Dawn Evans

∞

When I landed at the airport, it was about two o'clock. My car was there waiting for me. I got in quickly before speeding off.

During the car ride home, I noticed the dozens of calls, text messages, and voicemails from Antonio. Afterward, I connected my phone to the Bluetooth and played a voicemail.

"Yo, Dawn. Answer the fuckin' phone. I just seen the video." he paused. "Let me explain. It ain't even like that. Hit me back."

Hit him back?

Hell nah.

What does he mean, 'it ain't even like that'? Are my eyes deceiving me? Is it not him sticking his dick in another female?

Nah, you right. Your eyes are perfectly fine.

I didn't even really care. Antonio and I went on one 'date' together, it doesn't mean anything. I barely know him.

It's none of my business.

By the time I convinced myself that I didn't care about how Antonio chose to release his sexual frustrations, I was at home.

I walked in the door as I yelled, "Mom, I'm home!" I didn't feel like going into her room and finding Enzo there.

I walked upstairs to my room before taking a long shower, rinsing the blood that fell from my body.

When I got out of the shower, I looked in the mirror at all of the cuts and bruises that reflected on my face.

Afterward, I put on a bra and some basketball shorts then I went downstairs and grabbed an ice pack. When I came back upstairs I laid down under my blanket. I was about to turn on the TV, but instead, I decided that tonight, I would rather listen to the silence.

My alarm went off at six o'clock, which signaled me to wake up, but I was already awake. I hadn't gone to sleep at all last night. Instead, I laid on my bed as I stared up at the ceiling.

When I got up from bed, I walked into the bathroom and grabbed some makeup that I'd use to cover my bruises.

After about twenty minutes of applying makeup, all of my bruises were covered. It was like they were never there.

No one will ever notice.

I walked toward my closet and changed my clothes before looking in the mirror, like I always did.

I wore a black oversized pullover hoodie and black biker shorts before throwing on a pair of black 'Nike Air Presto Off White' sneakers.

When I was finished getting ready, I knocked on my mom's bedroom door before saying, "Bye, Mom. I'm going to school." She didn't respond, but I'm sure that she heard me. She was probably just getting it in before her death countdown began.

I walked out of the front door with my backpack hanging over one of my shoulders before I got into my car and sped off to school.

When I got to school, Royal's car was parked in my parking spot, so I had to park farther away from the building.

I got out of my car and walked up to the crowd of students that stood at the entrance of the school. Everyone was either in the cafeteria or outside sitting at the benches as they talked to their friends.

It was almost as if I was walking in slow motion. I noticed everything. A girl with the biggest prettiest smile that I've ever seen laughing at a joke that her friend told and her friend holding a beautiful painting that almost made me believe that he was Leonardo da Vinci.

The artists, of course.

Every friend group at school usually started with a group of teenagers who's realized their common interests.

As I kept walking I noticed a group of people reading scripts and I automatically guessed,

Theatre kids.

Next, I saw about four people sitting on a bench, nothing stood out about them. At that moment, they were just people. No extravagant titles, nothing.

The normals.

Sometimes, I wished I were them. They weren't anything, but at the same time...

They were everything.

They were nerds, they were cool, they were stoners, they were talented, they were everything and nothing all at once.

Before I could continue examining everyone, Clover stood in front of my path, blocking me from walking any further.

"Dawn, I've been calling you all night," Clover said as she crossed her arms.

"What? You have?" I reached down into my pocket and realized that I didn't have my phone. "Shit!"

Clover snickered before saying, "Royal told me that you left your mission early," she paused. "Why?"

I checked my invisible watch before saying, "Come on, let's get to class or we'll be late."

I dragged Clover by her arms before she dropped them to her side, getting out of my grip as she said, "It's only seven-fourteen."

I shrugged my shoulders and she said, "Dawn, what the hell is going on?"

I didn't like questions.

So, I left her where she was standing and walked into the building. I went to an empty classroom and laid my head on the desk until the bell rang.

I didn't pay attention during my first two classes instead, I sat watching the clock.

When second period was over, I went outside and sat at the benches alone. I didn't go to third period because I knew Antonio would be there.

What kind of person makes it their mission to get to know someone or go on a date- whatever the fuck you wanna call it, just to intentionally hurt them.

Not that I was hurt or anything.

"What you doin' out here?" I heard a familiar voice say.

I looked up and saw Royal standing at the doorway.

"Avoiding someone," I told him honestly.

"Ole' boy from the other day?" He asked as he walked over and sat at the bench with me.

I put my head down without responding. "I saw the video." He continued.

Everyone saw the video dumbass.

"It ain't cool what he did." He kept going.

"Why are you out here?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Shit.. same reason you out here." He said.

"Who?" I asked.

I knew he understood my question because he answered, "Clo." I turned to face him and he did the same.

I tilted my head to the side silently asking, "Why?"

"The other day- when I took her home," he paused. "She kinda kissed me."

My face lit up as I smiled brightly until it became dull again, "Wait... why are you avoiding her then?"

"I might have pushed her away from me and left." The words left his mouth with fear as if I was gonna hurt him.

I am.

I shoved him off of the bench and he fell to the ground. He sat there for about thirty seconds before standing.

"Royal! You've liked her since forever. What possessed you to do that?" I yelled.

He looked away from me, "I made a mistake." he said quietly.

"Liking Clo was a mista-"

He cut me off before instantly saying, "No, not that."

"Then what?"

He sat back down on the bench before he pulled out his phone and showed me a picture, along with text messages from an unfamiliar girl.

My jaw dropped as tears of joy and sadness fell from my eyes. I turned to face Royal before I threw my arms over his shoulders. He buried his face in my neck and in that moment, I knew he realized that his days of being a kid were over.

Someone was pregnant with his child.

"So, are you gonna tell Clo?" I asked before I let go of him and wiped the tears that covered my face.

"I don't know," he said.

"She's going to find out either way. She should hear it from you."

He nodded his head before he smirked and said, "I'll tell Clo if you talk to-"

I cut him off, "No." I already knew what he was going to say. He wanted me to talk to Antonio, which was something that could never happen.

"You can't avoid that conversation forever..." he said as he chuckled.

He was right. I needed to get over the situation now. Not later. I extended my hand humorously waiting for Royal to shake it.

He shook my hand before he stood and went back into the building, leaving me out here all alone.

Clover probably needed me over the past few days and I've been a bitch- ignoring her and pretending that I had better things to do, instead of being a good friend.

When the bell rang, I could hear it from outside. I walked into the school and headed toward the lunchroom to find Antonio and talk.

Before I got to the lunchroom, I was interrupted by a cheery voice, "Ms. Evans?" Principal Barnes called, standing at the door of her office.

I turned around to face before slightly smiling, "Hey, Ms. Barnes. How are you?"

She tilted her head before saying, "Hello, I was going to ask you the same question."

I was confused and she cleared that up by saying, "Considering that you missed two days of school."

"Yeah, sorry. I had a family emergency. It's my dad again, you know?" I paused. "He's been throwing tantrums because his- you know? It isn't getting-"

She stopped me from continuing by saying, "I had a conversation with your mother. And it seems to me that your father isn't even in the picture."

Dammit, Mom!

"Well, she must've misinformed you..." I said.

"I wanna see you in detention after school for two weeks." She said agitatedly before she walked into her office and slammed the door behind her.

FUCK!

I walked into the lunchroom, irritated. I immediately looked for Royal and I saw him in the corner of the room talking to Clover. He was telling her.

It's my turn.

I looked around the entire lunchroom for Antonio and my eyes fell onto the girl. The girl from the video.

I've never seen her before in person.

She looked over at me and smirked mischievously before she began staring at something different. She was walking towards me and when she walked passed me, I followed her with my eyes.

I wish I hadn't because what I saw probably would've tempted me to kill her under different circumstances.

She stood on her toes as she kissed him passionately. Her tongue flying loosely around the inside his mouth.

I immediately turned around and walked out of the lunchroom. I heard footsteps following me and I turned my head and saw Antonio.

"Dawn- come here. Let me talk!" He yelled across the hallway.

"About what? How you take girls on dates just to go fuck with other people?"

He grabbed me by my waist as he spun me around. Once I was facing him he whispered in my ear, "Dawn, just let me explain."