Yesterday, when I decided to come out of my hiding spot behind the sports field, I saw a girl watching me. She was alone, just like me, so I decided to approach her. Her name is April. I’ve never met anyone who could relax and open up so much, discussing various topics with a stranger, which in this case was me.
What struck me as odd was that she doesn’t talk to anyone else. I didn’t see her with anyone during breaks, and in fact, I don’t see her during any of them. She seems shy, but with me, she doesn’t show it. She talks about everything, even her period. She demanded popcorn and a cup of hot chocolate… That combination would have killed me.
Meanwhile, I dedicated myself to listening to her and occasionally making a few comments.
After classes ended, she accompanied me outside the school and invited me to her house to finish our assignments together. It wouldn’t hurt to make just one friend. No friends, only friends who are girls.
We walked to the parking lot, which is a block away from the school, towards her car… What’s happening that now all teenagers can afford cars? Well, I know this is a place full of nice people, but don’t parents worry about their kids getting into accidents? The rate of car accidents among teenagers is high. Parties, alcohol-they can ruin not only the life of the person driving but also the life of someone peacefully walking down the street, ruined in a damn second by some asshole.
“I know, but my parents trust me… Besides, I never go to parties. I couldn’t,” April replied when I shared my thoughts with her.
“Why is that?”
“Well, you may have noticed that I don’t have any friends.” There was no hint of sadness in her expression, as if it didn’t matter to her.
“Yes, but I don’t understand the reason. You’re pretty awesome to me.”
“But I don’t fit the beauty standards that the girls at school are looking for,” she said in a higher, mocking voice.
“That’s bullshit. You’re beautiful,” I replied, a bit incredulous. She was very lovely. Her black hair cascading in waves down her back, her face and smile were perfect to me.
“Not as much as you.”
“Shut up. They only wanted me with them because I’m the cousin of their leader. I’m not like them.”
“I can tell. You’re much cooler. Where are you from?”
That’s the question I never want to answer, and I always try to avoid any situation that presents it.
“From very, very far away.”
Dodge the question. Dodge the question.
“And where is that?”
“Very, very far away.”
“Oh, I see, the mysterious girl,” she laughs, but to me, there’s nothing funny about this conversation.
“Present every day of the week for you.”
***
The days passed as usual. Fights with Jessi, my uncommunicative relatives, my aunt showing me her affection, studying with April, and Donovan sitting behind me every damn day without saying a word. He no longer spoke to me, he just wanted me to know that he was watching, as if he were a walking reminder.
I was fine with that. As long as he didn’t speak to me, everything was fine with the world.
After two weeks, not knowing anything about my mother was starting to bother me. I missed her all the time, and depression began to creep in. Crying at night and a pain in my chest became a regular occurrence.
What could she be doing? Does she miss me? What if she’s being mistreated? What if she needs me? The one thing I’m sure of is that I need her.
“You have bags under your eyes,” April remarked, sounding puzzled. I had a bad night, and by that, I mean I hardly slept at all.
“I had a rough night,” I replied, as we walked towards the parking lot. Lately, I always go to April’s house after school.
I’m further away from Jessi, so it’s a relaxing break for me.
“Oh shit! I forgot my art drawings in the classroom,” she said, stopping in her tracks.
“I’ll come with you to get them,” I said, already walking towards the school when she grabbed my arm.
“No, no. You just go to the parking lot.”
“Are you sure?”
“Now go and wait for me. I’ll be back in a blink,” she said, running back to retrieve her drawings, while I continued walking towards her car.
I never thought I’d experience this again, but here we are…
I reached the parking lot and saw something that made me freeze in my tracks. Donovan had a guy by the collar of his shirt, pushing him against the wall. My instinct told me to intervene, but it would go really bad for me if I got involved.
Besides the three of us, there was no one else around, and Donovan hadn’t noticed my presence.
“My money. Now,” he growled angrily in the guy’s face. It looked like he was about to beat him up and that he wanted it-now.
“I… I told you I don’t have it,” the guy stammered, and I could see sweat drops forming on his forehead. He was a skinny guy, slightly shorter than Donovan. His paleness made me realize he was about to throw up, and the excessive sweating made me realize that he probably needed what Donovan provided him with. “But I’ll give it to you, man. Please, just a couple more days…”
“Two weeks ago, you asked for a couple more days. You owe me two thousand. Either you give it to me, or you know what will happen. I know you have it, I’m not stupid. Give. Me. The. Fucking. Money.”
Disgusting addiction? He calls what he provides, and probably consumes, disgusting?
Donovan’s grip was so strong that it tore the guy’s shirt slightly as he pulled on it. The guy, on the verge of tears, freed one of his hands from Donovan’s grip in an attempt to prevent him from hitting him, and began searching his back pocket for a wad of bills. He started counting them, but Donovan took it all.
“Hey! There’s two thousand five hundred there,” the guy shouted at Donovan, now looking desperate.
“Interest, kid. Interest. Two weeks… Let’s pretend I charge you thirty-five dollars for each day of waiting. That would be four hundred ninety… You owe me ten. Don’t expect to get it back,” he said, stepping back a couple of paces.
“I need it. Seriously, I need it, please,” the guy begged. I could almost see him getting on his knees.
“Look, kid, I don’t have time for this. Your daddy has money, ask him.”
“He won’t give me any more, that was all I had…”
Donovan approached him menacingly again and glared at him.
“I don’t care. Sell your damn car if you need that shit so badly. This is just business for me. You want my merchandise, you pay. If your dog died, your mother died, or your whore died, I couldn’t care less. You figure out a way to pay me. Now that you’ve paid, you won’t have any problems.”
He turned around and saw me. He slightly lowered his head, and I could hear him mutter a curse under his breath.
“You have to stop following me, Alicia,” he said through gritted teeth, walking quickly towards me. I tried to run, but he was faster, grabbing my arm. We moved away from the parking lot and walked a few meters until he found a very narrow space where only the two of us could fit. It was between a house and an apartment complex. He went in, and I was dragged along, no matter how much I struggled to break free.
“Do you work for someone?” he spat out immediately, keeping me close, and I knew there was nowhere for me to run. Being in such a confined space, almost touching his chest with mine, was quite suffocating.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
I shouldn’t, but my sarcastic side took over. “Yes, you found me out. I work for a super-secret association. My job is to follow Imbecile Drug Dealers. Let me inform you that I’ve already captured one.”
“Don’t give me jokes, Celina.”
“And don’t give me bullshit, Donovan. If I worked for someone, and mind you, I’m seventeen, don’t you think I would have exposed you the day I caught you in the act? Don’t fuck with me and stop being a nuisance.”
He moved as far away from me as he could, and I was finally able to release a breath I had been holding.
“You’re irritating, you know that?” he muttered under his breath, looking away and shaking his head. Is he mad because I saw him? Well, he was in a public place, don’t fuck with me.
“You’re the one holding this ‘irritating’ person by the arm. Can you let go of me? I’m expected somewhere.”
He gave me a sarcastic smile and winked at me. The simple gesture made me blush, and it angered me.
“Oh, yes. I saw you talking to Travesty these days. What a lovely couple you’ll make. Have a good time, and use a condom. Don’t contribute to that guy’s plague, please.” I took just a second to internally laugh at the nickname I had given Travis, and then when he made a move to leave, I grabbed him by his hood.
“I’m going with a friend. Get your facts straight before talking nonsense.”
“Well, then, can you let go of me?” I released him, and he put his hood back on his head. “Needless to say, don’t say anything, alright?”
“Yes, and please try not to speak to me again. You know, I’m irritating, and I don’t want to bother you.”
“If you don’t look for me, you won’t find me, Alicia. But here, today, right where you shouldn’t be, you’re looking for me.”
“I’m not looking for you, I just come across you, and believe me, itWhen I saw him far enough away, I returned to the parking lot where April was waiting for me outside the car.
“Where were you?”
“I went to check out a place. Did I take too long?”
“No, but I got scared. I thought you were mad or something.”
“It’s all good.”
“Do you need to call someone and let them know you’ll be coming with me?”
“I’ll call when we get there.”