Harboring A Fugitive

Chapter One

One Year Ago

♡

"No, Keith, you can't miss anymore days of school." My mother said with a frustrated tone.

"But, I've already woken up late, so what's the problem?!" I yelled.

"The problem is that, your grades are sinking! You need to take school more seriously, Keith. When you're older, you will regret the decisions you made." She said my name once again, which meant she was getting really upset with me.

"Listen to your mother, Keith." My father joined the argument.

My nostrils flared and I swung my backpack over my shoulder.

"And don't be mad because we care for you, and your possibilities! We know you can do so much better if you try harder." He always says that during Mom's speeches.

"Whatever." I muttered before I slammed the door.

They make me spend half of my day in that hell-hole, with disrespectful classmates and rude-as-fuck teachers.

They think that just reading things to you makes you smarter! Well obviously, they are the stupid ones!

I sighed and walked to the Ratchet House they call 'school'.

Now that I've calmed down and looked around a bit, today is a beautiful day to be outdoors.

I kneeled down by an Azalea shrub, watching as a lizard ran past me, stopped, and ran back toward me.

"Hi there..." I said, insure of what to name it.

I went to pet its head, but it bit the crap out of my finger.

"I'll name you Levi, because you are small and sassy." I tried and failed to contain my laughter as I pictured the lizard with Levi's face.

My phone vibrated in the back pocket of my sweatpants.

My friend Domo texted me.

Domonique Rodriguez: Hey, where are you? English is boring without any paper ball fights.

I unfastened the lizard from my finger and safely set it in the grass, where no one would step on it.

Keith Donnel: I'm on my way to school now, a lizard caught my attention.

Domonique Rodriguez: Aww! What did you name it? Was it cute?!

Keith Donnel: I named it Levi. The first thing it did was bite me. Yes, it was kawaii beyond belief!~

I turned my phone off and shoved it back into my back pocket and sprinted towards my school.

Once I reached my destination, I opened the Front Office's door.

"And just where have you been, Mr. Donald?" The old lady that answers the phone can never say my last name correctly.

"Alarm woke me up late, must have been a power outage when I was sleepin'." I mocked her country accent, but she didn't take it to offence.

"Sounds like a good enough excuse to me." She gave me a tardy slip and I folded it and shoved it into my backpack.

I walked out of the back door, just so my walk to English class wouldn't take me all day. This was a big school, after all.

I walked into the elevator and pressed the second button, so I could go to the second floor.

It didn't take too long for it to reach the floor needed. I walked out and immediately saw Domo walk out of the lady's room.

"Yo, fucktard!" I called out. She turned around with an excited facial expression.

"Douchepants, you made it!" She squealed and hugged me.

Yeah, we are the weird type of friends who call each other names for fun.

"Watch out, though, Miss Gorham's a real bitch today. She must be on her monthly..." I snorted.

"Or her boyfriend finally got some sense and left that rotten prune."

I could tell we both thought the same thing, because we starting singing at the same time.

"Baby come back!" I grabbed my heart and Domo dramatically fell to her knees. "You can blame it all on me!"

We laughed as we walked into the classroom.

Miss Gorham cleared her throat.

"Would you like to share about what your laughing at Donnel, Rodriguez?" She asked, tapping her marker on the white-board.

"Yes ma'am, Miss Gorham, we were quite amused by the fact that your zipper is down." I smiled.

Everyone muffled their laughs, which meant my joke worked.

"Quiet!" She yelled. Everyone shut up and put a serious face on.

"Sit down, both of you." She said, trying to sound evil, and just sounding like a bitch.

"Hey now, I said it, not her! Don't be blaming others for your actions. I was just pointing out the obvious..." I crossed my arms and walked to my desk.

I heard her mumble, "I don't get paid enough for this..." And she proceeded to write jibberish on the board.

I was trying to stay awake, because class was almost over and lunch was next, but the phone ringing was enough to fully wake me up.

The teacher answered it and looked at me.

"Donnel, you need to get to the front office immediately. Some policemen are here to see you." She grinned, probably hoping I'd get sent to jail.

Hold up... the fuzz is here asking for me? What the fuck did I do?!

I took Domo with me, even though Miss Gorham didn't want her to go.

"This better be pretty damn important..." I mumbled when I opened the Front Office's door for a second time today.

As soon as one of the ploicemen saw me, he nodded to the others and guided me out the door.

"Wait, can I bring Domo?" I asked, forgetting he didn't know her.

"Sure, just hurry." So I probably wasn't in trouble. I mean, if I was, he wouldn't allow her to go.

Domo willingly followed me into the police car. When the driver took his seat, his facial expression turned sad as he looked in the rearview mirror at us.

Something bad must have happened... Something really bad.

♡

I woke up by a slap to the face, given by none other than my father.

"What the fuck are you crying about, pussy?" He asked with an angered expression.

"I was having that dream again... When mom died."

He slapped me again, but this time it was harder.

I held my cheek, which was wet with tears. "What the fuck?!"

"You know it's your fault she died, so don't complain about it, dumbfuck." He stumbled out of my room with a bottle of half empty Chardonnay in his left hand.

He was drunk again. That means I have to watch what I say...

I rubbed the scar on my right shoulder he had given me...

How I got that scar was a painful memory, and I have to live with it and its creator until...

I smiled. Until I'm eighteen.