Chapter 8

“NOOOOOO!!!”

I pop up looking around my room but I don’t see anything. Oh, it was only a dream. Thank GOD. I get up, shower & put on those ugly green & black school uniforms. Ugh, I wish I didn’t have to wear these things. Grabbing my purse & books, I run down the stairs & run right into papa. His eyes are low and the smell of whiskey is burning my nose. I look down at his had and see his flask in his hand as he always dose. I’m really not in the mood for this, this morning.

“Good morning.” Papa says

“Morning.” I say

“So how was last night with Alicia.”

“It was fine, why?”

“When did Alicia get a new car?”

“Oh..not to long ago.”

“Oh really?”

“Yup.”

“Where did she get it from?”

“I don’t know. Why are you asking me all these questions?”

“To see if you will tell the truth.”

“The truth about what?”

“I seen you get out of an all black Cadillac, I just seen a boy in the car Alisia.”

“Well your wrong, it wasn’t a boy.”

“Dejar de mentir para mí Alisia.”

“I’m not even lying to you! You just always assume that i’m lying to you!”

“Por favor stop arguing, it’s to early for all of this.” Ma says

      I look at her face and rage just fulls me up. I push papa out the way and go to Ma, pulling out a napkin I dab the blood off from her nose. I can feel his breath on my neck but I don’t turn around. Mama is crying but knowing better to even make a sound. Papa puts his hand on my shoulder and I spin around pushing him into the stairs. Taking a sip from his flask, papa gets up and I put mama behind me. I may be a girl but I know how to throw the ole one two, it’s one thing my brother taught me before he left this dreadful place.

     He grabs my wrist and pulls me from mama, squeezing it so hard I bit my lip so I don’t cry. Mama tries to push him but he don’t go any where, he looks at her and I hit him right in the gut. He lets go of me and stumbles backwards hitting his head on the banister going out cold.

      I turn around and tears are streaming down Mama’s face, I reach for her but she just pushes me out the way and goes towards papa. I ball my fist and exhale as hard as I can, but I don’t even know what I’m getting upset.

     We drag papa into his office and lay him down onto his bed. Ma goes into the icebox and pulls out the bucket of cold water and dabs his face with a cloth. Watching her care for him is making me sick, so I just wash my hands in his bathroom. & wrap a bandage around my wrist as carefully as I can. I hear the door creak open but don’t even turn around I know it’s her.

“Mija..”

“I don’t wanna hear it ma.”

“You know he can’t help it Alisia, sometimes..”

“MA I DON’T CARE!”

“bajar la voz..”

“I don’t CARE if he wakes up ma!”

“Please Alisia..”

“What ever Ma, i’m leaving.”

“Alisia, don’t be mad at him..”

“¿Qué quiere decir ma? No se supone que debo estar loco que él te dio un puñetazo en la cara! No se supone que debo estar locoque maldita cerca de romper mi muñeca?!”

“Alisia, it was my fault anyways..”

“THAT GIVES HIM NO RIGHT TO PUT HIS HANDS ON YOU!!”

“Alisia, please. Just go to school OK Mija?”

     Tears stream down my face, I don’t know if I should be angry at her or if I should feel bad for her. It’s like she’s too stupid to know that this is not right, I don’t believe that a man should put his hands on any woman. All I can do is wipe my tears and hug madre because no matter how mad she makes me, I got to protect her.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“So, man did you finish that song yer?” Jam says

“Not, yet. It just don’t sound right yet.” I say

“You always say that Phred.” Dwayne said with a laugh

“Yeah & most of the time i’m right D.” I say

“Yeah, like remember that one song you wrote about Gina last year?” D says

“Awh man, it was awful!.” Jam says

“How did it go again? Oh yeah, Oh Gina my baby, you drive me of so crazy, my lady!” D sang

“Like butter in the shade, you melt my heart away.” Jam sang

      We all started laughing. Man that song was awful! It’s about to be lunch time and were just sitting outside in our usual spot like always. I keep my eyes open all around me to see if I spot Alisia, haven’t seen her all day. I asked Alicia has she seen her and she told me she was about to ask me & good ole Maria said she’s not her keeper. Whatever, I don’t like that girl anyways. Could never stand her in the first place but oh well.

      I look ahead of me and I see Alisia getting out of her car with her books in her hands & a smile on her face but the look on her eyes isn’t so happy. As if on que, the wind starts to blow a little and her hair is flying in the wind. She smiles at me as I watch her hips sway back and forth as if she’s doing it just for me. I smile back and get up to meet her half way.

“I’ll take those mam.” I say

“Well, thank you kind sir.” she says with a smile

“Hey Alisia.” Jam & D both say

“Hey guys, what’s going on?”

“Nothing really, about to leave.” Jam says looking at D

“Oh well see ya later.”

      The guys wink at me and I just smile. Good move man, good move. Now is my chance to ask her. I grab her hand and she snatches it was with a little scream, I look at her weird & then look down at her wrist. There is a bandage around it and her hand is swollen. I look at her face and she looks back at me with that same looks she gave me in Gi’s diner. My blood starts to boil, I know she’s going to put up a fight for me to get an answer out of her. I wait until I hear the bell ring and everyone is gone off the yard. I look around & then look at her.

“Don’t even ask Phred.” she says

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN DON’T ASK YOU?!” I Yell

“DON’T FUCKING YELL AT ME!”

“ALISIA, YOU EXPECT ME TO JUST SIT HERE AND IGNORE IT?!?”

“YES! SO LET IT GO!!”

     I open my mouth but then close it again. I think back to what Gi said “when she’s ready to tell you she will but all that pushing her to speak it just going to push her away.” I take a deep breath, close my eyes and let it all go. It’s like I want to know but like Gi said, when she’s ready.

“Fine, when your ready Alisia.” I say

“What?” she says

“When you are ready, i’m here.”

     I reach for her other hand and she takes mine. I start to walk towards school but she pulls me the other way. I turn around and she’s looking at me with her big brown beautiful eyes.

“Let’s not go to school today.” she says

“Oh look at you bad girl.” I say

Alisia pulls me closer and puts her lips on my ears sucking on my ear lobe driving me crazy. She bends me down and I willingly bend down to her level.

“I can show you how bad I can be.” she whispers

“Oh really?” I say

“Yeah, really.”

“Ok, hold that thought while I go grab my things.”

“I’ll be in the car, don’t keep me waiting.”

“Yes mam”

      She licks my lips causing me to have an instant stiffy. I kiss her then let her go, as hard as I can. I pump my legs into the school running to my locker. When I come around the corner, I stop to a holt almost making me trip over myself. Maria and jam are making out, he got her leg up on him, she pulls his head towards her neck and that’s when I turn around. Damn, Jam & Maria though? I knew Jam liked someone but I would of never guessed it was Maria out of all the people.

“Hi”

     I swing around and it’s Gina, wearing my favorite dress. The blue one with the white flowers all over the place. Like a bomb of flowers went off on her dress. Her hair is down for once and I hate to admit it but damn. She looks beautiful.

“Hi back Gina.”

“So, how are you?”

“Fine.”

“Good..soo did you think about what I said last night?”

“Yeah.”

“And??”

“I don’t know Gina, look can we talk about this later I got Alisia waiting for me.”

“Oh, so it is true.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“..Did you have sex with her?”

“That’s None of your got damn business Gina.”

“DID YOU PLEASE SAY NO?!?”

    She grabs my hand but I shake it off and walk away from her. What the hell has gotten into her? She’s so..aggressive. I know I don’t have to turn around because I can feel her eyes watching me and it’s making me feel uncomfortable. I grab my stuff out of my locker and go back outside. Alisia is sitting in the car adding on some more make up. I don’t know why she puts that stuff on, she’s messing up her natural beauty.

     I get into the car and she puts her make up away. Turns towards me and smiles, I smile back. Talk about a whole change of attitude.

“Hey hott lips.” I say

“Hey yourself lover boy.”

“So, where we going?”

“Away from here.”

“You want to go to the beach?”

“Sure!”

“Ok, lets go.”

    She leans over again and kisses me. I can feel her flinch and that burns me up but I put it behind me and just kiss her back.

     We get to the beach about an hour later and on the way here. We were singing with the radio and laughing at the radio man’s jokes. Watching her face light up with true happiness makes me happy but sad at the same time. It’s like, I wish could be happy all the time instead of this fakeness she puts on just to hide what ever is going on in her life.

     I buy a towel from the beach stand and some ice cream for the both of us. I hand Alisia the towel and she lays it down. We both sit on it and eat our ice cream.

“Isn’t it beautiful.” she says

“Yeah, like you but with less waves.” I say

“Oh Phred.” she says blushing

“What?”

“Don’t talk about my body.”

“Why not? I like your curves & plus, what’s an ocean with out the waves?”

    She didn’t say anything but her face sure did turn tomato red. Which makes me smile. I love it when she blushes. She looks at me and smiles again.

“But really? Isn’t it beautiful?” she says

“Yeah, it is.”

“Makes me wish I had a boat so I can sail away from here.”

“What would you want to leave this beautiful place?”

“…There’s a lot of reasons.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah. I want to travel the world. Go to Es Spania, Europe, Australia! All over the freaking earth, I want to see the lights in Paris & Eat Pizza in a REAL Italian restaurant. See the Mount. Olympus in Greece and all that jazz. Just anywhere but here. Anywhere but here is fine.”

“Well maybe, one day we can travel the world.”

“We?”

“Yeah We?”

“You would travel the world with me?”

“Why not? Sounds like a great experience.”

“…You amaze me.”

“How?”

“You just say things that guys don’t really say.”

“& what do guys say?”

“Nothing, because I don’t tell guys my dreams.”

“Why not?”

“Because, the ones I’ve been with have been all the same but you? You’re different. You pushed my buttons the other day and let me push yours and you didn’t leave me. You came back.”

“Those guys you’ve been with are called assholes.”

“Yeah.” she says with a giggle

“It’s like, your easy. Simple. Not complicated.”

“OK I get it, i’m boring.”

“No! Not at all!.”

“Well, explain how that’s not a bad thing then?”

    Alisia looks back out into the ocean and doesn’t say anything. I want to edge her on, ask her what’s going through her head. Is she even going to answer my question but I hold it all in. I got to let her come to me. She looks down and starts to play with the sand, letting it run between her fingers over & over again.

“It’s like, everything in my life has been complicated. My home life, my love life & even my friendships. Nothing could just be simple for me but then came you. Something simple, & I want to hold on to simple as long as I can.”

     Wow, I don’t even know what to say. It’s like for the first time, I don’t have a come back with something. Alisia turns her head towards me with a little flush in her cheeks and the look on her face is important. Like what she’s about to tell me, is something she’s been holding on to forever.

“…I fight my father almost every morning because he beats my mother.” Alisia says

“..Damn..”

“Yeah, the only people who knows is Alicia because she seen it, Gi because once he stopped it & now..you.”

    She starts playing with the sand again, putting her head back down so it’s facing the sand but I grab her face & pulls it towards me. Damn it. Tears are streaming down her face and I start to wipe them away one by one. She crawls over towards me and I hold her close as I feel her body shudder, letting everything go like it’s finally OK to cry.

     Letting it all go, I finally understand why Gi calls her candy. She’s hard as rock on the outside but on the inside, she’s soft & fragile but gives you a work out to chew. At this moment, right here & right now, I promise on my life that i’ll be her wrapper & protect her from any harm. I put my life on it…