Chapter 27: Just Beat It

A Chapter by Tina Bee

It took almost a week for me to be accepted at Semper Academy. Apparently they had a long wait list, but Mom managed to get me in. In the meantime Langston came to see me everyday. Thursday evening Langston let me know just how sad he was over me no longer going to Graham.

"I just hope those girls at that school are nicer than the ones at Graham," Langston said as he sat at my desk in my room.

I was on my laptop checking my MySpace. Since the truth about my pregnancy had come out everyone in The Crew had send me congratulation comments. Crystal, who was now twenty weeks pregnant, conversed with me everyday online. She told me not to worry about the switch in schools and to look at this as a new opportunity.

"I was suspecting that you might have been pregnant that night we went out for tacos, but I didn't want to be rude and ask you about it," Crystal messaged me in my MySpace mail box.

"Thanks for not prying. I wasn't too sure what I was going to do and that's why I kept it a secret," I wrote her back.

"I understand, but from here on out we want the truth! No one will ever judge you. We're family," Crystal said and with that I logged out of MySpace.

To this day Violetta had not apologized for her outburst. While I understood her sadness I couldn't take being insulted.

"I have a camera," Langston said to me.

"So?" I asked him as he walked over to my bed.

"We should take pictures together," Langston told me with his digital camera in bed.

"I'm not going to end up having these used against me, will I?" I asked and he laughed.

"Of course not," Langston said with a sly smile written across his face.

I rolled my eyes, but did as he said. We took some pictures facing my window, facing my closet, and one laying down together on my bed.

"Can I put those on my MySpace?" I asked him when we were done.

The urge to show the world that I finally had a boyfriend came over me in a strong fashion.

"Lucky for you I always carry a spare USB cord with me," Langston told me as he fished the cord out his pocket.

I spent the next five minutes uploading the photos. My default was changed to the picture of Langston and I standing together facing my closet. I thought I looked less dorky in that one.

I responded to Crystal's last message before logging out again. This time I shut the laptop off and put it away. It wasn't until now that I noticed Langston nosing around in my desk drawers.

"Hey," I shouted at him, "get out of there!"

"Sorry, sometimes my curiosity gets the best of me. Is that the girl who was murdered?" Langston asked as he held up Eliza's funeral pamphlet.

"Yes, she was my friend," I told him while I gently slipped the pamphlet back in place and shut my desk drawer.

"What happened to her? I didn't watch the news much back then because it was always a story on about your case or my case," Langston said with a hint of anger under his breath.

"We went out of town to a concert," I started, "when we went back to our hotel she left with a guy and never came back. Six weeks later her body was discovered."

"Brutal. I hope whoever did that is rotting," Langston said and I sighed.

"No one's been arrested. They have leads, but so far nothing," I told him.

"It's crazy how the police busy themselves with petty crimes like assault and yet they can't catch murderers," Langston said and I shook my head in agreeable.

There was a knock on my door.

"Yea?" I asked and it opened.

"Langston, it's getting late," mom said, "I'm sure your mother is worried about you."

"You're right Mrs. Freedmon. Nice seeing you Myra," Langston as he hugged me, "see you tomorrow."

He kissed me gently on the cheek and walked out of the room.

"Myra," Mom said stepping inside and closing the door behind her, "I don't know if you heard the news yet."

"What news?" I asked as I walked back to my bed.

"I'm getting married in December," Mom said and I looked at her.

She had a big smile on her face. It was too bad I couldn't return it.

"Ok," I said rudely.

"I know things aren't going good between you and Celia," mom said, "but it would mean the world to me if you two managed to get along. Arthur has decided to move into the house and since all the bedrooms are occupied I was wondering if Celia could share this room with you."

Oh, she had to be out of her goddamn mind! Me, share a room with Celia? The same girl who stole one of the best guys to ever walk into my life.

"You're nuts, lady," I retorted.

"Things will go my way. Your options are running out and you need a roof over your head. I'm only asking you as a formality, but in actuality Celia will be moving in her things into this room by the end of the week," Mom said looking around and I knew she was likely sizing up the room to see which of Celia's things would go where.

"Do you even know what she's done to me?" I asked, my anger intensifying as I spoke each word.

"Something about a boy," Mom said while she looked at my curtains, "honestly Myra, get over it! You have Langston so why do you get over it already."

I jumped off the bed and went to my curtains that played gently between mom's fingers. I grabbed them away from her and she winced back in pain.

"You bring Celia into my bedroom and there will be hell to pay," I said in the toughest voice I could come up with.

"Play big and bad now, but what will you do when your a*s is out on the streets!" Mom screamed in my face.

"At least out there I'd have a fighting chance and I wouldn't be around duplicitous people like you!" I screamed back with my neck straining as I spoke.

"You ungrateful little b***h!" Mom screamed.

"Hey," Sonny asked running into the room, "what's going on?"

"Mom wants Celia to move her stuff into my room," I told Sonny who then glared at mom.

"Why?" Sonny asked mom who backed away from me.

"I don't have to explain myself to a bunch of children! This is my house and I'll do with it as I please," Mom said as her face turned red.

"It's our house too," I retorted.

"I pay the bills," Mom yelled at me.

"With our checks," Sonny said, "or did you forget about that?"

"I won't be needing money from either of you any longer," mom announced which threw me back a bit.

"Oh, why is that?" Sonny asked finding this all a bit hilarious.

"Arthur and I are opening up a business and it will be lucrative," mom said in a matter-of-factly voice.

"Who's dime is that on?" Sonny asked with his smile disappearing.

"Before I was blessed with children I modeled and I made damn good money doing it too. I have secret funds and with Arthur's integrity things are looking good," mom explained, "so things will be going my way from here on out."

"F**k that!" I said going to my closet.

"What are you doing?" mom gasped.

"Moving. I have secret funds too and I refuse to stay here while you make unfair decisions about my life," I said, "you might have ruined yourself by getting pregnant, but I refuse to do the same. Celia can have this damn room and I hope she and David have sex in here so loud that it keeps you and Arthur up every night, but with the way you are I bet you'll out do her every time though."

Mom turned bright red and left the room. Sonny stood there just watching me as I gathered my things up.

"Do you actually have secret funds?" Sonny asked me skeptically.

"Of course not, I'm just talking out my a*s. I have no idea where I'm going and I have a baby on the way so if you could spare me the speeches that would be appreciated," I said to Sonny who stood next to me.

His naturally curly hair was slicked back. He wore a long blue t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. He had a earring in his right ear to accentuate his face. He was almost six feet tall now and there was little doubt in my mind that he would catch up to both Kevin and Mike soon.

"I have a place," Sonny told me and I turned to face him.

"No lying?" I asked him.

"I swear to God," Sonny told me holding up his right hand and placing it over his chest, "I knew something like this was going to come so I made a little investment in a little house on the south side. It's not in the best neighborhood, but no one will bother you out there."

"Who else knows about it?" I asked in total shock.

"No one and that's why it would be perfect for you," Sonny said.

"Well I hope it's ready because I'm leaving here tonight," I told him with a look of indignation on my face.

"Hold on, not so fast," Sonny said, "I need some time to get it ready. Give me until tomorrow night and then you can go."

"How will the utilities be paid?" I asked suddenly realizing that this could be total bullshit.

"I've got friends in high places who take care of me. Don't worry," Sonny said trying to calm my nerves.

"How can you, a fifteen year old boy, afford to buy a house?" I asked with a hint of laughter in my voice.

"Times are tough and people are just throwing properties away. I don't know what you're going to do about getting to school though," Sonny said and it was now time to tell him about my expulsion.

"I'm transferring to Semper Academy. The bus can pick me up from where I live apparently," I said, trying to make it sound like I had everything together.

"Good," Sonny said as he laid his eyes upon me, "get ready to kiss this place goodbye. Once you leave I doubt it'll be the same if you ever want to return."

I made kissy faces into the air and Sonny let out a laugh.

"Thanks, Sonny," I said and went into hug him.

"Wait hold on," Sonny said moving away from me, "aren't you friends with that sexy cheerleader, what's her name?"

"Violetta," I answered suddenly getting sad, "I'm not sure if we're friends anymore."

"That sucks, but if you do talk to her let her know I'm still interested," Sonny said, "I saw the way she moved at that football game and all I can say is goddamn! I'd be stupid to pass up them cakes."

"Whatever," I said, "guys are so gross."

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