" Why are y'all cryin' ? " Alex muttered, still half - asleep.
" I ain't cryin'. Go back to bed, you're goin' to school tommarow " Allen replied.
" Addie's okay, right ? " he aksed.
" She's fine, just a bit shook up from what happened " Allen answered.
" What happened ? " he said, but I could barely hear him since he was pretty much asleep.
" It's a long story. She'll tell you later " Allen replied.
______________________
Allen took me to the doctor the next day even though I didn't want to go. For one reason or another he took me to the emergency department even though it wasn't an emergency. The lady at the front desk asked what happened and Allen told her a shortened version of what I told him.
The nurse took me into a room with a weird - looking table and told me to change into the hospital gown. It smelled like closet and peroxide. When she came back she weighed me on the scale, measured my height, took my temperature and my blood pressure and asked me how old I was. She wrote all of this down on a paper and then she left.
About 10 minutes later, a woman in a lab coat came in.
" Hi Adeline, I'm Dr. Greenwood. I'll be checking your insides for any signs of infection or pregnancy, if that's okay. I'll also check your bones " she explained. How did she know my name ? And why did she need to check my bones ? It's not like I fell out of a tree, so how could anything be broken ?
" Alright " I said.
Doctors scare me. They always know your personal business without you even telling them.
Dr. Greenwood washed her hands and then put on plastic gloves and told me to sit on the table. She took out this shiny metal tool thing and told me to put my feet in the stirrups. Why where they called stirrups ? I wasn't riding a horse.
" Why ? " I asked.
I wasn't trying to be rude, I just wanted to know why the hell she needed to look at my insides. And I don't mean insides as in guts and intestines and lungs. I meant those insides. The fact that someone violently did that to me the other day didn't exactly calm me down, either.
" Because to look at your insides I need to use this to open the walls " she explained.
What the hell did she mean by walls ? The only thing they taught us about reproductive organs in health class was where babies come from and scheduled monthly bleeding. Layla was the closest thing I ever had to an older sister and she talked about that kind of stuff all the time whenever guys weren't around and she never said anything about girls having walls inside of them.
" O- okay " I stuttered. I knew the exam would be awkward, but I didn't know it was going to be this awkward.
When the doctor was done, I put back on my regular clothes and walked out into the waiting room to see Layla and Allen nervously sitting there.
" Hey, kid. You feelin' alright ? " he asked.
" Yeah, I guess " I replied.
The doctor talked with Allen for a while and gave him a copy of the x - ray. Layla drove us home in the car she probably stole.
" Alright, you two. I've got to go back to work. Layla keep her out of trouble " my brother announced as we walked inside.
" Sure thing " she agreed.
Once he was gone Layla asked me what happened. I couldn't tell her, I was suprised I worked up the courage to tell Allen. I just felt like dying. I wasn't sad or angry or anything, I felt completely empty.
" Layla, do you got a joint ? " I asked.
" Yeah, kid. You nervous ? " she replied, walking down the stairs and to her car.
" I guess " I admitted.
She came back with rolling papers and a small plastic bag with the weed.
She sprinkled the ground plant on the paper, ripped off a small peice of another paper and folded it several times before rolling it up and placing it on the end. She picked up the unrolled blunt and held it gently with her fingers, then folded the top flaps down. She made a second one for herself and took out her lighter.
She flicked it open and the flame leaped out. That's just how I felt. Closed, a lighter is completely harmless. Open it up and you can burn a house down. Peple think I'm innocent and happy, because that's how I look on the outside. But really I'm just an angry, confused and sad teenage girl who cries about everything.
She handed me the joint and I inhaled the smoke and tried to blow rings.
The drugs filled my lungs and I coughed a few times.
" It's okay, you'll get used to it " she said.
After a few puffs I started to feel more relaxed. The house started smelling like the tea old people drink, you know, the kind with chamomile or lavender or something like that.
" Okay. You wanted to know what happened, so I'll tell you. But don't go ape shit and call me a whore, I already know I am " I explained.
" Shit, you ain't a whore. I am " she joked. She wasn't lying, though.
" Alright. I- I was standing close to the bushes. You were there so you know it was p - pitch black. Someone said h - he would let Johnny go if I did him a f - favor. I knew what he was up to b - but for some crazy reason I was dumb enough to think I could fight him " I said. Just thinking about the event made me feel sick. I excused myself to the bathroom and threw up what little food was in my stomach.
I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror. That ill - looking, empty - eyed girl wasn't me.
" You dirty skank " I whispered to myself.
" Addie you alright ? " Layla knocked on the door.
" Yeah I'm okay. Guess I'm a little shook up from what happened " I replied.
" You wanna tell me the rest or no " she said, taking a long drag on her joint.
" I guess "
" Lay it on me, kid " she sighed.
" I - I thought I could fight him and get Johnny o - out of there but I was wrong. He was stronger than me and had me on the gr -ground in no time. I tried stabbing him with the knife you gave me but he took it. I'm sorry. He ripped off all my c - clothes, took off his and... Um..... You know " I continued.
" Good Lord, that's awful. I - I'm so sorry. I know what we gotta do " she said.
" Don't call the cops" I interrupted. " They probably won't belive me anyway "
" Honey you know how I feel about law enforcement. I'm gonna meet with the Jewels and the Bloodhounds and we're gonna pound their candy asses to the ground " she replied.
The Jewels and Bloodhounds were 2 other gangs in Lakeview. The D.A.G.G.E.R.S were mostly allies with them. Jewels was a girls only gang and they mostly go after drunk wife beaters and the bloodhounds were just as reckless as the Silver Flames except they hadn't killed anyone yet.
" I can't go, Layla. What if they jump me again ? " I muttered.
" It'll be no weapons, you ain't gonna get hurt " she replied.
" Please don't try and start anything, I don't want anyone gettin' hurt and me bein' the one who's responsible "
" Hey, sisters stick up for each other. I ain't about to let that filthy Jim get away with what he did. Besides, you see all these scars " she held out her arms. " That means I don't give a damn if I get beat up. Besides, they make me look pretty tuff, huh ? "
" Yeah, they sure do " I laughed.
