Police suck balls.
The hand gripping the back of my collar tightens, putting me in a seat.
"All right.." the cop sighs. "What'd you do this time?"
"Officer Grimes," I greet.
Rick Grimes sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. I ease to the edge of my seat as he sits down across the desk.
"We got a disturbance call on you. What and who did you disturb?"
I cross my arms, laying them on the desk. "I think you just like making me ride around in your super cool wee-woo car."
"I've spent hundreds in gas just chasing you down."
"The Tom to my Jerry, Officer Grimes."
"Do you want to try and come up with a lie or should I go ahead and write up your warning slip?"
"Can I get that in glittery ink?"
"What number should I call to pick you up?" he ignores my question.
I poke my tongue in my cheek. "Mom is still out of town."
"Unni, then?"
I giggle. "Unni isn't her name, Officer Grimes."
"Well, that's all you call her."
"I'm not here to give you a Korean history lesson." I stand from the chair. "So, if you'll excuse me-"
"All right, Hyejin," a new voice scolds, putting me back in my seat.
"Officer Walsh!" I cheer.
Shane sighs, shaking his head at me. "I thought you promised me no more problems last time I dropped you off at home after the restaurant incident?"
"We didn't pinky promise, so I don't recall."
Shane leans on the desk. Rick gives him a look and motions his hand at me. 'Do something with her' his eyes said.
"Yoo Hyejin. Age: fifteen. Street address-"
"Okay, we get it!" I complain. "You're a big fan of mine."
"What almost-crime did you kind of commit this time?"
I slump in my chair and cross my arms.
"She was in the park," Rick begins.
"Ugh!" I throw my head back.
"Asking people if she could borrow their phone and then running off with it."
"Didn't you already try that once before? That 'fragile' old lady walloped you upside the back of the head with her cane."
"I fail at taking a phone and I'm a thief. She almost gives me a concussion, it was self-defense."
"You were stealing," Rick reminds.
"And I still have the scar from Mary Poppins' splinter-infested stick of death."
"You want me to drop you off back home?" Shane asks. "My shift's ending anyway."
"No one's there."
"Then, you can have yourself a nice little timeout."
I hold my hand out to Rick. He ducks by the desk and retrieves my skateboard. He hands it to me and I slot the board under my arm before opening my hand up to him once more.
"You're not getting the cigarettes back."
"Boo," I say. I stand from my chair once again, sticking my tongue out at Rick. "Tell Lori I said 'hi'."
"Yep. Sure thing," Rick says as Shane and I leave.
He wasn't going to tell that snotty bitch a thing.
"Front or back?" Shane asks.
"Can I play with the siren?"
"Get in the back. I shouldn't have asked."
I stomp my feet a few times to make sure he knew I was upset. Shane gives me a pointed look. I rock on my feet, toe to heel. He sighs and opens the door for me.
"Thank you, Sir." I grin and climb into the backseat, placing my skateboard on my lap.
Shane gets into the driver's seat and slides the little window open so I could hear him better.
"Here," he says.
He slides a cigarette through the little window.
"My hero. Protect and serve," I praise. I place the stick between my lips and lean up, letting Shane ignite it with his lighter.
"You gotta chill the hell out, man. Juvey is getting closer and closer to you," Shane says as he starts the car.
I watch the police station disappear from the window as we ride down the road.
"Rick looks like he has a stick up his ass. Or, are he and Lori still fighting? It's not a stick- it's that wicked witch's finger, huh?"
"Have you been listening in on his private phone calls again?"
"If it was so private, why do all you coppers blab the whole ride to and fro to your baby mamas and wives and side chicks?"
"Stop treating our lives like a soap opera, Hyejin."
"I don't have cable, I only have my eyes."
"Well, carry your little eyes on somewhere else and stop getting in trouble, huh?"
"Is that a racist undertone?"
"Hyejin."
I take a long drag of my cigarette.
"I get it-"
"Here we go again.."
"I used to cause trouble just like you. Stealing things, vandalize shit that wasn't mine, gettung into fights.. I was there."
"But, then you had an awakening and decided to use your one life for something useful. So, you became a cop because you wanted to help kids that were once just like you."
I look at Shane through the rearview mirror.
"Am I getting close?"
"How many times have I told you that speech?"
"How many times have I sat in the backseat of this car?"
"God, I'm turning into my old man."
Shane pulls the car over. We were outside of my house. He gets out and opens my door.
I toss the cigarette butt on the ground and stomp on it before trudging up the walkway to the door.
"Hyejin?"
I turn, walking backwards slowly to see what Shane wanted.
"Go to school tomorrow, would you?"
I scrunch my nose.
Turning on my heel, I continue on to the house. I hesitate when I see my aunt's car in the garage. I don't let Shane see it as I force myself to open the door and go in.
I ease the door shut as quietly as possible.
I tiptoe across the floor. Sneak.. Careful.. Quiet..
"Yoo Hyejin-ah!"
"Fuck me," I cringe.
My aunt stumbles into the doorway between the living room and kitchen. She points the bottle of soju at me, her words slurring as she tries to speak.
"Come here.." she demands.
I freeze in my spot.
"Now!"
I step toward her, avoiding eye contact. She hisses and slaps me across the face. I stumble and catch myself, bracing for a second hit.. then, a third.
"Did you get the insurance money?" she asks, gripping my hair and pulling.
I gasp in pain, unable to shake my head from her iron-like hold.
"No.. No.. it hasn't come in," I lie.
Aunt scoffs, pulling hy face higher so she could hit me easier.
𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇 𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓈--
MY BABY IS HERE AHH
i have been working on hyejin so hard and ive been waiting and waiting to put her out and now shes here omg