C A T C H 22 |BWWM|

Ch. 14 • Not So Happy Halloween

Jackson, MS. October 1943
2 wks. later. Friday, 7:30 am
Halloween

Deen

"Good mornin' cowboy!"

My eyes slowly flickered open at the feeling of Leah's weight on my bed. She was as happy as a peach. Who would've thought a twenty-two-year-old girl would be so excited for the one, and only, date of October thirty-first.

I groaned and yawned loudly. "Leave me alone. Dammit, woman."

"Don't be cursin' at me. I'll call your mama quicker than skippy–"

"Okay, okay, I'm getting up." I sat from my bed and rubbed over my eyes. I had stayed up the night before finishing some arithmetic homework for the weekend. "Can I get some personal space please?"

Leah scoffed but started walking to the door. She was all ready in her polka-dot dress, hair swept in a ponytail, and red lipstick as bright as an apple and as clean as ever against her lips.

"Breakfast is in twenty, your mama's making biscuits," She said. "With real butter"

I stopped my padding feet from waking to the bathroom. "Real? Like with actual cream–"

"–Ha! No, jokes on you bud. Of course, there's no real butter. Marginal butter works though."

"Bullshit," I mumbled quietly.

"Mouth almighty, keep those profanities in your mouth, sir."

"You're in my room, lady."

Leah sighed in defeat. "Fine. Remember to pull out your outfit for tonight. We're going to par-tayyy!"

"You're annoying," I grumbled.

"Love You too."

° ° °
Leah had driven me to school after breakfast. In which I barely made it before she was going to walk me in. Typical Leah behavior.

"But I wanna' see your friends," She had whined, her car swerved into a parking space smoothly.

"No." I gathered my bags and huffed. "This isn't junior high."

Her car door had opened and that's when I made my escape. She had driven off one way or another.

That was ten minutes ago, I was now coming back from the cafeteria. They were selling breakfast—and who passes free food?—and I decided to buy up an orange and a carton of milk.

Throwing my milk cartoon out, I made my way through the bustle.

"Here he comes!"

"Aww man! This'll be good"

My locker, it was blocked. Barricaded with people who just stared at my locker. I walked faster, eyebrows furrowing in worry.

'Nigger lover'

Written in bold black letters across my blue locker. I frowned pushing through the people as they continued to holler.

"Hey, Deen?"

I turned from trying to rub off the paint. Ricky stood behind me, his red hair falling over his blue eyes, but I still saw the mischief stirring in them.

"What'cha think about Halloween huh? I think I should dress up as one of your friends," Rick said.

"You could be a negro, Deen. I have some paint for you" he turned and smirked. Holding a brown painted mask. "Or better yet, here. Take this."