3
Mom put make up on my face and she straightened up the golden crown on my head. I was in a Princess and the Frog dress. Tiana was pretty, now I can be pretty. Mother placed her cheek beside me, making my smile fade a bit. No matter how much makeup she put on me it wouldn't hide the scar her husband put on me. It would not hide her failure.
"You look beautiful, honey." she told. My mom was still trying to gain my trust again, but that was gone forever it felt. I moved from her and I saw her eyes fall with sadness.
"Honey. Please. I am doing my best." she said as she watched me move to remove my pillow case from my pillow. I didn't even say anything. Mother was never one to argue back. She was passive and let my dad push her around. Even as he developed a drinking habit, she didn't try and change anything. Even when he was convinced she was cheating on him, she still remained at his side taking his verbal abuse. Only when he was confident that I wasn't his daughter, and he took that knife to my face, did her scream carry over mine.
"I'll be back tonight. I am going over to Michael's house." I told her.
"Kyra, I told you that I didn't want you hanging with that boy. He is really not good company." she said and I looked at her with a heavy frown.
"Wow mom you actually sound serious about that rule…wish you were this stern when dad was cutting into my face." I replied in almost a cold tone. Her body froze, and I left her standing in my room. There was no therapy that could fix me. It was dark and I will admit I was mildly nervous of walking alone in the dark. So I sped off down the street to Michael's house. He was sitting on the sidewalk in a blue and red shirt and pants. Over his head was a clown mask.
"Hey!" I called out. His head snapped up at me and he quickly stood up.
"Hey, you came!" he said happily. I smiled.
"I said I would. You ready?" I asked and he smiled.
"Yeah, oh wait." he said and placed his mask on over his face. "Ready." I smiled and took his hand and began to move to the house beside us. The entire night we were out collecting candy and eating it as we walked.
"So why didn't your mother come trick-or-treating with you?" Michael asked, and I shrugged eating a piece of candy.
"I didn't want her to come. She would have only slowed us down." I told him.
"Really?" he asked and I nodded.
"Yeah. She really didn't even want me coming out here with you. She thinks you're weird." I told him and it was silent for a second. He suddenly looked up at me. I could see his eyes through his mask.
"Do you think I am weird?" he asked, and I shook my head.
"No. You're my friend. You're the only normal boy I know." I replied happily and he smiled and took my hand.
"We'll always be friends, won't we?" he asked and I nodded with a smile.
"Yeah always." I replied. Once we had gone through the entire neighborhood we had collected two bags of candy. We were walking back down the road. "So your sister didn't want to come with us either."
Michael shook his head and looked at me.
"No, she's a bitch and her stupid boyfriend came over." He told.
"Not even your step da-" I cut my statement short when he looked at me with a dark look through his mask. I shut my mouth and saw he was angry at me so I apologized. Immediately the anger and rage left his eyes and was replaced with softness. We continued walking until I noticed some kids from school walking our way. They were with their parents and as we passed them, I smiled up at the adults, but they just turned away looking uncomfortable. I looked down knowing why they turned away and as we kept walking, the same thing kept happening with more and more adults and kids. I felt the whole world was looking at me now, laughing or turning from me in disgust. I was panting hard like I was about to explode or have some type of heart attack. When we were at the end of the block I suddenly dropped my bag of candy and bawled. Michael was completely caught off guard by this body jerking back in response.
"Kyra, what's wrong?" he asked. Hot tears burned my asks and ruined my make up as I looked at him.
"BECAUSE I'M HIDEOUS! MY DAD DID THIS TO ME AND NOW EVERYONE HATES ME AND I'M SO ANGRY ALL THE TIME!" I shouted crying more, hiccupping too. I looked up at him, my vision blurry from the tears. He then leaned in to me wrapping his arms around my shoulders and just hugging me. I embraced him back holding him close. "And I'm sad." Michael held me closer and I appreciated this because I was so cold. He then leaned back and he looked at me with sympathetic eyes before smiling gently at me. He placed his hand on my cheek once more, feeling the smooth scar. I closed my eyes as my face was mildly sensitive to his touch from my crying.
"You will never be sad with me. I promise." he said. "No one will ever make fun of you." I sniffled and stared at him for a long moment not sure if I should believe him. I didn't know what to believe at the moment. But staring in his eyes, gave me everlasting comfort.
"I love you." he said and I gasped. I was filled with utter happiness at those words. My mom says it all the time and my dad did at one point. It didn't mean anything to me, but hearing him say that, made me believe he truly cared for me.
"I love you too." I replied. I had only known him for a short while, but Michael was my best friend, I was happy to feel this type of feeling from someone.
We were silent as he walked me to my home, smiles on our faces as we did so. We were too happy to speak. We finally it back to the intersection where both our houses were in opposite directions. I looked at Michael and he looked at me.
"Don't get a stomach ache." he said taking off his mask and I smiled.
"I should be saying that about you." I replied. He smiled more.
"Thanks for trick or treating with me, Kyra." he replied, and I smiled and nodded.
"No problem." I replied. I watched his free hand move up my face and gently his fingers wiped under my eyes as if wiping away my tears. The contact made me freeze completely. His fingers were warm even in this cold weather. He leaned forward and closed his eyes. His lips puckered up, and I smiled and leaned forward and kissed him back. He was my first kiss and the first person to go trick or treating with me. He was the first friend I made in school who was not afraid of my face. He pulled back and smiled.
"Have a great night. I know I will." he replied, and I nodded.
"You too." I said in a flustered tone. We separated into different directions unknowing that tonight would change our lives forever.