Chapter FOUR: The SLAP
LOCATION: Big mama Flora’s house + Home
The sunlight hit my face nicely warming me. I smiled. Must have had a good night sleep last night those nights were incredibly rare nowadays. A sudden happy feeling washed over me... Oh no, Nario. I’d forgotten about him, my heart swelled. A feeling of complete guilt filled me with sorrow. Dreamless night, good I didn’t want to have another one of those dreams again. The voice on the other hand I hadn’t heard anything else from. I decided it was something my body had made up to make me wake up. Survival instinct I suspected.
“Good morning Sunshine” A bright women’s voice filled my head. I tried to open my eyes, but the sun was stopping me.
“Oh sorry sweet, I’ll close the curtains, you’ve been asleep for a long time it’s twelve o’clock already” Darkness flooded my closed eyes and I opened them fully. Disorientation was all around me. Nothing that I recognised was here in this strange apartment. As I looked around it was definitely council owned because it was so small, but it looked very homely. The wallpaper was yellow and floral like everything else, no seriously everything. I noticed I was on the couch. I yawned and swung my legs off.
“Want breakfast?” I turned to see who had spoken. A big black woman stood over me grinning. She was wearing a pink floral apron and smelled of sausages and bacon. It made my mouth water. I was so hungry; I hadn’t eaten since lunch at school nearly twenty-four hours ago.
“Uh, who are you?” I asked as politely as possible.
“She’s my ma” It was Peirce; he was stood in the doorway looking at me with sad eyes unusual since he was either smiling or grinning uncontroalbly. “We couldn’t stay at the bridge because the police would look for some sort of reason to blame us; we needed an alibi so we came to my ma’s”
“Why can’t I remember?” I asked, I had raked my memory but, all I could remember was seeing Nario on the floor heartless. I shook the image out of my head. I thought of the kiss I had shared with Tyrone instead just a few crucial moments before. I didn’t know what to think when I thought about Tyrone did he like me or hate me?
“Well you kinda, fainted” He suddenly smiled showing his teeth.
“My poor dear, let’s get you something to eat you’re such a skinny small thing” Pierce’s ma grabbed my arm and pulled me into the hallway were Pierce was standing. She suddenly let go of my arm. “Sasha Littlewood get your paws off that plate” She went running into the kitchen. Sasha looked slightly alarmed when Pierce’s ma started chasing him around the kitchen table.
“I thought you didn’t have a mum” I asked Pierce.
“Ah, I never said that. I had to leave. Ma had no more room for me anymore, when Uncle Bert’s kids moved in because he passed, I was the oldest currently living here. I had to leave. Good thing I had Nario... I probably would have been dead by now” I looked at him and pounced on him with a hug. Even though he was fourteen, he was as tall as me (not that it took much). His arms just laying by his side in shock and slowly he brought them up to hug me back.
“I’m so-”
“Don’t say sorry. I hate it when people say sorry, you didn’t do anything”
“Sorry” I suddenly said without stopping myself. I pulled away from him. He had raised eyebrow.
“Sorry” I said again, trying to apologise for saying sorry. Pierce laughed slightly and smacked me on the shoulder pushing me towards the kitchen. It was so warm in this house; I don’t think I’d ever want to leave. It must have been very hard on Pierce especially being fourteen. As I walked into the kitchen the boys were all slumped around the small circular table, some were sitting on the bunkers. Tyrone was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Tyrone” I asked as Pierce’s ma pushed me into the nearest chair and put a plate in front of me. It was definitely full, three sausages, four pieces of bacon, two fried eggs and two pieces of fried toast. I nearly died of happiness before she even put it down.
“Eat” she demanded. I looked up at her and smiled.
“Thank you...” I said, slowing down my speech to get her name. I didn’t want to be so rude to call her Pierce’s ma.
“Big mama flora” She said smiling “now eat... why you are so skinny my dear?”
“She’s Catherin Woods daughter” That’s all Jared had to say.
“Oh my dear... Don’t you worry come to big Flora anytime you need something okay?” She smiled a worried smile. “Good thing you boys have been looking after her” Big mama flora walked out of the Kitchen and was merrily humming to herself.
“So...” It was Sasha. All the boys in the room looked at Sasha and gave him a look. “What?” Sasha said defensively “I wasn’t going to say anything” I looked up from my plate and all the boys where staring at me.
“Where’s Tyrone” I asked again taking in a sausage.
“On the topic of Tyrone” Sasha said slowly.
“Sasha” It was Jared;
“What?” The whole room was back to staring at me. I frowned as I put down my plastic knife and fork. “Seriously guys”
“I say we come right out and ask” Davion said looking at Sasha who nodded in approval.
“come on guys, I mean it’s not very likely is it?” Leon said looking at me and then making a hand gesture everyone seemed to understand.
“Hey guys no secrets! It’s like your motto. You can’t hide things from me” I crossed my arms over my chest and pushed out my bottom lip.
“Oh secrets... we have plenty of them don’tcha worry” Sasha winked at me.
“Stop” It was Jared “Go on Sasha ask her”
“Ask me what?” I said. What were they talking about?
“You and Tyrone were gone for a very long time last night” Sasha said his eyebrows raised and a great grin on his face. Oh, this had something to do with Tyrone... Maybe they saw something, but if that’s what they wanted to know what was I supposed to tell them? When I didn’t know what happened.
“What were you doing?” Davion asked. To be honest I don’t know is what I wanted to answer.
“Talking” I answered. I hated lying, so I looked back down to my food before they could all look deep in my eyes for the truth.
“Liar, Liar, pants on fire!” Pierce shouted.
“I’m not lying” I said looking up again. I’m so not good at this.
“Yes you are, your eye’s twitching” Jared said.
“What?” I asked looking at Jared. What was he talking about?
“Your eye twitches when you lie”
“It’s true” Leon said giving me an apologetic look.
“What were you doing then?” Sasha asked raising his eyebrows up and down grinning.
“Nothing” I said again, looking back down onto my plate. The whole table erupted at once.
“You were totally doing it with him weren’t you” Davion said laughing. Doing it?
“Wait... you mean sex, with Tyrone, no!” I protested everyone was sniggering. “We just... kissed it meant nothing” Everyone was suddenly silent. He is so totally right behind you. I signed and nearly put my head in my food.
“Thanks” He said sarcastically “and to think you were in love with me” Tyrone had arrived.
“Tyrone!” big mama Flora came running in. “Look at my big boy” She took his face into her hands. “How ya doin’? Come and give your Flora a kiss” She started kissing his face everywhere. I couldn’t help but giggle.
“Flora” Tyrone moaned.
“What?” She said letting go of him suddenly, she started hitting him with her duster.
“Aw” Tyrone said surprisingly hurt.
“You can’t kiss your auntie Flora because your boys are here, selfish, selfish boy” She stormed away muttering under her breath.
“What were we talking about before you got beat up by my ma?” Pierce said laughing.
“We were talking about Tyrone and Lily having sex in a dark alley” Davion said smiling and winking at Tyrone.
“Wait... I’m confused I thought you hated her now you’re having sex with her?” Leon asked.
“We did not have sex!” I protested for the second time. Boys were so obsesexed.
“That’s what he told us” Sasha said pointing at Tyrone.
“What?” I said turning around to face Tyrone; he had told everybody that I had slept with him?
“You really believe everything Sasha says?” He said rolling his eyes at me.
“So you didn’t say anything” I asked
“Of course not I just got in” He said shaking his head.
“Tyrone. Talk. Now. In corridor.” Jared said through bared teeth. All the boys suddenly stopped laughing and looked serious. I carried on eating. I could hear the muffled voice of Jared through the wall. I could hear Tyrone fight back his voice slightly raised. My plate was finished and I knew I shouldn’t take advantage of Floras hospitality or I’d never be allowed back again.
“I’m heading out you guys, see you later”
“Sure you don’t want to stay?” Brendon asked.
“No, I’m fine thanks. Pierce thanks for inviting me into your mum’s home I appreciate it” Pierce nodded. Every boys head suddenly bowed in remembrance of the friend they had lost.
***
I sucked in a breath and knocked on the chipped paint door.
“Whoisit?” The words were slurred together. She was drunk. This was going to go three ways, drunken happy, drunken fright or drunken anger. The worse as you could guess was drunken anger, but I always did a test to guess which one and whether it was safe to go in or not.
“It’s me” I didn’t say who it was; it was part of the test.
“Oh, you Hahaha” The laughter was hysterical. Drunken happy... great, I preferred drunken fright because she thought I was some sort of murderer so she kept away from me hiding in the corners of the apartment. I could hear her fiddling with the locks laughing. The door swung open. My mum was standing completely naked in the doorway. “Come on in” My mum’s ginger hair was laid loosely at her shoulders. She was tall, skinny and had surfaced brown eyes, they had no depth in them at all but something I did notice of, was how drugged up her eyes were.
“Mum what did you take?” She threw her head back and laughed. She ran into the small apartment, I went in after her slowly shutting the door behind me and sighing. Mum grabbed a vodka bottle from the side of the counter and starting dancing around.
“Everything!” she took a swig of the vodka bottle. “What are you doing here” She asked, she could barely keep her footing.
“I’ve come to get changed”
“Oh well hurry up, I’m having a party later” She walked over to me and slapped me across the face. It stung, but only slightly, I was sort of immune to slaps, though the red hand mark on my face sometimes brought tears, but apart from that she got no response from me.
“GO!” She screamed and burst into hysterical laughter. I could hear a CD bust through the player, Britney Spears *three*. I closed the door to my room, yep she’d trashed it. Bits of paper were everywhere; she put water in the holes of the mattress. All my pillows were soaked. This is all I had in my sorry room, a mattress. That’s it. No book case or a chest of draws. Oh, but I did fail to mention the mould and damp growing in all corners of the room. I plonked my bag on the floor and was headed to the bathroom just before my trousers vibrated.
“What?” I took the stolen Iphone out of my pocket. I must have forgotten to give it back to Tyrone last night.
“Hello, Tyrone’s not here at the moment can I take a message?” I asked down the phone.
“Aye, could you tell him that if he’s going to kiss a girl, he chose’s one that doesn’t try to steal his phone?”
“Leave me alone Tyrone you know I didn’t take it on purpose”
“I’m only kidding, where are you?” He asked.
“At home”
“Liar, no one’s allowed music at home that loud”
“My mother is capable of anything” Tyrone signed.
“I want my phone back; meet me at the park at 4:00”
“Okay”
“See you later” I put the phone down and checked my watch 3:00 I had an hour. I slowly creped the bedroom door open and peeked into the living room. Mum was still dancing around to *piece of me* and singing along. I signed and ran into the bathroom and locked the door. Once when I was about Pierce’s age I had gone for a shower without asking. I had snuck in and she had found out. I knew she was outside and I refused to open the door, I was scared of what she might do. We stayed there for two days until I was so hungry I had opened the door. I’d gotten two black eyes for that. Ever since then, I just went in and if I was caught then I was caught. I didn’t care. The shower parley worked, but as long as it was good enough for my hair to get washed and for me to occasionally shave my legs I wasn’t too bothered. I striped down in three seconds. I ran in the shower. It was like a bloody race. I went as quickly as possible. After a literal three minute shower, I was drying myself. I was so flat chested it was annoying. I was so skinny too. It was disgusting; you could even see my ribs. I shivered as I quickly picked up my old clothes. *I love rock ‘N’ roll* was bursting through the stereo system. I ran from the bathroom and into my bedroom. I shifted one of the old floorboards where I hid my clothes so she wouldn’t destroy them. I picked up a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt, I wore my knitted jumper over the top and quickly used the towel to dry my wet hair as best as I could, 3:45, good I wouldn’t be late. I grabbed the stolen Iphone and put it into my back pocket and stuffed all my clothes back into the hole. A shinny thing caught the corner of my eye. The sliver box my dad had given me. Ha, it was a joke. The thing wouldn’t even open! It had a key that had been lost in the fire, I guessed anyway. I picked it up and signed. The last precious seconds my father had on this earth and he gives me a box that doesn’t open. I plonked the box back into the hole and covered it with the floor board. I picked up my bag and took a deep breath in as I opened the door into the living room Radar was playing now.
“Hey you ugly piece of crap get lost! I’m having a party later and you’re not invited!” Mum screamed over the music.
“Love you too” I muttered shutting the door. Now to meet Tyrone... my stomach flipped.
