place and then turn around and be on time for school. “Either one of you have plans for the weekend?” I said, starting the car and backing out of the driveway.
“Not that I know of,” Ash responded, hitching up the seatbelt.
“Well let’s just go Saturday; I can’t be late for any more days of class.”
“That’s fine with me. So how do you feel about going to school? Are you nervous Corey?” Ash asked, making conversation.
I barely listened to the two of them talk as I sped down the road; I wasn’t really interested in any more of her feelings. Something in me wanted to believe that the cry scene in the kitchen was real and that it came from a really deep place but I couldn’t, it all just felt staged at this point. What was her angle?
I know it may have been foolish of me to think this, but lately I couldn’t help some of the negative thoughts that seemed to want to consume my inner being. Here was girl that was beaten, starved, and forced to serve in a gas station for as long as she can remember and I was sitting here judging her. I shook off the negativity and rejoined the car conversation. “What grade did they put you in?”
She looked down at the white sheet of paper in her lap and searched for the grade information, “tenth,” she said, pointing to the number.
For someone that hadn’t been to school since ever she was smart, she placed among the top ten percent in the placement test they issued her in the school office. We zoomed past the plowed fields as we made or trip to school; it was all one big blur of brown. The school was just up the street, I slowed down the car as we entered into the school zone; like every morning here, people were surrounding the parking lot, talking and laughing, I wondered briefly if anyone here was like us and if they were what could they do?
Corey stirred excitedly in the backseat, she was definitely nervous. She looked on wide-eyed at the students in the lot and smiled brightly, “Well we don’t have to feel alone anymore,” she declared with her fingers pressed against the window. “There are at least three other people like us around here, I just don’t know where they are. I feel their power though.”
I let a huge smile spread across my face, I was right; there were people here like us. I found a parking space and turned off the car, a thousand questions were now forming about this new world of mine. I guessed at what else might be possible, what else would I utterly discover in this twisted world, on this twisted planet I called home? I got out of the car and walked up the walkway to the door; inside Bethany was waiting quietly by the door for me to enter. “What’s up, Beth?” I asked opening the door to the school.
The students buzzed along in the crowded hallways, making small talk and laughing loudly as if it could have possibly been that funny. I unintentionally drowned out Bethany and hadn’t realized until she tapped my shoulder from behind.
“I’m sorry what were you saying again?” I said apologetically, fortunately she was happy to dive right back into whatever it was she was talking about while I gurgled out her talking for the second time today. I’d figure out what it was later, I had more pressing problems right now.
Bethany followed behind me closely as I headed off to the nurse for an aspirin; I had unfortunately left mine at home sitting on the bathroom counter at home. What’s the point of healing anything if I can’t heal myself of a common migraine?
“What are we going in here for?” Bethany questioned as I walked up to the nurse.
I answered her question first in thought before realizing that she wasn’t Ash and couldn’t hear me. “I need an aspirin,” I told the nurse, then folded my arms across my belly like I was suffering from cramps and gave a weak smile. She bought it and walked over to the gray cabinet and pulled out the white bottle of hope. Behind me someone limped in the office and motioned hand
“Not that I know of,” Ash responded, hitching up the seatbelt.
“Well let’s just go Saturday; I can’t be late for any more days of class.”
“That’s fine with me. So how do you feel about going to school? Are you nervous Corey?” Ash asked, making conversation.
I barely listened to the two of them talk as I sped down the road; I wasn’t really interested in any more of her feelings. Something in me wanted to believe that the cry scene in the kitchen was real and that it came from a really deep place but I couldn’t, it all just felt staged at this point. What was her angle?
I know it may have been foolish of me to think this, but lately I couldn’t help some of the negative thoughts that seemed to want to consume my inner being. Here was girl that was beaten, starved, and forced to serve in a gas station for as long as she can remember and I was sitting here judging her. I shook off the negativity and rejoined the car conversation. “What grade did they put you in?”
She looked down at the white sheet of paper in her lap and searched for the grade information, “tenth,” she said, pointing to the number.
For someone that hadn’t been to school since ever she was smart, she placed among the top ten percent in the placement test they issued her in the school office. We zoomed past the plowed fields as we made or trip to school; it was all one big blur of brown. The school was just up the street, I slowed down the car as we entered into the school zone; like every morning here, people were surrounding the parking lot, talking and laughing, I wondered briefly if anyone here was like us and if they were what could they do?
Corey stirred excitedly in the backseat, she was definitely nervous. She looked on wide-eyed at the students in the lot and smiled brightly, “Well we don’t have to feel alone anymore,” she declared with her fingers pressed against the window. “There are at least three other people like us around here, I just don’t know where they are. I feel their power though.”
I let a huge smile spread across my face, I was right; there were people here like us. I found a parking space and turned off the car, a thousand questions were now forming about this new world of mine. I guessed at what else might be possible, what else would I utterly discover in this twisted world, on this twisted planet I called home? I got out of the car and walked up the walkway to the door; inside Bethany was waiting quietly by the door for me to enter. “What’s up, Beth?” I asked opening the door to the school.
The students buzzed along in the crowded hallways, making small talk and laughing loudly as if it could have possibly been that funny. I unintentionally drowned out Bethany and hadn’t realized until she tapped my shoulder from behind.
“I’m sorry what were you saying again?” I said apologetically, fortunately she was happy to dive right back into whatever it was she was talking about while I gurgled out her talking for the second time today. I’d figure out what it was later, I had more pressing problems right now.
Bethany followed behind me closely as I headed off to the nurse for an aspirin; I had unfortunately left mine at home sitting on the bathroom counter at home. What’s the point of healing anything if I can’t heal myself of a common migraine?
“What are we going in here for?” Bethany questioned as I walked up to the nurse.
I answered her question first in thought before realizing that she wasn’t Ash and couldn’t hear me. “I need an aspirin,” I told the nurse, then folded my arms across my belly like I was suffering from cramps and gave a weak smile. She bought it and walked over to the gray cabinet and pulled out the white bottle of hope. Behind me someone limped in the office and motioned hand
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