The Uber ride was silent as I watched the trees go by, the flashes of dark green against the blue of the sky was helping to calm me down. I had to close my eyes to ease back the tears threatening to spill over. My nails dug into the palms of my hands, and I chewed on my bottom lip painfully. I did all I could to not scream in the back of this lady's car.
The Uber Driver tried to engage in conversation a few times but eventually gave up and turned on the radio after realizing she was not going to get a response from me. I wasn't trying to be rude and made a mental note to give her a nice tip after the ride, but today was NOT the day.
I was on the brink of a breakdown and had to get my shit together before we pulled into the gates of Dalton Beach High School.
"Okay honey, we're about to pull in. Do you want me to drop you off right here by the football field?" I heard the soft voice of the driver again. "That way you'll have time to shake whatever's getting ya"
"Yes, thank you" I said in appreciation. I still had about 10 minutes to spare before the first bell went off.
"Hey, whatever's bothering you, don't worry too hard about it, as you get older you learn that life fixes itself so just saddle up and enjoy the ride. Plus, you're too young and beautiful for stress wrinkles" She turned around and gave me a warm smile.
Returning the smile, I got out of the car and made my way through the gates leading to the football field. I needed to find my best friend Aria, and fast.
I jogged through a field of grass, making my way toward the main building. Aria and I shared a locker on the first floor so I knew that's where she would be waiting for me. Our classes were in opposite directions, but we always made sure to meet up at our locker before each period.
Rushing through the sea of half-asleep students I finally made it into the main building and down the west wing hallway. In the distance I could see Aria standing in front of the red painted locker. She had her phone against her ear with her foot tapping against the floor impatiently. More than likely, she was dialing my phone, which was deep in my backpack.
"Hey," I said.
"Girl I was calling you" she said hanging up her phone and placing it into the pocket of her scrubs. She was in the school's medical program, in hopes of becoming a neurologist. She, like myself, was also waiting to hear back from the Howard University scholarship program.
Aria was the very first person I spoke to when I moved here, and we've been best friends ever since. It didn't take long for us to realize that in many ways we were alike but, in most ways, we were completely opposite.
She was literally the Ying to my Yang.
"It's honestly a long story. I missed the bus, so I had to take an Uber here which was $20" I explained, running my hand over my face. "But listen I need a favor"
*BING! *
The first bell sounded off.
"What happened?" She said signaling for me to continue.
"I'm gonna text you after first period so make sure you read your messages" I scowled, "you always text back like 5 hours later"
"Yeah, yeah whatever" she waved off my last comment, "but what is it about?"
"It's a long story" I hoisted my backpack onto my shoulder and began to head to class.
"Mmhmm" She hummed as she began walking backwards down the hall, careful of the students walking behind her. "It got something to do with that devil woman and her demon spawns, don't it?"
"I'm gonna text you".
"But am I right?" Aria called out,
Giving a small nod I turned and took off sprinting down the hall toward my A.P English class.
***
Thankfully, I made it through the door by the skin of my teeth. Mr. Lansky was big on being on time and I really couldn't afford to deal with his foolishness. He was the type of person that assumed the world revolved around him and only him. He was just a balding, toxic old man with nothing better to do than to torment high schoolers.
One more week and I didn't have to deal with his ass no more.
"Two seconds later and you would've been heading to the front office Ms. Hayes" Mr. Lansky said from behind his desk.
"I'm sorry..." I mumbled,
"Sorry can only get you so far in life, please take your seat"
Rolling my eyes, I made my way to the wooden desk in the center row.
"You all had an essay due last week. The topic was about hardships and breakthroughs. How some of us overcome our hardships and how others never reach their breakthroughs. The essay was to be 3500 words long, MLA format, cover letters included. All of you, well, most of you, turned in your final essays last week and for that I thank you. As for the others, see you next year " Mr. Lansky stood up and made his way toward the front of his desk, leaning against it for support. " I have graded your essays and I must say, some of them had me thoroughly impressed and others had me in complete awe. One of them, in fact, was so eloquently written that I had attached their essay to their college recommendation letter. That student, ladies and gentlemen is..." Mr. Lansky paused dramatically, "Ms. Ayanna Hayes, Congratulations. It's a wonder how such beautiful words can come from someone who struggles with time."
"Thank you" I mumbled, as the class gave a small applause despite the shade, he threw my way.
"Psst" I heard from behind me,
Turning around I saw the beaming face of my friend Raquel. She was what I would refer to as a Southern Belle, gorgeous and with a low country accent that made me think of sweet, iced tea and warm buttermilk biscuits.
"You trying to get us both in trouble?" I joked, leaning back slightly in my seat so she could hear me better.
"Girl, fuck Mr. Lansky" she replied, shooing her hand in his direction. "You're coming with me and Aria tonight, right?"
I already knew what and where she was referring to. It was the seniors end of the year pre-graduation block party, a tradition where the seniors celebrated one last time together being that after graduation most of us would be going somewhere far away from South Florida, never to see each other again.
"You already know the answer to that" I said matter of factly.
"Madison..." she huffed, tilting her head to the side slightly. "You're not going to prom; you're not going to grad bash. hell, you didn't even go to homecoming."
"I told you I can't afford to go to those and still pay for my application fees." Which was the truth, The application fees were $90 for both Howard University, as well as Spellman College, whom I had as a backup school. Not to mention, I still had to pay for the $600 worth of enrollment fees as well.
"I told you I'll pay for app fees" she shrugged.
"Raquel..."
"I know, I know. Your pride and what not, but what kind of friend would I be to not help you when you need it?"
"I appreciate you and Aria more than you can imagine. That's exactly why I need to talk to you guys about Sharon" I sighed, bracing my arm on her desk. "It's bad this time"
"What happened? Is everything okay?" Her eyebrows knitted together as she stared at me in concern.
"Well, this morning before I left for school she told me- "
"I'm sorry, Ms. Hayes and Ms. Johnson. How dare me and the rest of the class have an educational discussion while you two converse amongst yourselves. Obviously, whatever it is you have to say is extremely important and cannot wait." Mr. Lansky spoke loudly, immediately causing me to jerk forward. "I know you're excited to be done with high school but show some of the others a little respect being that they'll be in the same seats next school year. So please, zip it ladies"
So dramatic...
"Sorry" Raquel and I said in unison before sitting quietly for the remainder of the class.
When the bell finally rang signaling the end of first period, Raquel pulled me out of my seat and into the hallway.
"Okay spill..."
"Let's get to my locker first, Aria has to be here for this"
"Okay... well can you tell me why you aren't going to the block party?" she said, switching the conversation.
"Well, it kind of ties into the Sharon thing" I replied, before making my way down the hall toward my locker.
"Damn, so it must be serious" Raquel said as she fell into step beside me. "I still think you should come out with us tonight, ya know to get your mind off things"
"I don't know..."
"It'll give you the opportunity to get out of that hellhole for a while" she smiled.
"Ha, funny that you mention it-"
"Funny that you mention what?" Aria stopped me mid-sentence as Raquel and I began to approach. She was tapping her foot impatiently, wondering what it was that I had to say.
"OkaysobeforeIgetinterruptedagainSharonkickedmeout" I blurted quickly.
Aria and Raquel's expression went from confusion, to realization, to sympathy in a matter of seconds.
"What?" Aria opened her arms before embracing me in a tight hug, "ooh, Best friend"
"What happened?" Raquel asked softly.
"I don't know, she told me this morning that I have to leave tonight and that she's changing the locks"
"What about you stuff?" Aria asked, taking a small step back.
"Storage"
"Damn, you know you can always come and stay with me" Raquel said, "my parents are still in Aruba for a while, and you know we still have the guest house"
"You really don't have to do that Raquel" I said, "I'm gonna stay at a motel, I refuse to intrude on you"
"Bitch! Let me be a friend" Raquel said placing her hands on my shoulders and shaking me slightly.
The last thing I wanted to do was barge into anyone's space, especially at such late notice. Of course, I would appreciate living with one of my best friends not to mention I missed living and sleeping in a nice house and comfortable bed.
Raquel lived in a two-story mansion with a guest house that overlooked a small lake. I wasn't sure what her parents did for a living because I had never met them. Every time she mentioned them, they were on a trip out of the country doing God knows what. It would be an awesome idea, but I really had intentions of moving out on my own once I left Sharon's place. Somewhere that no one could take from me. Not that I thought Raquel would do that, but still.
I just wanted something that was mine.
"Do you really have a choice?" Raquel asked in a sing song voice. "I'll even let you redecorate"
After brief consideration I finally gave in because at the end of the day, I really didn't have a choice. My under-the-table job as a cashier at the local nightclub was not going to pay for somewhere to live including everything I needed for school.
On top of that I was working there illegally so at any point I could lose that job with a simple audit by the state.
"Fine, but I'm paying rent" I mumbled.
"yesss !!" She squealed, causing me to snort out in laughter.
I wanted nothing more to do with Sharon and her evil perverted demons. Now I finally had the freedom I was dying for. No more sleeping with one eye open and a knife underneath the mattress.
I was finally free.
"The only catch is you have to come with us to the block party"
"That's not fair" I whined, " I don't even have anything to wear, all my shit is in storage remember"
"You and Aria are the same size, y'all even got the big butt and thighs just alike" Raquel teased.
"I definitely have something you can wear" Aria smirked, "but we all know that's not the real reason you don't wanna go"
She knew me so well.
Getting kicked out wasn't the only reason that dulled my excitement to go. I knew that if I went, there was a high possibility that I would bump into the one person I wasn't ready to face yet.
"Mm, somebody don't wanna have a run in with Mr. Money Man" Raquel said with purses lips.
"Girl, fuck him," I rolled my eyes before pulling open my locker and grabbing my gym bag. I had P.E next and I hated it. It was the second class on my schedule, and I loathed having to walk around sweaty for the remaining five class periods.
"Listen, what he did was fucked up okay." Aria said, coming to stand beside me, "But you can't allow him to control the rest of your life. That lying, cheating bastard doesn't deserve you and you don't deserve this."
"You don't owe his raggedy ass any more tears, that's for damn sure" Raquel added.
"Look he was my first everything. My first kiss, my first date, he even taught me how to drive, I was even gonna give him my virginity" I said, my voice cracking slightly.
My heart pounded hard against my chest as it fought my brain to not revision what had gone down less than a month ago. Dinero Johnson was my first and only love. Every girl goes through their first heartbreak at some point but the pain he had caused me was damn near detrimental. He played me like A fucking fiddle. I knew he was a liar and a cheater; he was exactly that when I first met him. Yet, I allowed myself to fall anyway, and for almost 3 years I allowed myself to fall deeper and deeper with nothing to brace for the collision. When my body finally plowed into the surface of reality, boy did that shit hurt.
"I was so alone and broken after what he put me through, and I know my weak-mindedness will drag me right back to him."
"Sis, we right here with you every step of the way" Raquel said with a soft smile, "But at the end of the day, the only way to get over a nigga is to get under a new one"
"Or maybe she can just focus on herself and school so she can get the fuck out of Broward County" Aria scowled.
"Trust me, I don't plan on getting under anybody any time soon. Hell, I might even bump into someone just as worse this time " I joked, not realizing I was manifesting my future.
"I still can't believe you and Dinero never fucked, like he is fi-" Raquel was cut off by Aria's elbow digging into her ribs, "oh, sorry"
"Nah I can't even be mad at you; he is fine as hell" I laughed.
Dinero was the top dog at our school, correction, in our city and he knew it.
His dad, Darrell Johnson was a handsome tall, chocolate brown man from Trinidad and Tobago with short wavy hair and soft brown eyes. Dr. Rose Reyes-Johnson, his mom, was a short Dominican woman with tan, brown skin and long jet-black curls. On the outside they were a beautiful, humble couple, but of course that was all for show. Mr. Johnson was the assistant head coach for a professional basketball team overseas. Much like his son, Mr. Johnson was a charmer with a golden tongue and a hard time staying faithful. His mother, Mrs. Johnson, on the other hand, was sweet and kind when she wanted to be. However, most of the time she didn't want to be, partly due to the fact that she had a philandering husband. Dr. Reyes, as she preferred, was a well-educated Instagram blogger. She had received her doctorates in Psychology and social work but decided to ditch the idea of counseling children dealing with chemical imbalances and unfit parents, to becoming a closet-alcoholic fashionista. Dinero shared a few qualities with his mother, like his dimples and the almond shape of his hazel brown eyes and quite specifically, alcoholism. Other than that, he was every spit of his whorish daddy.
*dinggg*
The bell for the next period sounded off, so I said goodbye to my friends and headed toward the girl's locker room for Gym, erasing all thoughts of Dinero out of my mind.
***
As much as I loved South Florida's warm weather, I hated it just as much. It was a beautiful day to go to the beach or walk around the park and eat ice cream with your friends. Even a long dip in the pool would be perfect for today's forecast. However, Coach Sanchez thought it a great idea to have us run a mile around the football field, the very one I trudged across this morning.
Sweat cascaded down my face, my back, and even in between my breast and butt crack. My simple white t-shirt stuck to my damp skin like a sticker. The black spandex shorts clung to the middle of my thighs uncomfortably. All I wanted was a shower and a nap at this point.
"Aren't you a dancer Ms. Hayes?" I could hear the deep voice of Coach Sanchez from behind me. She was jogging beside me, whistle between her teeth ready to blow if I slowed down at any point. "How are you so out of shape to be a dancer?!"
"Ma'am. I make...TikTok's" I paused to catch my breath as I kept a steady jogging speed, "it doesn't req-it don't require this heat- whew sweet baby Jesus I can't"
My mouth was so dry that it was hard to even speak. I needed water and fast. I could barely produce saliva to wet my drying lips.
"Coach, I need some water" I begged, my legs, arms and knees cramping in pain from the nonstop running. "Please can I-"
"Can you run another half of a mile?" She beamed, "absolutely! Let's get to it" she blew her whistle loudly.
This bitch...
After a full mile and a half run, I was finally able to return to the locker room and rest my aching body. As soon as my eyes landed on the wooden bench my knees started to buckle slightly. I gasped in bliss as the pain slowly subsided from my calves down to the heel of my feet once I sat down.
A few minutes had gone by before I slowly peeled myself off the bench and made my way to the locker room showers.
Coach had dismissed everyone while I was halfway through my extra half a mile, so I was the only one there. I was grateful though because I found it odd showering in a room with other naked females having random conversations about nothing.
Just get in, wash your ass and get the fuck out.
Simple.
Quickly stripping out of my smelly sweat-soaked clothes, I turned on the hot water, felt for the correct temperature I wanted, then stepped under the hot droplets cascading down my body.
It was while I was rinsing off the soap suds that I heard a loud slam coming from near the lockers. I jumped in fear, instinctively covering my body with my hands. Peeking from behind the wall of the shower I couldn't see anyone.
I was a very paranoid young woman, and my momma didn't raise no fool. I was not going be the dummy to call out to the serial killer, giving away the very location I'm using to hide.
Nope, not me. I've seen way too many slasher films and I live in the hood.
"Oh, fuck this" I mumbled, immediately gathering my towel and speed walking to my belongings.
I didn't even bother to turn the water off.
As soon as I got to my locker, I pulled it open, threw on my clothes and laced up my shoes in record speed. I didn't even bother with putting on my underwear or fixing my hair in fear that whoever or whatever made that loud noise was right around the corner.
During my haste to get the hell out of there, I almost missed the bright red flower that was carefully placed near my backpack.
Attached to the rose was a soft white ribbon and a small envelope. It didn't have anything written on the envelope, not even the name of the sender.
Confusion racked my brain as I paused and slowly picked up the rose and envelope. The beautiful crimson red petals were dazzling, I couldn't help but to bring it to my nose and inhale. A smile touched my lips that someone would be so thoughtful.
Who would've thought that I had a secret admirer.
Placing the rose back into its spot near my backpack, I ripped the envelope and pulled out the neatly written letter inside. Instantly I wish I had kept going toward the exit doors, the gift never coming into sight.
My heart stopped immediately.
I thought I was scared before, but this instilled in me a different kind of fear. This wasn't a fear of the unknown or the boogeyman.
No, this was worse.
The message on the letter was only six words. Six simple words that made me want to vomit out my insides. Those six words made my skin run freezing cold and burning hot at the same time. I could feel my anxiety, worry and PTSD slamming into me all at once. I snatched up my backpack and ran out of the locker room, emerging into an empty hallway. Classes had already started so I was the only one around. My chest began to tighten with worry, making it almost impossible to breathe.
I needed to get a late pass from the principal's office, so I tried to calm down and push it to the back of my mind.
This had to be some sick joke, but to make a joke like this you would have to know the punchline.
Taking one last look at the threatening letter in my trembling hands, I tossed it in the nearest trash along with the flower it came with.
"Time is almost up, Madison Eliza Young."