“Who The Fuck Knew”

Lately it seemed like everything that used to be so right in fifteen year old Kya’s life all of a sudden felt so fucking wrong. She used to be the most popular girl in her school. Every where you went back in her old home town it was Kya this and Kya that. Her clothes stayed fresh n her hair stayed fly. Kya who had too many curves to be just a mere fifteen was by far the hottest girl at Lake Wood High back in Chicago. But this summer her moms decided the bullshit her father was putting her thru just to live the good life was no longer a good enough reason to stay.

She didn’t blame her either. Her father a well known attorney for celebrities had problems of his own. To the public he seemed like a very articulate and well spoken gentleman who cared about the public. But truth was he would come home, do a line of coke, and start trash talking everybody in the house. Even her and her little sister Malaya. By now Kya was used to his sorry ass. Besides her old house was so big it usually wasn’t hard to stay out of his way. But her moms always seem to catch the worst of it. At first the insults were some what light and only happened a couple times a week. But lately they had turned into violent outburst that happened everyday and left her mother feeling emotionally weak and her eyes swollen from tears. But this last episode had to have been the worst.

Her mom and dad had been arguing all day and night long and as usual the argument had turned into violent threats. Kya could hear her father downstairs screaming at the top of his lungs that he was going to kill the whole fucking family. Her mother was screaming back.  

“You fucking  ass whole i wish you would lay a hand on me or my fucking daughters”, her mother threatened with conviction.

And then there was a loud crash that sounded like some one had been thrown out of one of the many windows their deluxe home held. Kya had jumped up so damn quick she had twisted her ankle in the process. But the pain didn’t matter. She had always swore down if he ever laid one hand on her mother she would fucking kill him. So injured and all she high tailed down the steps just in time to save her mother who was currently being choked out by her father.

“Let her the fuck go”, Kya screamed with a voice that at the moment didn’t sound like her own.

But her father was coked out. She could tell. His eyes were bloody red and his nose was bleeding. He didn’t even acknowledge that Kya was in the room. In fact his sole purpose in life at the moment looked like it was to choke her mother to death. Kya didn’t have time to think. She could see her mothers eyes bulging out of her head and tears escaped Kya’s eyes as she prayed silently for her mother to find just one gasp of air. But prayers at the moment weren’t going to work for his junkie ass. Only reality. And reality just happened to be a thick black $4000.00 vase located on an end table near by. Kya picked up the glass and with all her might slammed it on top of her fathers head. Both her mother and her father dropped together. Kya ran to her mother crying as she watched her struggle to squeeze air out of her injured throat. Her mother could barley talk. But Kya heard every word she said.

“Were Leaving Now”, she whispered out of injured vocal cords.

 

So her and her little sister Malaya and her moms split in the middle of the night.  And even if she would have had a decision she would have picked to go with her moms obviously. She didn’t have a decision however. Or a choice. Or an opinion. Her moms was like was pack your shit now and Kya barely had time to grab the basic necessities like deodorant and pads. Gone were her Giovanni Jeans Collection. Gone was the closet full of shoes that still had the price tags on them. Gone was Lake Wood. Gone was popularity. Gone was LIFE.
And in Life’s Place was “Poverty”. Because where else would a middle aged woman who was fleeing in the middle of the night run to but back to the same hood she had escaped years before Kya was even born. Yes you got it. Kya’s moms ran straight back home. Straight back to the hood. Straight back to Kya’s Grandmas house which just so happened to be located smack in the middle of Baltimore Maryland. Which was smack in the middle of poverty central in Kya’s opinion.

Kya’s mother snapped her fingers and brought Kya out of her day dream and back to reality.

“Kya you are going to be late”, her mother said in a rushed tone. “Don’t forget you have to drop Malaya off too. Plus you want to be a little early to your new school. Its not like you know your way around”, her mother reminded her.

Kya didn’t want to be reminded of school. She wished she could just duck it out for the next three years. She looked down at her new clothes purchased from the local Walmart and grimaced. She felt less than human in an outfit that totaled up to forty four dollars and twenty eight cents. But what could she do. Complain. Her mother had gotten a job as a waitress over the summer and she was lucky that she had something new to wear at all. She knew her moms was doing the best she could with what she had. And she also knew the reason her mother didn’t pursue child support. Because her father told her if she did he would take both her and Malaya and even Kya was sure with out a doubt that he would get them. So there was nothing left to do but deal with it. But that didn’t mean she had to love it.

Kya grabbed her book bag off the counter and led her little sister Malaya out the door with her.

Before she was even half way out the door she felt her mother rush behind her. She didnt want to turn around and face her. Recently her mother cried over everything. She was sure her mother would have tears in her eyes and she wasnt sure she felt like dealing with the emotional shit today. Shit she had a world of mixed emotions going on inside herself as well. But even still she couldnt deny her mothers presence. So she turned around slightly to meet her mothers gaze.

“Baby just try to make the best of today”, her mother said with compassion.

Kya searched her mothers eyes for tears but there werent any. Only shame if that was possible. Now Kya felt like crying. Her mother knew her like the back of her hand. She was sure her mother felt bad about the whole situation. Bad that she couldn’t offer her the best like her father could. Kya felt a tear slip down her cheek. Her mothers small hand wiped it away. Five year old Malaya looked at both of them with deep interest. Kya reached out and grabbed her mothers hand and rest it on her face.

“Ma i love you. And i understand everything. I really do”, she said with deep compassion.

Thirty four year old Kysha Fox just nodded her head silently and gave both daughters a kiss goodbye. She waited until they had disappeared around the corner before she fell to the floor in tears. How was she supposed to be strong for them when right now she couldn’t even be strong for herself?

Kya stood at the bus stop with several other boys and girls feeling like the odd ball. Everybody else apparently knew each other and were gathered in there apparent cliques. While she just stood there on the sidelines trying to act like she wasn’t trying to hear what everybody else was talking about. While standing there she had time to peep out that she apparently wasn’t the only girl who had shopped at Walmart. She counted at least four other girls so far that had on shirts she had seen on Walmarts discount racks. And it surprised her even more that they apparently were wearing the hell out of it like it was the new trend. At least her outfit hadn’t came off the discount rack she thought to herself as the bus pulled up.

On the bus it was chaotic as shit. She wasnt quite where to sit so she just picked the first empty seat that was available. That just happened to be right next to one of the finest nigga’s she had ever seen in her life. All at once every insecurity found its way to the front of her mental. She pushed her hair to the side as she pretended to look out the window trying to look busy.

“Hey you new”, asked the sexy nigga completely nonchalant to her insecurities.

“Um Yeah. Im from Chicago”, she said quickly still not really able to look him in his beautiful face.

She heard him laugh. “You talk funny”, he commented. “Is that how they talk in Chicago”, he asked.

“I guess”, she said with hunched shoulders. She wasn’t sure if he was laughing at her or just trying to start a casual conversation.

“Whats your name Chicago”, he asked with confidence. Apparently his sexy ass knew he had it going on.

“Ummmm. Im Kya”, she said sheepishly.

“I think i will call you Chicago”, he grinned. “Im Tico”, he said. “I play on the football team. Everybody knows me. I hope we get to know each other too. I mean your kind of cute”, he said.

Kya almost broke her neck to turn around and look him in his face. Was He serious. Did this sexy dude named Tico really think she was sexy.

“Tico i know your not over there flirting with no hood rat”, a loud obnoxious females voice interrupted Kya’s train of thought.

Tico looked up at the light skinned chick standing over top of him unconcerned. But Kya felt all the eyes on the bus staring at her and she sank back even deeper in her seat.

“I know you hear me talking to you Tico. Who the hell is this”, the light skinned girl said her eyes darting accusingly towards Kya.

“This is Chicago”, Said Tico confidently. And Chicago is going to tonights party with me. Right Chicago, said Tico nudging Kya on the arm.

Kya’s eyes held both shock and excitement. A party. Tonight. With Tico. The sexiest man she had ever seen. This was too too much. All at once even she didn’t give a fuck about the light skinned chick standing over top of them.

“Yea thats what it is”, Kya responded in a tone that taunted the hell out of the light skinned chick.

“You know he’s just using you to get back at me right”, the light skinned chick directed straight at Kya.

Kya felt the whole bus staring at her waiting for a response. At her Lake Wood she loved the spot light. And why did Walbrook have to be any different. She was used to girls hating on her just because. Oh well she thought.

“Dont you think thats my problem”, She asked the light skinned chick.

The girl turned away in a fury and stormed to the back of the bus to talk shit. Tico turned and smiled at Kya. Kya felt herself involuntarily smiling back. Who the fuck knew that life in her new school wouldn’t be that bad after all. Who the fuck Knew.