Trust Me

Not Daniel

Hey guys! So sorry it's late. Our production of The Little Mermaid was great btw.

Recap: The entire class gets detention from Mr. Kramer during last period.

"What about cheer?!"

"I just want to go home!"

"Oh no you didn't."

The outraged protests of my classmates filled the room.

"But we have football practice!" Jackson shouted angrily. I rolled my eyes.

"Boo hoo. You have to run and wrestle on painted grass. Meanwhile, other people have lives!"

My father would kill me if I didn't get home on time.

"Oh please," Jackson scoffed. "I hope you're not talking about yourself. I bet you sit at home all day feeling sorry for yourself because you have no friends."

Aw hell naw boi.

I stomped right up to him and slapped him. It was so dramatic. I literally pictured a soap opera that replays it from ever angle.

"Did you just...?" He asked confusedly, holding his cheek.

His upper cheek, I mean.

I nodded solemnly.

"Damn... that hurt," he whispered.

"So you ain't gonna say that shit anymore, are you?" I asked slowly, because he couldn't comprehend anything properly; he's a lot like a child.

He nodded in agreement.

"Good." #GirlPower

———————Oh no! The lines broke up :( —————--

Detention wasn't bad, as Mr. Kramer kept strict watch over us and I had a book to re read: The Running Dream.

When Mr. Kramer finally dismissed us, I raced home. My father's ratty old car was terribly parked in the driveway. I opened the door and tiptoed quietly through the entrance hall. My father stepped in front of me.

"Where were you?!" He growled.

"S-school," I stuttered. He smacked me across the face.

"Don't play with me, slut! School ended hours ago! I bet you were sleeping with some desperate stoner!" He sneered and punched me in the gut.

———Hey guys!—————

What did I do to deserve him? I was always the perfect daughter, and we were a picturesque family. One drunk driver ruined my life. One death produced a devil, a monster that preyed on the weak: preyed on me.

My thoughts drifted to what Jackson had said. He was right; I had no friends, and I sat around feeling sorry for myself.

I had always been shy, but I had my fair share of friends. After Elementary School, though, my best friend moved to Wisconsin, and Cassie arrived. Her looks and money automatically made her the queen of our school. She wasn't nearly as harsh as she is now, but she was always rude to me. It didn't bother me until my friends decided that they didn't want to be associated with someone as hated as me. All but one left me. Daniel was there for me when no one else was, and he was the only reason I could get through seventh grade. That was the year Mom's death had really hit me hard.

Maybe if my father had had someone like Daniel to help him, he wouldn't have become such a monster.

One day, during the summer after 8th grade, Daniel's father got transferred to another branch of the company he worked at, which was conveniently at the other side of the country. So he left, and I didn't have a phone at the time, so we weren't able to keep in touch.