Losing Romeo by A.J. Byrd

Wouldn’t you know it, there are like a million people milling around in front of the body lubricants, condoms and pregnancy tests. I don’t really want to draw any attention, but it seems like all eyes are on me when I inch toward the First Response and Clearblue pregnancy tests. I guess the best thing to do in this situation is just thrust up your chin and act like you know what you’re doing.
    I grab the first box I come to and nearly choke on the price tag. “Twenty dollars? They have to be kidding.” I look back now on the shelf and try to find the cheapest test they have. I quickly find a generic store brand that is about eight bucks cheaper and decide to go with that one. I glance back up. I get a lot of smirking looks, but I just wrinkle my nose at them and then go on about my business. Head on over to the candy aisle to get McKenya, but she’s not there. “Now where is she?”
    Looking around, I try to spot a short person in a pink sweater. I still don’t see her. “McKenya!” I start roaming up and down the aisles calling her name. She doesn’t answer back, and I still can’t find her. My heart drops out of my chest and my brain starts to fry. Oh, my God! What if someone snatched her?
    â€œMcKENYA!” I’m twirling around in a panic. “Has anybody seen my little sister? She’s about four foot seven and wearing a pink sweater!” I rush from one person to another. They all are shaking their heads at me. “Somebody has to have seen her! McKENYA!”
    I race back to the candy aisle, hoping that she will materialize. No such luck. I race out the front door and glance around the parking lot. “McKENYA!” Oh, God. What am I going to do? What am I going to tell Deborah? She’s definitely going to kill me when I tell her I lost our little sister.
    â€œExcuse me, ma’am? But is this who you’re looking for?” Standing next to a woman in a Rite Aid smock, McKenya is frowning up at me. I nearly collapse with relief.
    â€œMcKenya. Where were you? Didn’t you hear me call your name?” I rush over and throw my arms around her. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again!” And I hug her tighter.
    â€œI had to use the bathroom,” she says meekly.
    I didn’t check the bathrooms. I wipe the tears streaming from my face. “From now on, when we come to the store you don’t leave my side. You understand me?”
    â€œOkay.”
    I grab her by the hand and lead her back into the store so I can pay for my pregnancy test, and I even buy her two candy bars. As we march back home I damn near have a death grip on McKenya’s hand, but she doesn’t utter a single complaint. I think she knows just how much she scared me, and neither one of us finds it funny. When we reach the apartment she still has about thirty minutes of SpongeBob left. She quickly plants herself back in front of the TV, and I march back toward the bathroom.
    â€œAren’t you going to start dinner?”
    â€œYeah. Just give me a few minutes.”
    She makes a face but again she doesn’t say anything.Maybe I’ll have a whole evening without her complaining. In the bathroom, I shut and lock the door before tearing into my generic pregnancy test. I read the instructions four times before hopping on the toilet. A few minutes later, I’m pacing back and forth waiting for the results to show up on the stick.
    â€œPlease don’t let me be pregnant, God. Please. I swear that from here on out I’ll be a good girl. I make all A s. I’ll keep the apartment clean. And I will stay away from boys. Wait. Maybe that last one will be a little hard to do, but I’ll try to stay away from bad boys.”
    I glance at my watch. Time’s up. I reach for the pregnancy test and read my results.

fourteen
    Anjenai—We Are Family
    â€œShoplifting? Are you sure?” I ask Granny. I’m totally taken