Planet Scream

One

"Andromeda Malaysia Clarke, get your ass downstairs now!!" Mom yelled from downstairs. My body shook a little as I walked into the living room, where she was standing there with a broomstick in her hand. Oh lord, I'm in trouble... Again. When her eyes met mine, I could see a fire burning. "So when were you gonna tell me you didn't make the dance team?"

"Momma I- I'm sorry... I meant to tell you last night but-" I began. Of course, she wouldn't take anything I had to say.

"But what?! I'd love to hear what excuse you can come up with next." She crossed her arms. "Better yet, why didn't you make the team?"

"Well... Mr. Hartman said that I couldn't be on the team because I was over the weight requirement for my height." I replied shamefully. It was so embarrassing when he told me I was too overweight to join the team in front of all those students. After I left the gym, all these kids started calling me mean names because I'm a little thicker than the "cool girls."

"Well that's your fault for eating too damn much!" Mom complained then slapped me a few times with the broom. I whimpered in pain as she continued to hit me, but I refused to let my tears fall in front of her in fear of getting hit even more. "You need to lose weight! I was never fat like you back when I was your age!" She beat me a couple more times, but this time on the top of my head. A few tears slipped my eyes as I gripped my head. "Go to your damn room. NOW!" She screamed. I scrambled away and ran straight to my bed room.

Once the door was shut, I broke down and sobbed hard. Why does everybody have to be so cruel to me? What did I ever do to them? My phone began to vibrate. Praying it wasn't Marcus, my stepdad, I picked it up. Fortunately, it wasn't. It was Oliver, one of my only friends. "Hey Oliver. What's up?"

"Hey Andy. I wanted to tell you I found this really weird looking vinyl in my shop and was wondering if you'd like to buy it." Oliver owns a music store called A Pocket Full of Funky.

"A new record?! Can you snap a picture of it? I'm kinda stuck in the house right now."

"Oh you got trouble again?" He asked with a sigh.

"Yeah, it sucks. Today Mom decided to use the broom instead of the belt or switch." I winced as my hand brushed the top of my head. When I looked at my hand, I noticed there was red. "Gotdammit."

"What is it? Are you alright?" His voice filled with concern and I could hear a bell in the background. "Hold on a minute, let me help this customer really quick. Hello, welcome to a Pocket Full of Funky..." I grabbed one of my old worn t shirts and began dabbing it on my bleeding head. The tears started streaming down my face as flashbacks of previous beatings appeared in my mind. "Alright, I'm back. What's the matter Andy?"

"My head is bleeding and I'm getting those horrible flashbacks again..." I cried.

"Aww, I'm so sorry I can't help you right now babygirl."

"It's ok, I'm used to all this shit now..." I sniffled.

"Well, I'll make a trip to your house in a few minutes and bring the record with me. Sound good?" He suggested enthusiastically.

"Can you really?"

"Of course! I'll be there in about 20 minutes."

"Thanks Oliver, you're the best." I said happily.

"Haha, I try." I always feel better when I get a new record...

~What do you think? Sorry for any typos or errors. I hope you're enjoying my book so far! Thanks for reading!~