“Sure.”
I sat across from her and hoped she would look up again so I could see her eyes.
“What?” she kept looking down.
“Nothing I just wish, I mean, I just want to see your eyes again if you don’t mind.”
“It’s nothing special.”
“It is to me, it makes me happy seeing how beautiful your eyes are.”
“Are you gay?”
“Oh no sorry, I guess I am talking too much, but I love things that are different. I’m different.”
“How?”
“I don’t fit in.”
“That is a choice because you can fit in just fine; you don’t have anything that would make people laugh at you, well except for the way you dress.”
“What is wrong with the way I dress?” I said as I looked at my clothes.
“It’s like you trying to cover something.”
“Yeah I don’t want anybody to judge me based on my body.”
“What is wrong with your body?”
“I just don’t want any attention on me,” she looked at me weird.
“You’re weird.”
“I know.” I giggled alone, “So what are you doing after school?”
“Nothing.”
“Do you want to hang out with me?” I asked.
“No not really.”
“Come on it will be fun.”
“Why me?”
“Because I think you’re cool.”
“What are you trying to do?”
“I don’t know; anything.”
“Mmm, whatever.”
“So that’s a yes?”
“Sure.”
“Ok cool, where do you want to meet me at?”
“I don’t know.”
“We can meet at the bathroom.”
“Sure.”
“Ok cool, I am happy you’re coming to hang out with me,” she said nothing as I went to the bathroom and called my dad.
“Hey sugar.”
“Daddy I finally asked the girl with the blue eyes to hang out with me after school and she said yes.”
“That’s good, but sweetie I am at work I have to go.”
“No daddy wait, where should we go?”
“I’m not sure sweetie pie. Ask your mother, I am sure she has something interesting for you to do.”
“Oh yeah I guess I can ask her.”
“Ok sweetie pie, talk to you later. Love you.”
“I love you too,” I took a deep breath and called my mother, “Hey mommy.”
“Hey sweetie everything ok?”
“Umm yeah, I was just calling you because I’m hanging with my new friend after school today and I don’t know what to do as far as something fun that we can both do together.”
“Umm, I think since you guys are hanging out after school, you should grab something to eat then maybe some ice cream for dessert. Then after that you should go to the park.”
“That sounds good, thank you mommy.”
“You’re welcome sweetie. Do you need any money?”
“No I have a credit card from dad.”
“Ooh, look at you with a credit card,” she said jokingly.
“I am grown mommy and I need it and plus my car constantly needs gas.”
“I know baby, please have fun and be safe.”
“I will, bye mommy.”
I hung up and went to my next class wondering how it would go with Reggae. I was hoping school would go by fast so I could hang with this mysterious girl. The final bell finally rang and I rushed to the bathroom to wait for her; to my surprise she was there waiting for me.
“Hey!”
“I didn’t go to my last class, I just didn’t feel like it,” she said with a blank expression the whole time.
“Oh ok, so you’re ready?”
“I guess.”
We walked side by side towards my car and she looked at my Lexus with surprise.
“This is your car?”
I pressed the unlock button on my car remote, “Yup ,my daddy got it for me because the bus left me one day and for a few hours, I got lost walking home.”
“You got lost?”
“Yup, I was running late to catch the bus, the bus driver left, so I had to walk home.”
“Do you live around here?”
“Yeah.”
“How did you get lost then, don’t you ride the bus every day to school and back?”
“Yes, I guess but I never paid attention, I have always had my earphones in my ears with my eyes close or reading something.”
“Oh,” she said.
“So tell me if this sounds good. What I have planned today is first we can go eat, then get some ice cream and then off to the park.”
“Sounds fun, what kind of park?”
“Amusement Park.”
“Cool.”
“Do you need me to take you to your house to tell your mom first?”
“She’s at work and she doesn’t get off until really late.”
“Oh cool, I wish my mother worked so I wouldn’t see her face a lot.”
“I wish I could see my mother more and less of my stepfather.”
“She might have a lot of bills to pay.”
“Not really, my dad pays our bills and he doesn’t even live with us. I think she just works too hard to make her fiancé happy because all he ever wanted from her is money, I think that is the only reason he is still with her.”
“That may not be true.”
“No it is, but it’s ok because I’ve accepted it.”
“Where would you like to go eat?”
“I don’t care.”
“How about we go to the Cheesecake Factory?”
“Sure,” she was quiet the whole way there. We got to Cheesecake Factory and the clerk in front told us there was a wait to be seated. I wanted to know more about her while we were waiting, so I asked.
“So tell me something about you?”
“There is really nothing special about me.”
“Sure there is.”
“Like what?”
“Like what you like to eat, your favorite color, just stuff like that.”
“Oh, I like to eat Italian food.”
“So do I, it’s really good.”
“And my favorite color is blue.”
“Awww just like your eyes.”
“That was not why I chose blue, it’s just because I feel blue all the time.”
“Oh.”
At that point I wanted to play it cool on getting to know her more. We were seated and as our waitress came, we ordered food and ate in near silence. I decided to break the silence and ask her a few basic questions in which she gave me basic answers. We left the restaurant to get ice cream right before we headed to the park. The car ride was silent. We got to the park, walked around and then we came across the Go Carts.
“Come on, let’s ride the Go Carts.”
“I don’t know,” she said not too interested.
“Come on it will be fun!”
She walked with me to the Go Carts without saying a word. We were riding and she finally loosened up a bit when I hit her from the back. She was beginning to get the hang of it and then she started enjoying herself. I finally saw her smile which made me smile.
“Come on Reggae you about to be last!”
“Ok I am coming!”
She drove faster and then smiled to show off her straight teeth which looks nice on her. Our time was up but I wanted to go again and she wanted too also. We rode the Go Carts four times, and then the workers started giving us attitude.
“Ok let’s do something else,” I said.
“Ok cool, this is fun.”
“I know right.”
“Let’s go water shooting in that boat!”
“Oh no, so you could wet my hair? I just got it done.”
“That’s the point, come on,” she said rushing towards the water boat.
“Of course you want to do this because
your hair is curly.”
“No I just love water and I am never afraid to wet my hair.”
“I know you’re not. Your hair is curly and is going to stay curly while mine will nap up.”
“Don’t worry Miss Dramatic, I’m really good at doing hair, I will help you with yours if it gets nappy.”
“Ok, fair enough.”
We ran to the boat and waited in line for a few minutes and Reggae looked anxious to get in the boat.
“I can see you can’t wait to get in this water.”
“I can’t, I love water.”
“You must know how to swim.”
“I’m like a fish in the water.”
“Ok fish, try not to get in this water, stay in your boat so they won’t kick us out!”
We both laughed as we walked to get on the boat. I put my hoodie on still trying to protect my hair.
“Come on take it off! Enjoy the water.”
“We can’t get in and I can’t swim anyways.”
“What?”
“I know, I was never taught.”
“You’re missing out on a lot if you don’t know how to swim. Swimming is a good way to block out everything and it feels good to get lost in the water.”
“I need you to teach me how to swim then.”
“Ok will do.”
The workers gave us the go ahead as I ran away from Reggae who was ready to spray me and everybody else. She was happy which made me happy, I had never seen her like this before. I loved it, it felt so warm inside seeing her happy. I hoped she stayed this way because she was way more beautiful when she wears a smile instead of her face being hard as a rock.
“Come on Ella act like you know how to shoot!”
“I can’t when I’m being drowned by you.”
“Fight back, fight back!”
“Ok.”
I started shooting her with my water gun as she raised her hands and head up to the sky and embraced it with a smile. I kept shooting knowing she was enjoying it and she didn’t shoot back.
“Ahhhh, this feels so good.”
“You gonna fight back!”
“I will!”
She jumped off her boat and into mine. We both landed in the water. I panicked as I held on to her, then I realized the water wasn’t deep.
“You’re crazy,” I said smiling as she laughed while everybody looked at us in surprise.
We messed up big time; one of the workers was walking towards us clearly fuming.
“I know, I love being in the water,” she said ignoring the fact that we were about to be banned.
“I can tell and now we don’t have a change of clothes.”
“Hey come on, you got to go,” the employee said.
“Ok”
“You are not supposed to jump in and pull somebody else in with you,” the employee said.
“She’s my friend and I was trying to teach her how to swim,” she said with a smirk on her face.
“Wrong place ma’am, I’m sorry but you guys are banned from this park,” he said as we finally got out of the water.
“Ok thank you!” she said as we both walked out.
“Oh my God you are crazy.”
“I know and I know you haven’t done that before.”
“Nope never.”
“Now you have and I can’t believe they kicked us out of the park.”
“I know right. But now I can teach you how to swim and I can redo your hair.”
“Sounds good.”
She guided me to a park where I saw one of the biggest pools ever. I panicked knowing she was going to make me get in the water or force me in like she did before.
“This pool is huge!”
“I know; I come here almost every day to swim.”
“Cool.”
“Now you’re about to learn to swim.”
“Today?”
“Why not? Look, it’s very easy to learn how to swim. The first step is you trusting me and the water to help you stay up. And you got to trust yourself and relax your body so it can float freely,” she said as she took off her clothes.
“That shouldn’t be hard.”
“It won’t be, so come on let’s get started.”
“Oh no, I don’t have a bathing suit.”
“Do you have a bra and underwear on underneath?
“Of course.”
“Ok, take off all your clothes and let’s get started.”
“Ok.” I took off all my clothes to display my body.
“Oh wow, you have a nice body and a nice shape to be wearing a lot of clothes like a big girl!” she laughed.
“I know but I don’t want any attention from anybody at school, I just want to stay low key like I have been for the last three years I’ve been there.”
“I don’t blame you, those people are crazy.”
“They are.”
“Now come on!”
I slowly walked in the water where she was floating. She gave me instructions on how to swim and I failed miserably. She was very patient with me and we took it one step at a time but I didn’t accomplish anything that day, so we left and went to her house where there were kids running up and down asking where she had been with a grown man sleeping on the couch.
“Reggae, where have you been?”
“None of your business, now have y’all eaten already?”
“Yeah we ate the Chinese food you left in the fridge and the Oreo cookies.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah, Ron said we should go get our own food.”
“Of course he did, come on, let me make y’all some sandwiches,” she said as three of her brothers surrounded her in the kitchen.
“Who is she Blue?”
“Mind your business.”
“Hi my name is Ella, nice to meet y’all.”
“You so cute Ella,” the older brother said.
“Thank you,” I replied with a smile.
“No problem and you should come on by more often and spend some time so you can get to know me,” he said as I laughed.
“Quit flirting with your young ass, you are too young for her,” Reggae said.
“I’m 13.”
“Exactly now go sit down while I bring y’all the food. Where is Hope?”
“She’s in the room.”
“Go get her to come eat.”
“I don’t think she wants to come out, she was waiting for you to play with her then she cried and went to her room when you didn’t show up after school.”
“I am grown, I can do whatever I want,” she said as she put their sandwiches on the table. “I’m going to start making you guys a snack in the morning so that ya father won’t be starving you guys on the days I will be coming home late from school” she said as I stood in the corner to give them their space.
“So you’re planning to not be coming home after school?”
“I don’t know, just in case this happens again you guys will have something to eat before I get home and clean up this mess you guys made in the kitchen when you are done.”
“Ok,” the oldest one said.
“Come with me,” she said as we went to her room where her little sister was sitting in her doll house sad.
“What’s wrong Hope?”
“I wanted you to play with me and you weren’t here.”
“Why didn’t you play with your brothers?”
“They didn’t want to play with me.”
“I’m sorry baby. I want you to meet my friend Ella.”
“Hi,” she glanced at me once then back to Reggae.
“How old are you?” I said as I got closer.
“I’m four.”
“You are so beautiful,” I said as she said nothing.
“What are you supposed to say?” Reggae said.
“Thank you,” Hope said.
“Oh you’re welcome.”
“I’m going to play with you when I’m done with her hair ok?”
“Ok.”
; We went to their bathroom where she styled my hair even better than how I had it before.
“Oh my, this is really good.”
“I know.”
“Girl you are really good at this, I love it.”
“I know that too,” she smiled as I hugged her.
“Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.”
I reached in my pocket and pulled out forty dollars, “Here thank you for fixing my hair.”
“Oh no thanks, I can’t charge you to do your hair and don’t ever hand me no money again.”
“But you need to be paid for doing such a great job.”
“I know but you are considered my friend now and I wouldn’t take anything from you.”
“No seriously, please take it. My dad is just going to give me more money anyways.”
“No Ella, thank you.”
“Ok if you say so. I got to go now before my mother starts calling me.”
“Ok.”
“How are you getting to school tomorrow?” I asked as she walked me out.
“I’m taking the bus.”
“We can ride together in my car every day to school if you want to.”
“Ok.”
“See you tomorrow morning then,” I gave her another hug and waved to her brothers and Hope.
“Call me,” the oldest one said.
“In your dreams,” Reggae said as I giggled at both of them.
I got home and told my dad what happened as my mom was in the kitchen cooking.
“I’m happy you had a good time today sweetie pie.”
“Thank you daddy and I might not be coming home at the regular times because Reggae is going to be teaching me how to swim.”
“Oh, sounds like fun.”
“So that’s ok right?”
“Of course just let us know.”
“I’m letting you know right now just in case I forgot to tell you.”
“Sure Ella, now go clean up and your mom is almost done cooking; and your hair looks different.”
“Yeah Reggae did it.”
“Hmm she is pretty good.”
“I know,” I smiled as I walked to my room to take a shower and get dressed for dinner.
“So how was your day?” my mother asked.
“It was fun.”
“That’s good honey and your hair looks nice, you redid it?”
“Yeah Reggae did it for me.”
“That was nice of her.”
I finished my food and then went to my room as my dad screamed for me to make sure I did my homework.
“I will!”
I finished my homework and went straight to bed looking forward to seeing Reggae the next day. I packed my bathing suit in case we were to go swimming.
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