As Melissa laid in her bed, she jumped up to the noise of her door opening. She squinted her eyes as the light from the hallway, trying to see who the person was that stepped inside of her room. It was Rodrigo.
"Melissa, wake up." He said. "We need to talk."
"What's wrong?" Melissa sniffed as she lifted up in her bed, rubbing her eyes.
Rodrigo sat at the end of her bed, placing his hand on her lap.
"Your counselor/clinic told me that you visit her every other day and you've been doing it since the beginning of the year." Rodrigo said. "What's the problem?"
Melissa froze. She looked down, trying to think of what she could say.
"I don't visit her as much as she says..." Melissa lied. "I just visited her today. She's overexaggerating-"
"Then why'd you visit her today?"
"I bruised my nose from tripping in the hallway. That's it." Melissa sighed as she cut on her lamp. "It's not that big of a deal."
Rodrigo glanced down at Melissa's collarbone, looking back up at her.
"And your collarbone?"
"From falling, dad." Melissa sighed. "Can I PLEASE go to bed now?"
Rodrigo didn't believe her, but he didn't know much on the background of Melissa being bullied. He gave her a blank stare, then kissed her on her forehead.
"Well you be good, Melissa. You have school tomorrow." Rodrigo said. "Oh, and don't forget that we're having dinner for the 70th anniversary of my hospital. Tell your swim coach that you'll be skipping out of swim practice, alright?"
"Yeah." Melissa sighed as she bundled up under her covers. "Goodnight."
As Melissa's father shut the door, Melissa slumped into her pillow, taking a deep breath and preparing for the next day. She could never get a break or any time to herself. It was always work, swim practice, studying, reading, then the same thing all over again. But since she hasn't lived much of a life outside of this, she didn't realize how "trapped" she was.
The next day, Melissa had it easier than other days in her school. Though she was talked about by people, no one pushed her over her limit as usual. She figured that people knew that the counselors were staring to watch the students, so maybe they were backing off a little. Though she was happy about this, Melissa was still lonely. During lunch, she once again found herself stranded in the middle of the lunchroom. Melissa took a deep breath, speed walking out of the lunchroom and going to the janitors closet. Melissa took a deep breath, sitting down with her tray.
"Sigh....." Melissa whispered as she sat in the cluttered area. "Only a few more hours to go, Melissa."
And after two more grueling hours of school, it was time to go back home, get dressed, and get prepared for her fathers dinner.
Of course, Melissa's mother had to dress her. Whatever Melissa liked or suggested, her mother was against it. Maria even wanted to dress Melissa's brother Louis, but he had to continue to remind her that he was an adult. So instead, Maria focused all of her attention on Melissa. She gave Melissa some black stockings, a black dress, black shoes, and a black bow to go with the bun that Maria put in Melissa's head. Maria smiled in the mirror, placing her cheeks next to Melissa's.
"Ooh sweety, don't you like how I dressed you?" Maria squealed as she squished her face next to Melissa's.
"Heh. Sure?" Melissa sighed.
But all Melissa wanted to do was tear off her clothes, rip her hair out of her bun, and scream at the top of her lungs that this was entirely too much.
Maria, Melissa, and Louis winded up arriving at Rodrigo's dinner 30 minutes after getting prepared. Like a majority of the adult events teenagers go to, the beginning of the event was marked by an hour and some change worth of talking, speeches, and roll call of the doctors and surgeons that worked at the hospital. While Melissa's brother and mother seemed to be all into the speeches, Melissa was bored out of her mind. She began to play with the fork that was by her plate since this was also a banquet, making small scraping noises while the head of the hospital workers began talking about their safe environment. While Melissa poked her nose with the fork, Maria smacked her hand and gave her a strict look.
"Quit acting like a child and pay attention, Melissa." Maria whispered sinisterly towards her.
Melissa placed her fork down, sighing and joining the many people at the banquet that engaged into the boring speeches. After almost 20 minutes, it was finally Rodrigo's turn to go up and speak.
"Now introducing one of the top surgeons at my hospital, Rodrigo Sanchez!" The head chief of the hospital smiled.
Everyone in the banquet began to clap as Rodrigo stepped up on the podium with his sharp black suit on.
"Wow. Haha. This is truly an honor. First and foremost, I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming out and supporting us. We would be nothing without our relatives, friends, and supporters." Rodrigo smiled. "Back when I was a teen in the 80's, I always said that I wanted to be a surgeon. But when I started to attend the classes, I started to realize how dedicated I would have to be to get in this field. Just when I was about to give up, I met my beautiful wife Maria."
Maria smiled up at Rodrigo as Rodrigo smiled at her.
"Then we had two beautiful kids. My son Louis, and my daughter Melissa. I have to say that I would be NOTHING without them, and I wouldn't have made it this far without their support. They are the light of my life." Rodrigo smiled. "And aside from my family, I would've never made it without my fellow peers and surgeons. This is my thanks to all of you. I love you guys."
Everyone in the room started clapping, including Maria, Melissa, and Louis. Melissa was proud of her dad, but she was ready for all of this to be over. She was ready for the speeches, the dinner, and the whole entire event to end so that she could go home.
Finally after almost 2 hours, it was time to eat. After Melissa and her family got their plates, Rodrigo got his plate last and sat over with his family, the head manager of the hospital, and a few of his surgeons. All surrounded by each other, they decided to all join in on a great conversation.
"Mrs. Sanchez, your husband is truly one of the best surgeons in the state." The manager smiled as he placed his food in his mouth. "He does everything with such precision and class."
"Why thank you." Maria smiled as she cut a piece of the baked chicken off. "He's truly a gift and a hard worker."
As Melissa picked with her food, the manager smiled over at her and Louis.
"So what about the mini Sanchez's?" The manager laughed. "Do you guys plan on being doctors like your father?"
"Well I've decided to enlist in the army." Louis smiled.
"Well I'm in swimming class right now, but what I really want to be is a-"
"Melissa plans on being a top notch swimmer. She's been doing it since she was younger." Rodrigo interrupted as he smiled as his manager. "I can tell in the look on her face every time I come to her practice that that's what she has her eyes on career wise."
"Oh really?" The manager smiled.
Melissa gave the manager a blank stare, then cracked a small smile.
"Heh. Yeah." Melissa lied. "Dad knows best."
But that wasn't what Melissa wanted to be. In fact, Melissa didn't know WHAT she wanted to be. So used to being controlled and guided by her parents, she had no sort of direction of her own. While Rodrigo was chatting with the manager, Melissa accidentally let out a loud burp that caught a lot of attention in the banquet hall. Rodrigo and Maria gave her a shocked look as Melissa covered her mouth.
"Ooh, I am SO sorry." Melissa said in a soft tone, looking at everyone as a Louis and a few people in the hall started to laugh.
"Nah. It's alright!" One of the female surgeons smiled. "Better out than in, my father says!"
But while everyone else found it funny, Rodrigo and Maria didn't. On the car ride back to the house, Melissa noticed that it was silent for the first 10 minutes. To break the awkwardness, Louis decided to speak up first.
"So uh, how did you like the dinner dad?" Louis smiled. "You proud?"
"Yeah..." Rodrigo answered in a blank tone.
Melissa could tell in her fathers tone that he was anything but happy at the moment. Melissa scrunched her eyebrows at him, giving him a weird look as he continued to drive.
"Okay, is there something wrong?" Melissa asked. "You and mom were SO excited and now you two aren't even talking."
Maria glanced down, twiddling her fingers in anger.
"Why did you deem it necessary to burp at the table, Melissa?" Maria growled. "And so loudly at that?"
Melissa gave her mom a weird look, then an irritated one.
"Wait, you're mad over a burp?" Melissa said. "Seriously?"
"It wasn't just a damn burp, Melissa. It was COMPLETELY unlady like!" Maria scowled. "The people there probably thought that you were a pig!"
"It was an accidental burp, mom!" Melissa scowled. "Geez, relax!"
"Melissa you better watch your damn mouth speaking to your mother like that!" Rodrigo said in a deep and angry tone.
Melissa wasn't scared of her mother, but she was terrified of her father. Melissa looked over at him as he looked at her through the drivers mirror.
"If you embarrass me like that again Melissa, I'll have you kicked right out of swim class." Rodrigo growled. "Do you understand me?"
Melissa shook her head, leaning her head on the window.
"Fine." Melissa mumbled. "Whatever."
But while Melissa's family considered this little banquet a "party", they had no idea what a real party was, especially considering what Jionni does on the record.
"Hey, my boy wants to suck liquor all off of ya' titties!" A man chanted to a stripper that was dancing on top of the bar. "I'll pay extra if he can do so!"
Though it was a Tuesday night, Jionni was anywhere but home. It was pushing midnight and Jionni was at a strip club with all of the old heads in Baton Rouge. The music inside of the club was blasting and the club was packed with nothing but adults. While other teenagers usually hanging out with peers of their own age, Jionni was doing both. He hung out with boys his age during school and the day time, but once it hit night, he rode with all of the people who were in their late 20's to early 40's. These people were the OG's of Baton Rouge. These people were the one's who's had all of the experience of the wild lifestyle in and out the neighborhood.
And Jionni was right with them.
"And who's the boy that you're talking about?" The stripper laughed as she walked over to him.
"Me!"
The girl turned to Jionni, noticing that he was the youngest out of the large group of men. Jionni was so young that she knew that he was underaged based on how he looked.
"How old is he?" The stripper yelled over the loud music.
"17!" Another one of the men chanted. "He'll be legal in February!"
"He isn't old enough to be in here!"
"But I got a mouth that done been on plenty a girls!" Jionni winked, speaking loudly over the music as he leaned on the bar. "So let me suck on them titties!"
The stripper gave him a small grin as she popped her chest out of her bikini. Another one of the older men grabbed his bottle of liquor and poured it all down her chest, watching as Jionni placed his tongue out and began to suck all over them. The men around him started whistling and clapping as Jionni gripped onto her waist, sucking all of the liquor off. He did it for two minutes straight before he bit her nipple and smiled up at her.
"Taste good!" Jionni winked. "And they plump!"
"How the hell Jionni get more action than us?" One of the 40 year old men laughed.
"That's cause women like dat young dick!" Jionni smiled as he winked at them. "Y'alloneeeemmknow!"
After spending another few hours clubbing, hanging out, and driving illegally, Jionni stumbled through the door of his home. He was slightly drunk and high at the same time. Hearing the noise, Diana walked downstairs in her robe, smiling at him.
"You been out partying again, boy?" Diana chuckled.
"Man I was out wit' dem OLD cats tonight, ma!" Jionni smiled as kicked off his shoes. "I got to suck on some older bitch titties. She was old but they tasted young!"
"I told you to invite me next time you go partyin', boy!" Diana laughed as she walked back up the stairs. "Get in bed for school, boy."
Diana was doing the complete opposite of what a "real" parent should do. She was too concerned about being his friend. Diana wasn't even upset with the fact that he stayed out at 2am during a school night.
Jionni was entirely too free and too experienced for a 17 year old.
The next day, Jionni winded up telling his friends all about his crazy night. Everyone was impressed. He told everybody about how he drove half drunk and underaged, sucked on an older woman's breasts, smoked a few blunts, and hung out until the crack of dawn. It was the type of life he thrived for and he loved every minute of doing it.
"So you a lil' gangbanger nah?" One of Jionni's friends asked him.
"Oh nah. I just like to have fun! I don't like to kill nobody or no shit like that but I love to smoke, drink, and fuck from here and there." Jionni smiled. "Shieeetttt, why not do it why you young and in yo' youth?"
During the whole entire Wednesday, Melissa seemed to be back to square one when it came to dealing with the people at her school. In her earlier classes, people kept throwing paper balls at her. It was only when her teachers caught it is when the students stopped. On Melissa's locker, a few people smeared some of the beans from lunch onto it. Melissa was really starting to get pissed off with the constant bullying of the people there. At the end of the day, Melissa planned to do nothing but go to swim practice and go another day with ignoring all of the commotion. While she was walking out of the door, she accidentally bumped into a girl that was walking the opposite way. In return, the girl shoved Melissa from the back.
"Watch where you goin', bitch!" The girl chanted at her.
Melissa was furious and had finally had enough. Melissa balled up her fists, dropped her backpack, and shoved the girl harder.
"You watch where YOU'RE going!" Melissa scowled.
Meanwhile, Jionni, Chevy, D'juan, and a handful of other boys were hanging and waiting outside for the bus. (D'juan was still on school property, even though he knew that he was suspended.) while they were talking, Ross barged through a few people and jolted up to the boys.
"Aye! Aye!" Ross scowled as he ran up to them. "Come on! Let's go to the front y'all!"
"The front?" D'juan snarled. "For what?"
"The girl who snitched on 'Juan and Britt Bratt 'bout to fight!" Ross chanted breathlessly.