📍Whitehall Avenue, St Andrew
SEPTEMBER 17, Tuesday
7:25AM
TAELYNN MAKAILA WALTERS | 17
"This is why you don't have friends. Tae, yuh need fi do better"
Staring at my younger sister, Teyana, as she lectured me about "having people in my corner", I sigh, already bored with the conversation because we have it everyday.
She fails to understand not everyone is a people person.
We stood at the bus stop, waiting for a taxi so we could head to school, her mouth not once being closed since we've left home.
"Yuh inna 6th form now. Yuh go through the entirety of high school without friends. That's why nobody never like yuh and seh yuh hype" she continues.
The age difference between Tey and I was only 1 year. 17 and her 16. Her being in 5th form and me in lower 6. I love my sister, but sometimes she's so irritating.
"I have a friend" I finally respond and she instantly kiss her teeth, rolling her eyes with so much attitude.
"Jameel does not count. Mi hate him fi yuh. You can do so much better" she answers.
Jameel is my boyfriend of 3 years. We met in 9 grade and I honestly love him, so I don't care who supports our relationship or not. He's so sweet and caring. We had a instant connection the moment we met.
"Ty, you pick the worse men... realize what I said? Men! to mess around with and you have a problem with my relationship" I say to her, a probox taxi stopping in front us.
"Half-Way-Tree, Town?" the driver ask and Tey nod, pulling the door to sit in the front seat as I sat around back with 2 other persons.
"As weh me a seh, Jameel a crawsis, a you alone nuh see it" she continues our conversation and i roll my eyes.
"Girl, mi done talk to yuh" I dismiss it, not in the mood to prolong any long conversation with her and mi nuh want nobody inna mi business.
She run through man more than how she change her clothes, so she a last person I'd seek advice from... and she doesn't date within her age group. 3 years older and more is her type.
Daddy waah find out fi chop her up.
The car ride to Half-Way-Tree was silent, the only noise being the radio playing lowly and soon enough she was getting off at the red light at the JN bank.
"Later girl" she said to me, paying the driver $150 after getting out.
We attend different high schools. She attends Tarrant High School, meanwhile, I go to Camperdown.
"Yeah, bye" I answer watching her walk to her friends who stood at the bank waiting for her.
I was going straight to town, then tek sumn from town go Windward Road fi go school.
"Driver, remember a Crossroad me a guh" the lady seated beside me spoke.
"Mi remember lady. We nuh reach Crossroad yet" he tells her, driving off when the light switched to green.
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📍CAMPERDOWN HIGH SCHOOL, Camperdown Road • Kingston
10:14AM
When yuh go school and don't have friends, it's the worst and best thing.
Best, because I don't have anyone bothering me and I love being in my own space... Worst, because it gets too lonely sometimes and your thoughts eat you up.
"Nah kill yuh if yuh fake like two a dem girl yah and talk to dem just fi the company enuh" Jameel spoke, my attention going to him as he sat beside me in the empty classroom we were in, using a toothbrush to brush off his shoes.
"J, that's easier said than done. Half of them hate me because I'm with you"
"Lucky yah watch dat enuh maamz" is all he said, sitting up straight after he was done.
"Dem gyal yah dream a me.. remember a you have me" he stood up, fixing his pants, my eyes dropping to how tightly it fitted.
A bit arrogant, but okay.
Nuh know how him come through the people dem gate inna dah tights deh.
"But yah ramp wid man ting. Look how long we deh and yuh cyah gi me a one fuck"
Here he goes again.
As soon as those words left his mouth, I was instantly disgusted. "Yuh can gwaan back to yuh friend dem. I'll stay here by myself" i roll my eyes.
Since last year he's been pressuring me about sex and I try to avoid the topic everytime. I love him, but I don't think I trust him with my body like that yet.
A him friend dem inna him ears bout it and he's easily influenced. Hate that.
"So man lose interest and yuh nah see eh pree. Lucky mi love yuh yer" he spoke, looking down at me staring directly in my eyes.
What is that supposed to mean??
"I'm lucky that you love me?" I repeat.
"Yow dawg, fawud nuh. Coach a call" one of his friends appeared at the classroom, his attention going to him before he could respond to me.
"Soon fawud" he tells him and he nod before leaving us alone once again.
"Just a try mek yuh know seh, if mi fuck a next gyal yuh cyah vex because yah move a way" he drifts back to our conversation.
You know what...
"Go do whatever pleases you. You're single. Mi done" I stood up, picking up my bag so I could leave.
"Talk we a talk b. Weh yah go?" he grabbed my arm aggressively before I could walk off, pulling me to him as my bag rested on one shoulder.
"Yuh cyah leff man nuh day. Tell yuh that yer. Leff yuh when mi feel like it" his spoke bitterly, his hand moving to grab my neck, his grip tight.
"Um.. am I interrupting something?" I hear a girl say, 2 other girls standing behind her trying to peek in. They're in upper six.
"Move from infront a me, waste gyal" he roughly let me go, pushing me and I stumbled, hitting my side into a table while rubbing my neck.
Pushing the chair into his leg before he could walk off, he almost fell but grabbed a table holding his balance. He slowly turned to look at me, his eyes dark instilling fear in my body.
"Leave the girl alone" the girl that interrupted stepped inside the classroom fully, her friends following suit and he looked at them before looking at me. "4 a we and a one a you" she adds.
"Try nuh mek mi buck yuh alone" he smirks sinisterly before grabbing his bag, leaving the classroom and I wanted to cry but held it in.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah" I answer, lying. "Thank you" I add.
"Do you want us to report him. I don't think him threatening you—"
"I'll be fine" I put on a fake smile hoping they'd leave the situation alone.
"Are you new? First me a see yuh"
"No. I just stay to myself" I respond, sitting down as she walked over to where I was sitting down as her friends sat close to us.
"I'm Kelsey" she introduced herself with a smile. "And this is Dedra and Marie" she introduced her friends who simply gave me a small smile.
"Taelynn" I respond.
"Lower six yuh inna?" Marie ask and I nod.
"Is he your boyfriend? Or he wants you and just harasses you?" Dedra questions.
"Boyfriend" I answer.
"How yuh stomach him girl?? Mi hate the boy with a passion and him DUNCE! A the likkle football weh him play fi the school save him" she continues, Marie elbowing her.
"Anyways girl. If him do yuh nothing, just tell we and we help yuh jump him" Kelsey tells me and I only smile.
They stood up leaving the class and I rest my head down on the table, feeling my eyes get teary.
Dem cyah help me.. jumping him won't solve anything.
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📍ST GEORGES COLLEGE, North Street • Kingston
2:38PM
AZARO RONALDO BILLINGS | 17
"Saint come from Uppa Sen'Anju... him know nuff bout gold spoon life"
"If yuh nuh call mi name, yuh nuh feel good doh???" I turn to look at the boy who just said my name, seeing him smirking while staring at me.
"Him mussi love yuh... see the battybwoy pon him" Gio joins the conversation, stabbing his book repeatedly with his pen.
"Mr Mitchell, how many times am I gonna ask that you desist the use of indecent language in my classroom??" Mrs Haynes, our Economics teacher spoke.
He didn't respond, probably doing himself a favor, because if he did, he'd get a one way write up to the principal's office. Expulsion included.
He's on his last strike. Thin ice him a skate pon and if he gets expelled, him know him father a guh kill him.
She continued with her lesson and I stare at what she had projected on the board, hearing what she was saying but I wasn't listening.
"You're not writing.." a familiar soft, feminine voice spoke and I look at Dream seated beside her, her attention on my blank notebook before looking at my face.
"Why? When mi can ask yuh fi send it to me?" I answer and she roll her eyes.
"Swear me a guh tell yuh mommy you're wasting her money" she spoke, turning her attention back to her book to continue writing.
"Alright, informa.." I grab her pen causing her to kiss her teeth.
"Azaro, I'm not playing with you right now" she whispered, trying to reach over, trying to grab it back but I held it further.
"Gimme a kiss first" I leaned over to be closer to her and she paused for a moment, her cheeks becoming flushed.
"W-what?" she sputters out.
"Yah blush fah? See... yuh like me.." I smirk and she unexpectedly grabbed the pen from me.
"I.. I do not.. mi tired fi tell yuh that" she spoke softly, avoiding eye contact as she kept her attention in her book.
"Why yuh transfer schools then?" I ask, deciding to provoke her.
She attended Immaculate for 7 grade, right up until 5th form then transferred to George's for Sixth Form.
Everybody know George's a All Boys school, but they allow females to do the 6th form program here. Best thing dem ever do. Mi nuh think mi coulda manage a look pon man all day everyday, it's only a few girls, but it's enough.
When I heard this was the highschool they placed me in grade 6, best believe mi did vex. I picked mostly girls and boys school, just fi find out mommy switched out one of my options and put George's as my third choice and a yasso dem send me.
Like a spite.
"Because the 6th form program— umm.." she became a bit incoherent when I grabbed her chair leg, pulling her to be closer to me.
"Nah hear yuh over desso.. talk now"
"Mi cannot... umm.. mi cannot concrete with yuh so close" she tried scooting back over, but my grip on her chair remained firm.
"Yuh cyah concrete?" I repeat, my eyes not once leaving her as she avoided eye contact.
She's pretty. I'll give her that... But no... I only tease her for fun, but my headspace would never put me there.
Me and Dream grow like family. Mi cyah see her as anything other than a sister figure, so I don't know how she manage fi mek herself develop feelings, when we parents grow we like bredda and sister.
Her mother and my mother are very close friends— kinda feel dem love each other— and our fathers see each other like brothers. It just feel weird. Too much feelings a guh involve if things don't work out.
"Azaro, leave me alone... yuh mek mi all a chat rubbish" she kiss her teeth and I let her chair go.
Hearing the bell ring, summing up the end of school. 2:40. Thank God.
"Are you celebrating your birthday tomorrow or during the weekend?" I hear her ask as we pack up our things.
"None at all. It's just a regular day" I answer, standing up, tucking my shirt more neatly in my uniform before looking over at Gio who was brushing off his shoes with a toothbrush.
"It's not a regular day. You're turning 18. Yuh nuh happy?? Finally legal" she continues, persons leaving the class right after Mrs Haynes left.
"Turning legal nah phase me"
"Whatever.. daddy nah come fi me today, so I'm coming with you" she tells me, standing up when I pick up my bag.
"Mhm"
"I'm gonna meet with the vice principal tho so I'll see you in the parking lot" she informs me while putting on her bag, pulling a lip gloss from her pocket and putting some on her lips.
"Nah wait too long. Tek more than 5 minutes, is a bus yah wul go home" I say, walking pass her to leave the classroom, Gio beside me and I hear her kiss her teeth.
She feel a joke. Wouldn't be the first mi cut leff her.
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📍Oakridge, Stillwell • St Andrew
7:10PM
"I'm not gonna argue with you. Not today.. Tired a yuh"
"Mi worse nah argue wid yuh"
Listening to my mother and father bicker back and forth for the past 30 minutes, I look over at Azyla, my younger sister, seeing her attention on her phone with her AirPods in.
"Sir, mi in here a share mi pitney dem dinner. A you fi come out a mi face!"
Regular ting this. Deeven too care because dem cuss one minute and love up the next.
"Babes, yah gwaan so strong?" my father's tone softened and i roll my eyes looking away from them when he hugged her from behind.
Sickening.
Deciding on bothering Zy, I remove one of her AirPods and she instantly became irritated, turning to look at me.
Her being 4 years younger than me. She love gwaan like she a the big one.
"What??"
"Yah gwaan so fah?" I ask, putting her AirPod to my ear to hear what she was listening.
A NBA Youngboy song playing, I move it from my ear. "Yuh love off dah gay bredda yah" I shake my head.
"He's not gay! Just different. Everything yuh think gay" she defends, snatching her airpod from me.
"Nigga gay b. And him fall off too. Bare fuckry him sing"
"Stop talk to me" she cut her eyes and I laugh as she went back to texting whoever on her phone.
Grabbing her phone, she quickly got in defensive mode.
"Saint stop ramp wid me nuh!" she tried taking it back, but I held it up and since she was short, she struggled.
"Daddy tell him give me back mi phone nuh!"
"Who name Lamar?" I ask, reading the chat nonetheless.
Lamar😍❤️💍:
Know how our ting set babes. Nah fi question it🫶🏽
Oh.
"Zaro, gi her back her phone" I hear my father say.
Looking at her, I saw that she was frowning with her arms folded across her chest and I lowered my hand giving her the phone and she snatched it.
You always have that one sneaky child. She that.
"Now as him seh.. who name Lamar?" Daddy repeats, walking over to us seated at the island and i could see the life drain from her face the closer he got.
"A friend at school. We have group work together and we're discussing it" she lies.
But she a "daddy's little angel", so....
"Oh. Put it up until after we eat" he kissed her forehead and she nod, locking her phone and putting it down.
If she thinks he believes that, she a bigger eediat than i give her credit for.
Best believe him a mek mommy question her later.
"Yuh did do wah mi ask?" Mommy ask putting down a plate of food in front me and I look at it before looking at her.
"No" I tell her honestly, picking up the fork she placed in the plate.
Not even remember wah she want me do.
"Well you need to and yuh therapist seh you've been ignoring her calls and missing sessions"
"Mummy, mi nuh like how yah talk over mi food" i sigh, not wanting to talk about nuh therapist right now.
"Yuh too feisty" she pushed my head back but moved away to get Azyla's food.
Therapist deh a informa stills... swear mi did pay her fi shut the fuck up.
But cool, me'll deal wid it later.
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🫶🏽