Scorn of Secrets

by B Truly

  When she gets to F, the same girl answers to Sonya Foster. A G name is called, and then Madison Guillory.

  “Here.” I raise my hand quickly. Ms. Perez continues roll. Justin Jenkins is not long after, followed by the other dude, Travis Langston.

  “Okay, clase. Everyone will need to pick a Spanish name that you want to go by. The name you choose will be the one that you are addressed by. I’ll give you five minutes to think of a name. Also, have a back-up in case someone chooses the name you picked. We will go down each row and you’ll say out loud what you’ve decided.”

  I remember that clase means class in Spanish.

  Justin leans forward again. “What are you going with?”

  “I’m not sure. What name are you choosing?”

  “Diego. Kinda makes me think of the cartoon with the song, ‘Go Diego, Go.’”

  I grin. “Well, I’ll go with Dora, then.”

  He chuckles softly. “I like it.”

  Our row wins the toss up, so we get to go first. Justin and I get the names we discussed. Silly, but it makes me feel like we’re a team. Spanish II flies by. The entire period, I am well aware of Justin’s presence behind me. When class ends, I head to the hallway. Justin walks behind me.

  “Need help finding your next class, Madison?” asks Travis.

  “I know where it is. Thanks for offering.” I have a vague idea of where it is. With the way Justin is scowling at Travis, I don’t dare say otherwise. I’d sworn they were homies when Travis first sat down. Maybe not.

  “Hey, Justin,” another female classmate speaks, flipping her hair.

  “What’s up?” Justin says, and then he directs his attention to me. Her lips poke out. “Madison, what class do you have next?”

  “Science, on the north side.”

  “I’ll catch you in 6th period basketball,” Travis relays to Justin.

  Teammates, then.

  “All right, man,” Justin replies. Travis grins at me before heading off. Justin cuts his eyes to the ceiling. “You sure you know which way to go?”

  “I—”

  “Hey, babe!” A girl cuts me off, nearly pushing me outta the way.

  His fan club is getting ridiculous. The fangirl rubs Justin’s arm, beaming at him. Getting a good look at her, I gulp, taking a step back. The chick is gorgeous. She’s tall and slender, rocking an hour-glass figure. She has flawless mocha-colored skin and wavy hair. I can’t stand her. I’m shocked at my ill-will toward her.

  “Hi, Jen.” Justin glances over at me.

  She attempts to block his view, demanding all his attention. Maybe that’s the reason I don’t like her.

  “Madison, are you good?”

  “Yeah, I can find my way.” Before I can add anything else, the girl who sat across from me in Spanish ogling Justin springs in front of me.

  “Hi, I’m Sonya. Aka, Yolanda.”

  “Madison, aka, Dora.”

  “My next class is on the north side, too. We can walk together.” She tugs my arm, for me to go with her. “So, you moved from Louisiana?”

  She had been listening. I was under the impression Sonya didn’t like me from the looks she’d given me in class. I don’t have any friends, though, and she’s extending an olive branch. It won’t hurt to make idle chit-chat. “My sister and I moved from Baton Rouge this summer.”

  “How do you know Justin?”

  “Um, we’re neighbors—live on the same street.”

  Her eyebrows shoot up. “Your folks must be well-off. I heard Royal Oaks is the richest neighbor in Alief.” I don’t respond. “Come on, Madison, I’m dying here. Give me the juice. Are you going out with Justin? He seems into you.”

  My heart skips a beat. “Justin and I are just friends.” It’s true, he’d said so earlier.

  “Oh, good. Well, what about Jackson?”

  Sonya is a trip. She has no problem drilling me. Clearly, her only interest is in the twins. “What about Jackson?”

  “Are you dating him? If you’re their neighbor, then you gotta know him, too.”

  “No, I’m not going out with Jackson, either.” Sonya giggles. Am I missing a joke?

  “So, you live by them, and you’re only their friend?”

  “That’s the gist of it.” She squeals.

  Alrighty then.

  “Do you have any idea how popular those guys are?”

  “I’m beginning to wonder.”

  “They’re two of the most popular boys in the entire school, and definitely the best looking. Justin has played on the Varsity basketball team since his freshman year.”

  “Wow, Justin must be great.”

  “Justin’s better than great. He’s the team’s point guard. I’m sure he’ll get a basketball scholarship. And his brother, oh my, God!” Sonya fans herself. “Jackson’s a legend. He broke several records last year in track.”

  Being such outstanding athletes is impressive. I’m not gonna lie, the twins are eye-candy, but Sonya is majorly jocking them like they’re movie stars. They must be considered Taylor’s celebrities.

  “How well do you know them?”

  “Not well, since I only moved here a couple weeks ago.”

  She narrows her eyes. “Justin seemed friendly with you. Can you give me his number?”

  My lids blink rapidly. “Oh, you’re serious?”

  Sonya nods. “You must have his number.”

  “I’ll try to ask him,” I fib. This is the nice side of me answering. I don’t want her to have Justin’s number. Jackson seems like the type who’d cuss me out if I gave his number without asking, which I don’t have.

  Her face falls. “Okay. We’ll talk later.”

  She rushes away before I can say another word.

  * * *

  The atmosphere simmers with excitement when the final bell rings. My cell phone pings. Yep, I’d told Sonya a flat out lie. Justin is texting me.

  I’ll meet u at Jackson’s truck in about 10 minutes.

  K, I text back.

  At least I made one genuine friend today—Justin. A few other girls were nice. Cara and Lina who I have classes with, and coincidently, they’re friends. We all sat together at lunch.

  The parking lot is jam-packed. Tanya and Jackson are already by his SUV. Jackson is with a crew of his buds, and Tanya’s chatting with two other chicks.

  As I walk in that direction, Justin comes up behind me. “Hey, you ready?”

  “Yeah, I’m all set.” Maybe I’m being self-conscious or paranoid. It just seems like whenever the twins are present, they’re the center of attention. Since I am with them, part of their group, all eyes are gawking at me. A loud gasp catches my attention at 3 o’clock. Whipping my head that way, I see Sonya with her jaw dropped. Justin opens the back door for me. She grows a shade paler.

  Yeah, yeah. I have a closer connection to the Jenkins’ twins than I’d let on. Not that it’s any of her business. I don’t know her from Adam, and there is no way I’m giving her Justin’s number. The thought of Justin talking to another girl is beginning to piss me off. Sighing, I get in Jackson’s truck. Tomorrow, I’m sure I’ll get the third degree in Spanish.

  10

  Harvey Part I

  The next day at school, things start to fall into a routine. Of course, Sonya corners me after Spanish, badgering me with questions about the twins. I don’t give her much to go on, except that they’d offered my sister and me a ride home. When Sonya realizes she isn’t going to drag any more out of me, she finally gives it a rest.

  The weekend flies by quickly. I occupy my time finishing my homework, reading, and surfing the web. I even manage to squeeze in a movie.

  On Sunday, we have another family dinner. I enjoy it, admitting it’s something I am starting to look forward to.

  * * *

  The following week, on Tuesday morning, there is talk about a hurricane coming in. After second period, I pull up the weather app on my cell. Indeed, there is a storm in the Gulf, heading in our direction.
/>   Justin meets up with me before Spanish and we walk together. “Did you hear about the hurricane in the Gulf?” I ask him.

  “Really? I haven’t heard.” Justin looks at his cell, then his eyes grow wide. “They say it’s still up in the air on exactly where it will hit. Let’s hope for the best. Houston has already been hammered two years in a row with floods.”

  “From storms?”

  “Yeah, and they weren’t even hurricanes.”

  “Yikes.”

  By Thursday, Hurricane Harvey is a category 3 and it’s all everyone is talking about. The news states the storm is going to hit close to Corpus Christi tomorrow evening. Houston is going to be on the dirty side. Since we are getting the aftermath, they’re closing school tomorrow.

  When we get home, Jackson trots upstairs, and Justin comes into the kitchen, grabbing a pack of Oreos from the pantry. Mama is waiting for us with a counter full of groceries.

  “Hey, guys. I have you all stocked up for the weekend—water, sandwich meat, chips, snacks—the works. It was a small feat,” Mama greets us. “The grocery store was packed. Houstonians love to blow things out of proportion.”

  Tanya’s eyes bulge. “You’re still leaving on your trip tomorrow?”

  Mama shifts her weight. “Regan got a deal on those tickets to Atlanta. They’re nonrefundable.”

  “But there’s a hurricane heading this way,” Tanya gasps.

  Justin’s eyes dart over to me. I shrug. He doesn’t know Charlotte as well as I do. She’s not about to let anything rain on her parade.

  “The media always exaggerates. I’m sure the storm will blow over. It’s supposed to hit Corpus, anyway,” Mama adds.

  “We’re on the dirty side of it. They even closed school tomorrow.” Tanya crosses her arms, about to argue more just as Regan comes in.

  “Hello, ladies,” he says. Spotting Justin, he directs his attention to him. “I’m about to go to Home Depot for supplies—flashlights and kerosene lamps. Just in case. You want to come with me?”

  “Sure,” Justin replies.

  “Mama, if Regan is getting supplies, then that tells you it could be bad,” Tanya tries again.

  I learned a long time ago there is no sense in arguing with her, once she has made up her mind. There is no way she’s canceling her trip. Tanya is wasting her breath.

  Mama places her hand on her hip. “Regan is only taking precautions. School won’t be in tomorrow, Regan. So, we don’t have to worry about them leaving the house, which is even better.”

  Regan’s brow furrows and Mama jumps in, seeing his expression. “They are all practically adults. They’ll be fine, babe.” Mama rubs his arm.

  The creases in his forehead lessen. “Okay,” Regan agrees. “But Charlotte’s right. We don’t want you guys leaving the house until the storm is over.”

  They don’t have to tell me twice. The school buzz today, along with the media, has me all worked up, preparing for the worst. My fingers are crossed the storm passes us by without causing a fuss.

  Mama and Regan leave the next morning at 6 am for their flight. I sleep in a few extra hours. Before noon it begins to sprinkle, and that is just the onset. When the sky opens, the rain pours—literally not stopping for days. Tanya continues to make snide comments about how she can’t believe mama left us in a hurricane.

  With how she’s been acting since dad died, I can’t say I’m shocked. It hasn’t quite been five months and she’s already living and vacationing with another man. Why should she cancel her plans for us? “We’re all practically adults.” Her words. At least we’re stocked with the essentials—food, water, batteries, and flashlights. If push comes to shove, I’ll have light to read my paperbacks.

  Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans hard. My hometown, Baton Rouge, is located approximately one hundred and thirty-fives miles away from the Big Easy, so we didn’t take the brunt of the blow. With this storm on the dirty side, there are other dangers to worry about other than the lights going out. For now, I start to scroll through the TV stations.

  Justin peeks his head into the media room. “Hi, Madison. What are you watching?”

  “I haven’t decided yet.”

  “Have you heard of the show called, The 100? I’ve been wanting to check it out.”

  “I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never seen it. What’s it about?”

  “It’s a show about a dystopian future. The world hasn’t been inhabited for a hundred years—radiation or something. There is a space station built where the remainder of civilization lives. Earth is supposed to be habitable again, so they’re sending down juveniles to check it out.”

  “Sounds interesting.”

  “I’ve heard it’s really good. You want to watch it with me?”

  “I’ll give it a try.”

  Justin settles in the plush movie chair next to me. I can hear the rain pelting down on the roof. The media room doesn’t have windows, so I can’t see outside. “How bad does it look out there?”

  “It’s raining hard, so you can’t see much—looks like we’re in for a bad one.”

  I cringe. “I pray it doesn’t get worse.”

  The show is intriguing, taking my mind off what we could be in for. Justin makes us some popcorn and he shares his huge bag of skittles. Episode one is over before I know it, and we dive into episode two.

  By the time the third episode is over, the rain is hammering against the roof.

  “Man, this show is the bomb,” Justin says. “But we should probably check the weather station.”

  He tunes in to Channel 13. A lady is giving a play-by-play update. Hurricane Harvey has upgraded to a category 4, hitting just outside of Corpus a few hours ago.

  Jackson comes in the media room, plopping down in a chair. “What’s the weather saying?”

  “Harvey’s made landfall,” Justin tells him.

  “New information from our radar just came in,” the anchor lady informs us. “The way the storm has shifted, it’s closer to Houston, and will be worse than we expected. Houston will be taking on the full wrath of the dirty side. Harvey will turn into a tropical storm as it heads inland, but don’t let the downgrade fool you.” The woman’s eyes grow large. “The forecast states the storm will sit over Houston for several days. Our meteorologist predicts this storm to be worse than Allison. Within the next couple of hours, the weather is going to really get chaotic. It is advised that no one leaves their home.”

  My eyes dart over to Justin. “This doesn’t sound good.”

  Jackson smacks his lips. “The news loves to get a rise outta folks.”

  “That’s the same thing Charlotte said, but I’ve got a bad feeling.” Justin’s brow furrows. “I heard Allison flooded the entire city.”

  “We’ll see. The weather people always get it wrong,” Jackson snorts.

  “The rain is pounding, so I can only imagine how horrible it’s going to get,” I contradict him.

  “I’m still not buying it. I’ll check on you scaredy cats later.”

  Justin shakes his head as his brother leaves. “He’s the hard-headed twin.” We both laugh.

  The episode we’ve been watching is almost over when, wham! A loud bang reverberates through the house, followed by the lights going out. Darkness engulfs the media room. My eyes struggle to adjust.

  “There goes the power,” Justin sighs.

  “I guess it’s time for me to start reading on my tablet while it’s charged. With how it’s pouring, I doubt the lights will be on anytime soon.”

  “You’re probably right. You want to hang out in the game room? I’m gonna play games on my tablet for a bit.”

  “Sounds like a plan. We’ll need to be able to see first.”

  Justin chuckles. “I’ll grab more flashlights and kerosene lamps.”

  Clicking the flashlight on my cell, I go to get my tablet. On the way, I stop by my sister’s bedroom. Her door is cracked. She already has two kerosene lamps burning, and she’s fiddling with her phone.

>   “How’s it going?” I ask.

  “It would be better if the damn lights hadn’t gone out.”

  “I caught a news report earlier. They say the storm has turned and we’re going to get hammered.”

  “Oh, joy.”

  “I’ll be in the game room if you need me.” Tanya doesn’t respond. I shrug, leaving her to her snootiness.

  Justin returns with the lamps, lighting them. “Where’s your big sis?”

  “She’s holed up in her room.” Justin smirks. I can’t help but smile. It seems like Tanya rubs him the wrong way, too.

  “Jackson’s in his room also. Looks like it’s just you and me.”

  He sits on the sofa across from me. I’m more than okay with hanging out with him, although I’ll never admit it out loud. Justin is so easy to talk to. He fires question after question, wanting to know about things I like to eat and do for hobbies. His favorite topic is food—mine, too. We stay on that subject for a while. I enjoy his company and try to ignore the butterflies he causes to tumble in my stomach.

  The wind howls and it’s pouring rain. The thunder and lightning cause me to jump repeatedly. Justin plays games on his phone, while I attempt to read. I can’t really concentrate while the elements of the hurricane are in motion. My thoughts are wary ones, wondering if the storm will be like Allison. I read Allison flooded the whole city.

  Eventually, I end up drifting to sleep. Not sure how long I was out when I’m startled by an ear-splitting roar. Justin and I are both jounced awake. His eyes blink in the dimness. It sounds like a freight train is getting closer to us. My heart hammers as a blaring siren joins in the cacophony, piercing the air.

  Is someone hurt, in need of an ambulance?

  I want to cover my ears as the assembly of noises becomes deafening—the blazing wind, the pounding rain, the freight train, and the siren’s call. “What are those horrendous sounds?”