TrappedCH.1

"Mom!'' Arissa shouted from upstairs. She stood in front of her full length mirror, examining her every curve and every flaw. Arissa was a beautiful, biracial girl with light brown skin. Her features were so distinct. She had her mother's starry, blue, almond shaped eyes, and her father's full, rounded lips. She never seen her father, but she knows she got that feature from him. She started to brush her long, very curly dark brown hair. She also knows that wasn't from her blond, barbie doll, looking mother. Arissa also was alot more curvy than her mother, but of course in the right places. She was obsessed with jogging. She would jog everytime she had the chance, around her top notch Quartz Hills neighborhood in southern California. It gave her such a release from stress and any sort of pain she was feeling. "What honey! Your going to be beautiful, for your big night." Her mother yelled back to her while she was talking on the phone with her new boyfriend, Tom, who just happened to be a prosecution lawyer, whom she was against in one of her cases. Although blond, and beautiful, Amy, Arissa's mother, was a top notch lawyer. But Arissa found it very funny on the fact that her mother's new boyfriend was rooting against her on a recent case. It was Arissa's big night. It was homecoming, in St.Thomas high, and she was not missing out this year. She missed out her freshman and sophomore year, but seeing as it was junior year, and she practically knew the whole school, she was not going to miss it. "But mom!come here!.... This dress is not looking beautiful!" Arissa yelled back to her busy mother. "Honey, i think i'll call you back, my teenage firecracker is about to spark." Amy told Tom as she hung up the phone, and hurried up the stairs. "What..Ris you look beautiful. I payed a bundle for that dress and your telling me you don't like it. You didn't say that when you tried it on at the clothing store." Amy looked at her daughter and examined the dress. "But mom the dress looks like it is too long near the bottom, what if i trip while i'm dancing?." Arissa replied to her mother. "Honey, don't worry about it. Just have fun. Your 16 years old and you complain more than me." Amy stated. "Whatever." Arissa said sarcastically. Ding dong! The door bell rang. "Well, thats my date." Arissa told her mother. "Are you all ready?" Amy asked. "Yes mommy, and i'm like, so late." Arissa replied in a babyish voice. She hugged her mother, kissed her good bye and hurrily walked to the front door. "Have a great time honey!" Amy yelled down to her daughter as she heard the front door open and then slam shut. Amy was still inside her daughter's room. She actually barely ever goes in Arissa's room so she decided to take a few looks around. She walked towards the dresser and opened the top dresser. There was a huge stack of panties, thongs, and a couple g strings. "I buy her more panties then i buy myself." Amy thought. She opened the second drawer and found Arissa's diary. She opened it. She knew it was wrong, but she knew Arissa really had nothing to hide. She was such a good kid. She flipped it open to any page,and she began to read: today was fun. but another girl asked me what i was. i'm so tired of people coming up to me asking me what race i am or what i'm mixed with. its so hard to not look like an average caucasian girl. my mother is so beautiful but i have this round butt and this thick curly hair. i wish i can have str8 beautiful blond hair. everyday i think about who is my father and why she never talked about him once. i'm not stupid and i know i look different. did she actually think i was gonna live my life thinking i was just this normal happy biracial girl. it's so hard to figure out who i am or what i am. somethings missing. i dont want to meet my father or anything, but i at least want to know who he is and how they met.it drives me crazy on how she thinks she can keep this away from me....Amy shoved the book back in the drawer with tears in her eyes. She had no idea that her daughter felt this way. Amy couldn't sleep so she decided to wait for her daughter to come home so they could talk. It was 12:37 and Arissa slowly opened the front door. She walked up to her room took off her baby blue dress and slipped on her p.j.s. She slid into her queen sized water bed and turned off the light. Click! the light turned back on. Her mother flipped on the light switch and sat on Arissa's bed. "Arissa we need to talk..." Amy said seriously. "Mom i'm so sorry, but the party lasted a long time..I couldn't get a ride from j-" "No. Arissa, it's not about the party." Amy interrupted her. "what is this about, mom?" Arissa looked at her mother surprised. "Riss, I know I haven't talked to you about your father before." Amy said as she stared directly in her daughter's eyes. Arissa nodded. "Is there anything at all, that you want to know?" Amy asked. "Yes, is he even alive? And why did you take so long to talk to me about this. 16 years is a long time mom." "I know arissa, but i felt that if you were older you would understand alot more. Well....your father is still alive, of course. He lives in L.A. He knows everything about you....but he felt it was best that you stayed with me, because of the situation he is in. He lives in a rough neighborhood, hon." Arissa looked at her mother, marinating everything she said. "Your father and I met when i was working. He was....one of my clients. i was his lawyer on a robbery case i did." "Was he..guil-" "He was not guilty." Amy interrupted her daughter, knowing what she was going to ask. "No he wasn't. Well anyways, one day he was at my office....and one thing led to another and...we kind of had a...fling." Amy said embarassed. "om my gosh..mom! you did it in your office." Arissa smiled. Amy nodded. "It was very unacceptable, and i regret it...but i became pregnant..and i had you. and seeing you for the first time, i don't regret. you was such a beautiful baby. i loved you so much,holding you in my arms for the first time. your grandmother didn't approve of you. and that's why me and your grandmother still don't talk to this day. But i loved you, no matter what, and i knew i was going to take care of you." Amy said. "So you stopped talking to him, forever." Arissa asked. "Well he has pictures of you, but he and i knew that if i raised you it would be best. i have a much better lifestyle." Amy replied. Arissa yawned. "i love you mom." Arissa said and went to bed. "Goodnight honey. And tommorrow I want to hear all about your homecoming." Amy said, turned off the light and went to bed.

It was Saturday and Amy decided to do some extra paper work at her office, so she left the house early. Arissa awoke, and was not surprised to see her mother gone. She is such a workaholic. The day was pretty boring, because Arissa stayed in the house. At around 4:30, Arissa got the worst phone call she would ever receive in her life. She picked up the phone."Hello......what!what!...no!" Arissa dropped the phone and fell to her knees. She started crying unbearably. Amy was in a terrible car accident on her way to work. She died on impact. her car was hit by teenagers, who were driving very fast in a cadillac escalade. Her yellow convertable BMW, flipped upside down. The news hit Arissa like a slap on the face. She couldn't believe it. She needed her mother. Her mother was all she had. Arissa still was on the floor crying, unable to move. She started shaking.

The day of her mother's funeral, was very tragic. Arissa saw people that knew her mother that she never seen in her life. Everyone was standing aroung the coffin, and put flowers on it. Most of the people who were there were people who worked with Amy and people who Amy represented in court.Arissa felt like she couldn't live. She needed her mother's guidance. She was still only 16 years old. She stood in front of her mothers grave and placed a single rose on the top. She stood there and tried to think where she was going to go. For the first time ever, she saw her grandmother. She stood alone with a black hat and dress. she didn't even look at Arissa. Arissa looked around and saw a dark black man approach the funeral. She was shocked to see him because he was the only black man in the whole funeral. He approached Arissa. "Arissa. I'm your father." Arissa looked at him shocked. she felt she could not breathe. "I'm here cuz you gon live with me gurl. im the only family you got left." He said. Arissa looked at him still shocked.