Chapter 2
An Unexpected Change
The bell rings and finally everyone is in the classroom. I sit there staring at the chalk stain on the new teacher's red, rich looking dress. Everyone is divided into their own sections, associating with their own race, people who look just like them. Shaking my head, I wait until my name is called for attendance.
"Brandy Ross," Mrs. Gruwell says with a shaky tone looking around nervously in hopes to find me right away.
"Here." I can already tell what kind of year it is going to be. It will be just like every other year, getting picked on, getting teased because my hair isn't the typical "long and beautiful type." I could care less what I look like going to school, I mean who do I need to impress? The teachers? Ha, no I'm okay, they treat us black students like we don't have any sense. I guess that's what angers me the most, these white teachers treat us as if we can't understand English, like we don't talk right. I happen to be very intelligent, my mother didn't raise no dummy. The bell rings and we all rush out of there as if we were being chased. Walking into the crowded hallway, my best friend sees me, she is standing by her locker, waving her hand to me in a fast motion.
"Hey girl, how you been, I missed you, girl it's been way too long" she says with her ghetto fabulous self.
"I'm good, just got out of class, about to walk home."
"Mmm that's boring, why don't you come with me and smoke this?" she shows me her pack of cigarettes and a lighter in the pocket of her backpack.
"No, I have to go pick up my brother and do homework."
"Suit yourself, you're becoming a real goody two shoe and I don't think I'm likin' it." She slams her locker door, and walks off with a wanna-be switch and her long thick black braids swaying side to side. That girl annoys me sometimes, I mean she is my best friend and all, but I have a feeling that she won't be for long.
Finally leaving the premises of the school, I walk to the bus stop and wait. Until I hear a bell and see students running around everywhere like maniacs. I turn around and see Black kids fighting the Mexican kids, and security cops everywhere trying to stop the fighting. My main focus is to get my brother and leave, so I run as fast as I can to the end of the block, to my brother's school and see him waiting for me by his teacher's classroom. Smiling with relief to myself, knowing that he's okay, I wave my hand to him gesturing that it's time to go home. Running to me with his arms wide open, he embraces me and hugs me tight as if he hadn't seen me for years.
"Hey sissy, how was your day?"
"Uh it was pretty interesting, nothing out of the ordinary though, how about you?"
"I got an A on my spelling test, and my teacher said I was the top five who got one."
"I am so proud of you, you made sissy's day." I said with a smile that reassures him that he has at least someone there to acknowledge his academic skills. As we reach our street, I see that same old, dirty, rusty apache diesel. My hands start to sweat again, and my heart begins to beat faster and faster. This is just great, I thought we got away from him, I thought he was gone for good. He came for me and did what he had to do, what more could he want? I grab my brother's hand friskily, he feels mine and knows that I am terrified. We approach the drive way and walk slowly to the garage, I see him staring at us, with anger in eyes. He is glaring at me, and I am waiting for him to make his move.
"Go inside and put on the TV." I tell my brother in a calming voice, the voice you would use for a baby.
"Okay." I look back at him to see what he'll do to me this time.
"Hey baby girl, I just wanted to say sorry for this morning. I was really drunk, your mama let me move back in so that I can make things right."
"No, you need to stay on the streets or go to hell."
"I just said I was sorry."
"And I just said that I don't care." I roll my eyes, I'm so infuriated, how can my own mother let this human being BACK INTO THE HOUSE?! I swear she falls for his lies and thinks that he will change, but little does she know he's just a worthless and pathetic excuse for a man.
It's 7:00 p.m., I'm in my room doing homework as well as helping my brother with his math. Suddenly, we hear a bang, it sounded like a very tall shelf of books, the ones you find in the library crashed onto the floor.
"Stay here," I tell my brother rubbing his hand, to reassure him that I will protect him. I walk to my door and peak out.
"This is your fault, bitch!" he screamed in a deep aggressive tone.
"I can't help that I'm doing this on my own!" I hear my mother screaming and crying as if she were getting beat like a child. I walk down the stairs slowly, and finally enter the kitchen. I see my mother on her knees tugging on his shirt, begging him to not do this. I'm not sure what she means.
"What's going on mama?"
"Nothin baby, go upstairs it's alright." She nods her head in the direction of the phone, signaling me to call the cops. Unfortunately, he catches on and runs after me with a belt in his hand. I run to other side of the living room and hide under the glass table hoping that he will miss me. He pulls my legs out from underneath and starts punching and kicking my stomach. My sweaty hands are covering my face and I cry hysterically.
"You want to put me in jail huh is that what you want to do?!"
"If that's what it takes to get you out of our lives!" I scream in a shaky high pitched voice. I knew my time was coming, I knew that I was going to die here, die from his painful hands. My mom gets off of the kitchen floor and runs toward him and jumps on his back, I am kicking and screaming as the sting of the leather continues to strike my skin. I look up at the top of the stairs and see my brother.
"Get back in the room and don't come out, do it now!" I yell in a crying manner.
"Sissy!" he screams, but I try to smile to give him a sense of hope. He runs back into the room slamming the door, making the ceiling crack a little. The man beating me hears it, and goes ballistic.
"Who the hell do you think you are slamming doors under my roof!" he yells running up the stairs in search for my brother. I try to get up as quickly as I can, in hopes to protect my baby. I run up the stairs only to see him beating and whipping my brother as if he were a wild animal. Jumping on his back, and kicking the back of his legs to make him fall forward, I grab my brother's hands, this time his were the sweaty ones and we burst through the front door.
"We have got to leave now!" I tell him softly, trying to remind him that everything will be okay.
"How? He is just going to find us and beat us again!" my brother says holding his shoulder with pain in his eyes. I run back into the house and try to find my mother. I scurried upstairs and see him punching and slapping her in the face, kicking her down as if she were a rag doll.
"Get off of her, you worthless waste of skin!" I yell trying to pull him off of her. My mom gets up from the bedroom floor and grabs me and we run downstairs as fast as we can. I hurry and grab the phone and try to dial 911 but he comes from behind me and knocks me out of consciousness.
Two weeks later, I wake up from what seemed to be the longest nap of my life. I'm in a hospital room and see my brother, mom and a doctor on each side of the bed. I have no idea what is going on and scared as to what may come next.
"Why am I in the hospital?" I ask.
"Baby, you were in a coma for two weeks, and we have been by your side since that night." My mother says as she rests her chin in the palm of her hand. Other doctors come in with relief in their faces and applaud.
"Um, may I ask why these people are clapping?" Everyone in the room laughs, and tells me that I broke the odds. I lived through the damage. I smile and look over to my brother and he smiles back and hugs my arm so tight, I swear the blood circulation stopped.
"Baby, you and your brother are going to be put in foster care for awhile, because I need to find a more stable environment for you two to live in."
"What? Why? No!" I try to get up from the bed but the movement was too much for my head.
"I've made sure that you and your brother will stay together and that nothing will separate you two."
"I love you mom, you promise we will be able to come back to you when you find a safer place?" I ask.
"Yes." She walks out of the room slowly, waving at both me and my brother, tears swelling up in her eyes, with a smile that I give my brother for reassurance. I take a look around the room, and feel a sudden peace that maybe everything will be okay. Maybe this journey will be good for me and my brother. Maybe, just maybe.