Chapter 8:
“School, school, school.” Avlon sings bouncing on the bed beside me.
“Avlon.” I complain not wanting to get up so early and not understanding how she is so hyper at six thirty in the morning.
“Braylee.” Avlon says mocking me. “Come on its your first day.”
Dallas went to the school board yesterday right after my parents signed the papers and enrolled me into the school that’s thirty minutes away from here. “I’m taking you today.” Avlon informs me and I open my eyes giving her a no duh look. My car is at my parents house and they said that they arnt giving me anything that is there so if she didn’t take me I would have to walk.
“I set you a dress out. It’s yellow.” She beams getting off of the bed. I sit up also and wipe the sleep from my eyes. “Hurry hurry before your breakfast gets cold.”
“I’m up. I’m up.”
“Your not up until your standing.” She recites and I grown standing up carefully. She beams at me and then goes out of the room shutting the door behind her.
I change my undergarments and then throw on the bright yellow sundress with a white cardigan to go over top. Going into my closet I get out some white flip flops and my book bag full of note books.
My tired feet pad down the stairs and I yawn wishing I could just go back to bed. When I get to the kitchen Dallas is sitting at the table drinking coffee and reading the paper. “Your read the paper?” I ask confused because not once have I seen him drinking coffee or reading the paper and especially this early in the morning.
Dallas scoffs and spits his coffee back in his cup with a ripe expression on his face. “Never ah day in ma life.” He says setting it back on the table.
I give him a confused look and cock my head “Well what are you doing?”
“I figure since I’m now a father I ought ta do what fathers do. On the television they’s read the paper and drink coffee before sendin their children off ta school.”
I grin at him shaking my head. “That’s old people Dallas your not even thirty yet.”
Avlon puts a plate on the table and tells me to sit. I do a quick prayer thanking God and then I dig in.
“Why thank ya ma’am.” Dallas says with a grin tipping his imaginary hat. “Reckon I wont read the paper when I’m old neither.”
“I reckon not. It wouldn’t be you.”
“So are you ready for your first day of school?” Dallas asks getting serious.
Swallowing I sigh loudly and shake my head. “Their going to judge me.”
“Let it roll off ya back.” He tells me with a small smile. “The only one that can judge you and it matter is Jesus.”
“It still hurts.”
Dallas nods and says “I reckon it does but they don’t know ya story B. If they did they’d probably still make fun of ya. That’s how people are in the word taday. They need to pick on someone ta make themselves feel better. You just be the bigger person and not feed the fire. They’ll get burned while your protected.”
“Thank you Dallas.” I say smiling at him because its true people only pick on other people so they can be seen and herd and known.
“Alright come on Braylee.” Avlon says rushing out to the car and I give Dallas a pleading look.
“She never got ta go ta school.” He informs me and I nod sadly because I know. “Give er this.” He says and I sigh standing up from the table. Dallas opens his arms to me and I give him a hug. He gives me a gentle squeeze and lets go saying “Have a good day at school.”
I nod at him and leave the house getting into Avlons cherry red Kia. Avlon gushes abut the fun of school the whole ride there and I just smile at her amused. Glad that she thinks its fun.
When we get there I sigh looking at the big building. “Okay so I want you to call me if you want to come home. I’ll be right here to get you.”
“Thank you Avlon.” I say and she pulls me int the best hug she can kissing me on my forehead.
“Stop saying thank you Braylee, I’m your momma now and im going to do whatever for you that is in my power to do.”
I give her a smile and she rushes me out of the car telling me to have a good day. When I step out of the car I feel all eyes on me burning into my stomach. My dress isn’t a tight dress but its also not overly puffy.
You can see my bump a little but I think its cute. With my head held high I walk into the school giving small smiles to people I pass. When I get to the office I smile at the old lady at the desk “Hi I’m Braylee Carter.”
The woman looks up at me and smiles. “Miss. Carter how are you?” she asks kindly.
“I am great thank you. How are you?”
She types some stuff onto her computer and then the printer starts printing out my schedule “I am just excellent dear.” She gets my schedule and hands it to me telling me to have a nice day.
So I’m a nerd so I have all Ap classes. My first is English and the only thing I hate about these is that there are seniors in here. They seem like the most judgmental group.
I knock on the door lightly and wait until its opened revealing an elder lady. She looks me up and down and her eyes rest on my stomach for a minute and a frown comes over her face.
Defensively my arms goes around my stomach and I clear my throat saying “Hi I’m Braylee Carter, I have this class.”
The teachers eyes snap up to me and she says “Why your just a baby.”
“Excuse me?” I ask not really understanding what shes trying to get at.
“What grade are you in dear?”
Confused I raise a brow and say “Tenth?”
The teacher sighs and opens the door for me to enter. “She’s pregnant.” Is the first thing I hear when I enter the room.
“Great another whore.” The girls friend whispers back to her and I look in their direction to notice they look most like what they are calling me with their low cut shirts and tons of makeup.
“Ok class we have a new student her names Braylee Carter and she is the only tenth grader in here.” I sigh when the teacher says that because I don’t want to be the only tenth grader. “The rest of this class is seniors.” She informs me making me heave a bigger sigh.
“Please take a seat.” She say and I look around to see the only available seat is in the way back next to a scary looking dude
I walk back there silently and sit in the desk carefully looking down at it. I don’t want to be here everyone is so mean already even the teacher.
“They’ll get over it.” A deep voice says close to me and I jump in fright looking over at the scary dude only he’s not so scary.
He’s the tall dark and handsome type. His hair is black and its in that fowhawk style it fits him very well. He has piercing black eyes that are looking into my blue ones reassuringly. His face is defined and he has a strong jaw. He has those nasty gages in his ear but luckily their not to big. His swimmers body is hidden by his leather jacket and loose jeans.
I shrug and whisper “They don’t have to I’m letting it roll.”
The man chuckles amused and I give him a small smile before looking back at the front of the class. “The names Wolf.”
Wolf I repeat in my mind looking back at him with an amused smile. He shrugs and smirks saying “The parents thought it was rustic.”
I outright giggle at that because that is the most rustic name I have ever herd. “I’m Braylee.” I smile when I settle down a little. The smile can’t be wiped from my face though.
“Miss. Carter Is there something you would like to share?” The teacher asks and I look up to her with the smile still on my face.
“No ma’am.”
“She’d like to share her baby daddy.” Someone shouts from the front and I see the girls from earlier laughing with a few guys.
“Wanna say that again?” Wolf asks threateningly and I look over to him to see his jaw clinched and his hands fist-ed at his sides.
The group quickly stops smiling and that’s when I realize Wolf is the bad boy of the school.
The rest of the day I just get stared at and whispered about. I didn’t see Wolf and for some reason that saddened me. When I get to my last period of the day tough I frown because its gym. Scratching my arm I go up to the teacher and says “Hi sir I’m Braylee Carter and I have this class but I don’t know what to do.”
The teacher looks me over and then his eyes widen when they stop on my stomach. He scratches the back of his neck and says “I want you to still get changed every day but on days like today I want ya to sit out.”
I nod at him and tell him thanks going into the girls locker room. The lady in there gives me a uniform and I change into the shorty shorts and gray teeshirt. I tug the shorts down as low as they go and look in the mirror when I get my shirt on. My bump is on full display. I run my hands down it and smile thought because I’ve vowed to never hide my baby again. IT’s not little skittles fault what happened to me.
As I walk back to the gym I throw my hair up in a messy ponytail. When I get into the gym I hurriedly go to the top row of bleachers and sit there waiting for everyone else to come in. I look down at my hands not wanting to be noticed because that calls for more picking on.
When someone’s shadow comes over me I groan because here it comes. “Mind if I sit here?” Wolf asks and I look up at him smiling happy that I get to see him again today.
“I do actually.” I joke and he nods at me going to turn away. I grab his hand quickly and then drop it when he turns to look back at me. “I was joking. I would love if you sat with me.”
Wolf gives me a quick smile and sits beside me before going all deadly again. Confused I turn to him more asking the question I have been wondering all day. "Why do you defend me?"
Wolf's head snaps in my direction and he shrugs saying "I like you. You're different."
I nod and turn back to the front with a slight blush on my cheeks. What does like mean? Like could be as a friend or like as datable.
"Alright today were going to be playing dodge ball." the teacher says and now I know why I am sitting this one out. "Boys verses girls." he says motioning for everyone to get onto the floor.
They hoop and quickly leave but when I don't feel Wolf move I look over at him to see him watching me closely. "What?" I ask with a blush looking down at my hands shyly.
"You're very beautiful cupcake."
I about choke on my spit when I hear that because never has anyone tell me that I am beautiful and well because of the nickname. "I'm not." I state seriously shaking my head. My whole life I have been called a whore and ugly. A waste of space so I guess now I believe it.
Wolf looks at me appalled and demands "What do you mean your not?"
My eyes widen at him and I say "My mother and father told me that I'm not."
Wolf scoffs and says "Eff your parents they don't know what their talking about. Your beautiful Cupcake and i'm going to make sure you hear it every time I see you." I roll my eyes at him and he says "I'm serious."
"Shouldn't you be out there?" I ask motioning to the court.
Wolf shrugs and leans back on the bleachers "I wanted to sit with a beautiful girl instead."