by N. Phillips
“No, it’s not. My life has been hard since you’ve been gone, but all you want to do is fight invisible creatures and accuse people of being corrupted with sin. Not once did you ask me how I was doing when I visited. Other than that one time you were worried about Tyler, not once did you ask how any of the other band members were handling Val’s death. No, you just came out the hospital the exact way you went in, self-centered.”
He words removed all conscious thoughts in my mind, and I reacted in anger by smacking him with as much force as I could muster. His face snapped to the side, and a red print formed on his cheek. I covered my mouth with my hand in disbelief right after.
“Lucas, I’m sorry, I—”
“It’s alright. We can just sit here and say nothing to each other.”
I faced the front of the window, speechless, depressed, and angry with myself. It was as if my beliefs were wrong and unjust. That everything I tried to stand for was pointless.
I was hesitant to look back at him. Seeing the mark that I created on his face was almost too much to bear. But after a few minutes of silence, I leaned over and rested my head on his arm. “I’m sorry, Lucas. I don’t know what to do anymore, and I feel so lonely.”
“You’re not alone. I’m sorry for pushing you away, Ali. I’ll try harder to understand you. I just want us to live comfortably and be happy, that’s all. I can care less about the fame or the money. I only wanna be in a position where I can take care of you and have my life in order.”
I lifted my head to kiss his bottom lip while gazing into his eyes. “Okay. I want to be happy with you, too. That’s all I ever wanted. To live in a peaceful world and be with the one I love the most.”
We learned in for a heartfelt kiss, our hands caressing each other as the passionate moment turned into a steamy occasion. I was happy to push away the negative thoughts in my mind and enjoy the jubilant experience I shared with him.
CHAPTER 6
After Lucas drove away, I walked to the front of my house when an alarming presence was sensed behind me. I turned and scrutinized a man whose attire consisted of a white-collar shirt with navy-blue slacks that matched his shoes and tie.
“Aliyah Dawn. Just the person I was looking for.”
“Who are you?”
He flashed a badge in his wallet. “I’m Agent Grant. I was assigned to investigate the incident that occurred at Ravenvale High School two months ago. Now that you’ve recovered from your condition, I would like to ask you some questions.”
I slid my fingers into my pocket and took out my keys. “I don’t remember anything that happened. Sorry.”
“You’re lying.”
And he’d know that, how?
“Um, can you leave me alone? Seriously.”
“For now. But answer me this: where were you yesterday evening around nine o’clock? I had stopped by, but you weren’t home.”
What a persistent asshole.
“Uh, at a party. What does that have to do with anything?”
“A party, you say? Interesting, because the body of a young man was found last night just a few blocks away from a party in Pelham Bay.”
My heart thumped in my chest. I fumbled with the key before inserting it into the lock. “I didn’t know that. Have a good day, sir.”
“You too, Aliyah. You too.”
Opening the door, I scurried inside to the unnerving sounds of my parents arguing in the kitchen.
“Mom, Dad, what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that I’m upset with your father for registering you for school so quickly,” my mom said. “You’re moving too fast in your recovery.”
“Marie, you shouldn’t prevent Aliyah from having a life outside of her family. She’s a big girl; she can handle it.”
“Mom, I—”
“And that’s not all,” she interrupted in a solemn tone. “We know you’re still suffering from the effects of Valeria’s death. And is Lucas cheating on you?”
Whoa, that question came out of nowhere.
“Uh, what are you talking about?”
“You might think this was a little extreme, but your father and I placed audio recorders in your room as a means of listening to you in case there was something you wouldn’t tell us.”
I could feel my forehead wrinkle at my mother’s confession. My jaw dropped and my body stiffened with tension. “You did what? Am I on suicide watch now? Or do you think I actually tried to kill my best friend? Unbelievable. I can’t believe you’d go that far.”
“No, it’s to make sure you’re alright and not suffering from any aftereffects,” my dad told me. “And while you were outside with Lucas, we listened to the recording from last night. Aliyah, we’re worried about you.”
“You can’t invade my privacy like that,” I shouted at him. “This is so damn unfair.”
“Watch your tone and your words, young lady,” my mom demanded. “Tomorrow, you’ll go to school and come straight home. No other activities. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal,” I replied before walking up the stairs to my room. Outside of her own room door was my sister tying up her black hair with a frown on her face.
“Hey, everything cool?” I asked. “Love the braids, by the way.”
“No, everything is not cool. For the past month and a half, all this family did was talk about you. Fight about you. It was like you were here the entire time you were gone.”
The animosity in her voice was clear. Had I known she was feeling this way, I would’ve went in her room last night and spoken with her.
“Mya, trust me, I’m not trying to be the center of attention.”
“Are you sure? Cause it seems to me like you’re so special and everyone cares about what you’re doing and how you’re feeling. Mom and Dad missed my theater audition and my art showcase because they were either visiting you in the hospital or too busy shopping for supplies for your luxurious bedroom. One that you took upon yourself to move into after Noel died, might I add. Do you wanna see mine in comparison? Mine doesn’t look that fancy.”
Mya’s glassy eyes made me step toward her in a consoling manner. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you felt that way.”
“Well, I do,” she said, neglecting my advance and walking into her room. I stood outside her door as she continued. “It’s always been like this. When Noel was alive, he was the favorite. And now that you’re back, all of the attention in the house is going to you. My freshmen year has even gone to shit because of you. Other kids in the school only wanna talk to me to ask if I know what happened to you on the roof that day. That’s it. They don’t care about me, and all you care about is your damn self.”
Wincing at the sound of Mya’s door slamming shut, I came to the realization that I may indeed be vain and self-obsessed. I mean, I had to be, right? Everyone seemed to be telling me that today, and unfortunately for me, a familiar demon waited inside my room to convince me I was.
The next morning was the worst. I had spent most of the night going back and forth with the demon and finding the devices my parents hid in my room. Not even all of the makeup I applied to my facial features in the bathroom mirror could mask my restless face.
A knock on the bathroom door startled me. “Hurry up, your sister’s already downstairs waiting,” my mom said. I checked out my outfit one last time to make sure everything was on point, and it damn sure was. The new black and purple Nikes that my dad had brought me while I was in the hospital looked good on my feet, and they worked well with my black jeans, purple shirt, and gray leather jacket.
Despite how much I was gonna kill it in the looks department, I couldn’t help but feel nervous about how my peers would treat me on my first day back. I mean, they all think Valeria tried to kill me, which is insane to consider because something like that would never happen. We weren’t exactly popular in Ravenvale High, but a good portion of the students knew who we were, and they should’ve known Val would never attempt to harm me or anyone else.
> Taking a deep breath, I walked out the bathroom and down the stairs to see my parents in awe of Mya’s attire, complimenting her with broad smiles.
And she thinks I get all of the attention, I thought to myself, watching as my mom took pictures of my dad and Mya standing together.
“Uh, Mom, weren’t you just rushing me about a minute ago? We’re going to be late.”
She continued to shower my sister with praise as if she didn’t hear me or care about the time. Annoyed, I rolled my eyes and went into the kitchen where I grabbed a container of orange juice and poured some in a glass.
“I should’ve asked Lucas to drive me,” I grumbled after taking a sip.
Finally, my mother walked into the kitchen. “Oh, I didn’t see you come downstairs. You look very nice.”
“Wow, you look beautiful, sweetie,” my father said as he stepped into the kitchen and hugged me. Looking over his shoulder, I saw the irritated expression on Mya’s face. An uncomfortable tremor then caused me to turn around, and I prayed my nightly tormentor wasn’t loitering around the house.
Cinnamon’s barking only raised my suspicion. I looked out into the living room to see if I’d get a glimpse of the demon, but my mom’s voice reverted my attention. “You two all set? Let’s head out, then.”
My mother parked the car outside of Ravenvale High School, and I used the opportunity to look out the window at the familiar exterior of the building. The off-white cemented walls competed with the gray discoloration that was definitely due to wear and tear. The cracked, rugged path that led to the front of the structure reminded me of the times Val and I would sit in front of the school talking and laughing.
“Maybe everyone will leave me alone now that you’re back,” Mya muttered as we unbuckled our seat belts and stepped out the vehicle.
“You two call me if anything feels wrong,” my mom urged. “Especially you, Aliyah. I’m serious.”
We both nodded and walked down the craggy entrance until we blended in with a large number of students entering the school. It was uneasy sensing the bleak and depressing emotions of my peers who filled the hallway.
“Mya, do you want me to…”
I looked to the side and realized Mya had already gone off on her own in another direction. A sigh of sadness escaped my lips knowing that my sister wanted nothing to do with me. A small memory played in my head of how close the two of us used to be, and I couldn’t help but feel disheartened by our emotional separation.
Continuing in the direction of my first class and stopping along the way to converse with a few acquaintances, I looked around for Lucas, who I figured was already in the building. The school bell reverberated through the hallways just as I took out my phone to text him.
Groaning, I hurried inside the classroom and realized that the teacher hadn’t come in yet. Before taking my seat in the front of the class, I looked to the back of the room where two guys and a girl with fair skin and honey blonde hair was seated. She was slouched back with an open book in hand.
The two dudes were Bruce and Jerome, Lucas’s bandmates. They spoke to the blonde in a flirtatious manner with sly grins plastered across their faces. The girl’s brows were furrowed in irritation.
“Guys, leave her alone,” I told them. They looked at me in shock before walking over and embracing me with hugs. “Come on, stop messing with her.”
“Man, whatever,” Jerome said, waving off the girl with a smirk. “There’s easier girls to talk to in this school.”
They spotted another female in the class and walked over to conversate with her. Their desperate attempts at getting laid always made me laugh, and this time was no different. Some things never change.
I turned back to the blonde-haired girl to apologize on their behalf. “Hey, sorry about those idiots. Sometimes, I think they’re still virgins and—”
“Can you do me a favor and leave me alone, too?”
Wow, attitude much?
“Fine, whatever,” I shot back before taking my seat in the front of the class. It wasn’t long before Jerome saddled into the seat next to me with Bruce standing next to him.
“Did that chick ignore you, too?” Jerome asked as Bruce snickered. “I ain’t never known a girl to turn down the J-Master.”
“No one calls him that,” Bruce whispered to me loud enough for Jerome to hear.
Jerome stuck up his middle finger as Bruce leaned back on the teacher’s desk and shrugged. His heavyset build intimidated even the football team.
“It’s almost the end of senior year,” he said to me, “so we’re trying to have fun before we go to college and have to take life seriously.”
Jerome nodded with a grin, his dreads dancing in motion. “That’s right. These last two months are all about hooking up with the hottest females in school, and that blonde chick back there is bad as hell.”
“Well, if she’s serious about her future, she’s already out of your league,” I joked, chuckling at my own words.
“Damn, she played you, bro,” Bruce voiced through his snickering.
“Yeah, whatever. But what’s up with you, Aliyah? You coming to band practice after school? Luke already has the music room reserved. It’s small, but it’s better than spending a whole bag just for a little studio time.”
“No thanks. If that fake, lying thot is there, I don’t want anything to do with the band.”
The two burst into laughter before Bruce spoke. “Damn, you flaming Robyn hard, eh? I tried hitting on her once, but she cursed me out. Seems like my boy, Luke, is the only one who can talk to her without getting his head chewed off.”
As I had figured. Ugh, how could Lucas be so oblivious?
“I wouldn’t worry about it, though,” Jerome said, grinning. “You’re a ten compared to her. She ain’t got nothing on that nice, slim body of yours, and that fat—”
“I think you should shut up now.”
My attention turned to the speaker behind Jerome. “Oh my God, Tyler,” I exclaimed, rising from my seat and embracing him with a tight hug.
“Chill, I just slipped up,” Jerome said. “You know I’m not trying to start anything.”
Tyler tittered before sitting at the empty desk behind me. I sat in my chair and turned around to observe him. “Um, so how’ve you been since, you know, everything?”
“Not great, if we’re being honest. Oh, and I don’t know if Lucas told you yet, but—”
The sound of heels clicking against the floor made me rotate to the front of the classroom, where I saw the teacher, Ms. Walters, placing books and paperwork on the front desk.
“Bruce, Jerome, I don’t have the two of you until next period. Please leave the room. Now.”
“Yes, Ms. Walters,” they grumbled at the same time.
“I’ll tell you later,” Tyler whispered in my ear.
“Senior class of Ravenvale High School, I have an announcement to make. As a requirement for graduation, the Board of Education and the National Mathematics Committee have organized an assignment that you—”
Ms. Walters’s speech was interrupted by the presence of a freckle-faced, olive skin girl with long, copper red hair and glasses, who walked in as the late bell rang.
“Candice Santos, you’re late. I will not tolerate tardiness again.”
Candice giggled. “Ms. Walters, you’re the teacher here, right? So why is it that I have to teach you about the difference being late and being fashionably late? One is irresponsible and downright unacceptable; the other is important and understandable. I, myself, am the latter. As a woman, you should be able to comprehend this. Hashtag Candice Forever.”
I cringed so hard. Even Ms. Walters scowled at her narcissism. Since junior year, Candice had been a snooty, obnoxious, nineties mean girl stereotype, and I could never stand being in the same class as her. Still, one couldn’t help but be envious at times. She had announced her acceptance into Parsons School of Design three months ago on her digital video channel, which already had close to a million s
ubscribers. She was going places, and I wasn’t sure if I could say the same.
“Candice, if you don’t take your seat right now, you’ll be staying here after school and completing days’ worth of assignments,” Ms. Walters warned her. “Now sit.”
Candice sucked her teeth and looked around the room until her eyes landed on me. “No, I’m not doing this. Ms. Walters, I refuse to be in the same room as her. I don’t feel safe.”
“Excuse me?” I was ready to slap this chick. “What did you say?”
“I said I’m not being in a classroom with someone as loco as you,” she sneered, walking up to me with her hand on her hip. “There’s a new rumor going around that it was you who killed your friend, and that you jumped off the roof after to make it seem like an accident. Not to mention your little freak out ruined my birthday party two days ago.”
“First of all,” I started, getting up from my seat to confront her, “I stopped someone from getting shot. Secondly, only a dumbass would believe a story like that. Third, don’t ever mention Valeria again. And lastly, take your hand off your hip. You already look and sound like a walking cliché, do you have to act like one, too? I didn’t ruin your whack ass party, a guy with a gun did. So, unless you want to spend your day in the nurse’s office, I suggest you get out my face.”
“Make me. Puta.”
She was gonna get knocked the hell out, but a firm grip around my arm prevented that from happening. “She’s not worth it,” Tyler said.
“Candice, you will be spending your afternoon in detention,” Ms. Walters said. “Aliyah, take your seat before you join her.”
We both sat and waited for her to begin speaking again.
“As I was saying, the Board of Education and the National Mathematics Committee have organized a paired assignment that all senior students are required to complete to graduate. You and your partner must answer every question in the packet. It’s worth sixty percent of your grade. If you don’t do it, you’ll fail my class and have to attend summer school.”