Insecure

Chaptet Twenty-six

Angelica didn't say a word to me after she dropped me off. She just parked in front of my house, that blank expression still on her face and waited for me to get out.

I hesitated and started to say something when she shook her head. Instead, I climbed out of the car, barely closing the door behind me before she was speeding away.

Watching her disappear, I frowned. I mean I get that she was upset, but it was high key annoying that she couldn't even tell me goodbye.

Irritated, I climbed the steps to the house and entered.

"Mom! I'm back"

I yelled and Grace said something about me being late. Ignoring her, I climbed upstairs, heading to my room first and taking off my clothes.

I needed a shower and then I had a ton of homework to work on. I sighed wishing school was done with already.

Whatever. It was just a few months left.

Twenty minutes later, I was back in my room running a towel over my dreads when the sound of skidding tires made me flinch.

I bent and looked out my window like any normal curious human would. It's not my fault other people's lives were interesting. Especially when they insisted on showing it off. Besides, if people didn't want others to mind their business they wouldn't create drama.

The noise came from across my house. I peered at the parked car thinking it was familiar before the passenger seat opened and out stormed a pissed off Aisha. The car honked and the drivers door opened. The figure that stepped out made my stomach churn.

Tracey. Shit.

I couldn't hear what exactly it was that she said, but I could tell she was yelling. Aisha started to walk away then was roughly yanked back. I saw Tracey's hand lift and flinched a moment before she hit Aisha.

Aisha staggered backwards clutching her cheek and yelled something at Tracey who took another menacing step towards her.

Deciding that I didn't want to mind this particular business, I turned away from the window and focused on drawing basketball shorts over my briefs.

I tried to drown out the furious yells when a high pitched scream made me tense.

My head snapped back to the window in time to see Tracey slam Aisha into her own front door. Tracey had a hand around Aisha's throat and although I couldn't see Aisha's face, I could guess that she wasn't crying out of excitement.

I hesitated; Tracey couldn't kill Aisha could she? No. Not in broad daylight, I thought although it was already dark. Even then, she had to know that there would be witnesses; people who heard or saw what happened and could testify against her. Surely she couldn't be that stupid. The only way she could get away with murder right here was shutting up people who might have seen. People like me, I realized with a tinge of fear.

C'mon. Somebody help her! Anybody! I thought desperately watching them struggle.

Please!

I clutched the window sill and looked up and down the street. Not a person in sight but surely they could all hear the screams.

It took a few seconds to realize that no one would help. The same way nobody would testify against Tracey if she did kill Aisha. No one would do anything because they were too damn afraid.

I don't remember making a conscious decision. One moment I was standing by the window watching my neighbor struggle with her gorilla like girlfriend and the next I was flying down the stairs to the front door.