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Grade
8

 

 Another disgusted middle aged woman set her gaze on the two of us. People like us weren’t welcome there and our growing audience was very aware of why.

“Max, let’s go- I don’t think it’s safe here.” She sighed.

“Okay, you’re right.”

 

The red hoodie tied around her waist bounced rhythmically as we jogged towards the automatic door of theI glared back at the scowling faces that followed us through the mall. Maxine bit her lip, obviously peeved.

“Max?” I tilted my head in her direction.

“Huh?” I seems she was distracted, too.

“If you want, we can just go… the froyo isn’t that important.”

“No, no, no, no! It’s fine!” she stammered frantically. “Besides, they just got mango!” Her grip on my arm tightened and she pointed to the poster of a large paper cup in the window. The sign over the door had a small octopus holding a spoon silhouetted against a pleasant blue circle.

"...You're right..." I pulled her to west end of the mall. I tripped over my untied shoelace while jogging.

“OOF”

I dropped like a bowling ball on an unprepared six year old’s oversized rental shoes. The smooth tile floor on my shins created a feeling that was anything but fun. As Maxine tried to pick me up, a tall, overweight man in a ketchup stained StarWars T-shirt stood over us.

“Hey, you shouldn’t be here.” he boomed.

“Oh, I know.” I got up off the ground. “That’s why we were leaving.” I gestured to the door.

“Don’t talk back to me!” He was almost screaming. My middle finger bedazzled with chipped green nail polish extended in the man’s direction as Maxine pulled me into the parking lot.

 

Walking home we didn’t have many spectators except maybe a small stray dog or a squirrel, though few walk along the highway to begin with. Maxine looked distressed. I could tell because I was too. I couldn’t stand not seeing her smile, though. To cheer her up, I pretended to be a dragon, soaring in tight circles around her with my arms stretched out like wings; my hot breath appeared steamy in the cool autumn air. She laughed. God, it was good to hear that. Her cute giggle only made me love her more.

 

She looked gorgeous under the dimly lit street lamp. Her messy curls bounced in front of her smooth, dark complexion. I felt so lucky she loved me, this angel.

“Are you okay?” I realized I had zoned out.

“Wh- oh, yeah sorry.” A pebble came into contact with my tattered tennis shoe and hopped across the road.

“I’m just looking at the prettiest girl in the world.” A smirk grew on her face. Her eyes lit up and I could now see the orange bands of her braces glowing in the dark.

“Are you sure? I’m pretty sure I’m the one who got the best looking girlfriend.” My face turned bright red.

 

The headlights illuminating us from behind quickly wiped the smiles away. We jumped to the side in time to see a dirty blue minivan slow to a halt. The window rolled down and a woman poked her head out. “I’m so sorry!” She looked utterly shaken, understandable seeing as she almost ran us over. “Would you two ladies like a ride?” Maxine looked at me. I shrugged. Another bright smile appeared on her face, though slightly more plastic. 

“Sure! Thank you!” The back seat door slid open to show three children: a two year old girl, babbling about the cartoon on her I-Pad to no one in particular, a boy who looked about the same age as us, whose ears were currently being plugged by earbuds and face was illuminated by the glow of a  phone. And last, the eight year old boy who had opened the door for us. 

 

The boy with the earbuds didn’t acknowledge us but stared in our direction. The younger boy pointed to the back and we climbed in. I sat on my knees in the back of the van, I gave Maxine the last empty seat.

“So, where are you two headed?” the woman inquired. The girl strained in her seat to face us, still talking nonsense. 

“Just past the bridge and the railroad tracks.” She nodded in understanding. Maxine reached down to where I was on the floor and grabbed my arm. The younger boy now turned around to stare at us, too. He seemed confused by our act of obvious affection.

“Are you sisters?” Another question from the front seat. This was extremely odd because Maxine and I look nothing alike. Maxine had smooth chocolate skin without a single blemish and curly black hair while I was pasty white (once I had scared Maxine because I looked so much like a corpse) and had my silky ginger hair pulled back in a tight ponytail to reveal my unholy amounts of acne. 

Nothing alike.

 

The little boy’s brow unfurled and he grew a wide grin.

“Are you… lesbians?”

He seemed very pleased with his vocabulary. The older boy in the back started laughing.

“Mommy, what’s a lez-been?” the girl was taken out of her cartoon infused trance.

In the rear view mirror I saw the woman’s jaw drop.

“JEREMY!”

Oh no.

 

The car came to an abrupt stop, sending me forward across the floor. 

“Jeremy! You don’t just say stuff like that!” she was extremely appalled at her child. ‘Jeremy’ seemed to instantly regret his words. His older brother, however, was laughing so hard he let out a startling snort that shook the car.

“I’m so sorry. I don’t know where he learned that.” she glared at him.

“Besides, I’m sure these lovely girls would never-” and we’re done. Maxine fake smiles one more time. I ask to get out.

As we hop out of the car, the woman apologizes again. I thanked her for the ride and we walk the rest of the way in silence.

 

I wish we lived in the city. The tall beautiful buildings that glow at every hour of the night. And the people, oh the people. More open minded than our small, religious town in the South. The only person who hasn’t threatened me, stopped speaking to me, or moved away because of me is my dad. He still doesn’t approve but we still interact. There is no way to avoid him in the stuffy cottage we call home.

 

“Do you ever think of running away?” Maxine and I were laying on a torn rug in her attic.

“I don’t have to.” the wooden roof creaked in the slight wind. 

“I am” This was news to me.

“Where are you going?” I rolled over onto my stomach.

“Down by the lake. To live with my uncle.” I sighed, feeling slightly betrayed that she never told me before.

“Oh.”

“Hey! You could come with me!” She sat up.

“Are you sure?”

“Nobody in town knows where it is and my parents don’t like him very much. They’d never look there!” I nodded in approval.

“Nine thirty tonight?” she looked hopeful. I had nothing to lose. She was my everything. Not going could only worsen the situation.

 

I walked in the front door of my own house, probably for the last time. That’s when i realized. Saturday. He’s home. I trudged into the kitchen.

“So, out with her again?” This would not end well.

I tried to deflect the question and walk up the stairs. 

“Hey! Were you out with her again?” I reversed back down the steps.

“Maybe…” I mumbled. He sighed. Loudly

“This. Is. The. Last. Time.” I sincerely doubted that. I’d heard that sentence six times in the last month. It had lost all meaning. Was he trying to be intimidating? Because it wasn’t working.

“Y’know if you could just be normal-” I didn’t hear the rest of that sentence because I was already sprinting back up the stairs to my room and sobbing heavily. Stubbing my toe on the way up certainly didn’t help.

 

I was outside Maxine’s window well before nine thirty. Anticipation kept me from anything else. That, and a lack of anything better to do. 

“Alright.” she flung a blue duffel bag out the window. It hit me right in the face.

“I was supposed to bring stuff?” I asked. She shook her head.

“I have everything we need right here.” She picked up the bag from next to my feet.

“Say goodbye to this hellhole.” She smirked. I saluted the neighborhood.

“Goodbye, hellhole.”

 

The trek to the lake was long and tiring. It took all night and despite Maxine having “everything we need,” we had no camping supplies. Our choices were either walk until dawn or sleep in the dirt. We chose to walk. Well, I chose to walk. Halfway there Maxine decided to hop on my back making me carry both her and the overstuffed nylon bag. I swear she packed at least thirty pounds of colorful hoodies.

 

The water sparkled a brilliant orange in the early morning sun. A small cottage stood silhouetted against the marigold glow. I sat down in the wet grass and shook Maxine awake.

“Is this it?” She went from groggy to elated in a moment. A vigorous nod in my direction. We approached the door.

 

Knock. Knock. Knock.

 

The door swung open and a tall man with a black beard wrapped Maxine in a giant hug.

“Max!” He beamed. “And this is… your girlfriend?” She nodded. “Well come on in! I want you to meet somebody.” Another man sat across the room, lighter skin, golden hair. He turned to us.

“She looks just like you.” He was obviously talking about Maxine and her uncle.

“Max, this is your other uncle.” The taller man to his hand off my shoulder and gestured to the blonde. I smiled. And I could tell that this is where we belong.