Shielded.

Chapter 2

Since I moved halfway through my senior year, I had to retake my junior year the year that I arrived to Fort Lauderdale. This allowed me to get to know everyone before I set out for "greater" things after my graduation. I made one really good friend my junior year, and we've been friends since.

She's the girl who understands my beliefs, who understands why I am who I am, the girl who gets me. And the only one who showed up to celebrate my eighteenth birthday party. Kennedy Kodak. She's suffered through me bawling my eyes out at the end of Say Something... Because I felt that the ending didn't justify the story. The girl whose seen my true colors, and the extent of my riskiness. She's my best friend.

Enough of this mushy bull shit. The school day is finally over. Who even decided school? The human race is still rotting to hell because of its stupidity.

Kennedy sees me in the student parking lot as she's leaving and pulls into the parking spot next to mine. Her windows roll down and she's playing some kind of rock music loudly. I spin around, and stick my head in through her window.

"How's the peanut butter?" I say.

An inside joke.

"It's fine. Just fine. Hey! What are you doing tonight? There's this wicked awesome band playing at The Dew Drop tonight Uptown, I'm good friends with their bassist. You should come!"

"Uh. Yeah sure. Anything to keep me away from Code: Red."

"Alright!!" She is way too perky. "It's at 9 tonight. Be there or be square, slice of the home type."

I smile and giggle a bit and turn around to get into my car.

She pulls out of the parking lot fast, her wheels squeal as she turns away from the curb.

I pull into my drive way, I turn off my car, and take a deep breath before getting out. I hear yelling, so I'm preparing myself for the worst.

As soon as I walk in, my mom's boyfriend, Curtis approaches me.

"Where have you been? You've been out all morning." Code: Red shouts at me.

"School. I've been at school, Curtis." I get a whiff of the alcohol that radiates from his body.

Gag.

I go to my room, well, Bailey's room. But partially my room. Bailey is my... Step sister. But I don't claim her. I plop down on the bed and turn on the radio to 108.2 Rock FM station to drown out the throwing of glasses, and yelling beyond my door. An advertisement comes on in between the last song. The radio announcer says "TONIGHT! MARILYN MANSON AND THE SPOOKY KIDS AT THE DEW DROP. 9:00! COME OUT. AWESOME BAND YOU DON'T WANNA MISS THIS!"

Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids. Sounds like fun.

I don't bother to get my syllabuses from school signed, especially not in the midst of World War 312.

I pick up a book I've been trying to read Great Expectations. Hah. Cheesy I know. I'm into the classics.

But I get too frustrated at the yelling and throw the book across my room. It knocks over Bailey's favorite perfume bottle and it shatters. The scent of a hooker fills my nose. I grab my keys and bolt out of the front door.

Code: Red grabs my arm, "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere. Just gonna go drive."

He grips my arm tighter.

"Curtis stop. That hurts, dude. Seriously."

This has apparently angered Curtis and his hand meets, hard, heated, and forcefully across my face. Throwing me to the wooden porch. I fall hard enough to make the door swing open.

I look up. My mom is sitting on the couch, looking dead at me and not saying a word. Curtis stands there with his fists clenched. I get up, dust off, and head toward my car.

Tears are stinging my eyes. Not because my feelings are hurt, but because my face is.

Crying is for losers.