My Short Story (((YEAR 2011)))>>> Tearing up as the brisk winter winds pushed harshly against her, Akeiyla walked toward the dragged out school she was expected to attend. What irked her nerves the most was the set routine she was compelled to abide; spending hours of idle time in a classroom full of useless people, while learning nothing but the latest gossips on which girls were pregnant, what couples broke up, and who was in jail or getting out. Akeiyla had once enjoyed school until La’tia, Akeiyla’s best friend since the first grade, got expelled for verbally abusing a substitute teacher. “She just walked in class bossing folks around like she was the permanent teacher”, Akeiyla remembered La’tia saying. From that day on school was an irrelevant issue to her and even though this was her senior year of high school she found no delight in finishing the year. Slowly approaching the side entrance of the school, Akeiyla heard her name being called from a distance. “Kee!” she heard again before turning to find the source. It was La’tia yelling from across the street. Akeiyla jogged down the schools walkway to meet her. “What’s up girl?” Kee asked eagerly, figuring there had to be a problem if she woke up this early just to meet her. “My moms made me walk my lil’ bro to school, he missed the bus, so I figured I’d come get’cha”. La’tia was happy she caught Kee before she walked through the door, but either way she would have walked inside the school to find her. “Sooo… what’s the move?” La’tia thought for a minute like she had a list of things already planned but wanted to pick the perfect one. “We can go to the mall”, Kee’s blunt expression gave note that she wasn’t in the mood for shopping. “I don’t have any money”, Kee said sounding disappointed. “Do we ever?” La’tia slyly stated. Kee remembered them taking a few things from the strip mall on the Southside of Atlanta, but she hardly did it anymore since she got a job at the local grocery store. “Let’s just walk. We’ll find something to do, trust”. They walked from the school in silence; Akeiyla stuck in her thoughts and La’tia listening to her iPod, moving her head to every beat. They paced without acknowledging the direction, to the Pine Crest Library three blocks from the school. Akeiyla went to the library often, usually alone; just to enjoy the silence. Kee felt the library was the only place where people respected each other. Rarely would there be arguing, fighting, or gossiping. It may have been the one place where she actually felt the motivation to study to better her life. She wanted more, a house on a hill, an all metallic black BMW; she wanted to make a difference. What’s keeping me from fulfilling them, she’d constantly ask herself. “Aye Kee, you got your library card?” La’tia called after they had walked through the library. “Yeah, but I need it to get on the computer”, “Dang, I was gonna get on one” La’tia pouted as if she were a five year old. “Well go sign up for a card, its only five dollars”, Kee instructed with an apparent expression. “I ain’t got no money KEE”, La’tia yelled getting louder with each word. “Alright man here, just stop talking so loud before we get kicked out.” “They ain’t kicking me out, trust”, La’tia assured. Akeiyla handed her the card. Akeiyla sat in the lobby area where magazines had been scattered over the table. She picked up the latest copy and flipped through the pages. Tracey Truett Beauty School “Spring Scholarships”; quickly turning back to the page she continued reading. 2013 spring scholarships for Tracey Truett’s Cosmetology School of Houston Texas, for more information visit traceytruett.org/spring2013/scholarships. Akeiyla sat and thought of her convenience. She had always dreamed of going to the Tracey Truett Beauty School, but, she never thought of it as reality. She figured she’d attend the Atlanta Technical College, with a 3.5 GPA she could receive a reasonable grant. Kee began imagining how great it would be if she qualified for the scholarship, but her thoughts were soon interrupted by loud voices. “Ma’am please step outside, you’re disrupting others”, “Ain’t nobody even in here to be disrupted!” “Ma’am, I’m going to call for security if you don’t leave”, “Well I won’t be leaving ‘til I get ready MA’AM!” La’tia sat back down and turned up her music, flooding the whole library with file words and harsh beats. The librarian made a phone call, which seemed more important than a quick call for security. Dropping the magazine Akeiyla ran to La’tia, “What’s wrong with you Tee turn that off!” Akeiyla exited the music video and logged out of the computer. “Why you do that, I’m making a point?” “A point about what that you want to get locked up, that lady called the po” Kee was getting loud, angry she was a part of this. La’tia ran towards the front door but saw the police car pull up by the curb. She turned around eyeing all the possible windows and walkways, “Come on!” Kee had already found the emergency exit and La’tia ran to follow her. “They went around back”, the librarian yelled! Kee ran through the woods that led to some apartments behind the library. La’tia was right behind her. “Let’s go this way”, La’tia ordered. Leading them to a corner store a block away from the library. When they got there La’tia broke into laughter. “Whew”, she panted “that was fun!” “I can’t believe you did that”, Kee stated still upset about the whole thing. “Girl you know you had fun, don’t even act like that”, Tee said with a smirk. “It wouldn’t have been funny if you were arrested, you know you’re eighteen now.” “Duh, I know my own age Kee, and if I would’ve gotten locked up you would’ve bailed me out, so like I said that was fun.” Akeiyla stopped talking for a moment, she knew she would have bailed her out, she had done it plenty times before.” “Why didn’t you put your head phones in, in the first place?” Kee asked. “I didn’t want to”, La’tia answered swiftly. “Where’s my library card?” La’tia reached into her back pocket doubtfully then quickly added “I thought you had it.” Akeiyla stood there speechless, trying to decide whether to be angry or annoyed. “You probably won’t need it anyway after today”, La’tia spoke softly expecting Kee to let it go. “AYE GIRL”, shouted a male voice from behind them. La’tia turned around knowing who the call was for. A purple, out of date Monte Carlo pulled up a few feet beside them. La’tia ran to the car while Kee thought of how much she hated him. D ’Chill was the known thug on the Southside. He was 22, known for trouble, and the one who La’tia unfortunately fell in love with. Despite their four year age difference Akeiyla could still make a full list of reasons why she’d never approve of him. The way he looked, smelled or the way he walked with his pants sagged as low as they could before falling off. Even the way he talked to La’tia was enough to upset anyone, but La’tia loved him and would do anything for him; that’s what sickened her stomach the most. After standing a while in the midday winds, Kee began to walk toward the local grocery where she worked. After a few steps she heard the muffler of the car pulling up. “Kee why you walk off like that, I didn’t even see you”, La’tia asked sounding concerned. “I got ‘ta go to work”, Kee stated without facing them. “D’ will drop you off, come on.” “I’ll walk, it’s not far.” “Are you sure”, Kee knew La’tia was ready to be alone with “him”, and could care less about her attitude about her leaving with him. Akeiyla kept walking and continued looking straight ahead. Eventually, they drove off, turning the opposite direction. Akeiyla was again fixed on her thoughts. “We were meant to be best friends, that’s why I stayed back in first grade; if I didn’t we wouldn’t have met.” Back then La’tia’s words made sense. La’tia always played the big sister role in their friendship. It was easy for Akeiyla to look up to her; she was the only child living in an apartment with her mother who was hardly home since she worked as a flight attendant. When Kee was younger, she usually stayed with her Aunt, but somehow ended up spending the week over La’tias’. Now that she was seventeen she stayed home alone or La’tia would spend the night. La’tia never cared much about school. It was Kee who did the class projects, completed homework --bringing home the A-B report cards, while La’tia forged hers. La’tia and Kee were completely opposite in character, but always found a way to complement each other. Akeiyla arrived at the grocery store eight minutes late, with her boss covering her shift. “You’re lucky it’s a slow night”, her boss stated interrupting the silence. “I’m sorry”, Kee replied with a dry voice. The walk was further than she anticipated. “Here”, her boss handed her a cup of hot cocoa. “Thank you”, Kee sat down on a stack of newspapers breathing as if she were taking her last breath. When she opened her eyes she saw a magazine rack. Jumping up she hurried to look for the one she had read at the library, “Excuse me”, a female voice spoke “Do you work here?” Akeiyla walked towards the register “Yes, I’m sorry it’s been a slow evening.” The older woman smiled asking “Your hair is pretty, who did it?” “I did ma’am”, Akeiyla answered trying to be polite; it was odd having an older woman compliment her hair style. “My granddaughter would love it, how much do you charge?” Akeiyla loved doing hair, but it was never for the public. She usually did hers and La’tias’, but she never got paid for it. “I’ll do it for thirty-five”, Akeiyla quickly answered forgetting the woman was standing there waiting for a price, “Ok, do you have a number?” Searching around the register Akeiyla grabbed an old receipt and gave the lady her phone number. “I will give you a call after I talk to my granddaughter”, the old woman said while grabbing her loaf of bread off the counter. “Ok”, Kee added walking back to the magazine rack. After finding the magazine, Akeiyla wrote down the website for the cosmetology school. A few hours had passed before her boss decided to close up the store. “We might as well go on home, the weather is getting worse”, he said flipping the open sign to closed. Akeiyla clocked out and grabbed her jacket, preparing for the winter winds she would have to battle during the walk home. “Would you like a ride home?” her boss asked. He was a cool guy and did not mind helping someone when he knew they needed it”. “If it’s not a problem”, Kee answered, “Not at all, just show me the way.”.......................
Posted on: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 00:04:06 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015