Part Two: And I Wanna Believe You
~Miranda~
"It's okay." I assured him. "She'll be back and you guys will be annoyingly cute together." I joked.
"No. It won't." Gordo whispered as I started to get concerned.
"What's going on?"
"She wants to break up with me." Gordo collapsed onto my shoulder and I held him as he started to cry.
"I knew I would find you here!" My sister Nidia yelled out accusingly.
"So. I'm here. What do you want?" I yelled at her angrily. Gordo needed me now.
"I can't believe you would do this. If mom and dad were here, they'd kill you." Nidia replied, walking up to me with a smirk.
"I'm not doing anything. I'm just helping out a friend and if they can't understand that, tough." I remarked as Gordo got up and took his guitar. "Where are you going?" I asked.
"I need to be alone." He admitted.
"I'm really disappointed in you Randie." Nidia shook her head at me as I followed her down the stairs and into her car. "Did you know that we had family coming today?"
"No."
"Well, we did."
"If you knew about it, why didn't you call me and let me know?" I wondered.
"They only stopped by for a little bit and I called over here, but you weren't here. Where were you?"
"I got detention."
"You what?" My mother asked as I explained the situation to her once more.
"So this Craft guy walks out of detention and nothing happens to him?" My father, Jose asks. I nod. "I cannot believe this. Do you see what our daughter has to go through? You wanted her to go to this institution." He yelled.
"Calm down. I'll be okay. I have proof." I explained. For the rest of the night that's all my parents talked about. They called my school the next morning and set up a meeting with Ethan's parents and the principal. And, best of all, they didn't even notice Nidia when she told them that I had been hugging Gordo. If they were listening, I would've gotten it.
~Ethan~
"See. She's a liar," I said to the principal as Miranda's family kept giving me looks. Dirty Spics. Who needs them around anyway.
"No. I have proof. We can all listen to it if you want." Miranda responded as she handed the principal a tape. She put it in and I heard my voice.
"Things have been really hard for me since my dad died and ..." I didn't need to hear the rest because I already knew what it said. Shit! That little bitch had recorded me talking to Dr. Manette and probably all the others.
"Well, Ethan, I don't know what to say." Miss Scarlet sat speechless. "I'll have to talk this over with the school board and possibly the vice- principal to find a punishment suitable for what you have done." She told me. "And as for you, Miranda, Thank you for bringing this to my attention."
The meeting ended and everyone stood up. "Is that is?" Miranda's father asked. "My daughter gets detention for telling the truth and all you can say is thanks?"
"Calm down dad," Miranda said, as Miss Scarlett looked down at her hands as though they held the answer.
"I don't think I need to apologize for this misunderstanding. Miranda already knows how sorry I am." Miss Scarlett explained as her father walked away, angrily.
Miranda's family left the office and my step-father took on his family characteristics.
"See what kind of child you're raising Paula? Look at your deadbeat son that has to lie to get in the top ten. What a disgrace!" He spat out as I began to get really upset.
~Miranda~
I walked out the school and heard yelling and arguing in the parking lot.
"You don't know anything. Just because everyone thinks you're perfect, doesn't mean you are. You're such a phony!" Ethan yelled as his step-father punched him and blood gushed from his nose. He yelled out something else and punched Ethan square in the jaw.
"Jonathan. Jonathan! Not here. You promised." Mrs. Craft told him in a stern tone, stopping him from hitting Ethan again.
"I'm going to the bathroom." Ethan mumbled as his parents walked to the car. I followed him.
"Ethan!" I yelled as he started to walk faster. "Ethan!" He turned around.
"What?!"
"I can help you with that," I said, as he followed me into the girl's bathroom. He winced as I rubbed a wet towel over his jaw. "I'm sorry about what happened back there."
"Don't be. That's just the way it is." His eyes started to tear. I looked at him, but he avoided my gaze.
"You know you don't have to take that from him." I began. "You shouldn't let him do this to you."
"What am I going to do? Go to the police." I stopped cleaning his wound. "They don't give a damn and if they did, they wouldn't believe me anyway. I don't have time for that, especially after the stunt you pulled." He spat out.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know what was going on ... but I know that you should've gone to someone. I mean, things are only going to get worse, right?"
"Wrong." Ethan responded as he jumped off the counter. "I have less than a year of this bull shit to go and then he's outta my life."
"So, you're just going to run off to college and pray that everything will be okay." He nodded. "What about your mom? What if she has kids with him, or what if she ends up in the hospital?"
"He doesn't hit her." Ethan whispered.
"What?"
"He only hits me because he hates me." Ethan sniffed.
"I can help you if you want me to." I offered. He shook his head.
"No. I don't want you getting involved."
"I'm not going to tell anyone." I declared, sensing his mistrust.
"You better not. You've already ruined stuff I've worked hard for."
"You've worked hard?"
"Yeah." Ethan grabbed a paper towel as the blood from his nose started to drip again.
"What about me? I'm number one and I worked hard to get there. I haven't had a social life because of school." I argued.
"You wouldn't anyway." Ethan commented rudely. I leaned off the counter, stood up straight, and walked over to him.
"And why is that?" My temper started to rise.
"Why do you think? You're the only little Latina in the school ... get a clue."
"Is that all you little preppy white kids think about? Look, I had nothing to do with what happened on September 11th and I in no way agree with Osama Bin Laden if that's what you're thinking."
"It doesn't matter." Ethan started. "If it wasn't for your kind, then all those people wouldn't be dying and there wouldn't be a war going on now." He explained.
"Oh yeah?" He nodded. "If it wasn't for 'your kind' slavery wouldn't have happened to African Americans and the Native American culture wouldn't be practically extinct. You know what ... in fact, people like you are the kind that started all this hate and ignorance." I told him. "Maybe you should learn about your people first before you start accusing mine of being the cause of all evil in the world!" I grabbed my purse off the counter, gave him one last stare, and walked out the bathroom.
~Gordo~
"Where have you been?" I asked Miranda as soon as I got a chance to talk to her.
"You'll never guess."
"Then tell me." I demanded.
"My parents and Craft's parents had a meeting with the principal." She explained.
"And?"
"And he's busted."
"Good for that little faggot." I mumbled.
"Gordo. He's not that bad ... I mean he is but ..." Her voice trailed off.
"Are you defending him?"
" I guess. He has a lot of issues." Miranda continued.
"Did he give you a guilt trip too?"
"He tried, but that's not why I'm sticking up for him." Miranda responded.
"Then what is it then?"
"I can't tell you."
"Why not?"
"It's private." She explained.
"You aren't going out with him are you?" I wondered.
"NO. NEVER."
"Okay. Good." I whispered as she giggled on the other end of the phone.
(A/N: I know this chapter was kind of boring, but it's just the beginning. I had to set the chapter up in order to write the rest of the story, which will hopefully be good. By the way, I kinda messed up the first chapter when I was replacing names. Ethan hates Miranda because she's Latina and a Muslim. Gordo is her best friend. Any questions? Just ask. Remember to review!! -NL)
~Miranda~
"It's okay." I assured him. "She'll be back and you guys will be annoyingly cute together." I joked.
"No. It won't." Gordo whispered as I started to get concerned.
"What's going on?"
"She wants to break up with me." Gordo collapsed onto my shoulder and I held him as he started to cry.
"I knew I would find you here!" My sister Nidia yelled out accusingly.
"So. I'm here. What do you want?" I yelled at her angrily. Gordo needed me now.
"I can't believe you would do this. If mom and dad were here, they'd kill you." Nidia replied, walking up to me with a smirk.
"I'm not doing anything. I'm just helping out a friend and if they can't understand that, tough." I remarked as Gordo got up and took his guitar. "Where are you going?" I asked.
"I need to be alone." He admitted.
"I'm really disappointed in you Randie." Nidia shook her head at me as I followed her down the stairs and into her car. "Did you know that we had family coming today?"
"No."
"Well, we did."
"If you knew about it, why didn't you call me and let me know?" I wondered.
"They only stopped by for a little bit and I called over here, but you weren't here. Where were you?"
"I got detention."
"You what?" My mother asked as I explained the situation to her once more.
"So this Craft guy walks out of detention and nothing happens to him?" My father, Jose asks. I nod. "I cannot believe this. Do you see what our daughter has to go through? You wanted her to go to this institution." He yelled.
"Calm down. I'll be okay. I have proof." I explained. For the rest of the night that's all my parents talked about. They called my school the next morning and set up a meeting with Ethan's parents and the principal. And, best of all, they didn't even notice Nidia when she told them that I had been hugging Gordo. If they were listening, I would've gotten it.
~Ethan~
"See. She's a liar," I said to the principal as Miranda's family kept giving me looks. Dirty Spics. Who needs them around anyway.
"No. I have proof. We can all listen to it if you want." Miranda responded as she handed the principal a tape. She put it in and I heard my voice.
"Things have been really hard for me since my dad died and ..." I didn't need to hear the rest because I already knew what it said. Shit! That little bitch had recorded me talking to Dr. Manette and probably all the others.
"Well, Ethan, I don't know what to say." Miss Scarlet sat speechless. "I'll have to talk this over with the school board and possibly the vice- principal to find a punishment suitable for what you have done." She told me. "And as for you, Miranda, Thank you for bringing this to my attention."
The meeting ended and everyone stood up. "Is that is?" Miranda's father asked. "My daughter gets detention for telling the truth and all you can say is thanks?"
"Calm down dad," Miranda said, as Miss Scarlett looked down at her hands as though they held the answer.
"I don't think I need to apologize for this misunderstanding. Miranda already knows how sorry I am." Miss Scarlett explained as her father walked away, angrily.
Miranda's family left the office and my step-father took on his family characteristics.
"See what kind of child you're raising Paula? Look at your deadbeat son that has to lie to get in the top ten. What a disgrace!" He spat out as I began to get really upset.
~Miranda~
I walked out the school and heard yelling and arguing in the parking lot.
"You don't know anything. Just because everyone thinks you're perfect, doesn't mean you are. You're such a phony!" Ethan yelled as his step-father punched him and blood gushed from his nose. He yelled out something else and punched Ethan square in the jaw.
"Jonathan. Jonathan! Not here. You promised." Mrs. Craft told him in a stern tone, stopping him from hitting Ethan again.
"I'm going to the bathroom." Ethan mumbled as his parents walked to the car. I followed him.
"Ethan!" I yelled as he started to walk faster. "Ethan!" He turned around.
"What?!"
"I can help you with that," I said, as he followed me into the girl's bathroom. He winced as I rubbed a wet towel over his jaw. "I'm sorry about what happened back there."
"Don't be. That's just the way it is." His eyes started to tear. I looked at him, but he avoided my gaze.
"You know you don't have to take that from him." I began. "You shouldn't let him do this to you."
"What am I going to do? Go to the police." I stopped cleaning his wound. "They don't give a damn and if they did, they wouldn't believe me anyway. I don't have time for that, especially after the stunt you pulled." He spat out.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know what was going on ... but I know that you should've gone to someone. I mean, things are only going to get worse, right?"
"Wrong." Ethan responded as he jumped off the counter. "I have less than a year of this bull shit to go and then he's outta my life."
"So, you're just going to run off to college and pray that everything will be okay." He nodded. "What about your mom? What if she has kids with him, or what if she ends up in the hospital?"
"He doesn't hit her." Ethan whispered.
"What?"
"He only hits me because he hates me." Ethan sniffed.
"I can help you if you want me to." I offered. He shook his head.
"No. I don't want you getting involved."
"I'm not going to tell anyone." I declared, sensing his mistrust.
"You better not. You've already ruined stuff I've worked hard for."
"You've worked hard?"
"Yeah." Ethan grabbed a paper towel as the blood from his nose started to drip again.
"What about me? I'm number one and I worked hard to get there. I haven't had a social life because of school." I argued.
"You wouldn't anyway." Ethan commented rudely. I leaned off the counter, stood up straight, and walked over to him.
"And why is that?" My temper started to rise.
"Why do you think? You're the only little Latina in the school ... get a clue."
"Is that all you little preppy white kids think about? Look, I had nothing to do with what happened on September 11th and I in no way agree with Osama Bin Laden if that's what you're thinking."
"It doesn't matter." Ethan started. "If it wasn't for your kind, then all those people wouldn't be dying and there wouldn't be a war going on now." He explained.
"Oh yeah?" He nodded. "If it wasn't for 'your kind' slavery wouldn't have happened to African Americans and the Native American culture wouldn't be practically extinct. You know what ... in fact, people like you are the kind that started all this hate and ignorance." I told him. "Maybe you should learn about your people first before you start accusing mine of being the cause of all evil in the world!" I grabbed my purse off the counter, gave him one last stare, and walked out the bathroom.
~Gordo~
"Where have you been?" I asked Miranda as soon as I got a chance to talk to her.
"You'll never guess."
"Then tell me." I demanded.
"My parents and Craft's parents had a meeting with the principal." She explained.
"And?"
"And he's busted."
"Good for that little faggot." I mumbled.
"Gordo. He's not that bad ... I mean he is but ..." Her voice trailed off.
"Are you defending him?"
" I guess. He has a lot of issues." Miranda continued.
"Did he give you a guilt trip too?"
"He tried, but that's not why I'm sticking up for him." Miranda responded.
"Then what is it then?"
"I can't tell you."
"Why not?"
"It's private." She explained.
"You aren't going out with him are you?" I wondered.
"NO. NEVER."
"Okay. Good." I whispered as she giggled on the other end of the phone.
(A/N: I know this chapter was kind of boring, but it's just the beginning. I had to set the chapter up in order to write the rest of the story, which will hopefully be good. By the way, I kinda messed up the first chapter when I was replacing names. Ethan hates Miranda because she's Latina and a Muslim. Gordo is her best friend. Any questions? Just ask. Remember to review!! -NL)