It Takes Time

Chapter 2

Freshman year of high school was blur now that I think about it. All I remember is a rumor going around that Rosalind Yelts, was pregnant. It's true that the Rosalind Yelts lost her virginity in eighth grade to Danny Daniels, and she had a long line of ex boyfriends that had a different story every time someone asked. But the biggest part of freshman year was how much everyone changed. Jem and Christal dressed, well, normal. And I wore more color and less eyeliner, plus I was letting my hair curl naturally and not straightening it everyday. It was still colored. But not as intense. High school really changed everyone. Especially me.

Mostly because I figured out an important aspect of my life.

"I swear I'm not pregnant. Kim you gotta believe me. Please." Rosalind says clutching my plaid green shirt.

"Rose I believe you." I say taking her hands.

"I feel like you're the only one..." She wipes her eye, careful not to smudge her perfectly applied makeup.

"Well why don't you come over after school, and you can just let it all out."

"Are you sure?" She looks up at me with red rimmed eyes

"Uh yeah."

"Thank you so so much Kim!"

And she hugged me.

I felt like I had made a mistake, letting someone in my house, I still lived with Katie, although she was out a lot more now that she's working.

"My mom isn't home it's just my sister and I, so we'll have privacy."

"That sounds great." Rosalind smiled sadly.

The bell for lunch to be over rang and I walked to my class. I didn't see Rosalind again until it was time to meet up for busses.

"Which bus is yours?" She asked me, holding onto my bookbag

"I'm third load, bus 12-56"

"Oh..."

I knew what she was thinking, bus 12-56 was the bus for the kids who lived in the poor part of our town. Most of the population was hispanic and there were gangs and meth houses everywhere. I guess it made sense if you looked at my family. A sister in rehab another with a barely paying job, both parents dead, we were a shitty family living in a shitty house with shitty living conditions. But here's the kicker, I am not a shitty person.

"If you don't want to come over it's fine, we can meet up someplace else..." I said looking at the dusty floor.

"No no, I'm still going to come over." Rosalind smiled and stuck her hands in her sweatshirt pocket.

"You sure?"

"Positive."

I nodded and got on the bus, found my seat and sat down. The younger kids were yelling profane things at each other in Spanish. Rosalind laughed nervously and says to me quietly,

"What are they saying?"

"Well... Vete a la mierda, means fuck off... and Estúpido can mean asshole... Really they're just cussing at each other."

"You know Spanish?" Rosalind asked me with wide eyes.

"Uh... Well... I'm Cuban..." I laughed nervously and pulled at my braid.

"ohmygodIamsosorry" she said quickly.

"What...?"

"I thought you were Chinese..."

"What the fuck?"

"I don't know... I'm sorry Kim..."

"Well I'm the lightest out of sisters, maybe Katie will be home and you can meet her."