Josh, wincing in pain, nods at her, mouthing, “Uncle, uncle, uncle.”
Dereck, Rocco, and Jolene laugh hysterically as Skyler’s little legs march over to me. Her lips are puckered with what can only be described as comical rage.
Alexandria gets my attention again. “Serenity, please be good to him. Whatever kind of bitch you may think I am—” She softens, staring at the ground. “But he’s the best person I know.” And just like that, she walks away.
Her walking away is a good thing—Sky has arrived with piss and vinegar.
“What did little Miss Barbie want?”
Dereck’s world is new to me. Not just him but all this school socializing stuff. At the party, everyone stares at us—the new couple. Then it dawns on me that I’m with the hot rich guy that was the goal of most girls here tonight. No wonder I’m getting the stink eye. I want to bury my face in Dereck’s chest—what’s quickly becoming a safe haven for me. Maybe he can already read me.
He leans in and whispers, “Say the word, and we’re gone.”
I smile but jump when I hear a very loud “Rocco!”
Dereck laughs as he puts his arm around me to settle my nerves.
Rocco tilts his head back and yells, “Marcus!”
My eyes almost bug out of my head when this enormous young black man comes around the corner of the outside of the house. Talk about a luscious aura full of yellow. Rocco is elated as he runs and chest-bumps the guy. The two sound like trucks colliding at full speed.
Marcus must have thirty pounds and a couple of inches on Rocco. He proudly shakes hands with Josh. “My El Ca-pee-ton!” Then he kisses Jolene’s cheek. “And his better half.”
Rocco gestures. “Marcus, meet Skyler and Serenity.”
Marcus grins at Dereck and love-smacks his face. “My man, Pretty Boy. What’s up?” Then he eyes the little one standing before him. “So, this is Skyler.”
She peers up. “Marcus, you have got to be the biggest black man I have ever seen.”
Josh spits out his Sprite.
Marcus laughs freely. He’s a cool cat and responds as Rocco probably would’ve. “And you have got to be the smallest little white girl I’ve ever seen.”
Apparently, Marcus is already winning Skyler’s heart. With his energetic light, this doesn’t surprise me. She gets a huge smile on her face—until we hear the thick accent again.
“Hello, Marcus. I’m Sonia—Rocco’s date.”
Sky rolls her eyes at Marcus as if they are already tight and he should totally understand her disliking the Spanish goddess.
Roc jolts, seeming surprised to see Sonia. “Oh, damn, yes. You’re still here.” Then he cautiously gazes at Marcus, readjusting on his feet. “Um, Marcus, this is, um, Sonia, my… uh… date?”
Roc winces as Marcus instantly raises a brow.
Sky mutters, “Tell ’em, Marcus.”
Marcus shakes his head. “Whooee. The webs we weave.” He shakes Sonia’s hand. “Nice to meet you.” Then he gives a quizzical stare to Rocco. “And what are you doing on this date?”
The Wise Ones burst out laughing. Sky throws her arms around Marcus’s waist. Marcus accepts the embrace while making another dig at Roc. “Lil’ Mama here just wants you to keep it real. Fool!”
I smile. If Marcus knows Sky’s nickname, Roc is talking about her.
“Marcus, will you marry me?”
Rocco screams, “What?”
Skyler ignores him—and so does Marcus. “Yes, and I’ll treat you right, girl.” Then he eyes me with a smirk. “And this must be why Dereck’s taking the torment in the locker room so well. The team’s been brutal since they heard Pretty Boy is off the market. Nice to meet you, Serenity.” He holds Sky with one arm and reaches to shake my hand with the other. Needless to say, his hand dwarfs mine.
Jolene asks Marcus, “Where’s your main squeeze?”
“Oh, she blew up on me and ditched me for the night. Something about ‘couth’ and learning to ‘beat around the bush.’ I don’t know.”
Skyler squeezes him. “I happen to like your style, Marcus.”
“I is what I is.”
Rocco stomps his enormous foot. “That’s my line!”
Marcus’s paw rests on Sky’s angel hair. “And your girl. Whatcha gonna do about it, Tiny?” Marcus grins as if waiting for Rocco’s next move.
Dereck quickly pulls Sky out of the way—he seems to know what’s coming.
The deck shakes as the monster-men play-wrestle over who will win Sky. She looks up at Dereck, gesturing at the massive collisions. “I cause this kind of ruckus wherever I go.”
“Don’t doubt it for a second.” Dereck wraps an arm around each Shorty. “Wanna meet some peeps?”
Sky studies the wreckage. “Yeah, I don’t want to witness Roc getting his ass kicked by my new Boo.”
In a headlock, Rocco says, “Have him right where I want him, Lil’ Mama.”
Sky winks. “I’ll be back, Marc of love.”
Marcus lands a playful elbow to Rocco’s rib. “I’ll be here waiting, Vanilla Latte.”
Leaving the mayhem behind, we walk up to a couple of guys across the trembling deck. Dereck says, “Hey, I would like you jokers to meet Serenity and Skyler.”
“Damn, D, where’d you find these beauties?” one guy responds.
Dereck says, “Now you see Josh’s reservations about introducing you to his friends?”
“Oh, these are the infamous Shorties,” the other guy says.
I guess Josh does talk about us.
The first guy says, “Dereck, you can’t have them both. So, which one’s up for discussion?”
“Neither.”
Dereck glances over his shoulder at the one who has just spoken. Josh is eyeing the two guys.
They laugh. “Ca-pee-ton, we’re just playin’…”
Dereck chuckles and walks us away as the guys plead their case to protective Joshy Poo.
I see some familiar murky grays—students from my school—and know Monday is going to be… interesting? While Sky and I talk with some people Dereck has introduced us to, two girls who normally call Sky and me lesbos—every day—walk up, acting as if we’re friends.
“Hi, Serenity, Skyler. How are you?”
As soon as Skyler hears that voice that terrorizes our school days, her body tenses.
Dereck seems so excited to meet anyone I know, he doesn’t catch her reaction. “Hi, I’m Dereck.” He holds out his hand, but when Sky turns into him, as she would have me had I been next to her, Dereck puts his arm around her. He whispers, “What’s wrong?”
My poor Sky doesn’t answer but retreats, hiding her face under his arm. He observes her and slowly raises his menacing eyes to face the two usually rude girls.
They say, “Nice to meet you, Dereck,” and they skedaddle.
His jaw clicks. “Serenity, are they mean to you two?”
I look away. No answer.
Sky peers back up at Dereck. “Can we go to Jolene now?”
His eyes instantly soften. “Of course. Let’s go.”
I hate those people for making my sparkly, brilliant friend… afraid. This is supposed to be our night. I wish people understood the lasting effects when being so cruel. They think it’s harmless fun. It’s not. It’s calculatingly cold. And their light pays a hefty price.
As we approach the Crew, Josh and Jolene’s posture changes as they study Sky. Josh’s eagle eyes race to Dereck’s. “What happened?”
Sky goes to Jolene’s open, waiting arms.
Josh grasps my chin. “Damn, you’re mad.” He glances back at Dereck, waiting for an answer.
Dereck’s jaw is tight again. “Are people mean to them at their school?”
Rocco walks u
p with a Coke in his hand. “What’s wrong?”
Sonia observes Sky then tugs on Roc. “Rocco, let’s go.”
Rocco starts pulling from her grip until he sees Skyler getting more upset, burying herself further into Jolene’s embrace. “Shit. Uh, okay. Let’s go.”
Maybe he doesn’t want to make things worse. He silently fist bumps with Dereck and Josh then turns away.
A Spanish accent echoes as they depart. “Where to now, Rocco Martelli?”
“Oh, it’s not time to take you home yet?”
Josh appears to be deep in thought now that our secret is out, so I say, “It’s not a big deal.” I don’t want to discuss the abuse that takes place at school—too tired of it all. I lean against Dereck’s arm, hoping he’ll catch on.
He takes hold of my hand and shoots Josh an expression I can’t read. “Yeah, we’re going to kick it.”
Josh nods then does some sort of handshake with Dereck. I’ve never seen Josh do that before. I kiss Josh goodbye.
He says, “Love you, baby.”
I only nod. Those girls really sucked the wind from my sails.
Dereck and I walk over to Sky, who is still being comforted by Jolene’s light. Dereck rests his hand on her back. “Sky? You want me to take you home? Or are you staying with Serenity tonight?”
She attempts a smile and looks at me. I tap my nose. She inhales then shakes her head at Dereck. I kiss her goodbye, then Jolene.
As Dereck and I walk away, I hear, “Can I stay with you guys tonight?”
Jolene answers, “Let’s stay with Josh. My mom’s boyfriend is over.”
Josh, doing what he always does, attempts to lighten the mood. “Oh, Skyler. I can show you my new fish in my tank!”
My Sky is returning to normal. “Second thought, I might just go home.”
“Smart-ass.” I’m sure Josh is smirking.
Chapter Eleven
Sweet, Sweet Freak
The drive home is quiet. Yesterday, Dereck learned that I’m living with some sort of dysfunction at my house. Tonight he has learned that at school, I deal with bullies. What am I doing to this guy? Even though I’m physically tired and already mentally drained with what I might have in store tonight, I still can’t let the unknown eat away at Dereck any longer.
“My mom is an alcoholic.”
Dereck stays quiet.
“A binge drinker. She doesn’t drink all the time, but when she does, it pretty much disrupts the household.”
He nods but keeps driving in silence.
“I love her but…” I have an incredible urge to say more, but I guess some habits are hard to break. “That’s all I can talk through right now.”
After a moment, he simply says, “Thank you, Serenity.”
I don’t know if Dereck meant “Thank you for letting me in” or “Thank you for giving me answers, so my imagination can stop running wild.” Either way, he expresses more kindness instead of interrogating me, which warms my heart.
His headlights reflect off my house—a pitch-black hole. He parks his truck and turns the engine off. Silence echoes. Dereck leans against his steering wheel as he stares at the empty breezeway. I have to admit, my dad not being home is sometimes a relief. I don’t enjoy being alone when my mother drinks, but Father’s explosions make it worse. Dereck faces me while he leans his arms over the steering wheel. I can sense his brain searching for an avenue I don’t want to travel.
“Dereck, please… don’t.”
He nods.
Somehow, since meeting Dereck, my reading of energies has become stronger. Not to mention, confusing visions have been added to the list of my odd abilities. So when, in my peripheral vision, I see a light forming around Dereck, I almost don’t want to look. I’m not sure if learning of another gift—taking me further from the hope of ever being normal—is something that may be too unsettling. But slowly, the warmth of the light gives me the courage, so I face him.
As with the visions, Dereck seems unaware of what I see happening around him. A moving glow—like one hovering around the sun—radiates from him. A mostly white glow with light-blue, violet accents makes him look part angel. I can feel and see the glow illuminating my face. My eyes fill with tears as I witness Dereck’s true beauty—his soul.
I will never be the same.
“Serenity, I want to be with you… and when I say that… I mean in every way.”
My tears fall.
Dereck is quiet entering my home. He stays behind as if to guard me from something he can’t see but senses. I turn on lights while walking through the house, looking for Mom. Entering the kitchen, I find her unconscious on the floor—in her own urine. Dereck runs around me to help her. I don’t panic. No, I revert to my all-too-familiar numb mode. I silently reach under her arms to start the grueling process of putting my mother to bed. Dereck stops moving, observing me.
Soon, his eyes close, and his head tilts to the sky. “Oh my God.”
“He’s not here during these times.” I begin pulling on her frail body but slip on the fluid surrounding her. Not even the wetness soaking into my jeans wakes me from my trance. The only thing that pulls me into the now is Dereck scooping up my mother into his arms. Shame rips through me. I whisper, “No.”
Readjusting her catatonic form, Dereck says, “What did I tell you in the truck?”
“Together.” I can already see his T-shirt dampening. “I’m sorry, Dereck.”
“Look at me.”
I do.
“This is nothing a shower won’t fix. I have extra clothes in my truck.”
I swallow. “Her room is up the stairs to the right.”
Following my boyfriend while he carries my intoxicated mother up the stairs is a low point for me. But even in her condition, Dereck treats her with respect. He lays her down on the towel I placed on her bed. “I’ll go get my clothes from my truck to give you privacy in handling her.”
Mortification ripples through my heart and prevents my eyes from meeting his. “Thank you, Dereck.”
“Don’t mention it.” His shirt sticks to him as he walks away.
Oh, Mom…
After taking care of her, I can’t fathom cleaning myself before tending to Dereck. As I come down the stairs, he’s reentering my home with fresh clothes in hand. Seeing him still wet makes me ill with humiliation.
Without an ounce of pride, I say, “I’ll get you a towel for your shower,” and I head toward the downstairs bathroom.
He quickly follows. “Serenity, please don’t worry. I’m not judging you.”
I reach in the bathroom closet then place the towel on the countertop. Dereck keeps placing his face in front of me so I’ll look at him, but I refuse.
“Please don’t shut me out. I know this is their mess.”
I stop and stare at him, hoping he means this.
“Yes, this is their mess that you’re forced to be a part of.” He steps closer with hungry hands. “Baby Doll, I want to hold you but—” He glances at his shirt and smirks. “Well, you at least know I’m not just trying to get in your pants.”
I don’t know how he can snatch me from such a dark place, but he does. I smile, shaking my head in disbelief.
“Take a shower, you sweet, sweet freak.” I walk out of the bathroom in amazement at his never-ending consideration.
I quickly rinse off in my shower, dress in fresh clothes, and begin scrubbing the kitchen floor.
Dereck comes around the corner. “Hey, I put my clothes in your washer.” Even with his hair still wet and straggly, he’s a sight for sore eyes.
Me? On all fours, looking like a peed-on Cinderella.
I must appear comical because when Dereck gets an eyeful, he bursts out laughing. “That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever seen.”
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I can’t help laughing with him. This laugh is such a release, it grows and grows.
I try to breathe. “Whoa, I needed that.”
“Not as much as you need a shower.”
“Shut up!” We start laughing all over again.
Bending over in hysterics, he says, “I’m sorry, but I’m clean now, so I can pick on ya.”
My laughing stops instantly when I hear my dad’s truck pull up in the breezeway. I stare at Dereck like a deer in the headlights about to be run down by an eighteen-wheeler.
With a look of alarm, he asks, “Are you afraid of your dad?”
No. Father.
The front door slams.
I gasp with a jolt.
Dereck has his fists up, preparing to hit someone. I whisper, “No, Dereck—”
“Serenity!” Father booms.
I jump again. “In the kitchen.”
Father suddenly fills the kitchen’s side entrance with his intimidating form. “What the hell is going on? I said no more late-night visits.” Dark mist circles his head as my merry-go-round begins. I know Dereck can’t see me moving, or my father’s mist, but he appears to sense it. Father eyes Dereck’s aggressive posture. “You froggin’ me, boy? Gettin’ ready to leap?”
I yell, “No,” trying to breathe. I don’t want Dereck to get hurt. “No, he’s not.” My body yells from the floor. “You just spooked me—I-I didn’t expect you to come home. Dereck was helping me get Mom to bed.”
Dereck’s stance and fists are not backing up my story. He stares at Father while something stirs in him. Another unspoken energy of “sizing each other up” is taking place. I can’t hear it, but I can sense and see it.
Father points. “Why the hell is his hair wet?”
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