dyad | ᵇᵒᵒᵏ ᵒⁿᵉ

⁴ ⁻ qᵘⁱᵉᵗ.

                                  ⁴ ⁻ qᵘⁱᵉᵗ.

     "I had no idea that you would end up so being so important to me."

     ❀

 I really don't know why he was going out of his way to be friendly to me. It was kind of like some cruel joke..didn't he know what I was? Couldn't he tell from the stains and holes on my clothes, the shoes I wore? What about the shirts I wore that were too big for me? I was lucky that I was petite, or I'd be wearing the same outfits everyday. He was popular, well known, a star student, and I..I was just little old me. I was afraid that he was going to humilate me. First he returns my pen, then he helps me get something off the top shelf at the store. Maybe he was really just being friendly? But why to me, out of all the people at that school?

Walking home witht he bags I had from the store, I tried to walk as fast as I could without drawing unwanted attention to myself. It was getting dark, and I wanted to get home before it got too dark. It was dangerous after dark, as anything and everything could possibly happen. The beggars crept out at night, and one time, they had caught me, but I had managed to get away. I took the quickest route home, even though it was almost pitch black on the path. Fortunately for me, some of the street lights still worked, even though the lights were dim. When I reached home, I noticed that the lights by the front door were out.  I opened the chipped, peeling brown door, and entered the house, closing and locking the door behind me. 

"Monroe, finally!" Mary greeted me with a smile, taking the bags from me as she kissed my forehead. "How much change did you have?" she questioned me, walking into the kitchen. I followed behind her, pulling the five dollar bill out of my pocket. I would've had more change, but I bought two candy bars, and I made sure to not let her see that I had them. I really didn't want a lecture about bringing "extra" stuff in from the store. She knows that I do it, and I think she'll eventually adjust to it. I helped her put away the groceries, and get started on dinner. "Do you need anything else?" I asked, to which she shook her head. I liked to help her out, whenever she could need it. It took a load off her shoulders. 

"King's been hollering for you all day, Mo'. I think you should go spend some time with him before he gets all irritable." 

I nodded, beginning to walk out of the room. 

"Oh, and Mo?" 

I looked over my shoulder at her, a smile spreading across her face. 

"Only give King one piece, this time." 

I smiled back at her, nodding.

She always did know me so well. 

Walking out of the kitchen and up the stairs, I stopped. Mary still hadn't got this hole in the stairs fixed. She said she had someone coming over, but the gaping hole was still there. One of these children were going to be running down the stairs and end up losing their front teeth, because their foot got stuck in the gap. I continued up the stairs, I ran my fingertips along the chipped, fading red paint on the walls. I often felt the need to explore the home, but Mary said it was too dangerous. There was several floors, but we mainly used the first, second, and third floors. 

I came into King's room, and as I entered he started to squeal. I could tell he was waiting for me, from the way he was standing up in his crib. He couldn't wait to get into my arms, and gave me a big smile as I approached his crib. "Hey there, King," I cooed at him, kissing his forehead. I picked him up, and he wrapped his arms around my neck, looking into my eyes. 

King was absolutely adorable. He had soft, light brown curls, and big, chestnut colored eyes. His cheeks were chubby, and his skin was extra soft. He was a sweet and happy little boy, always smiling and wanting hugs. I sat down in the old recliner, King sitting on my thigh. He knew what was coming, and he was so eager. He gave me one of his huge, famous smiles, watching me pull the chocolate bar out of my pocket. He screeched, and reached for it.

I giggled, "Only one piece, okay?" I had always given King his candy before dinner, Mary never made dinner quickly, so he ate it beforehand. She was always saying that I was spoiling his appetite, but King had the hunger of a wild lion. He would eat anything if you weren't watching him close enough. I broke off two pieces, handing them to him. Like I expected, he squeezed and toyed with it until he had it all over his hands. He finally did eat it, and it got all over his face. I wiped his face with a cloth, and he took it out of my hands, shaking it around. 

He was like my little brother. I spent most of my time with him, when I wasn't in school, or helping Mary. I was really the only one he took care of him, as Mary was too busy with the other kids.

"Dinner time!" I heard Mary yell. I scooped King up, and he cooed at me, beginning to play with my hair. I could tell what we were having for dinner; spaghetti. It was my absolute favorite of Mary's dishes. She added the right amount of spice, and seasoning to make it all come together. I walked down the stairs, one of the kids zipping past me. "Timmy, slow down!" I yelled to him. I came into the dinning room, plates being passed to the side to each of the kids. I got King adjusted in his high chair, and took my seat next to Joshua. 

He smiled, and I returned his warm smile. Joshua didnt talk much..in fact, I've never heard him speak. He was a selective mute, which meant that in some situations, he couldnt speak as it was related to anxiety, but he could speak clearly when he was comfortable. That's what Mary thinks he is. Joshua was kind, as I often saw him help out around the home, and sometimes he helped me too. 

We all lived in a group home, together. There was ten of us, excluding me. Joshua and I were the oldest, and most of the children were younger, about twelve through fifteen. Some of us used to be a Bloom: the high class. But that didn't matter, as most of us were Wilts now, for respective reasons. And we were happy to have a roof over our heads, as a few of us would be out on the streets if Mary didn't scoop us up.

Mary took most of us in, and she took care of us, and provided for us. She was like a Mom..so to speak. She was in her late forties to early fifties, and to me, she looked like someone straight out of a storybook. Her hair was long, black and pretty, mostly tied up in a bun, pulled back from her face. I watched her as she handed the bowl to one of the boys, who took a decent sized around of spaghetti. The bowl made it way to King, and I gave him a nice sized amount, and he dug right in. I could tell I was going to bathing him later on tonight. 

I got me some spaghetti, and passed it to Joshua. I ate in silence, listening to Jennifer and her twin, Tiffany go on and on about their day in school. Tiffany, the older twin, had a crush on one of the boys in her class, who was a Bloom. I already knew that it wasn't going to work out like she was hoping and planning in her head, and it was going to be sad when she got her heart crushed. Blooms didn't associate with us; we were simply nothing in their eyes. Glancing at Joshua, he had a soft smile on his face. He liked the twins; he had some special connection to them, and I thought it was cute. They were always following him around, telling him wild, fabricated stories about their day, while Joshua just simply listened. 

"Did you see any cute Blooms at the store today, Monroe?" Kai asked me. Kai was a pretty girl with soft features, and deep set in dimples. Her eyes were always full of warmth, and eager. She was determinded to become a Bloom, and I was rooting for her. I shook my head at Kai's question, and returned to eating. Josiah did cross my mind, but I wasn't going to tell them about him. Jennifer clapped her hands, "You did! You just aren't telling us!" "What did he look like?" Tiffany asked me.

"I didn't see anyone, guys," I lied. Kai cut her eyes at me, and I knew she would be in my room later, wanting all the details of my encounter- if you would call it that- with Josiah. I looked over at King, and he was happily stuffing his face with the dinner. I could tell he was enjoying it, from the way he was so quiet and he kept moving side to side. My vision shifted to Thomas, and he had his head down, gripping his fork tightly in his hand. 

"Don't lie, Monroe! We know you saw someone-"

Thomas slammed his fork down, "Shut up, Tiffany! Get it through your thick skull that no matter what you do, that boy will never treat you like him! You're a Wilt, just like the rest of us!"

The table fell silent, the conversations amongst us ending abruptly. Tiffany had tears in her eyes, and started to cry into Kai's shoulder, while Jennifer rubbed her arm. I looked at Mary, who was just as speechless as I was. I then looked at Thomas, who closed his eyes. Thomas was normally quiet, he never spoke to anyone like that, and boy, did that surprise me. He opened his eyes, and looked down at his plate. He was mumbling to himself, and I caught a little of what he was saying.

"Once a Wilt, always a Wilt. We dirt."