2009:
“Eat it, you little bitch!” The girl sat on top of June holding the cigarette that June was smoking before, over her mouth. “I said eat it!”
June squirmed under her, and smacked the girls hand so the cigarette knocked to the floor. She continued to squirm trying to reach for the joint. Rebecca, the older girl pressed one hand into June’s neck, and the other one she raised above her head and slammed down into June’s face. People began crowding around, forming a circle and shouting “fight”. Rebecca raised her fist above her head, to bring it down again. But this time June managed to grab the cigarette and pressed the burning end against the hand that was pressed to her neck.
Rebecca jumped June holding her hand, “You asshole! You burned me!”
Two other girls came in front of June, blocking her path of Rebecca. They pushed June against the wall, and the first one threw the first punch to the same spot as Rebecca hit the first time. But then they were thrown off of June, and Michael came into view. He grabbed her arm and led her out of the cafeteria away from the crowd.
When they got to the hallway he spoke up, “what were you doing trying to pick a fight with Becca?” He stopped and turned around to face June before continuing, “your face! Are you okay?”
She turned her face away when he tried to touch it, “I’m fine it’s just a little sore.”
“Why was she fighting?” He asked sadly.
“She caught me smoking again on school premises,” she smiled innocently.
“What did I tell you about smoking?” Michael still held her arm, but began leading her out of the school.
“I want to change, I really do. But I need it to get through the day! I promise I’ve gone down to two a day,” June pleaded with him, trying to pull away.
“June, you can’t do this to yourself. You are killing your body,” he turned around and faced her pulling her into a hug.
“Maybe that’s good, I’d rather die this way then slowly and painfully,” June answered her voice muffled from being pressed against the boy’s shirt.
“Don’t be like that, Ju!”
“I just don’t know anymore, Mikey. My grades are dropping like flies, and my parents fight all the time. It’s like my every dream of becoming a dj is drifting away. It’s like nicotine is the only answer. I don’t get why Becca has to make such a big deal about it!” she said my face still buried in his shirt.
“She is like that because she lost her grandma from lung cancer because she smoked like a fiend,” Michael explained, knowingly.
“Well this is different! I’m not her grandma, and I don’t smoke two packs a day!” She ran her hands through her hair.
“Hey, hey, hey! June, smile okay? Life isn’t that bad,” he leaned in and began to tickle her sides.
She let out a little school girl laugh, and crouched at her sides trying to prevent Michael from tickling her. “Stop! Mikey! Stop!” She said in between gasps of air.
He stopped and pulled away, smiling at her. She looked up and smiled back at him. Her smile was wide, showing her straight white teeth and black stained lips. And yet her eyes read pain, and hurt all over them. But as Michael stared at her, he realized how beautiful she truly was. Even if her hair was red, and her roots were showing. And her eye liner was dark, and black lipstick didn’t suit her. She was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
“Ju?”
“Yes, Michael Gordon Clifford?” A devious smile pulled across June’s face.
“Friends?” He pulled out his pinky to make their usual pinky promise.
