“You’re supposed to be a preacher, mama,” said Sasha. “You always tell me two wrongs don’t make a right.”
“Oh, now you trying to school me on right and wrong?” said her mother.
“You’re not being consistent -,” Sasha cut herself off and stared at her mother, looking her directly in the eyes.
The sour scent of frustrated rage permeated the entire room. Evangeline was pulsing with it, hands fisted by her sides. Sasha felt her stomach heave. She swallowed her bile. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“I’m having my baby,” she said, steady and sure.
“How are you going to take care of a baby?” asked her mother, changing tactics. “You can’t even take care of basic things like keeping you panties up.”
“I don’t know,” said Sasha, dully.
“What about school, college?” she asked, voice ragged and tear filled. “You’re supposed to be leaving in two weeks.”
Sasha shrugged.
“I’m not going to school,” said Sasha. “I’ll just get a job or something.”
“You cannot stay here,” said her mother. “I’m not taking care of you and a baby.” Sasha almost changed her mind, she was so frightened. She could feel her lower lip tremble, but she stiffened it.
“Mama,” said Sasha, resolute. “I’m grown. It’s my decision.”
“You grown!” her mother sounded stunned. She smacked Sasha on the side of her head. Sasha grabbed her purse and ducked behind it to try to ward off the blow but only partially succeeded. Her ears rang.
“How are you are going to stand in my face, in my house, where I make the rules and pay for the clothes on your back and tell me that you are grown? Little girl, please!” Her mother had her teeth clenched and she stood breathing heavily, fist clenched as if she was trying to grab and hold onto some self-control.
“How far along?”
“Does it matter?”
She didn’t see the blow coming, but she felt the corner of the EPT box slam against her face seconds before she was catapulted over backwards, chair and all. She picked herself up off the floor. Her whole side ached.
“A few months.”
“Mama -,”
“Don’t you mama me, little girl,” said Evangeline. “The clinic opens at eight tomorrow morning. Have your tail there.”
Sasha felt like she had just been in an earthquake. She looked down for a moment, expecting, no-, wishing that the floor would open up and swallow her. She understood instinctively that what she was about to say would set off aftershocks that were going to reverberate through the rest of her life.
“No.”
“What?”
“I’m not a little girl,” said Sasha. “And you don’t have anything to say about it.”
“Get out of my house!” screamed her mother, launching herself on top of her daughter. “You’ve always got to do something to embarrass me! Get out!”
She grabbed Sasha by the hair and shirt and half carried half dragged her towards the front door. Sasha struggled to get loose but her mother was bigger, stronger and more enraged than Sasha had ever expected. Evangeline pinned Sasha to the wall with an elbow to the throat and yanked open the front door. She pushed Sasha, unresisting, out on the front porch and slammed the door behind her. Sasha stood on the front porch for a long time, tears coursing down her face. He mother hadn’t even given her time to grab her cell phone. She paused for a few moments to look up at the early evening sky and for some odd reason one of her old Winnie the Pooh stories floated through her turmoil. Today was a blustery day.
Finally, she wiped her face with the back of her hand and stumbled down the porch steps and started the long trek to nowhere.
Brielle
Brielle had just finished trigonometry class and was rushing to her Honor’s Literature class when she bumped into Damon. Literally. She had her head down, trying to memorize the formula to the last trigonometry question because she just knew it was going to be on the test since she didn’t understand one word that came out of Miss Felix’s mouth. And whap! She slammed into a warm, solid brick wall.
Brielle’s trigonometry book flew in the opposite direction from her Literature book. She dropped her purse and out spilled her lip-gloss, extra change and two tampons. She heard laughter explode around her from two or three other students in the hallway.
“You should watch where you’re going.”
The deep, amused voice caused a frisson of awareness to dance down her spine. Mortification burned in her stomach, but she looked up into the mighty Warlock’s eyes, staring down at her, framed by gold-rimmed glasses.
“Hey, Baby-,” he started to say. Brielle cut him off with slashing hand gesture.
“Don’t you call me that,” said Brielle, fiercely. “It’s not enough that you almost knock me down. I do not look like a man.” She crouched to pick up her things, curls swinging over one shoulder. She stuffed a tampon, her lip-gloss and money back into her purse, cheeks burning in embarrassment.
“I think you missed this one,” said Damon, holding out the second tampon to her. Brielle snatched it out of his hand.
“Gimme that!” she snapped. Brielle wanted to burst into tears. She was so embarrassed.
“It’s nothing to be all emotional about,” said Damon, stooping to pick up her literature book. He dusted it off and handed it to her. “Having a period is a natural part of life.”
“Shut up!” said Brielle, whispering fiercely. “Are you trying to embarrass me in front of the whole school?” She blinked rapidly to force back the hot tears. The amused look faded from Damon’s face. She grabbed the book and pressed it to her chest.
“I’m sorry,” said Damon, looking at her as if she was some curious specimen that he had never before encountered. He cocked his head to the side to study her closer. Today, his hazel eyes looked grey, because he was wearing a slate grey, blue and white polo over grey shorts
