Nia

Chapter 6

Friday November 2, 2018
4:09pm

Nia stood on the sidewalk next to the parent pick-up line feeling out of place.

"Damn so they was serious bout this picking you up after school shit". Trey came up next to her.

"Yep". Nia rolled her eyes.

Her Mom pulled up and Trey hugged her.

"See you tomorrow". He walked in the direction of his car.

Nia walked to the car and got in.

"How was school?". Her Mom asked.

"Fine". Nia answered looking out the window.

"Who was that boy you hugged?". Her Mother asked.

"A friend". Nia answered.

"Can I get a name". Her Mother stopped at a red light.

"That's not important. Can we just leave it alone". Nia was not in the mood for small talk.

"Fine". Her Mother sighed.

They pulled up to the house and Nia immediately got out.

She opened the door with her key and went up to her room closing the door.

She got in her bed and laid down. At this point, she didn't care what her parents did, she was gonna do this but she wasn't gonna make it easy for them.

Just as she was drifting off to sleep her Father burst through her door making her jump up.

"What are you doing with the door closed?". He asked.

Nia was so sick of this.

"I was sleeping. But since you think I'm gonna do something why don't you just take the door off the hinges and strip the room of everything except the bed so that you can sleep at night knowing that I have done nothing wrong". Nia spat.

"How dare you speak to me that way. God is not pleased with you Nia". Her father scolded her.

"Everything is religious with you people. God this! And God that! You act like you know God! None of us know God! Didn't you preach sermon saying that we will never know God's next step! So how do you know what God is pleased with?! God might want me to live my life without my parents forcing me into religion. Wasn't it you who said God gives our own free will! Your a hypocrite! You preach and you preach and you preach! But you never practice it! Your always telling me that I need to be better for God, wasn't it God himself who said come as you are?! But I guess I'm too much of a sinner in your eyes to do anything!". Nia yelled until she was red in the face.

"Nia, I am your Father and you will not speak to me that way! Those girls have you losing your mind. I forbid you to be friends with them". He spat

"Forbid! You forbid me! From having friends?! That's great just great! Anything else you wanna forbid me from while we on the topic?!". Nia folded her arms.

"How dare you! I put food in your belly, clothes on your back, and a roof over your head and you talk to me and your Mother like we haven't done anything for you! You were such a good girl before those girls came along and messed your head up!". He argued.

"Food, clothes, and a roof huh. That's how you look at me? Just something you have to feed and cloth? You ever take a second and ask yourself how does Nia feel? Does Nia want to be a Christian? Does Nia even believe in God? You ever ask those questions? Because I do. I feel like y'all don't care about my feelings. All you care about is what the church will think. And the church don't give a damn bout us. As long as we doing good the church don't care. But let something happen, they the first ones to call to see what's going on and not because they care but because they want something to talk about. So yeah go ahead please the congregation, but y'all gonna lose your daughter in the process". Nia sat down.

"Lose you? Baby you don't have anywhere to go". Her Father chuckled.

"You wanna test that theory?". Nia cocked her head to the side.

"If you wanna take a chance on the world, go ahead. But your Mother and I will not tolerate this disrespect". He replied.

"You know what? Do what you want to me. I'll be eighteen in three months anyway". Nia decided to just end this conversation.

Without another word her Father left the room.

Nia rolled her eyes and got up and closed the room door.

"Fucking annoying ass. But if I run away then y'all gonna have the whole town looking for me". Nia spoke to herself.

She took a shower and did her homework.

Around nine her Mother called her down for dinner. She really didn't want to eat, especially not with her parents.

She came downstairs and her parents were sitting at the table.

She sat down and her Mom passed her plate with chicken pasta on it. Her Mom was trying to make some type of amends with Nia.

Nia ate a chunk of chicken and that was it.

"Can I go?". She asked.

"No. Your gonna sit there until every piece of food is gone". Her Father answered before her Mother could.

Nia nodded.

She sat there with her arms crossed. Until her Mother and Father finished eating.

"You just like to cause us heartache! Why can't you just follow simple directions?". He Father spat.

Nia just sat there.

"Fine. Don't answer. Go to your room". He took the plate of food into the kitchen.

"Gladly". Nia replied standing up and going upstairs.

She didn't know how much more she could take of this back and forth.