Belle's Need Love Too

Chapter 3 (Until further notice)

  I was stunned by the boy's , who I now knew was Jamarco, statement. Though it was the most heinous of lies, doesn't mean I was stricken with any less pain by it faltering from anyone's mouth. Especially the mouth of a stranger. At this grey monolithic holding facility, my family history and immaculate reputation are my among my only claims to respect. Until now, they went completely untouched. Not even the most heathanous of ruffians would dare cross that line, for any sane person values self preservation. However, Jamarco wasn't completely sane to begin with.

     In our first year of junior high school, when I began attending public school, I was very excited. My anticipation of the upcoming years was so great, I walked to my first day of school alone. What a mistake it was.

    Several streets diverged, at the corner on which I stood. One was from the wealth of the early 1900's and close of the 1800's. That street encompassed my Mawmaw's tall wooden three story home. I glanced behind me at the white columns, the iron lace-y gates around the property. Finally, i was awestruck by the way the wind carried the rocking chairs in perfect sync with one another. I stared down the road, which glowed with August morning sunlight, as the white  chairs  began to rock in a ripple formation on the smooth honey colored cypress porch.  Tearing my eyes from my wonderous distraction, I gathered my thoughts in an effort to focus.

   I probably missed my chance to walk across the road three times before the realisation that I was meant to do so.So, I looked left to the lightly colored ghetto street with the small downtrodden homes (which I later discovered housed my classmates, known as the projects I suppose); then the right with the smooth on the eyes blacktop with many upper middle class houses (cookie cutter). However, my destination lie before me literally. As it were, my family owned half of the town, and all of it's school's included in the mix. So just about three lanes' length away from the end of my street was Larvadain Jr. High School.

   Since the intersection was clear, and didn't seem to have any traffic in it's short term prospects - I utilized a moment of my time for personnal grooming. In a patch of dewy green grass growing out from beneath the white picket fence beside me, I wiped the soles of both navy coach flats. When this task was completed, I smoothed my soft, navy, uniform skirt down along with my sweater. Finally, I ran my fingers through my hair making sure that any traces of humidity weren't present in my hair. Feeling quite accomplished, I was ready to take my first step towards the glamour that is public school. I stretched my toned, bare left leg forward onto the road. Then I heard a loud buzzing.

  Its source was from behind me. I braced myself to be attacked by a swarm of bees. I stiffened and stood utterly still, amd the morning air around my followed. I was hoping the calming of the air would calm the andry hive as well. Apparently, my hopes were fruitless because, the buzzing grew louder and closer. With a squeal, I abandoned all of the notions about bees attacking those who ran away, and shot forward like a rockett. I ran with gazelle like posture and prance, across the road. Still the buzzing grew in my ears, but had aquired a swishing quality. Puzzled, I turned around, only to see one of the "reckless neighborhood hoodlums" I was warned about. He rode on an old much abused psuedo dirtbike with faded graphic designs.

  Not wanting to adapt my grandmother's at times prejudiced behavior, I didn't internalize these warning statements. Rather, I tried welcoming the few children who managed to penetrate my sheltered bubble with open arms. This relatively unused technique, was how I made an effort to be cordial as of right now, as I unsightfully crossed th street.

"Hi. what's your name?" I inquired, with a sweet grin.

"HI!WHAT'S YOUR NAME?!" He mocked.  As he laughed at his own joke,he continued," Bitch, shut the fuck up and suck my dick."

I'm sure shocked was plastered across my face as he rode circles around my position on the sidewalk.  My face went hot, then all of the blood rushed out of it with an icy sensation fit for a winter in Alaska, not a Louisiana summer. Though I wanted to end the interaction in that moment, my morals and everything my famiy worked for wouldn't allow that to happen. Not in my town, not anywhere. I gathered my shattering ego, squared up my shoulders in an unlady -like fashion. My blood coursed harder in preparation for ths words soon to spew from my pursed, red painted mouth. Like any dumb, arrogant criminal, he basked in the scene of his hate crime, riding circles around me.

"Do you know who you are talking to?" I began, witha rhetorical question. "DO you realise who on God's earth you say such foul words to?"

My chest now puffed up and out, "THIS my ground you ride you wretched, homely nike all over making those ugly tracks! And, that school you're going to probably not even attempt to learn at belongs to me! Your whole side of the town you may never leave is mine!"

Any sane person would have cringed or felt some decrease in their intrinsic and/or instrumental valuse, but not this one. He simply continued to ride in circles, making vrooming noises,without even acknowledging my prescence. He guffawed like a madman in a morphine trance, while I rambled on with my haughty monologue. As he came closer to my person, the buzzing and speed increased. I tried to walk toward the lawn of the little school, but when I put my best foot forward, he zoomed through a dark puddle of murky water near a sewer drain. When he ran through the murk the second time, he did the unthinkable. Splashed it like an awful water raft ride all over my dress.

  From that day forward, I gained a forever enemy. A crazy, wretched hoodlum of an enemy who transgressed my purity for the second time in our short but livid, history. However, he did forge something to be unforgotten nor forgiven. HE publicly humiliated me, and made me cry actual tears. And, such sins to my reputation were not to go unpardoned. But, something in my soul stopped me. A warmth, told me to "Forgive for they know not what they do." The same Word that stops me every time. Sigh.

I persisted to fix my mess of a face,