Ch. 2: The Rising Star

When Rick dropped me off I came home to a deserted nest. Football, baseball, and soccer were all over with.Since it was Friday I could only assume my brothers were out trying to get drunk or high. The same could probably be said about my mom.

 

Our house did not come cheap and we secretly lived off government money. Mom had us all on SSI and she received close to seven thousand dollars a month. That's what we lived off of and it afforded us lots of nice stuff. Every month we'd each get three hundred dollars to blow on what we wanted. My brothers chased after drugs while I went after make up, shoes, clothes, hair-dos, and the works. Since my figure came in I couldn't go around just looking any way I wanted.

 

"Myra it's time you get out there and show the world what you're made of" Mom would say while she was getting ready for yet another date with some booze hound.

 

She rarely brought men around and I could thank my brothers for that. None of them were on the short side. Mike was as tall as Rick and lean too. He could bench press some of the 'crackers' mom brought home.

 

Mike was the only one of us who had regular contact with his dad. This meant Mike spent lots of time getting to know his paternal Grandparents and aunts, uncles, and cousins. Sometimes they would come over or invite us all to birthday parties where they'd get so trashed all they seemed to be able to talk about was white people. It was fun and plus I really wanted to fit in.

 

I even went as far as wearing flowers in my hair like his half-sister Regina did.

 

"You look like an island girl. Embrace it" Regina said.

 

Regina was on the shorter side, but she was fifteen. She went to a different high school, but some of Mike's cousins went to ours. Regina was drop dead gorgeous and even though guys pursued her she always said she would remain a virgin until she met the right one.

 

"Never give up your gem to just any man. Make him. If he is a patient man he'll have all the time in the world for you" Regina said.

 

I didn't have any of Regina's restrictions. I didn't know what to think about sex and boys. I knew that boys loved sex. All I had to do was listen closely to the rowdy football players to hear all the disgusting things they said about girls who would soon be my fellow classmates.

 

I never wanted to be talked about like that, but then I wanted some of them to notice me. It was tough. Regina had her mother and her father in her life and when I tried to explain my dilemma to her she never quite understood it.

 

Some of my friends at school came from single parent households, but they were so goody two shoes. I wanted adventure in my life. I needed suspense. I wanted someone to say, "wow look at Myra" and yet no one ever did.

 

There was this clique of 8th grade girls that used to hang out on the football field during class to smoke weed. I wanted to be one of them so badly I went out of my way to get the ring leader Kimmi Perkins to notice me.

 

The principal smelt smoke from the bathroom one day and just as she was about to barge in I distracted her while they all escaped down the hall.

 

"That was cool" Kimmi said to me as I walked home that day.

 

"Yea" I said.

 

"Hey if you ever want to smoke come to the field during 2nd period" Kimmi said and turned the corner to her house.

 

I was so excited I almost burst into tears.

 

The next day I did just that and smoked my first joint. It was such a euphoric experience. I skipped school with the girls and we went shoplifting. Finally I was coming into my own.

 

Then we got caught. Kimmi's boyfriend was driving us to some fast food restaurant and the police pulled us over. Inside they found marijuana, stolen clothing, pipes, and guns. I was thrown into juvenile hall until my mom came to get me the next morning. I was so mad I couldn't even speak.

 

Of course what had happened was all over the news and the school was asked to give a statement. Kimmi's boyfriend was an ex-convict and of course that was dragged into it. The school blamed the parents for not getting involved and the parents blamed the school since we were gone during class room hours and no one had alerted them.

 

After a week of suspension I was allowed back at school, but Kimmi was still in Juvi. Apparently she was already on probation and had violated it big time.

 

Suddenly the girls in the field had no leader and much to my surprise they started looking up to me to come up with fun and mischief.

 

That's about the time puberty hit and I rose up. In April right before school was to let out Kimmi came back. She wasn't allowed out of any of the teachers sights. At lunch she had to eat in the principals office. that meant the field and the girls were mine.

 

Daisy had been my friend before I started with my new clique. She had stuck with me through it all, but lately I'd notice her dodging me whenever I went to lunch and passing notes to girls who hated me during P.E.

 

Having Rick notice me was just the cream on my pie. I was going to be the Queen of the freshmens.

 

Reviews

[courtneyfilth]

I think what captures me so much, is that Myra is such a relatable character. Maybe I'm not just like her, but there are definately some qualities that could match up perfectly. Like the dysfunctional family, or the super over-protective siblings, or maybe just the striving to fit in, and come into your own skin. Either way. I love this story. I think you are doing an amazing job.

[Theresa]

This reads like reality and I think that is why it is so captivating. Your characters are as real as they come and that I think is important. How she leaves behind her old friend to move on to new friends and move up on the heirarchy of popularity is very relatable. Look forward to reading on.

[Tina Kline]

This was a really good second chapter. Myra is a really likeable character. I can't
help but be interested in her life and how she copes with growing up
in what seems like such a complicated family.

Tina