"Beatrice!" Courtney scolded her cousin.
"What?" Beatrice asked.
"You idiota! We could've been in some serious shit! Do you know who that police officer was?!"
"Who was he?"
Courtney shook her head. Beatrice might not have known about the graffiti incident.
"Never mind… just make sure you don't go doing something stupid like that again. You… had me scared."
"You were scared for me?"
"Well yeah. You may be a pain in the ass but, you're famillia. People around here are so racist."
"That was the first time someone ever called me a nigger to my face…"
"Hopefully it'll be the only time."
"Wow. Living around here seems tough.. how do you do it?"
"I don't know… you get used to it, I guess."
"I'll never get used to it."
"It's all right; you're only staying for a month or so. Let's get out of here and go to the stadium."
Courtney was surprised with herself. She wasn't scolding Beatrice as rough as she thought she would be. Perhaps Beatrice was finally seeing things from Courtney's point of view.
Duncan's House, 11:30
"Dude! You cleaned your room!" Geoff said.
Their conversation was in voices just above whispers.
"Yeah. Ma told me to," Duncan said.
"Amazin," Geoff said.
"It took me two hours," Duncan said.
"Keep it clean," Geoff yawned.
"Whatever," Duncan said, changing the subject. "The old man reckons were sleepin'. We ought to be quiet so it'll stay that way.
"Alright," Geoff agreed. "Do you want me to take you to Courtney's house tomorrow?"
"If we find anything important," Duncan said. "If not, let's give her a couple days."
"What a gal," Geoff said.
"I know," Duncan agreed. "Shh! Hear that?"
Duncan exited his room gingerly. He motioned for Geoff to follow him.
When he got to the door of his parent's room, he put his ear to the door.
"Are you going to the-"He heard his mom say.
"Shh! Sheesh, ain't I tell you not to mention that?" He heard his dad say.
"But the boys are sleepin."
"I don't think so. He and Geoff are always doing some crazy shenanigans."
Duncan frantically motioned for him and Geoff to go back to the room. They quickly and quietly found their way back inside Duncan's room.
"Pretend that you're sleepin'," Duncan said as quietly as he could.
Shortly after, they heard footsteps. Duncan and Geoff had mastered the art of pretend-sleeping a long time ago.
The door opened.
"See? I told you they were sleepin," Mrs. Meyers whispered.
"They could be fakin'!" Mr. Meyers whispered, incredulous.
"Does that look like fakin to you, idiot?"
Mr. Meyers stepped into the room.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Do you want to wake them up?!"
"Ehh," Mr. Meyers said. "I reckon you're right."
"Aren't I always?"
"Whatever, woman."
They left the room and closed the door. Duncan heard the door of his parent's room shut.
"Geoff," said Duncan quietly.
Geoff gave Duncan a small thumb up. They were the masters of reconnaissance. They were dressed in all black clothes to be more discreet. Geoff was a good friend. Duncan couldn't imagine anyone else doing something so risky with him.
They stayed awake in their beds for ten minutes. After that, they heard the door to his parents' room open. Shortly after, footsteps were heard going down the stairs. It sounded like both of his parents were going down the stairs.
Duncan slowly got out of the bed and quietly opened the door a tiny bit.
He indeed saw his mom and dad going downstairs. His dad and mom appeared to be grabbing some… guns? What the hell?
"This 'gon do some good tonight," Mr. Meyers said. Mrs. Meyers snickered.
"They have a gun!" Duncan whispered shrilly.
"What the hell?!" Geoff whispered shrilly in reply.
"Once they're out of that door, we follow."
Geoff nodded and Duncan grabbed his keys along with their skateboards. The door closed shortly after. The engine started and the two began to make their way down Duncan's window. They opened the door leading to the front yard and saw the car going down the road.
"Let's go," Duncan said.
"I don't know why I'm doing this," Geoff said.
"Because you owe me," Duncan reminded his best friend.
"Ugh," Geoff said. "I should've known you'd pull off something like this."
"Stop complainin' and hush," Duncan said. "We gotta keep quiet and hurry."
Geoff nodded. "Where do you reckon they're goin'?"
"I don't know, but they have guns," Duncan said. "So we gotta follow them and make sure they don't do anything stupid."
Why did his parents have guns? Duncan knew his dad possessed guns… but his mother? What secrets were they keeping? Duncan wasn't the only one with secrets… In fact, his secret seemed miniscule compared to the secrets his parents were keeping.
"Duncan?" Geoff asked.
"Yep," Duncan replied.
"What if they catch us?"
Duncan thought about it for a moment. What was the worst they could? They wouldn't disown or kill their own sons. The worst they could do was ground them.
"They'd probably just ground us," Duncan said. "Who cares if they do? Since when did we follow the rules anyway?"
"You got a point there," Geoff said.
They continued riding their skateboards along the sidewalk. Duncan wondered where they were headed. Last time he followed them, they didn't go very far.
Duncan narrowed his eyes. The car was turning right. Duncan and Geoff hurried along, while miraculously staying discreet. They were truly the masters of reconnaissance.
Then it came to Duncan: Weren't they about to get on the road to Courtney's neighborhood?
"Dude!" Duncan exclaimed, startling Geoff.
"What the hell, bro?!" Geoff said, irritated.
"I reckon they're gettin' on the road to Courtney's neighborhood!"
They stopped to watch the cars drive. Geoff and Duncan stared in surprise. They were indeed, on the way to Tougaloo. What where they going to do? Was someone going to get killed? Duncan remembered Courtney's house and the non-existent graffiti. Duncan was sure the group his dad was in had something to do with it.
"We can't follow them all the way to Tougaloo!" Duncan said. "They'll be back before we are! And we can't count on them to go somewhere before they come back."
"You're right," said Geoff. "So what do ya reckon we do?"
"We're going to skate back to the house as fast as we can. Then I'm going to call Courtney to warn her!"
The duo skated back to the house as quickly as they could. There was no use in trying to be discreet anymore. The car was long gone.
Once they were inside, Duncan immediately ran to his telephone. He'd never run so fast for a call in his life. Geoff watched Duncan in amazement. He'd never seen Duncan so frantic before. Geoff could tell that Duncan cared about Courtney.
Duncan could hear the other line ringing. He tapped his foot impatiently. It was not the time for to be blinded by her anger.
"Come on Courtney, pick up the phone, goddammit!" Duncan exclaimed, startling Geoff. She needed to pick up so he could warn her.
Courtney's House
After the incident with Mr. Meyers, the crew proceeded to see the football game. Luckily they didn't hear any racist slurs towards them. Courtney knew Beatrice couldn't take anymore.
After the football game, they bought ice cream and hung out at Deshawn's house. There they played games, ate, caught up on neighborly gossip, and did whatever it was teenagers did. Beatrice and Courtney had three conversations without any sarcastic remarks or comments. It was a good day.
She was awoken by the telephone ringing. Was it Duncan? She was still kind of upset with him. She wouldn't admit it, but she understood why he did what he did. If people saw that Duncan wasn't the crazy guy he always was at parties, it might've made them more susceptible to believe rumors. That would bring danger to themselves and their relationship. His flirtation and dancing with girls made her uneasy. She was the jealous type.
The only way to find out who was on the phone was to pick it up.
"Who are you and why are you calling at this time," Courtney asked, yawning.
"It's me," She heard Duncan's voice.
"What do you want?" She snapped, sitting up.
"Look," Duncan started. "I know you might be upset with me. But now ain't the time. Court, I saw my parents leave the house with guns. They were headed for your neighborhood."
What the heck? Guns? Courtney immediately became terrified.
"G-g-g-guns?!" Courtney stuttered.
"Yes. Geoff and I couldn't follow them all the way. I needed to warn you."
"How far are they from here?"
"My guess is five minutes."
Courtney found herself shaking. She'd taken self-defense classes when she was younger and had the strength to tear many people limb from limb. But white people with guns? She had no such experience and she never wanted any. In fact, it was one of the very things she feared… along with green jelly…
"Thank God you picked up. I'm worried about you."
Wow, Courtney thought. He must've stayed awake just to keep an eye on his parents. He had to have followed them very inconspicuously just to keep up and not get caught. Then, when he'd found out they were going into her suburb, he must've rode like a cheetah! Courtney's anger towards him was gradually diminishing. They still had things to discuss, but her anger was no longer blinding her judgment. Duncan cared about her.
"Duncan!" Courtney found herself scolding her boyfriend. "Do you know how dangerous it was for you to follow your parents? What if they grounded you?! Or something else?!"
"The worst they could do is ground me. Which doesn't matter anyway, since I would just sneak out whenever I felt like it…"
Courtney shook her head, although he couldn't see her. "You…!"
"I oughta go before your folks hear ya. Just be ready. Make sure you let me know you're all right!"
"Okay."
"All right. Goodbye."
Courtney hung up the phone. She hadn't realized how much she was shaking while on the phone with Duncan. She sat upright in her bed and looked out the window towards the street. The street was completely void of any movement. It was like the calm before the storm. The moon shone brightly and its light reflected across her window. It was a peaceful summer night. Who would dare disturb such a beautiful, natural peace?
She slowly closed her eyes. All the doors and windows were locked. Everyone was home, fortunately. She hoped no one she knew was lurking in the streets…
She heard one car drive by. It was followed by a loud, ear-piercing gunshot.
Her first thought was to scream, but she stopped herself. She heard footsteps outside her room. Her door opened and she ducked only to see that it was her concerned dad. She could barely make out his face in the dark.
"Courtney," He said. "The gunshot awoke you, right?"
She nodded.
"Alright. We're all going to wait this out in the attic. Follow me."
Courtney got up and they began to walk to the attic.
"I've seen this before. I made sure to purchase a house with an attic just for an event such as this one."
This felt vaguely familiar to her.
Then she remembered:
It was a very late summer night in May 1951. A five year old Courtney slept in her bedroom. It was her very first night sleeping alone. She was scared at first of course, but her father read her a bed time story and tucked her in. She was sound asleep.
Suddenly, a gunshot was heard outside. It awoke her. She thought it might be a natural occurrence, but more and more were heard. She ran as quickly as she could t her parent's room. Her parents had been arguing about something a little while before she fell asleep.
Her parents engulfed her in a hug as they led her to the attic. They could still hear the faint sounds of the gunshots outside.
"What are those noises outside?" Courtney asked.
John and Linda looked at each other knowingly.
"Fireworks," John said, glancing at Linda.
"So why can't we watch them?"
"Because they're too loud and bright sweetie," Linda said.
Courtney scoffed. "You guys never wanna have any fun!"
John and Linda shared nervous looks. She couldn't know. It wouldn't be good for her. How could they explain white people with guns to a five year old?
*End of Flashback*
Those weren't fireworks, Courtney thought. They must've been gunshots. Loud, ear-piercing gunshots. She wondered why her five-year old self hadn't caught on. Her dad probably thought she didn't remember…
In the attic sat Beatrice, Grace, and her mom. The attic was big for a two story house. It was so seldom used that Courtney didn't remember it existed most of the time. It was located above her parents' room. It was accessible by using a small ladder to reach it. A small curtain covered the only window in the attic.
She examined everyone in the room. Beatrice looked like she was scared but trying her best to suppress it. Courtney and Beatrice were alike in that matter. They would never let anyone see them vulnerable. Perhaps they weren't so different after all.
Linda and John looked calm, as if they'd experienced it all before. John must've been really teaching Linda how to keep calm in dire situations such as the one they found themselves in. Grace was shaking while Linda's hand was in hers.
John cleared his throat. "The racists sometimes do this."
Everyone listened intently.
"They shoot guns in the air and yell foul words to intimidate us."
Courtney found herself nodding slowly to her father's words.
"But we must never fear. We have the power to change things. We have the power to end this nonsense." He cleared his throat again. "Beatrice, Grace, I'm sorry you have to go through this. I'm sure Linda made you aware of the injustice that sometimes goes down in this country."
This made Courtney wonder: Why did they come to the States? Linda had made them aware of the injustice in the south. So why would the still come? Especially when Puerto Rico was literally heaven on earth compared to Jackson. This was important, so she'd find out.
John spoke again, "They never come inside any of our houses though. And if they do, we'll be safe up here. This place is hidden." John shut the door of the attic.
John's calm was relaxing to Courtney. She rarely ever saw her dad visibly angry or irritable. It helped to level her mind, being prone to stress and anger.
Gunshots were still sounding outside. If they weren't in the attic, the sounds would probably be even worse.
Cortney felt a hand lock hers. It was Beatrice's. They looked each other in the eyes for a moment. After that, everyone in the room held hands. John once again prayed for them to be safe. John's calm was enough for everyone else to stay calm.
The gunshots eventually died down. The vehicles left and everyone eventually returned to their respective rooms. When Courtney returned to hers, she laid awake on her bed. Beatrice was probably doing the same, having never experienced such an event.
Would Duncan be asleep? Courtney had a feeling that he was staying awake for her call.
She dialed his number and he picked up the phone almost immediately.
"Hello?" Duncan asked. He sounded restless.
"Yeah. It's me." Courtney said.
Duncan sighed in relief. "Oh thank God you're okay. Geoff was waiting with me, but he fell asleep."
Courtney shifted in her seat. "Yeah, well. My dad said the racists sometimes do things like shoot bullets in the air and yell foul words. But he's never seen any of them actually going into people's houses…"
They were both silent for a moment.
"I'm just really glad you're okay."
"Me too. Thanks, Duncan." Her anger towards him seemed to have vanished. She understood. To keep his name clear, he had to do what he did. He was trying his very best to protect him and herself. But they still needed to talk about it in person…
"Yeah."
Courtney sighed. "Come over on Saturday, all right?"
"Okay. See you then."
They hung up the phone. Courtney opened the door to her room and went down to the guest room. Strangely, she found herself checking on her cousin.
She slowly opened the door. Grace was asleep, surprisingly. Beatrice narrowed her eyes, looking towards the small glimpse of light coming into the room.
"What're you doing?" Beatrice asked.
"You seemed scared," Courtney said, coming into the room and turning on the light. Beatrice narrowed her eyes in response.
"Damn it Courtney, did you really have to turn on the light?" Beatrice snapped, closing her eyes. Courtney shrugged. "And I was and am fine."
Courtney looked at Beatrice with disbelief. "Are you sure, about that? I saw you shaking."
Beatrice shook her head. "I was just cold, all right?"
Courtney laughed. "Right. Cold in the middle of Mississippi. Good one. You know, if you're going to try and make yourself look tough, you could at least come up with better excuses."
Beatrice scoffed and Courtney grinned. Things were silent for a moment. They had some things in common, although neither of them would admit it.
Beatrice cleared her throat. "Enough about me. Do things like this happen very often? "She sounded like a curious child.
"The only time I remember experiencing something like this was when I was five…" Courtney said.
"Wow."
"Yeah."
They were having a decent conversation.
"Well I'm glad you're okay. Well, goodnight, Beatrice."
"'Night cousin."
Courtney went back to her room and laid down her bed. She shouldn't have been so calm, but her dad was and that was enough. She fell asleep.
Saturday, July 21st, 1962
Things were steady in the house after the gunshots. The day after, John told them again that there was nothing to fear except fear itself. Grace and Beatrice still seemed uneasy. Courtney had to admit, she was too.
The gunshots brought back harsh memories, things she'd hoped to never see again. Any memory of her being scared or weak was unpleasant to her. Despite the numerous people that had told her it was okay to be vulnerable, she still didn't like it. Vulnerability to her showed weakness, which is something she believed no one should ever see from her.
Courtney was still determined to find out what drove her aunt and cousin to the United States. Whenever something was important, she almost always found out. One didn't just come to the land of injustice and prejudice just for the sake of coming. For everything that happened, there was a driving force behind it.
She thought that perhaps Beatrice was beginning to see how rough living in the South was thus gaining maybe a little respect for her. Ever since the gunshots they still had rude conversations although they were less in number. Dare I say, Courtney thought. Change is coming.
They continued to hang out with Courtney's friends after Tuesday. The gunshots scared all of them, and it was visible in their conversations. Most of them had experienced similar situations in the past, so it wasn't too unnerving. They preferred to not talk about the gunshots or other scary memories in depth.
It sometimes surprised Courtney that they all experienced terrible things on a daily basis whether it was direct or indirect. The South was harsh, racist, prejudiced, cruel, evil, and just about any other atrocious thing you could think of. Yet, through the rough times, they came out stronger, and always managed to have fun. They were only 15-16 years old! How fast these things were maturing them…
Summers usually consisted of days at Joe's, watching sports games, playing on the streets, hanging at each other's houses, and a big event at the end.
But the end of summer was a good while from July 21st. They wouldn't go back until the Tuesday after Labor Day.
Everyone went about their daily activities. The adults in the house went to work. Today, Deshawn had promised to take Beatrice to hang out with his 17 year old cousin. Courtney told her parents and they agreed. Although she and Deshawn's relationship didn't work out, her parents still thought he was a good person. They it was just simple teenage love, nothing to worry about. Plus, John and Deshawn's parents were great friends.
This gave Courtney the house and the whole day to her until Duncan came. She really needed it
So there she was. It was after mid-day and the house was humid. She was almost finished with her chores. She'd cleaned her room, the living room, and was about to do the bathroom downstairs. She took delight in doing her chores. At least the house never became dirty.
After she cleaned the bathroom, she washed her dirty clothes and hung them up outside. She ate some leftover pasta in the refrigerator and sat on the couch in the living room. She'd told Duncan to come at 6:00.
Her mom's voice kept replaying in her head, "No boys!" She couldn't help but think about how she was blatantly disobeying her mom. It was the first act of disobedience in a while. But her parents would never approve.
After watching a few episodes of I Love Lucy, she went to her room to await Duncan's arrival.
Beatrice wouldn't be back till around eight or later. After all, their curfew was 9:15 with a 20 minute grace period. She lay back on her bed with her eyes slowly closing. Strangely, she hadn't done any studying. Sure, she'd completed her summer assignments, but she hadn't done anything studious outside of school work.
With that in mind, she picked the To Kill a Mockingbird book Noah let her borrow. She'd told him not to spoil anything for her. When she'd finish, her and Noah would discuss the details. She began to read.
The author writes with such descriptive language, Courtney thought. I want to write like that.
When she was on the 15th page, she heard a knock at her window. It startled her but she realized it was none other than Duncan. She opened the window and he fell unto her bed.
"You always startle me when you knock," Courtney said.
"Well I'm a spooker," Duncan said, lying on her lap.
"Well you should stop," Courtney said. Duncan smirked at her.
"Will you wipe that stupid smirk off your face?" Courtney asked. That smirked seemed to be permanently glued to his face.
He only smirked wider in reply.
"Maybe one day," Duncan said, noticing the book on her bed and picking it up. "What were you doing, reading this?"
Courtney looked at him with narrowed yes. "Yes."
Duncan chuckled. "You are such a nerd."
Courtney shook her head in denial. "Am not!"
"Okay Princess," Duncan said. "And I've never broken the law."
Courtney scoffed and put the book neatly on her desk.
"Are you still mad at me?"
Courtney was silent.
"C'mon Court. It's been a week!"
She remained silent.
"I swear you're one of the only people I know who can hold a grudge for so long."
He'd be surprised to find out how much longer I can hold grudges, Courtney thought begrudgingly.
"And you're one of the only people I know who would go to a party and not tell his girlfriend!" Courtney snapped, crossing her arms.
Duncan sighed and shook his head. He looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry, okay?"
Courtney looked at her wall. "I told you that I was going to that stupid reunion."
"I guess I just forgot… I was thinkin' about too many other things. So it when Geoff told told me… I was surprised."
"What were you thinking about?"
"You, Danny, my dad, my mom, their adventures at night, the war-"
Courtney interrupted him, "Alright. I get it."
They were both silent for a while. Duncan thought about the things he mentioned, and Courtney thought about how she was going to admit that he wasn't in the wrong.
Her anger came back again. "But then you just come and tell me that you danced and flirted with girls! Who were these girls you spoke of? Were they attractive? Did they-"
"Oh you know I already told you about why I did that! If I hadn't then people would've been more suspicious! There were already rumors spreading."
Courtney scoffed again. "And you never told me about any rumors."
Duncan sighed. "I'm sorry. And I mean that."
He wasn't lying. He looked her in the eyes and Courtney avoided his gaze. "I guess… I understand."
"So you're not mad?"
"No… but next time tell me you idiota! Who were these girls? Were they pretty? What were they wearing? What grade-"
"Hold on there. Are you jealous?"
Courtney laughed in disbelief. "Jealous? Me? Of course not!" Her cheeks turned a dark red.
Duncan smirked. "Oh really? So why are you asking me all these questions?"
"Because-b-b-because," She stuttered, struggling to explain herself. "I just want to know, okay?!"
Duncan laughed. "Just admit it, you're jealous. The thought of me even lookin' at a girl like I look at you infuriates ya."
He was right: Courtney was the jealous type. But she wasn't about to admit that aloud. Not in front of that clown. "I'm not jealous!"
"You know, your voice gets higher when you lie. It's funny, actually. I'm surprised your parents haven't caught on with the way you're talking."
She crossed her arms and scowled.
"You're a stubborn one, you know that?" Duncan said.
"And you're nice!" Courtney retorted.
Duncan's casual composure was suddenly lost as he said, "Am not!"
"Yes, you are!"
"Denials not just a river in Egypt…"
"That's my line!"
Courtney laughed and Duncan crossed his arms.
"So," Courtney said. "What happened at that party?"
"The usual stuff that goes on at parties…" Duncan said. "Not that you would know."
Courtney scowled.
"And I found out that Scott was the one spreading the rumors."
"Oh, him! You never told me why you hate him."
"It's a long story for another time…"
Courtney smirked. "You're going to have to tell me sometime."
"Not now. Anyway I promised to pound him in his face if didn't stop spreading them. I don't even know how he knew about the party in the first place.
"He'll stop, right?"
"He better. And even if he doesn't, no one'll believe him anyway."
"I hope not."
Courtney scooted closer to Duncan. She told him about the gunshots and how she'd experienced it before.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"I'm okay," She said.
He was relieved that his parents hadn't done anything worse. He pulled her close and hugged her.
"You know," Courtney said once they pulled away. "Beatrice is getting… better?"
"So can we please tell her?!"
"No! I told you she can't be trusted!"
"Okay, but I'm warning you, she's going to find out sooner or later!"
"Shh! Don't say that or it'll happen!"
Duncan shook his head. "Whatever you say, Princess…"
"You know I'm right! Can't you tell just by looking at her? She seems so sweet but-"
Duncan put a finger to her lips. She narrowed her eyes. "Shh. Don't worry about Beatrice right now. Just you and me."
He kissed her softly on the lips. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
6:45 P.M.
"That was fun," Beatrice told Deshawn.
She'd spent the entire day with Deshawn and his cousin Shanice. They went to Joe's, saw a football game, saw a movie, and hung out at her house. She was a little disappointed that Deshawn had to leave early.
"Sorry we can't stay out longer," Deshawn said. "The folks are makin' me come home early."
Shanice shook her head, laughing. "They think if he stays out late, he'll get himself into trouble with white people."
"No!" Deshawn denied. "It's just dangerous out here now and days."
"That's true," Shanice said. "But Courtney's parents trust her enough to let her stay out until 9 or so."
Deshawn scowled. "Well."
"Right," Shanice laughed. "C'mon Beatrice, I can stay out later. Deshawn can't."
"Oh I don't know," Beatrice said. "Courtney might want me to come home early…"
"Oh stop worryin, girl," Shanice said. "Courtney knows me. You're in good hands."
Beatrice shrugged. What harm could it do? Besides, it was too early to be back.
"All right," Beatrice said. "Let's do it!"
Shanice smiled. "Cool. But first, let's take Deshawnie home first."
"Don't call me that!"
Back at the house
"Man," Duncan said. "I wish we could do things."
Courtney raised her eyebrows at Duncan. Did he mean…? "Like what?"
Duncan looked at her raised eyebrows and caught her drift. "No, not those things, Courtney. Although, if you want, I could…"
Courtney smacked him hardly with her pillow. It was a reflex.
"Alright, alright!" Duncan put his hands up in surrender. "Not those things. I was talking about having fun in the city."
Courtney nodded and then laid her head in his lap. "Me too. Too bad the fun's in the white places…"
Duncan shook his head and pondered for a moment. "But what if you were to become white?"
Courtney frowned. "Don't be stupid. Ever heard of a black person disguised as a white person? No."
Duncan looked at her intently. "What if there was some way you could? Do you know how much fun we could have?"
Courtney raised her eyebrows again. "Tell me when it becomes possible."
"But in the mean time," Duncan said, playing with her hair. "We can hang."
Beatrice and Shanice
They'd dropped Deshawn home and were hoping to get some ice cream. The ice cream truck was just around the corner. Beatrice stared at the truck in awe.
"Shit!" Beatrice said, checking her empty pockets. "I don't have any money on me."
"Double shit," Shanice said. "I don't got enough money to pay for ya."
"Well our house is right around the corner, so I guess I'll ask Courtney for money."
"I'll walk ya'."
Beatrice told the ice cream man to wait a few minutes and he agreed. She then proceeded to run as fast she could back to the house. Shanice was struggling to keep up with her. When Beatrice wanted something, she did anything to get it. She'd been craving for ice cream for the longest.
Her mom had given her money earlier that day, but she'd left a good portion of it at home. Besides, it wasn't like she was going to spend her own money. That's was what cousins were for.
She used the key Linda gave her earlier that day and entered the house. Shanice waited outside the front door. This was unbeknownst to Courtney, who was too preoccupied with her boyfriend to remember or hear Beatrice coming in.
She went to the bathroom, looked at herself in the mirror, and proceeded to Courtney's door. Not even bothering to knock on Courtney's door, she busted open the door and said, "Court, give me some money for ice cream-" She stopped when saw what was in front of her.
Courtney was sitting on Duncan's lap, their lips pressed together in a passionate make out-session.
Courtney widened her eyes and pushed herself off of Duncan when she realized her cousin was standing at her door with wide eyes.
Everyone in the vicinity was too dumbfounded to say anything. Duncan decided to break the silence. "Now Beatrice. I could tell you that this isn't what it looks like, but that'd be dumb. Because this is exactly what it looks like."
A/N: WHAT A CHAPTER! IT'S MY LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! Guys, I'm really going to try to be working on my stories this summer. I don't know how I'm going to spend my summer, but one thing I'm sure I'm going to be doing is writing. Summer here we come! I got some more follow up questions for you guys:
1. Goodness gracious! What is Beatrice going to do with the new information she has found out?!
2. Why didn't Duncan and Courtney hear or notice Beatrice coming inside the house?
3. What is Courtney going to do?
4. What do you think of the whole gunshots event?
5. If anyone wants to draw some art for this story PM me! :)
6. What do you think Courtney thought Duncan was talking about when he said, "I wish we could do things" ?
7. (just added this) IF YOU HAVE AND TIPS AND/OR CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PUT IN YOUR REVIEW! IT MEANS ALOT!
-MAYFB