Rayleigh
Shoving my history book back inside of the faded blue locker I was assigned at the start of my first year at Eden Middle school and pulled out my black Adidas bag I used for gym class.
Shutting the locker, giving the combination dial a quick twist to make sure it was secured and locked, I turned to Kaye and asked, "so, you are still coming over to my house tonight, aren't you?"
Kaye pushed off the locker she was leaning against and hugged her math textbook closer to her chest as we began walking towards our next class.
"Yeah. I have my bag already packed and waiting on my bed for when I get off the bus this afternoon."
"Why didn't you just bring it with you this morning so you could ride with me and Dad?" I asked her while we pushed our way through the overcrowded halls.
"I need to run over to my parent's store and help them clean out the back room first."
Kaye's parents currently run the small convenience store located just half a mile from where they live. It's actually owned by Kaye's amazing grandmother. If she ever were to find out about all the drugs being sold there and all the sex workers who solicit on the property that her daughter operated, I guarantee you she would blow a fuse.
Pushing the door open to the gym, I stood holding it open and frowned at her, "well, you know when you're finished to call and I'll have Mom or Dad drive over and pick you up. You know that it's not safe for you to ride your bike anymore. Not since all those shady characters started hanging around your grandmother's store," I mumbled low enough for only her to hear.
A small smile lifted her lips, "I know. I love you for worrying about me, Ray."
"So, meet you at our usual spot at lunch?" I asked her with a smirk.
"As if I would ever sit anywhere else," she mused while playfully pulling my ponytail.
--------------------------
As soon as the gym teacher, Mrs. Holland, dismissed us, I rushed into the girl's shower room, hoping for a quick shower so I could make it to lunch on time today. Usually, I missed ten minutes of a forty-five-minute lunch period but today, I am determined to get a shower stall before they were all taken.
As I turned the corner towards the showers, I bumped into Dianne Newton, a popular eighth-grader and the head cheerleader for the basketball team.
"Sorry," I mumbled while picking up my towel that had fallen on the ground.
"Well, if it isn't sweet Lil "Leigh-Leigh", Dianne cooed sarcastically.
I moved over to the side and tried to walk past her, but she blocked me, "where you going, "Leigh-Leigh?" She mocked, intentionally shoving me backward.
I landed right on my ass, which made her friends laugh at my expense.
"What's your problem?" I asked her as I climbed back to my feet.
