"This is where you say something El," Lydia whisper-coughs as she pokes me discretely. I cough a few times before answering."I need time to think about it." I say surprising both me and Lydia. Treadway nods and bid his goodbyes to both Lydia and l. "Oh my God!!!!!" I scream right after he closes the door."Keep it down, he hasn't left yet." Lydia says hushing me. After pinching myself a few times I eventually realize that it was not a dream instead it was reality. "I thought you were head over heels for this boy. Why did you not say yes?" "I am stupid. I am so stupid that's why." I repeat those words a few more times looking at Lydia. "It's called being rational. And I am surprised you were so rational considering how much you like this boy and how you have been mopping the past weeks." Lydia says smiling at me."You are just saying a fancy word to make me feel better about myself. What if he decides against it tomorrow? I am so screwed." I over dramatically say."Ha, that con

As February started, I applied for psychology at UCLA. The following weeks were filled with Treadway showing me that he was serious about me.Andre asked if him and I were dating and I was afraid he would say no because he seemed like someone who liked his life private but he said yes. This made me feel special. He walked me home every day and at weekends he sometimes came to see me when mom wasn't around. We texted at times, he wasn't much of phone person instead he was a rather be with person. I was glad l was one of the few contacts in his phone. Sometimes I would bring him food at work and packed him a few lunch boxes when he visited home.We went to meet Michaela and Valerie turns out my suspicions of Michaela being his wife and Valerie being his daughter was wrong. Valerie was his little sister and Michaela was a very close friend of his who offered to stay with Vee. One day as he was walking me home I decided to ask him the question l dreaded the most. "You remember th

Time flew and it was already April and I was looking forward to my college application response as they responded April-May.I told my mom what was happening with Treadway and she wanted to help him so she talked to a friend of hers Mr. Gentry who was a lawyer and he wanted to help as well. "You have to bring him here so that we set the facts straight, take him to court and put this monster behind bars." Mr. Gentry said to me and my mom.The next day at work I told him what had happened and how Mr. Gentry wanted us to drop by his office. "What? You went behind my back to do all this El. Why didn't you tell me before doing anything?" He questioned me angry."I don't understand why you are angry at me; I was trying to help. Don't you want him to go to prison?" I ask him raising my voice to match his."That man is sick in the head if he comes to realize that is what I am planning, he will overdose my mom and kill her. Did you think about that?" He says exasperated."I---," I try to say

As soon as I reach home I freshen up and went to pick up Valerie from school. After the shooting at the court, the man who had shot Treadway was arrested and he confessed that he had planned this whole thing with Ron and this lengthened Ron's sentenced as he had attempted to murder Treadway. Treadway was sent to hospital, he had lost a lot of blood so as soon as he arrived he went straight to surgery and they managed to remove the bullet, luckily it had not hit any vital organs.And it had been five days since he was operated on and he was unconscious. Mom managed to enroll Valerie to grade one, and she had been going to school for three days now and it was a Friday, a half day and mom had gone back to work so I had to go pick her up. At Val's school. "El!!!!" I turn to see where the sound is coming from and I am engulfed into two tiny arms. "Hey Val, missed me?" I ask hugging back and lifting her up. "Of course, how is Way. Did he wake up?" she asks me as I place her on the pa