My hero

Chapter 5

My POV
"Sounds like y'all had a good relationship," Mary said.
   "Yeah, we have sister necklaces, see", I said showing them the half heart.

"We were best friends, and I hugged her at the funeral and we squeezed each other, something just told me that day would be the last day I'd see her, for at least a long time if not forever, and she squeezed me too and we had an understanding that grandma had to sleep for a very long time now and she was fine, we kissed each other and her dad even hugged me after making sure we were both OK. He wasn't a real affectionate man, not with me at least, I guess he didn't wanna be awkward but he was affectionate with Sarah, and he hugged me that day and he squeezed me and I'm glad he did, I think he came to the funeral just for me, I know he didn't want Sarah to see our grandma like that and something in me didn't want to let him go that day and he just rubbed my head and said everything would be OK and then we left the funeral and it wasn't, my dad began beating me before we could even get out the parking lot and he stopped my dad and then my dad began beating him and I held Sarah as my mother screamed things at him and me and Sarah begged him to get off of Sarah's dad and eventually Sarah's dad over powered him and other family separated us and my dad continued beating me....with his fists, it wasn't a spanking with his hand or even a belt, he beat me because I hugged Sarah's dad and they didn't even drive me home, they drove for hours and I was in the back seat bleeding and sore and we reached some place and they just threw me out on the ground in the same dress I was wearing, and the guy gave them something in return and then he pulled me into the house and he was OK at first and then he began hurting me too."

"I'm so sorry that happened to you, no parents should ever treat their children that way, Michael said.   "Maybe she can stay with Sarah and Sarah's dad, Mary said. "No! Michael said quickly. "Michael she should be with family, you're a stranger, Mary said to him. "

   "If I send her there her parents might find her and hurt her again! She has to stay here with me so I can make sure she's safe!" Michael yelled making me jump. "Don't yell at Mary, Mary is nice", I said quietly. "If your gonna yell at me you'd better give me a raise, Mary smirked. "I just gave you one!" Michael fussed.
"I know I'm just joking," Mary said.

"So what's your name?"Michael asked. "My name? Hmm no ones called me that in a long time, mostly those people just called me "dark thing" and other sweet names like "ugly bitch" ya know first name Ugly last name Bitch, if I ever get money I should patent that", I joked but they just stared at me.

  "I was trying to be funny but I failed miserably, to be honest I don't really remember my full name. My grandma would just call me her "butter pecan", when I was in trouble she'd call me "Ally" and I had a friend once and he called me "Alley cat"  that's all that I remember.....wait! Where's my book! I had a book! Oh no! I must've dropped it when I was running! I need my book! I have to have it! It's important!" I said. "What color is it?" Michael asked. "It's green, it's really really dirty so it's probably brown."  

"Is this it? I thought you'd be happy if I wiped it off and it was pretty dirty", a guy said as he entered the door.

"You left it in the car, I didn't open it or read it or anything", the guy said. He extended his arm to me with the book. "Can I have it back please?" I asked. "Yeah, you just gotta take it," Michael said as if he was stating the obvious. I thought it was a trick but I carefully reached for it out of Bill's hand expecting one of them to slap me or something.

"Sweetie we won't hit you.....ever", Mary said.
"O-OK," I stuttered out.   I grabbed the book out of Bill's hand feeling all of the attention on me. I opened it and took out the dollar bill sized wad of paper and I unfolded it as the staples sheets came undone and I fluffed it out so that it made a trail of paper about 6 feet long and I started at the beginning and read through the math notes that I took at school the last day I attended.   I read the top with the paper really close to me. Michael took the paper out of my hand and put it a distance from my face. "You can't see it from right here?" He asked. I shook my head no. "OK, we'll get your eyes tested for glasses tomorrow."  "But-"Butts are for sitting, stop worrying, you've worried enough for a million lifetimes," Michael said.
"OK," I said defeated, I didn't press further because from what I've realized in my life is that men don't like when you talk back to them.  I continued reading the paper up close and I scanned it a little more until I found my name at the top. "Alaina Jones! And I'm black  Native American and Hawaiian, my grandad was a Native American chief and everyone used to call him "Head Oyster", and my dad is Hawaiian, my grandad didn't like him at all. My dads name is Akamai, it means intelligent and clever, my dad wasn't either of those things. My grandad was a very handsome man, his tribe was never in the history books, he's a dark skin man, he looks like a black man with really nice hair and he always looked really wise and I never met my dads parents. Sometimes my grandad and I would eat snickers and listen to some song called "Billie Jean" or something like that. I always wondered why "Billie Jean" was so mean to that guy who was singing the song, she didn't have to be so rude. But my grandad really really liked the song and he would put me in his arms and dance with me, and whenever the tribe got together they would all dance to that song. Do you know that song?" I asked Michael and Mary.  Michael laughed. "You're really funny, Michael said. Mary cleared her throat. "Michael she's not joking", Mary said.  "She's not?"Michael asked. "Nope." Mary said.

   "She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene
I said don't mind, but what do you mean, I am the one
Who will dance on the floor in the round
She said I am the one, who will dance on the floor in the round,"I said in a sing song voice.

"It's that song, everyone in my town knew that song. Whoever that guy is who made it, is probably filthy rich and he should be it's a good song. I wonder if he ever made more music, his voice is really soothing even when he's telling the world about a woman that did him wrong."

I looked over to see Michael blushing and Mary and Bill smiling like a maniac. "You're my best friend already!" Michael said. "You can't just assume people are your friend Michael, you don't wanna end up like me, I've assumed people were my friend way too many times and now I'm in a wheel chair."  "That's not your fault and was completely out of your control", Michael said.

    "Please just take my advice. Like that guy said, he said "take my strong advice and remember to always think twice", I'm telling you this but I should've done that awhile ago and I'm serious you can't assume people are your friend."

He just continued smiling and then he chuckled and Mary and Bill did too. "Why are you laughing at me, I'm serious."

"I know you're serious that's what's so funny and kinda cute", Michael said.

     "How is this cute? There's nothing cute about this situation, I'm an atrocity from head to toe, I look atrocious, my hair is atrocious, and I probably smell atrocious. and I'm homeless."

"You smell good actually, and you don't look atrocious, you have nice hair, and you certainly aren't homeless, your home is here since your my best friend."

     "Michael I can't just live here with you, that's what I've been trying to tell you, you can't assume people are your friend, what if I turned out to be a serial murderer? Or a person with multiple personalities and rage issues!"

"Well you certainly aren't very threatening from that wheel chair, Bill said.

"I'll have you know , I shot a guy and you know what, I only panicked and cried about for every time I remembered that I did that today", I said half-jokingly.

"Aren't you a real gangster," Bill joked with an eye roll. "I do feel bad about that though. I think that was pretty out of pocket. My grandad said we're supposed to be lovers not fighters....aren't I a disappointment? I didn't fight a person, I did worse and shot him."

  "Again, it was in self-defense obviously. Who knows what might've happened to you later on if you didn't pull that trigger, and I could tell you feel a tad bit better already, and you definitely look better, I was concerned for you and Michael's well being when I saw him come home with a girl in his arms and you looked half dead, you don't look half dead anymore," Mary said.

"How'd you find me anyways, all I remember is running and then I fell and I woke up in a bed, I was afraid this morning because "He" doesn't allow me to sleep in the bed."

"I was driving Michael home and you ran into the street, I stopped the car but didn't hit you, and you fainted, so Michael bought you home, we were both very worried about you, you seemed really afraid," the guy said.

"I was very scared that they were gonna catch me and hurt me again so that's why I was running."

               Michael's POV

"Well what did you sleep on before today, I asked her. "Sorry I'm so nosy, you don't have to answer me."  "No it's fine really, normally people never talk to me, and if they do it's to tell me that I'm worthless or to scream at me so I'm kinda enjoying this conversation because you haven't said I'm stupid or anything yet, I imagine you think I'm pretty ridiculous and I honestly don't blame you, I feel ridiculous. But to answer you're question it was a dirt floor. After awhile they placed down some plywood so I had that to sleep on, but it wasn't comfortable so I never slept and that was about...."  I watched as she counted on her fingers.

"1 year and 4 months ago."