little. She just admitted something is going on back there. She makes it sound like it's nothing. It's very suspicious.

I take my uniform from her and get changed in the same dressing room I used on my previous visit. As I begin to exchange my Keds for my combat boots-my lovely combat boots-A-M continues to pressure Mrs. Hopkins.