- cinira 'nyiah' brooks' pov | chapter twenty-five (25)
- july 22nd 2022 | lil peep - falling 4 me
back in middle school i used to get mad as hell if aaliyah davis would try and help me with my writing assignments.
i would be working on my assignment and she'd be sitting across the table from me, reading. she would always opt to read if she would finish with her work early and since she always finished her work early - she would always be reading. she'd read during free time, too. anyway, it was one day in particular where she had looked up from her book and mumbled sum shit like, "how long are you gonna be working on that question? do you need help or something?"
i tried to give her the most ugliest look i could ever give somebody. "did i ask for help?" i asked. she shook her immediately, i rolled my eyes. "so why you tryna give it? keep on reading yo book and stay outta my business."
she ain't respond back to that but i remember feeling her eyes on me as i tried to sound out the words on the paper.
by the time our teacher came around to collect our papers i still wasn't done. she collected mine and when she did she shook her head a lil.
i bet she did that 'cause all the words was misspelled. i was never good at spelling. probably never will be.
anyway, after the teacher got done collecting everybody papers she told us to take out the books we was reading as a class.
after everybody got they book out, she started to read a couple pages and after she finished she asked if anybody wanted to read. aaliyah said she would and after aaliyah finished sum chapters, the teacher said we would be doing popcorn reading and since she picked last, she could pick the next person.
it was like everybody raised they hand and even though i was the only one who wasn't, she picked me.
"popcorn cinira,"
when she said that i could only look down at the book and watch the words jumped around the page to form new ones.
new ones i ain't understand, couldn't sound out, and couldn't read. 'cause of that i didn't wanna read and aaliyah knew i didn't wanna read.
that's why she picked me. wanted me to be embarrass 'cause i basically told her to fuck off.
everybody laughed and made jokes. it got so bad i couldn't even read the next sentence. the teacher made me stop and let somebody else go.
even when they laughing had been long gone and stopped, when lunch came i still heard the laughing in my head.
it led me to pour chocolate milk over aaliyah's.
"you not drinking this," i had muttered, snatching the already opened carton of chocolate milk from some boy tray. before he got a chance to say something i was walking down the lunchroom, eyes locked on aaliyah, her nose in some book.
the laughing got so loud.
i pulled the milk sprout open more and in a second, it was dripping down her body.
i don't remember too much from that. i do remember aaliyah didn't scream. she just sat there while a lunch lady tried to use some napkins and get rid of the milk. her book was ruined. a teacher dragged me away. kids was laughing, ooing, calling me names, asking 'why would i do that?'
