Sparrow's Story

Chapter 3

Amy had gotten involved in foster care because of her son. He was a still born. She had wanted a child so badly. But, God just didn't see it working for her I suppose. So, she looked into adoption and foster care. She ended up adopting a girl from somewhere out in New York. That girl was now 20 and out of the house. She was gone before I even moved in with Amy.

I had met her once. Her name was Sariah. Very sweet girl. She took after Amy in that way. She had very fine light brown hair to her shoulders. Blue hazel eyes. She was perfect. She was adopted by Amy when she was 10. Half her life had been spent in a home. Like me. We could relate to each other. We got each other. We shared the same struggles. Same hard ships. I felt a bond with her the day I met her. Like we were meant to be. She was supposed to fly out to Colorado to come see Amy and me sometime soon. I couldn't wait to see her. She was like my girl Adam.

The bell went off, causing me to jump. Everyone laughed. Like they usually do. I grabbed my things and walked out. Time for Lion's class. No, his last name wasn't really Lion but you should have seen this guys hair. Lion mane if I ever saw one. I loved Lion's class. Even though it was Algebra 2. He had a fun way of teaching it. He was the only teacher who could make me smile, sometimes even talk, in his class. I always made sure I made it to his class. It was the highlight of my day.

Today was an especially fun day. We played bingo. Yes, bingo. Math bingo but bingo none the less. Solve math problems, but a spot on the answer. I got lots of bingos. I was one of the smartest kids in his class. It was like that in most of my classes. Being anti social means you don't gossip. And when you don't gossip, it means you have more time to pay attention to what is being taught. So I guess being me had its perks. I was more likely than not going to get plenty of scholarships. And that was good news. Seeing as I didn't have parents to pay for my college, it was all me.

Lion's class went by too fast. It was lunch now. My stomach let out a growl as soon as the thought of food passed through my head. I never eat a lot. But, I do eat. And I look forward to eating. Lunch was the time when people were way too busy to even consider paying attention to me. They had their gossip that had to be shared. Significant others to be made out with. And I could eat in peace.

After lunch I had my history class with Mrs. Kendall. She was a mean teacher. And her looks portrayed that perfectly. Frazzled hair. Bone white. Wrinkles covered her face. Frown lines. Crows feet. Mean eyes. Black with a dark blue ring on the outside. I hid in her class. Her and I didn't get along. So, I just shut up and did my work. It was a plan that kept me out of trouble. And she always gave the most homework. Tonight we had to read 2 chapters and take notes. Each chapter was 20 pages. What fun.

That class couldn't go by fast enough. I got out as quick as I could. Off to my free period. Get a jump on Kendall's homework. I always tried to speed off to my free period. The passing period between Kendall and free hour was everyone's favorite time for a beating. And it looked like I was going to get one today.

There were 3 jocks and their bitchy girls standing at the end of the hall. As soon as I turned the corner to get to my free hour, their heads snapped towards me. Shit. I kept my head down and tried to walk past them. But I knew I was screwed.

These were the people that loves to pick on me the most. It was their goal to destroy my life. One of the girls had even told me that she wanted me dead. That everyone's life would be so much better without me. And I truly believed her. There were only 2 people that I held on for. My foster mom and Adam. If it weren't for them, I would have been gone a long time ago. They were my inspiration.

I was 10 feet away from the group. “Why the fuck won't you look up dumb bitch?” Said one of the girls. Amanda. Completely gorgeous. Long red hair. Not the ugly red hair either. It was a perfect shade. Crystal blue eyes. Straight teeth. Big boobs. Big butt. Perfect height. The whole deal. Every guy longed for her. They didn't care if she only used guys. They just wanted a chance to say they had been with her.

I peeked out from under my bangs at her.

“That's not looking up dumb ass.” She said bitterly. Then she walked behind me, grabbed a fist full of hair and pulled so I was staring at the ceiling. “That's looking up retard. You need to get you're directions right.”

One of the jocks walked up to me and punched me in the stomach. “And that's what would be down if you were able to look down.” He said. I wanted to yelp in pain but past experiences kept me quiet. “Sit there and take it” my mind kept repeating. “Don't make any noise.”

They were all huddled around me by now. This was going to be bad. I could tell. My eyes shut, ready for whatever was going to come. But nothing came. Why were they waiting? Amanda's grip on my hair loosened and then disappeared. I was pushed forward as they walked away. I looked up to see why they had stopped what was going to be an amazing event for them. It was Mrs. Kendall.

A look of horror completely covered her old wrinkled face. No. Not her. Please God. Anyone but her. I don't want Mrs. Kendall to be the one to find out this was happening. She would surely report this to the office. Then I would be hauled off to the counselors again.

I stared into her black eyes. Tears started to well up. Then they spilled over. She immediately rushed over to me. She helped me stand up then walked me to the bathroom. Obviously she knew I didn't want anything that was about to be said to be overheard.

We got to the bathroom. I got some paper towels and wet them down so I could clean up my make up that had started to run. I avoided her eyes all the while. But I could feel the tension. I knew she was going to start talking any second. And I was right.

“What was that about?” She questioned.

“Nothing.” I said robotically. “Don't worry about it. It's nothing. I promise.”

“Sparrow, don't lie to me. I know we don't see eye to eye but I obviously am not going to let you get out of this easily.” She said in a sure tone.

“Just a misunderstanding. Nothing important.” I told her.

“How long has it been going on?” She questioned. I guess I wasn't hiding the pain in my voice all that well. A sudden feeling of safety overwhelmed me. I could tell Mrs. Kendall everything. So I did.

I explained what had been going on for the past few years. I gave her the best reason I could for why I was the target of everyone's hatred. I didn't even know the full answer for it. I told her that I had become used to the beatings. It didn't even get to me anymore. I told her that I didn't want to see a counselor or anything of the sort. She understood. She promised that it would be kept between us. For the moment being. I knew she would probably have to tell another faculty member about it sooner or later. But somehow, I was okay with that.

I talked with Mrs. Kendall for a full 2 hours. I felt like someone finally understood me. She had gone through a rough childhood also. She got where I was coming from. For the most part at least. Her life wasn't as hard as mine. But it was still hard.

It was the end of the day so I said bye to Mrs. Kendall. She excused my homework assignment for the night. She told me to get some sleep. And if I needed anything, she said to call her. Regardless of time or the need. I felt close to someone for once since Adam had died. I liked it. But I was also weary. Every time I got close to someone, something happened. But, for once, I was kind of excited for Mrs. Kendall's class the next day.

I walked home thinking about the day and how Mrs. Kendall had saved me. I was thankful. I finally got home. I collapsed onto my bed and quickly fell asleep. I couldn't explain why I was so tired. But I was. I let sleep overwhelm me. Relax me. Reunite me with my best friend. And it always did. No matter what, Adam was always there to keep me safe.