This is a story of how pain and suffering can turn into love and redemption.
Kayla Jones is a girl who has lost her best friend, her mother. She lost her drive to be happy & fell into deep depression; shutting the world around her out. New friends...
I watch as Kayla goes to take a seat on the swing. She pulls out her phone and makes a phone call to her Dad and tells him she will be home a little later than expected. As she puts her phone back in her pocket she pulls out a comb and starts to comb her curls into the puff she always wears. " No don't", I say quietly looking at my feet. " Don't what", she asks and raises her an eyebrow. " Don't put your hair up, I... I like it like this." " Why you bring me out here?" " We need to talk." " About what Lucas, It's gettin' late and I'm cold and I'm ready to go home." I shake my head and take off my hoodie and throw it to her. It lands on her lap and she looks at me, confused. " Put that on and I brought you here because I've been havin' alot of shit on my mind and its because of you." " What do you mean because of me?" " Listen, that song, the Erykah Badu song you sung means a lot to me. My Ma used to play it and sing it around the house all the time when I was younger. And It was the last song she sung to me before.... she went away. When you sung it, I felt my Ma's presence and it made me feel some type of way.... I just wanted to know why you picked that song." I leveled my eyes to Shorty's. She blew out a shaky breath and started to play in her hair. " My Mom.... she used to sing that song to me almost every night when I would have nightmares or couldn't sleep. That song calms me down when I'm nervous or upset so I sung it to calm my nerves for the performance." She swings slowly back and forth while looking at her feet. I walk closer to her and stop the swing. Shorty looks up at me and I see hurt in her chocolate colored eyes. " I appreciate you shorty, I needed to hear you sing with the type of emotion you let out. I know your Ma is proud of you for havin the courage to get on that stage and do ya thing. And about what you said in the mall earlier I wanted to talk to you about that too. I scratch my head and look at her shyly. " Thanks, I didn't know you had a connection to that song as much as I do. It's a crazy coincidence and what about what I said in the mall? " You know since that day, I haven't stopped thinkin about you and that song, I needed to hear it and I don't get sentimental and shit like this, but it's really no problem; you have a God given talent." She blushes hard and turns her face away from mine. " And when you said you weren't pretty and that nobody wants to vibe with you.... that's not true at all lil ma. I ---". Shorty gets up with a annoyed and confused look on her face. " Why? Why are you treating me so nice, acting like you're really my friend at school when I've literally known you for like 2 day, taking me to the mall, bringing me to the park to "talk" and ask me questions and gass me about my performance? What's your motive. Obviously I'm not your type; I'm not pretty or funny and I don't dress like the Thotlers your used to dealing with---- what is it! Because at this point, your wasting my time and yours because I don't want to be friends with you; I don't need your charity!" All I can do is stare at her like this
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Shorty needs some serious help. " Take me home now." " I don't know who you think I am, or what you think of me Kayla, but what you not gone do is place me in the category of a average nigga. Im cut from a different cloth shorty; I'm not all about havin every nigga and female in my face and I don't give a fuck about anybody's attention. Don't act like you got me figured out cus just like you pointed out we just met, so you don't know shit about me. But since you obviously lettin your own fucked up opinion dictate who you think I am, you don't see I want to get to know you better", I semi yell at her while I stare her down. She stale faces me. " Are you done, or are you finished because I would like to go home now if you don't mind", she says as she crosses her arms and rolls her eyes. " Yo, what the fuck is your problem! I haven't done shit to you for you to cop this stuck up ass attitude, like a nigga tryin to play you or sumthin". " My problem is that you brought me here questioning me and tryin to so called " get to know me" after you embarrassed me in front of your brothers and Tay and the rest of the damn mall after Savannah and her pack of thotlers punked me!" " It's not my fault you don't know how to stick up for yourself, you probably woulda let them beat yo ass if Taylor or any one of us was there. All I was saying that you need to tough up and stop lettin people talk down on you because yo----". Shorty gets in my face. " Because what Lucas? Don't feed me those bullshit ass lines. I'm done with this conversation period I'm going home, I'll walk." She pushes past me and starts walking. I quickly grab her but she snatches away from me. " Don't touch me. Find a new school guide; I'm sure you don't need one anyway. You don't need me." I watch her walk away and walk back to my car and get in. I'm lost for words. I wonder what made her this way--- so closed in. It's more than just losing her Mom and I'm going to figure it out.
