TROUBLE

ONE: TROUBLE

"Please I can't get suspended!"

Whiskers.

This lady has whiskers.

She gave me a pointed look before crossing her arms over her chest, which made her chubby cheeks shake. "Oh it's going to be worse than a suspension!"

I sat back in the chair and looked over at the security guard that stood at the door of my principal's office. Then I looked at my disappointed mother who wouldn't even bother looking at me.

I don't blame her.

"I didn't even do anything that major." The big windows behind her flashes light inside of the room making me wish this was a lighter topic. "So you don't see the fault in your actions?"

I take a pause thinking about it for a while.

"Mmmmnope."

"Ms. Lewis! What you did is illegal. Trespassing and theft not to mention the destruction of property! Although I called off the cops the school can very well still sue you. " She slaps a chubby hand on her desk. I let out a nervous chuckle. "I'm sorry but I have to give you some punishment," I held my breath waiting for it. I even shut my eyes and crossed my fingers, hoping it was something like community service.

"Expelled!" Of course. I'm not an idiot just hopeful.  I stare at a single daisy on her desk and wonder how it hasn't died due to her terrible mood, which she is always in. She definitely doesn't like me, or any one for that matter. But me. She has had it out for me since the beginning.

"Ok thank you for your time ms....." my mom stands up holding her hand out to my principal. I don't even know her name. "Umm never mind, I have to go anyway." My mom says retracting her hand and grabbing my arm on the way out.

At the start she would always defend me. You know 'ms__, lyric is a good kid please' 'mr__, can she do community service she's just having a hard time at home'. Now she  doesn't even try.

I don't blame her.

We reach the car and the let's go of me and stomps over to her side of the car.

I'm dead this time. Like actually dead. I think to myself as I buckle my seatbelt.

She slams the door closed and stares out the windshield for a while. I don't say anything, way too scared to talk. I study her features as she thinks. She looks exactly like me. Black curly hair that stops to her lower back, plump lips and big greenish brown eyes.

"A year," she speaks finally breaking the silence. "Can you not stay in a school for at least a year. I do everything for you and you can't do this one thing for me. This is really getting out of hand lyric! I mean come on. This is the worst thing you've done so far." She takes a deep breath putting her head on the steering wheel. "Prison. Is that where you want to end up?"

"No mo-"

"right. No. Yet you continue to do things like this. Last time I had to pick you up from a bar. YOU'RE SEVENTEEN LYRIC."

"I'm sorry mom." I pout closing my hoddie with my strings. The rest of he ride was awkwardly silent. I don't know why I always do this.

I kick off my shoes and run up stairs as soon as I get in the house, jumping on my black bed and stuffing my face in the pillows. A sinking feeling wouldn't escape my stomach. Something bad is about to happen. Last time was my last straw with my mom so what is she going to do this time?

Kill me.

I grab my phone and call summer. Summer has been my best friend since sixth grade. She's every persons dream. Funny, smart, and loyal.

"Hey ugly!" She sang from the other side of the phone. We switched schools a while ago and this is the only way to contact her. "I'm dead." I whine getting up just to toss myself onto the bed again, for dramatic affect.

"What did you do this time?" Summer sighed.

"I got expelled."

"Again? Geez girl this is your second time this year."

"I know! I'm dead. I don't know what's going to happen I just know I'm going to die." Summer let's put a bubbly laugh. "This call is so that you will know what happened to me. Go to my funeral summer! And when you see my mom crying over my grave, call her out for it. Say exactly as I do. 'You! I know you killed your daughter slash my best friend!' Then send her off to-"

"I hate to cut you short on that beautiful...whatever it was, but can you tell me what actually happened instead of being dramatic." I could sense her eyeroll. She does it so much.

"Oh yeah, sorry. So it's a crazy story. I was -" before I could continue the phone was snatched from my hand. "In my room right now." My mom says ending the call and taking the phone with her.

I follow her in feeling my chest tighten. I say a silent prayer before entering her room. "Sit." She says gesturing towards a chair in the center of her room with her head. I hesitantly sit staring at my phone in her hands. "I've come up with something for this....this problem." I hold my breath. I just know it's going to be bad. "You're going to aunt Mika's house."

My breath hitches in my throat as I register everything in my head. Aunt Mika is the worst. She's probably the most strict judgmental person in the world. Not to mention she lives all the way in California. I don't have anything against California but I live all the way in Florida.

I have people I love here.

People that I need more than just a phone call.

"How long?" I ask fidgeting in my seat. "Until you finish the school year."

My first memory of aunt Mika, I was playing jump rope with my sister, we sung a lot of 'how many boyfriends do I got'. I remember the anger in her eyes as she snatched the rope from our tiny hands. "YOU GIRLS ARE DISGUSTING! DO YOU WANT TO GROW UP TO BE A WHORE."

I cringe at the faint memory. It only got worse from there until she finally moved away and I didn't have to deal with her mouth anymore. "Please mommy. Please don't make me go with her." I plead giving my best puppy dog face. "Sorry lyric, but it's already been decided. Go get packed you catch a train with your cousin tomorrow."

I felt like crying.

She is really willing to leave me with that devil?