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My best friend? A chicken. Crazy, huh?
Not really.
It's only crazy if i had other people to be friends with
My family were terrible people. They only knew how to hurt me. I've had to grow up quick. These adults think it's funny, how I've decided to direct my life. They took a picture of it. Framed it. Laughed at it. They made me believe that i was weird and wrong for living the way i live. I'm just trying to protect myself.
That's Benny in the photo beside me. It was a project for school. The teacher said, "Hey, we're going to share to the class who are the people we love!" So i decided to talk about Benny.
He was there when everyone else hurt me. My family knew nothing but to hurt me. Benny knew the pain. My family hurts him too. We stick together, him and i. As they say, birds of a feather, flock together.
I couldn't possibly bring Benny to the class. They'd scare him. I didn't want to hurt him that way. So we took a photo.
The girls all talked about their mothers or their sisters.
The boys talked about their fathers.
When i walked up to the front of the class, i heard sniggers from the kids in the front seats. They saw the photo and they began to judge my priorities. They didn't know half the story. And i wasn't inclined to tell it to them. They didn't deserve to see my pain and laugh at it.
I told them that Benny is my best friend and that Benny was always there for me even when my world was raining bullets. I said thank you and walked away. Their giggles echoing in the back of my head.
My mother picked me up from school. She snatched the photo from my little hands and scolded me. "Your teacher just came out to tell me that you've got some bats in the bell tower! I didn't raise you to befriend a chicken! I raised you to be a sophisticated young man! And what's this? A cigarette? Who do you think you are, Benjamin Howardson? For this, you're not getting any dinner!"
Her screaming rung in my ears and she dragged me home.
I was ready to cry. I was preparing to go to Benny and tell him about this heinous day. I needed to hear that questioning coo and feel him rest in my lap. I wanted release from this pain.
It never came.
My mother dragged me to the backyard. My father walked calmly towards me. In one hand a knife. And in the other, my beloved friend.
Everything happened in a blur. I heard screaming. I heard shouting. I heard a final caw. And then silence.
