Rumors

Leaving Angel behind in elementary, Khiry went off to middle school, but they continued to hang out after school. Puberty began to kick in, and the changes in him had a positive effect. He was no longer an outcast.

He became excited when Angel joined him in middle school, hoping she would have the same fate. He got up early that morning to get dress so that he could meet her at the gate. He came into the kitchen, where his parents, Chester and Crystal, were sitting down having breakfast.

“I just wanted to let you guys know that I was leaving,” he said heading for the door.

“Aren’t you gonna eat breakfast?” Crystal asked.

“I’m too excited to eat,” he told her.

“I refuse to let you walk out of this door without some food on your stomach,” she said.

Khiry walked up to the table and poured himself a glass of orange juice. He picked up a piece of toast and devoured it with just two bites, then gulped down the orange juice.

“Slow down, boy. You’re gonna choke,” said his father, Chester. “What’s got you so excited this morning? I have never heard of a 13-year-old getting excited about school.”

“Angel’s going to start middle school this year,” said Crystal.

“Oh, are you two still dating?” asked Chester.

Khiry’s face turned bright red. “We’re not dating, Dad,” he replied.

“Sure you’re not,” Chester said sarcastically.

“I gotta go,” Khiry said, embarrassed.

He walked out of the door, too anxious to escape his parents’ latest conversation topic, to meet Angel.

He made it to the gate just as Angel was coming out.

He called out to her, “Hey.”

Angel looked in the direction of his voice, and saw him walking up to her. When he reached her the two began walking to school.

“Are you excited?” he asked her.

“Not really,” she replied. “It’s school. Who gets excited about that?”

“I know you were lonely last year without me,” he told her, “but things will get better this year.”

“How can you be so sure?” she asked.

“Because the two of us are back together again. We won’t have to wait until after school to hang out,” he said.

“That sounds nice and all, but don’t you have your own group of friends?” she asked.

“Yeah, but they’re cool,” he told her. “I’ll introduce you.”

“What if they don’t like me?”

“Then they ain’t no friend of mine.”

They began to laugh, as they stepped on to school grounds.

Khiry helped Angel obtain her class schedule and locker assignment. As they walked down the hallway, towards her locker, he gave her information on some of the teachers she would have classes with.

“Mr. Reece spits when he talks, so you don’t want to stand too close to him,” he told her. “Mr. Devoux, he likes to watch young girl’s butts when they pass.”

They got to her locker, and Khiry spotted Mr. Devoux. “Look, there he is.”

Angel looked down the hall and saw a short, stubby, man leaning up against the door frame of his classroom, watching every girl as they walked pass him. She and Khiry were sharing a laugh about it when one of Khiry’s friends, Kenry, spotted them and walked over.

“What’s up my boy?” Kenry said as they slapped hands and gave each other a shoulder bump hug. “Who’s this, you little sister or something?”

“No, this is my best friend, Angel,” said Khiry.

Soon the rest of Khiry’s entourage began to swarm around them. He introduced Angel to all of them.

“Angel, this is Kenry, Omar, and Jeremiah.”

“Hello,” said Angel.

Omar gave Angel a strange look. “You some kind of mutt or something?” he asked.

All the boys laughed, however Khiry didn’t find it funny.

“Why would you say some dumb s**t like that?” he asked, with an irritated tone in his voice.

“I’m just asking man; I can see she mixed with something. I just wanted to know what race she is,” said Omar.

“She’s Latina, and there’s better ways of asking her,” said Khiry.

“What’s wrong with the way I asked?” asked Omar.

“It was just rude, man,” said Khiry.

“Whatever,” Omar replied.

The bell rang, thus Khiry and Angel headed in separate directions to their classes.

The first half of the day dragged by slowly, as both Angel and Khiry sat in their separate classrooms listening to their teachers talk about rules, regulations, and several other topics that neither of them paid attention to.

Angel came out into the courtyard that after noon. The sun was bright and beaming down on the school like a spotlight on a stage. The classroom seemed so dim compared to this. She squinted her eyes a bit, as they tried to adjust to the light, and looked around. She recognized some kids from elementary school, and there were many new faces that came from one of the many other elementary schools in the town. None of them spoke to her.

She went into the cafeteria feeling very self-conscious. She took just a small amount of food, before heading back outside. Not sure where to go, Angel stood at the edge of the courtyard trying to become invisible like she used to do back in foster care. Khiry spotted her from across the courtyard.

“Hey Angel, over here,” he called out to her.

Angel saw him sitting at a table with Omar and the other guys. He was signaling for her to join them. She hesitated for a while. She didn’t think that her having lunch with him and his boys was a good idea. Nevertheless, Khiry kept waving her over. She went up to them and sat down between Khiry and Kenry.

“Hey, we were just talking about that new movie, Saved, that just came out. We were thinking about going to see it. What do you think? Would you come with us?” Khiry asked her.

“It sounds good, but I don’t want to…,”

“Oh, you know what I want to see,” Jeremiah interrupted, “Puppy Love. That s**t is funny as hell.”

“Angel was talking. Why did you cut her off? Khiry asked.

“Man, shut up,” Jeremiah replied. He continued with his conversation as if Khiry had never spoken.

Jeremiah and Omar was getting on Khiry’s nerves. So, he didn’t speak to them for the rest of the lunch period. He and Angel had their own little side conversation, with Kenry contributing to it a little, too.

The second half of the day was not much different from the first. By the time school let out, Khiry felt as if he had just woken up from a coma. He went out into the front of the school to wait for Angel. She came out and the two of them headed home.

“I’m sorry about the way the guys treated you today,” he said as they walked. “You better believe that if they try that s**t again, I’m gonna check them on it.”

“Don’t bother. They’re a bunch of guys. They don’t want some girl hanging around them. Kenry seems cool, though,” said Angel.

“Yeah, he is. Look, I don’t have to hand with them,” said Khiry. “I’ll just ditch those guys and hang out with you.”

“Don’t do that,” she told him.

“I don’t want you to be lonely.”

“I don’t mind it. You’ve got friends and maybe it’s time for me to make some of my own.”

“I don’t care what you say, I ain’t hanging with them anymore.”

Over the next week, Khiry and Angel hung out, just the two of them, at school. Sometimes Kenry would join them, but Omar and Jeremiah continuously enticed him with conversations about cute girls, sports, and other topics that guys like to talk about. He and Angel both did some growing up over the last few months and weren’t into the same things anymore. Being around just each other was starting to weigh in on them. Finally, they came to the realization that this was not working out. Khiry went back to hanging with the boys. He and Angel checked in with each other, occasionally during school, and they always caught up after school was out.

One day, Angel decided to skip lunch. She headed for her favorite outdoor bench, which was behind a big shaded oak tree, secluded from the rest of the courtyard. When she got there, Kenry was sitting on the bench. He smiled at her as she approached him, slowly and cautiously.

“Hey,” he said, as she came to a stop in front of him.

“Hey Kenry, what’s up?” she asked, with a confused tone in her voice.

“Nothing. I just felt like hanging with you today,” he told her, shrugging his shoulders.

Angel’s forehead creased as she looked around for someone to jump out and throw a bucket of blood on her, or some other embarrassing jester.

“Does that surprise you?” he asked her.

“Yeah,” she said slowly.

“We’ve hung out before,” he said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, but only when Khiry was around. I just assumed, since Khiry went back with Omar and Jeremiah, that you would too,” she said.

“Yeah, but you’ve been looking kind of lonely over the last few days,” he said.

Angel began to relax, a little, and took a seat on the top of the table.

“Aren’t your boys gonna make fun of you if they see you with me?” she asked.

“Probably,” he replied, “but unlike Khiry, I don’t give a damn. I think he’s wrong for abandoning you for them.”

“He didn’t abandon me. It was a mutual decision. We were getting on each other’s nerves. I’m cool being by myself,” she said.

“So, are you saying you’d rather be alone?”

“I don’t prefer it, but it doesn’t bother me either.”

“What’s the deal with you and Khiry, anyway? Is he your boyfriend or something” Kenry asked, looking at her from the corner of his eyes?

Angel bit down on her bottom lip, fighting a smile.

“No, we’re just friends,” she said.

Feeling a bit more confident with the answer she gave him, he looked Angel directly in the eyes. “Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked her.

“Why are asking?” she asked, while the smile still tickled the corners of her mouth.

“Because, I wanna get with you, and I don’t want nobody trying to beat me up for that,” he said.

“Yeah right,” Angel scoffed. “you wanna holler at me?”

“Yeah, I think you’re cool.”

Angel looked up at the sky still waiting for that bucket of blood to fall on her head.

“So, what’s up?” he asked her.

“I’ll think about it,” she said.

“Cool, I’ll give you some alone time, so you can think about me,” he said.

Angel smiled, as Kenry stood up.

“Can I get a hug?” he asked her.

Angel stood up and hugged him.

Khiry was on his way to check on her. A few steps away from the bench he saw Angel and Kenry hugging. For reasons unknown to him, he became highly upset. He turned and walked away.

Kenry and Angel broke their hug just as the bell rang to end their lunch break.

“Do me a favor?” Kenry asked. “Don’t tell anyone about this. I don’t want this getting back to Khiry. I don’t care what you say. That dude acts like he’s in love with you.”

“Alright,” Angel agreed.

They headed off to class.

That afternoon, as Khiry and Angel walked home, Angel noticed that Khiry was unusually quiet. He was debating on whether he should speak to her about Kenry. He knew he had no claim on her, and could not tell her who she could and could not talk to. And, although it never bothered him when Kenry hung around them, the sight of seeing those two alone and hugging made him want to lock her in a basement to keep her from ever speaking to Kenry again. Of course, he couldn’t do that, so he didn’t speak at all. Angel learned over the years, not to pressure him when he behaved this way. Therefore, she never bothered to ask what was bothering him. They walked the entire way in silence.

Chester and Crystal were sitting on the couch, snuggling in front of the television. Khiry walked into the house, passed his parents, and to his room, without saying a word.

Crystal looked up at Chester. “What’s wrong with Khiry?” she asked her husband.

“How the hell should I know?” Chester said still looking at the television.

“Aren’t you gonna go talk to him?” she asked.

He looked at his wife for a moment. Crystal could see that he was irritated, but she didn’t care. She wanted to know what was wrong with her baby boy. She gave Chester a stare, waiting for him to get up. Chester took a deep breath and rolled his eyes, as he got up and headed to Khiry’s room. He knocked on the door, and went in. Khiry was lying on his bed starring at the wall.

“Something wrong, son?” Chester asked Khiry, as he sat on the corner of the bed.

“Just a little irritated,” said Khiry.

“Why?”

“I saw Angel taking to Kenry at lunch today.”

“What’s wrong with that? You said Kenry was the only one that seemed cool with her.”

“Yeah, he was, but it was always me, Angel, and Kenry. Now, it’s just the two of them.”

“I still don’t see the problem.”

“I think he’s trying to get with her.”

“So what. You’re not with her.”

“No, but I just don’t think he’s right for her.”

“But, it’s not your call.”

Khiry took a deep breath. “I know,” he said.

“Is that all that’s bothering you,” his father asked.

“Yeah,” he replied.

“Alright then,” Chester said, getting up from the bed.

He walked out of the room and returned to his seat on the couch.

“Did you talk to him?” Crystal asked.

“Yeah,” said Chester.

“So, what’s his problem?” she asked.

“He’s in love with Angel. He just doesn’t realize it yet,” said Chester.

“Well, we all knew that was coming,” said Crystal.

“Yep,” said Chester.

They closed the subject and turned their attention back towards the television.

Angel didn’t like when Khiry was in one of his non-speaking moods, so she decided to hang out at the library that evening, instead of with him. The library was a thirty-minute walk from her house, and the road to get there just happened to take her right pass Kenry’s house. He was sitting outside on the porch when she walked by. She tried to act natural, as she pretended not to notice him when she passed by.

“Hey girl,” he called out to her, “hold up.”

Angel walked up to him. “What’s up?” she asked.

“Where are you heading?” Kenry asked, not caring about the answer.

“I was headed for the library,” she replied.

He was a bit shocked to hear her answer, and the expression showed on his face.

“You got a project to do or something?” he asked.

“No, just going there to get some books,” she said.

He just shook his head from side to side. Leisure time at the library made no sense to him.

“I can’t see myself going there unless I have to. Why don’t you come inside and shill with me for a while?” he asked.

“I don’t know about that,” she said, hesitantly.

“Come on, don’t be like that. We can get to know each other a little better,” he said.

“And by that you mean have sex,” she assumed.

“Hey, why not?” he said.

“I don’t think so,” she replied.

“Are you scared?”

“No, I’m just not interested in you like that. I barley know you.”

This pissed Kenry off. He was sure this would be easy, giving the fact no other boy was interested in her. He thought she could use the boost in the popularity department, but Angel didn’t care about those things. She didn’t want to be popular. She didn’t even want to be noticed, most of the time.

“F**k you, then,” Kenry spewed at her, angrily.

Angel was shocked at how quickly his attitude had changed.

“Wow, you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

“Get the f**k out of my face,” he told her. “I thought you were down for whatever, but you just wanna play games. You’re wasting my time.”

“Fine, punk,” she said, as she stormed off.

Angel was so upset after her confrontation with Kenry, that she changed her mind about going to the library. She turned around and went home.

The next day, Khiry was still upset about Angel and Kenry, and Angel was now upset about how disrespectful Kenry was to her, the day before. So, neither of them spoke a word to each other. They got to school and went their separate ways.

Khiry was at his locker, getting his books ready for his first class, when Omar and Jeremiah approached him.

“Did Angel tell you what happened between her and Kenry last night?” Omar asked him.

“Last night?” Khiry repeated, confused.

He had been so tied up in his anger, that it just now occurred to him that Angel never came by his house last night.

“No, Angel didn’t tell me anything. She didn’t even come over last night,” said Khiry.

“That’s because she was with Kenry,” said Jeremiah.

“He said he hit that,” Omar added.

Khiry felt as if his heart had begun to do flips inside his chest. He took a deep breath, trying to control the rage that was boiling over inside him.

“He’s lying,” Khiry said through his teeth.

“And he said, she asked him,” Jeremiah continued, as if Khiry had not spoken.

Khiry began shaking his head from side to side, as if trying to shake the images out of his head.

“He’s lying,” Khiry repeated.

“I hope he put a pillow case or something over that face,” said Omar, laughing.

Without warning, Khiry grabbed Omar by the collar of his shirt and jerked him. “Insult her one more time, and I swear to God I will hurt you,” he shouted in Omar’s face.

“Alright man, chill!” said Omar.

Khiry released him.

“I don’t know what you tripping on,” said Omar, as he smooths the wrinkles from his shirt. “It’s not like she’s your girl.

“She is my girl!” Khiry spewed out, angrily.

“You need to talk to her then, because that’s not what she told Kenry,” said Jeremiah.

“I don’t give a f**k what she told Kenry. I don’t want to hear s**t about that n***a!” Khiry said.

Khiry walked off heading for the courtyard. He pushed the door so hard, that when it opened, it hit the brick wall outside of the building with a loud bang. It startled several of the nearby students. He stopped in the middle of the courtyard, and looked around. Everyone in the school had heard the rumor. They all starred and whispered amongst themselves, as an angry Khiry scanned the area for Angel. He spotted her sitting on her usual bench. Before he could approach her about it, the bell rang, and she was headed off to class.

All day long he was haunted with the image of Angel and Kenry hugging, the day before. That vision alone, made it hard to concentrate on his classwork. He refused to allow himself to imagine them doing the things everyone kept talking about. Lunch time could not come fast enough for him.

When the bell rang, he rushed out of class like the building was on fire. He grabbed a lunch tray and loaded it with food, not paying attention to what he put on it. He ran out to the courtyard and headed for Angel’s favorite bench.

The students had not been as cordial with Angel, when it came to the rumors. The jokes they threw at her were much worst then their usual teasing. Guys were walking up to her asking her to have sex with them in the bathroom. Some invited her to meet with them after school. Girls were calling her out her name. Even one of the teachers heard the rumor. When Angel walked into the cafeteria, the teacher pulled her out of the line to have a word with her about self-respect. Ange was so embarrassed that she teared up and ran out without her lunch. She longed for her secluded bench, where no one ever ventured except her, and Khiry, on occasions. She rounded the tree where the bench was, and Khiry was already siting there. The anger in his eyes froze her. Her feet would not let her get any closer to him then she already was.

“You want to tell me what’s going on?” he asked her in a tone that would frighten a serial killer.

“He’s lying,” was all she could say to him.

“I saw you two together, yesterday. I saw you hugging him,” said Khiry.

Angel opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“Did you tell him that we weren’t friends,” Khiry asked.

“I didn’t say that. I can’t believe you think the rumors are true,” Angel said defensively.

“What am I supposed to think?” asked Khiry. “You went over to his house instead of coming over to mine, last night. You were over here hugging all on him, yesterday. Something is going on between you two.” Khiry waited for Angel to say something, but she remained silent. “I don’t see you denying any of it,” he went on. “Well, did you go there or not?”

“What difference does it make to you?” she asked. “Why are you so upset about this?”

Now it was Khiry who was at a loss for words. He didn’t know why this upset him so much.

“You know what? Why don’t you go back and meet your dog a*s friends? Leave me the hell alone,” she said through tear drenched eyes.

“Fine,” he said, coldly.

He grabbed his tray of untouched food, dumped it into a nearby trash can, and walked off.

Angel couldn’t believe Kenry was that upset over her turning him down. Maybe he was jealous of Khiry, and that’s why he was trying to tear them apart. Either way, he defiantly ruined Angel’s life.

By the time class resumed, Khiry had a new image in his head that he could not get out, the image of Angel standing there with a waterfall of tears in her eyes. He knew he had to figure out a way to make things right between them. He didn’t want to lose his friend over a rumor that he knew, in his heart, was not true. He knew Angel all too well, and hated himself, for even attempting to believe those disgusting things his boys had said about her.

When school let out, he walked off school grounds. He saw Angel was already half way down the street. He wanted to run after her and apologize, but he decided to wait until everything calmed down. He got home, and was still a little upset. He went into the kitchen to prepare himself a snack. His father walked in.

“Aren’t you gonna wait for Angel before you start preparing your homework snack,” he asked Khiry.

“Angel’s not coming,” Khiry replied.

“That’s two days in a row,” Chester said, mainly to himself. “Did you get in her face about Kenry?”

“Yes, but I had my reasons.”

“It doesn’t matter. I told you it wasn’t your call. You cannot dictate what goes on in that girl’s life.”

“It doesn’t matter, anyway. I’m through with them both.”

“You may be through with Kenry, but not with Angel. You, I, and anyone with eyes, can see you will never be through with her. You need to apologize to her.”

“Yes sir,” Khiry said as he took a deep breath.

By the next morning, Khiry was much more calm than the day before. He walked over to the gates of Wilson Manor, and went in. Angel came out of her apartment to find Khiry waiting for her by the front door. She rolled her eyes as she zoomed pass him. Khiry ran to catch up with her.

“I came to apologize,” he said.

“I don’ want your apology,” she said.

Khiry grabbed her by the arm and swung her around. “Angel, just stop for a second.”

“You’re gonna make me late.”

“I’m sorry. I never should’ve entertained those silly rumors. I was just upset.”

“Upset about what? I was the one whose name was being dragged through the mud, and instead of defending me you chewed me out. You treated me like a villain. All because of what, a hug?” Angel said on the brink of tears again.

“Honestly Angel, you’re my best friend, and I see things in you that nobody else sees. If nobody else can see it, then they won’t appreciate you. I guess what I’m trying to say is that, in my eyes, nobody is ever gonna be good enough for you.”

“Are you saying, I should expect this from you when I start dating?” Angel asked.

“No, he replied, “I know it’s not my call, and I’ve accepted the fact that I can’t tell you what to do. You don’t have ever worry about me behaving like that again.”

The two embraced each other in a hug.

“This is just middle school. Our lives shouldn’t be that complicated,” Angel stated.

“I know. I’m so sorry. Do you forgive me?” he asked.

“Of course I do,” she replies.

They break their hug.

“Let’s never fight again, okay,” he says.

“Okay,” she agrees as she wipes away the last of her tears.

They headed off to school, holding hands. Angel and Khiry were once again inseparable. He never spoke to the other guys again, and the rumors eventually died out.