Home on fire

She was joking, she had to be. I turned to her. She had a hopeful, nervous smile forming on her quavering lips.

"You want to waste my time so bad," I scoffed and watched her smile disappear. "You would make up some shit and expect me to believe it like the idiot you take me for!"

"I... but... I," she stumbled over her words as tears welled in her eyes.

By now every one had eyes on us. Wondering what two school girls were discussing that led one to cry.

"It's probably about a boy," I heard a woman murmur.

I almost cringed at her words. A boy indeed!

"Ok, ok," I finally said after a moment. "I'll listen." I took her by the hand and led her to the place we were before. Well,l she did help me, I reasoned inwardly.

Once we settled, I waited for her to spill her guts.

"I know it's hard to believe," She whimpered wiping her tears. "Sometimes it feels like a dream even to me."

"But how have they not snuffed you out." I was choosing to go along with her story. For now.

"I had planned it from the get-go," She smiled sadly. "I heard how they treated students like me." She glanced at me for a second before looking back down at her shoes. "But I had an advantage you don't have."

"What are you saying?"

"My dad was once a deputy governor, we had everything." she was holding back tears again. "Until... until..."

I reached out my hand and rubbed her back. "It's okay." I was feeling guilty now.

"My mother was shot." She spat out like she had been holding in the words for such a long time, it was starting to burn her insides.

"My dad lost all motivation and was removed from his post soon after." She held her face in her hands.

I took her hands off her face and let her cry into my chest. She held me like a lifeline sobbing her heart out.

"I am sorry," I said lamely not finding the words to express how much I felt for her.

She pulled away from me and worked the strength to speak.

"What they don't know is that once the money stops coming, it's over." She lamented.

She didn't need to tell me who she was talking about. I just knew. They were all so shallow.

"I wanted to go to the best school which of course my father's money could not pay for, so I did what needed to do."

"And with my dad's former status it was so easy to blend in or so I thought." She smiled meekly. "Turns out it was way more complicated."

"That's when it all got into my head and tried my best to prove myself by submitting myself to their will."

I was utterly speechless as I let her narration absorb into my psyche.

"That's why I helped you." She was looking at me "I had to because I was tired of letting them pick on you when you just like me."

"I am sorry," She looked down as though she was ashamed. "For everything."

"Sorry for what?"

"For all those times, you were treated like an animal." She was quiet for a while "And doing nothing."

I couldn't even form a word.

"You inspire me, Zoe." She said suddenly.

"And I will change and tell them that..."

"No!" I screamed. "You can't, don't be stupid." I found myself scolding her.

"You've fooled them for so long do you think they will take it lightly." I sighed and held her hand. "Just continue with this facade and you will be okay."

"And we can be friends?"

Her words shocked me but I hid it as she looked at me expectingly and gave up.

"Yes, we will be friends."

****

"Why were you in my class with Jennie?" I asked Nessa whose face was still glued to her phone.

"Nothing." She mumbled not looking at me.

She was lying through her teeth again. "I doubt that you would have been in my class for 'nothing'." I countered. What I had seen made me suspect that they were up to no good. There was no way I was going to let her stress mum with her drama.

This time she ignored me.

"Answer me, Nessa!" I said peremptorily.

"Mind your own goddamn business!" She responded.

I had enough of her attitude. "Don't you dare talk to me like that!"

I raised my voice at her and her head snapped back towards me. For a moment we stared each other down.

And then something changed. Something flickered in her eyes before it was gone. Her whole body tensed and her eyes dropped.

I recognized the flicker in her eye. It was contempt. It was there for less than a second before she controlled herself.

"Sorry," I heard her again. "We were just planning a party."

I wanted to ask her something but refrained from it. "Okay," I said finally as our car came to a halt in from of our house. I stepped out first and closed the door. I heard shouting from inside.

"What's going on?" Nessa was out too. She didn't need to ask. It was mum and dad.

We walked into the house and shut the door with a bang and that was when we heard it. A shrill scream. From mum.

Without a second thought, we ran to the master bedroom. Mum was on the floor and dad looming menacingly above her. A reddening bruise on her cheek. He had hit her. He had actually hit her! I felt my anger rising.

My hands balling into fists. The veins popping in my forearms. I couldn't stop staring, trying to process what was happening before my brain told my feet to move. I jumped at dad grabbing his shirt collar.

"You bastard!" I screamed as he pulled back his arm to punch me.

He looked stunned and shocked at my outburst.

The next thing I knew, I had punched him hard across the face. As if it wasn't hard enough I landed another on his jaw. His head was thrown to the side with an ear-splitting crack!

It was over so fast I wasn't even sure it happened. He was on the floor.

"Why would you do that?" Mum yelled at me. She ran to his side but he only pushed her way and got up himself.

"You hit mum," I said glaring at him. "For a whore!"

"Don't ever call her that again." I knew he meant it. But I didn't care.

"I didn't hit her." He was unreasonably calm. "She did that to herself." He was pointing at her. I looked at mum's face. She looked speechless and heartbroken.

"Fuck you." I spat. "I wish I was never your son."

"I wish so too." He replied unfeelingly to me. I hated the fact that what he said hurt me.

I heard mum's sobbing intensify. I turned to her with Nessa. "It's okay, mum." She cooed. She led mum out of the room. I turned one last time to him. "If you lay a finger on either one of us ever again, I will end you." And with that, I followed the girls out.

We entered Nessa's room. We sat in silence while mum cried, holding onto Nessa's hand.