New Revised Version of Mama's Rose Garden

JOURNEY OF THE HEART


BY

ERIN COOK

























Chapter One



“In our deepest moments of struggle, frustration, fear, and confusion, we are being called upon to reach in and touch our hearts. Then, we will know what to do, what to say, how to be. What is right is always in our deepest heart of hearts. It is from the deepest part of our hearts that we are capable of reaching out and touching another human being. It is, after all, one heart touching another heart” quoted by Robert Sage Hamilton.

My Mom always believed that there’s love everywhere no matter how bad our world may be. The greatest journey we will take is the journey of the heart. No matter how impossible the path might be, she always told me to follow my heart. No one told me that is was going to be easy, they also didn’t tell me how hard it was going to be. I found out the hard way.

It started out like any normal day with my favorite breakfast fried eggs and crispy bacon. As I was eating my meal, I heard Dad’s black shoes squeak as he made his way to the kitchen. The smell of Dad’s cheap cologne lingered a mile away. Nothing ruins a good meal like the smell of mothballs and cedar.

“Dad, do you have to wear so much cologne?”

“I have to smell nice while I am at work,” Dad said, slicking back his black curls from his face.

“But you smell like a grandpa!”

I held my lips shut to stop me from laughing, but deep inside I wanted to burst out laughing. Just picturing what he would look like twenty years down the road was really really funny.

“Maybe I do, but at least I still look young.”

“Yes Dad, you do look nice.”

Dad grabbed a couple strips of bacon, kissed Mom and I on our foreheads and headed out the door. I stuffed the rest of my meal into my mouth and went to my room to change for school.

“Honey, you’re going to miss the bus if you don’t hurry.”

“Coming Mom!”

I quickly picked out my favorite Blue J.Crew Sweater and a pair of cargo Kapri pants that were lying on top of my bed and put them on. I grabbed my white lace up high tops and my purple backpack and rushed out the door.

“Didn’t you forget something Sierra!” Mom said, pointing to her lips.

“No, Mom I think I have everything.”

“You didn’t say good-bye to me.”

I ran as fast as I could back to the house and kissed her good-bye. I could hear the brakes of the bus squeak as it hauled to a stop around the corner. I ran as fast as I could, just barely making it.

When I arrived to the stop, I put down my bag full of books on the ground and bent down to catch my breath.

As I stepped onto the bus I could see Shauna and Denise jumping up and down like a bunch of apes at the back of the bus.

“What’s up with you two? Did you have coffee this morning to get you so excited?”

“Today’s the day we give Mr. Hacking our idea for the science fair,” Denise said, going through the books in her bag.

Oh no! How could I have been so stupid? I totally forgot he needed our science fair project idea today.

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry guys I didn’t realize that he needed our idea today!”

Denise and Shauna bursted out laughing.

“What are you laughing about you two?”

“That makes three of us,” Denise said, slapping her knee.

“What do you mean? You both couldn’t come up with an idea?”

“Yeah, you’re the brains of this operation here,” Shauna said, itching her forehead.

“Well! What are we going to do about it?”

“Our science class isn’t until after recess right?” Shauna said, twirling her blonde locks with her fingers.

“Yeah.”

“Instead of going to recess, let’s hit the books and come up with an idea then,” Denise said, zipping her bag back up.

“Sounds like a plan to me”

By the time we got to school, I was too busy thinking about the science fair to notice what was going on around me and crashed into the most popular boy in school.

Wham!

All of his books came crashing down to the floor with a THUD.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going Sierra!” Derrick said, giving me an evil glance as he bent down to pick up his books.

“I am so…o sorry Derrick. Here let me help you with those.”

“Thanks,” he said, snatching the books from my hands.

Derrick collected his school gear and rushed to his classroom. I just stood there watching him fade away into the distance. He had the most beautiful milk chocolate brown hair I had ever seen. His almond, brown eyes could make any girl’s heart melt. My favorite thing about him was his smile. His smile was like the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland.

My daydream was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Sierra, Sierra, are you still with us?”

“Huh what?”

“I said, are you still with us or are you on a different planet?” Shauna said, tapping me on my shoulder.

“Oh sorry guys, I crashed into my future husband!”

. I mean not that I’m ugly or anything, just the average girl next door but oh what I’d give to be his girl. No harm in dreaming about it right?

My face became as red as a tomato, but before my friends could notice my embarrassment, I was saved by the bell.

“Holy cow! We are going to be late for our first class!” I said, covering my mouth with my hand.

“No Duh!” Denise said, slapping her forehead.

“Well, what are we waiting, for let’s go!” Shauna said, gesturing us to follow her.

“You ladies are late for my class,” Mr. Martin snapped.

“We’re so sorry Mr. Martin, I promise it won’t happen again.”

“Go sit down,” he said, pointing to our empty seats.

While Mr. Martin was going over sentence structure, we had our mind on other important things like what we’re going to do for the science fair. We were passing notes around about everything but English. One of the notes that Denise handed me was so funny I had to put my hand over my mouth to keep myself from laughing.

“Was it something I said that is making you laugh?” Mr. Martin said, staring straight at me.

“No sir, it isn’t you,” I said as I felt my heart race.

“I just saw you pass notes to your friends, give me the notes,” he said, sticking his hand out.

Just as I was about to give him all the notes that I had, the bell rang saving my butt again. I made a straight line to the door not looking back. I blew right past him and made it to my locker.

“That was a close call,” Shauna said, twiddling her thumbs.

“Yeah a little to close,” I said, wiping the sweat off my forehead.

Before long it was twelve-thirty, we finished our lunch and made our way to the library to search for a science project.

“Okay guys lets go find a science project.”

We grabbed an armful of books related to science projects and skimmed through each page hoping one idea would hit us like lightening.

“How about a magnetism project?” Denise pointed out.

“No, sounds like a project half the fourth grade class will do,” Shauna, said, shaking her head.

“Well how about electricity?” Denise said, tapping her pencil on the book like a drum.

“No, sounds too hard”

“Yeah! Let’s not fry our brains for this project,” Shauna said, biting her nails.

“Don’t be stupid Shauna, we won’t fry our brains,” Denise said, covering her mouth trying to look serious. We all wanted to burst out laughing though.

We went through three books when the perfect idea finally hit me.

“How about photosynthesis?”

“How are going to do that project?” Shauna said, scratching her head.

“Well my Mom always wanted to have a Sweet pea garden. We can plant sweet peas and record their growth.”

“Sounds like an okay project, I guess” Denise said shrugging her shoulders.

After we picked out an idea the bell rang, signaling us that recess was over

When science class began, I was as happy as a child on Christmas Day. I couldn’t hold still, not even for a second. My body was moving up and down like I had ants in my pants. The anticipation of working on our science project was killing me. Just imagining my Mom’s face when she saw the Sweet Pea garden would definitely make my day. The smell of the flower would always relax Mom and bring back memories of when Dad and her met.

“Sierra, what are you three going to do for the science fair?” Mr. Hacking said.

“What did you say Mr. Hacking Sir?”

“I asked you what you three are going to do for the science fair?”

“Oh! We’re going to do it on photosynthesis and record the growth of the sweet peas.”

“Good luck you three,” he said, patting me on my back.

“Thank you Mr. Hacking.”

“Now class, don’t forget that the science fair is in a few months. It is also a major part of your final grade so I wish you all best of luck.”

It was three o’clock and all the buses were lined up at the school entrance. On the way home we discussed the plans for our project.

“Shauna do you want to bring the seeds and the camera?”

“I can do that Sierra,” Shauna said, as she jumped and down in her seat.

“I’ll bring the writing supplies like poster board and markers,” Denise said, as she jotted down notes.

“Is three-thirty okay with everyone?”

“Okay with me,” Shauna said, winking at me.

“Me too,” Denise said, trying really hard to imitate Shauna.

We were all ready to get a jump-start on the project. By the time we finished talking, we arrived at my bus stop. I waved good-bye to both of them, as I made my way down the steps.

“See you two tomorrow at three-thirty.”

“Alright see you later,” Shauna and Denise said at once.

As I walked toward the house, I noticed that both of the cars were gone. Mom must be working late tonight. I found the key hiding under the doormat and unlocked the door. I noticed a note taped to the kitchen cabinet. It read:

Sierra,

Sorry I can’t make it in time for dinner. All the ingredients for lemon chicken are in the fridge. Hopefully, I’ll make it back in time to eat dinner with you and Dad. I love you.

Mom

I grabbed my Betty Crocker Cookbook Mom and Dad brought for me last Christmas and turned to the Lemon Chicken recipe. Just as I finished preparing the chicken, I heard my Dad’s truck pull into the driveway. I popped the chicken in the oven, put the timer on and rushed to greet him at the door.

“Hi Dad! How was the Mill today?”

“Same old thing like always, how was your day sweetie?” Dad said, as he hanged up his coat on the rack.

“I bumped into Derrick today by accident. Then Shauna and Denise reminded me about the science fair which I forgot. Don’t worry we came up with a science project over recess.”

“What are you going to do it on honey?”

“Photosynthesis. We are going to grow sweet peas and record their growth”

“Sounds like an interesting project. Anything I can do to help?”

“If you want to, you can help me get the topsoil and containers for the Sweat Peas.”

“Sure, I would love to help you” Dad said giving me a big hug.

Dad went to take a quick shower to freshen up before dinner. I decided to do some research on growing sweet peas. As I finished searching on the web for topsoil and the best way to grow them, I heard the timer go off.

“The chicken is done Dad”

“Coming honey.”

Dad sat at the antique dining room table. The table was an anniversary gift from old friends of theirs. It had a cherry oak finish and the legs were carefully carved. It was beautiful at first but after many years of use it looks like it was neglected and left in a garage to rot away. It had scuffmarks from the dishes and faded marks from the moisture that was dripping off our glasses.

“Where’s your Mom?”

“She’s stuck working overtime at the Café. Hopefully she should be here soon.”

I got my oven mitt on and pulled out the chicken. I took in the sweet aroma of oven-baked chicken. It was making my mouth water just looking at it.

“Anything interesting happening at the Mill Dad?”

“The mill has started laying people off,” Dad said, gulping down a piece of chicken.

“Let’s hope they don’t get rid of you.”

“Me too,” Dad said, placing his hand on top of mine.

Midway into our meal Mom pulled into the driveway.

“Nice of you to join us for dinner love,” he said, getting up from his seat to kiss Mom.

“Smells like a slice of heaven,” Mom said, as she pulled off her white apron covered in grease.

“Thanks Mom, I learn from the best.”

It was quite tasty. The chicken was mouth-watering, very tender and moist. The hint of lemon juice that I added to the meat made it even more irresistible. The spinach leaves were green like fresh grass and the tomatoes were red and juicy. They were extremely ripe. Each time I cut one to put in the salad, it looked like I was practically squeezing the juice out of it.

“You did an excellent job with dinner, Sierra.”

“Thanks Mom, I just added a couple more spices to the chicken to make it more tender.” I said, as my cheeks turned red.

Dad and I cleared the table while Mom worked on the dishes. After I cleared the table I finished my homework and hopped in the shower to wash up real fast before getting ready for bed.

“I will be up in a little while,” Mom yelled down the hall.

“Okay Mom.”

I stepped out of the steamy shower, put my nightshirt on and jumped on the bed making the entire room shake. I could smell the scent of fried chicken and oily hamburgers a mile away. Mom must be closing in. I could hear the squeaking of her white tennis shoes as she stepped into my room. Mom walked in wearing her blue button down dress and her long brown hair was tied high in a ponytail “Good night sweetie. Sweet dreams,” she said, kissing me on my forehead.

“Good night Mom, I love you.”

“I love you too sweetie.”

Over the next week Shauna, Denise and I met at my place after school and wrote down the progress of the garden. It was a beautiful week with no clouds in sight. I noticed a couple of the plants were sprouting.

“Come here guys, check this out!” I said, waving them over to the plants.

“Hey Shauna! Are getting this?” Denise said, pointing to the stems.

“Yep sure am,” Shauna, said, video taping the plants progress.

It was a Friday afternoon, the sun was out and the sky was clear. But something in my gut was telling me something was wrong. While we were measuring the progress of the flowers, I couldn’t help but notice that the sun had faded away. So we decided to stop working on the project for a while, and went to see what was going on. The next thing we knew the sun had disappeared and grayish black clouds took over the sky.

“Doesn’t look good,” Denise said, holding out her hand catching the rain on her fingertips.

“Sure doesn’t, Sierra I think Denise and I should head back home,” Shauna said, covering her head in her coat.

“Okay you two, see you tomorrow.”

I headed inside. The sky was pitch black. I could hear the beating the rain made as it hit the roof. Soon the noise got louder and came down harder and faster. The rain on the roof now sounded like someone was banging on drums really loud. The thunder roaring in the skies got louder, like two hungry lions fighting.

To drown out the thunderstorm, I turned on the TV loud as I could. While watching my favorite show Brain Surge I could see the reflection of a man walking through the door.

“Dad, you’re home! How’s your day at work?”

He brushed right past me and went to hang up his coat. As he took off his hat a flood of water came pouring out. I thought maybe he couldn’t hear me so I got closer to him and asked him again.

“Dad how was your day at work?”

Nothing. Not one word came out of his mouth. All he could do was stare at me.



Chapter Two

I could smell the scent of mildew as he entered the house. He looked like he took a shower in his clothes. His face was white as the December snow. Everything about him changed that day. He couldn’t even look me in the eyes when I greeted him at the door. Part of me wants to scream at him because I felt totally ignored. I wasn’t getting the attention he usually gives me when he gets home. Part of me wants to get down on my knees and beg him to tell me what was wrong. I decided to make one final shot at getting his attention. I stood in front of him and pounded his chest with my fists like a human drum screaming at the top of my lungs:

“Dad! What’s wrong with you?”

Nothing again. Why is he ignoring me? I have tried everything to get him to talk to me but nothing seemed to work. After countless tries to get him to pay attention to me I heard the sound of my Mom’s van pulling into the driveway. If I couldn’t get him to talk maybe Mom will have a better shot at getting his attention.

“Mom! Mom! Something’s wrong with Dad!”

“What is wrong with Dad?”

“Don’t know Mom! But he’s not paying attention to me!”

“You poor thing let me see what I can do.”

Mom threw her coat on the couch and headed towards Dad.

“Honey, how was your day?”

Dad reached out for Mom arms wide-open waiting for her embrace. Mom came closer to Dad and their bodies were intertwined like a braid. Mom raised her head to meet his gaze.

“What’s wrong honey?” Mom said, watching the tears fall from his eyes.

Tears slowly made their way down his cheeks as he held onto her with all his might. Mom gently wiped his tears from his cheeks.

“Please honey, tell me what’s wrong?” she said, as she raised his head to meet her gaze.

Dad leaned close to her ear and whispered his news in her ear. Still holding onto each other tightly both of them wept into each other’s shoulders. I felt left out so I tried to get into the middle of the circle wanting to find out what was wrong.

“Mom, Dad why are you crying?”

“Sweetie, your Dad lost his job.” Mom said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Why? Did he do something wrong?”

“Sierra, we will talk about this over dinner okay? It is time to eat.”

“Okay, Mom I guess I’ll wait.”

Dad sat down with his head buried in his hands while Mom and I brought out dinner.

“Can someone please tell me what happened?”

Dad lifted his head up in slow motion and wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Sierra, my company can’t afford to keep all of us so they let me go,” Dad said, with a forced smile on his face.

“Why can’t they afford you Dad?”

“They are giving away more money than they have.”

“What will happen to us?” I said, trying to hold back my tears.

Mom grabbed my hand and placed it in hers.

“Hopefully nothing, Dad will look for another job. If I have to work two jobs to make ends meet than that is what I will do.”

“If you do that, than how’ll I get all my homework done?”

“Just do your best and hopefully your teachers will understand.”



After dinner, Dad left to go to his room while Mom and I finished cleaning up dinner. I got ready for bed and waited for my Mom to kiss me good-night.

“Good night sweetie,” Mom said, as she leaned over to kiss me good night.

“Good night Mom, I love you.”

“ Love you too.”

The next morning everything changed. I didn’t hear the crackling noise the bacon made on the oven. There was no waking up to the smell of fried eggs and grilled sausage lingering in the air. When I made it to the kitchen Dad was sitting at the table eating Bran Flakes and no sign of Mom.

“Dad, where’s Mom?”

“Sorry I forgot to tell you, she had to go to work early today,” Dad said, wiping the milk from his mouth.

I searched high and low for something to eat for Breakfast. Rice Krispies doesn’t fill me and I don’t feel like eating Pop Tarts. I guess I’ll have a bagel. I felt so empty without Mom’s cooking, I knew how to cook but I don’t have time in the morning. After eating I grabbed some leftovers from dinner the other night and stuffed them in my lunchbox.

“Love you Dad, good luck finding a job.”

“Thanks honey, love you too,” Dad said, giving me a hug.

Dad went to his room to put on his black tie and his sports coat.

I picked up my backpack and made it to the bus stop just in time. As soon as I got there the bus arrived.

“Hey Sierra, sit by me.” Shauna called out waving me to the back.

“Hi Shauna and Denise,” I said, not making eye contact with them.

“Why are you so gloomy today?” Denise said, making her best puppy dog pout.

“I found out last night that my Dad lost his job.”

“Oh that’s a bummer,” Shauna said, giving me a hug.

“Yeah that means I have twice the work load since Mom is working overtime.”

“You still have us though,” Shauna said, shrugging her shoulders.

“True.”

“Are we still meeting you at your house for the science project?” Denise asked, trying to change the topic.

“Not today guys, I have to make dinner and start laundry before Mom gets home.”

“Oh okay,” Denise said, looking down out the window of the bus.

When we arrived at school, everybody was hustling to their classes. I was not looking forward to going to class. I hardly had time to do any of my homework, especially working on our science project.

“Does everyone have their paper finished?” Mr. Martin asked.

Oh man. I haven’t even thought about my English paper. With Mom working all the time, there was no time do any of my homework. This is like a big part of my final grade. I just hope he is one of those understanding types.

Everyone handed their papers to the teacher except me.

“Sierra, I need to see you after class?” Mr. Martin said, with a concern look upon his face.

“Okay Mr. Martin.”

As soon as class ended I approached Mr. Martin.

“You said you wanted to see?”

“Yes Sierra, step into my office,” he said in a soft voice.

The goose bumps were crawling up my body as I stepped into his office. The office was pretty small and cluttered up with books and papers. All that was going through my head was what did I do? Am I really doing this bad in his class to have him talk to me about my grades?

“Sierra, I see you’re falling behind in your class work. You do know your paper is a big part of your grade?”

“Yes sir, I know it’s important. But Mr. Martin, my Dad lost his job and Mom is working overtime to keep up with the bills. Since she’s hardly ever home to do the cooking and cleaning, leaving me do everything. Please, please just give me a little more time. I promise I will get my paper done.”

“Okay Sierra, I will give you until the end of the week to do your paper.”

“Thank you, thank you so much Mr. Martin.”

I met Shauna and Denise at my locker after my talk with Mr. Martin so we could walk to lunch together.

“What was that about?” Shauna asked, as she played with her golden locks.

“I guess he could sense that something was wrong.”

“He knows about your Dad?” Shauna asked, giving me a blank stare.

“Kind of.”

“What did he say?” Denise said, butting into the conversation.

I really don’t feel like talking about it guys.”

“Okay,” they said, as they both looked up at me and smiled.

After lunch it was time for Mr. Hastings science class. We all sat down, this time something was different. A new student was standing in front of Mr. Hastings desk like a statue. She had long straggly brown hair that flows down her back. She had dark framed glasses covering her brown eyes. She was wearing worn out jeans that were torn at the knees and a wrinkled up red and yellow plaid shirt.

“Everyone I would like to introduce Sara. She just moved here so let’s all help her out,” Mr. Hasting said, introducing the new girl.

Leaning over Denise’s desk, I elbowed her getting her attention.

“I wonder what happened to her? She looks dirty.”

“Maybe you should ask her Sierra?”

“You’re right, I will ask her right after class!”

Mr. Martin grabbed the ruler and hit the chalkboard very hard. Making loud tapping noises each time he hit the board, trying to get our attention.

“Everyone give me your attention. Just a reminder the science fair is coming up in two months.”

Our poor Sweet Pea garden, it’s probably dying from lack of attention. How am I going to get everything done? Between cooking, cleaning and laundry at home and all the homework from school there is just not enough time to do it all.

After class, I approached Sara.

“Sara, my name is Sierra can I ask you a question?”

“Hi Sierra, sure I guess so,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Why are you dressed like a rag doll?”

“Well, my Father lost his job and we couldn’t afford a lot of stuff,” she said, shuffling her feet on the floor.

“Okay, well nice meeting you!”

“Nice meeting you too,” Sara said, shaking my hand.

When school was over, I decided to introduce Sara to Shauna and Denise.

“Hey Sara! Want to meet my friends?”

“Sure,” she said, with a big smile.

“Denise and Shauna! Come over I want you to meet someone!” I yelled over to them, waving them to come here.

They grabbed their backpacks and slammed their lockers shut. I could see them push their way towards me.

“Who is it?” Denise, tapping her foot waiting for me to respond.

“Guys, this is Sara she moved here from L.A.”

“Nice to meet you Sara, I’m Denise.”

“I’m Shauna,” Shauna said, wedging in between Denise and Sara.

“Nice meeting you two,” she said, shaking both of their hands.

The buses were in a straight line waiting at the entrance to the school. It was a quiet bus ride home. All that was going through my mind was how sorry I felt for Sara. Especially since I can understand what she is going through. In the middle of my thoughts I heard voices talking to me.

“Sierra why so quiet?”

“What?” I said, shaking my head trying to get back to reality.

“I said why are you so quiet?” Denise asked me in a nagging voice.

“ Oh! I can’t stop thinking about Sara,” I said, looking out the window.

Because you know how she feels?” Shauna asked, peeking over the seat to look at me.

“I guess you could say that.”

When the bus arrived at my house, I waved good-bye to Denise and Shauna. I got out and stood there watching the bus fade away into the distance. When I got home I found another note from Mom telling me that she is working late. I feel like I don’t have a Mom anymore. I hardly ever see her and when I do she is too tired to even notice me. I have a two page paper on Charlottes Web and a science project both of which I have neglected. While other kids play outside I am stuck inside either working on homework or household chores.

Over the next few days I noticed Sara sneaking food in her pockets during lunch and taking school supplies from her desk.

“Sara, it’s me Sierra.”

“Oh hi Sierra, how are you?”

“I’m okay, can I help you?”

“No I’m fine, like I said my family only has little money.”

“Well, I’m a good cook. I wouldn’t mind packing extras to give you”

“That is nice of you, it isn’t a problem for you is it?”

“No, none at all”

“Thanks”

After school I would find myself some time to work on my English paper and squeeze in time to work on our science project with Shauna and Denise. By Friday my paper on Charlottes Web was done. It was a big relief to get it done. During English class I handed Mr. Martin my report.

“Here you go Mr. Martin”

“Thank you Sierra, how are you doing?”

“I am okay just very very busy”

“Okay, if you need anything let me know,” he said, smiling.

During lunchtime, I met with Sienna in a dark corner of the cafeteria so she wouldn’t be ashamed.

“Here you go, left over pork chops and mashed potatoes from last nights dinner”

“Thank you so much.”

“Like I said it’s no big deal.”

“Thank you again.”

During dinner I couldn’t eat much. I was still thinking of Sara.

“Sierra, what’s the matter honey?”

“Mom, we had a new student in my science class. Well she told me that her Dad lost her job and now she is taking food from the cafeteria to take home with her. Will that happen to us?”

“Hopefully not. I’m working late to make sure we have food and a roof over our heads. Your dad is really trying hard to find a job.”

“I know Mom.”

“We just got to keep on hoping and never give up. Now finish your dinner and get ready for bed.”

When dinner was done, I went to my room and turned off the light. I could here the floor creek as Mom and Dad made their way into my bedroom.

“Love you sweetie, good night”

“I love you too Mom and Dad”

I couldn’t go to sleep; I just lied on my bed face up looking at the ceiling think of Sara. Just the image of Sara with her tangled brown hair flowing down her back, wearing torn clothing, looking like a rag doll made me sick to my stomach. Is that what is to become of me, a poor and dirty rag doll?



Chapter Three

Each time I looked in the mirror, I kept seeing Sara looking back at me. It was like I was seeing the “future” me, a reflection of what may become of me, and it scared me. Haunted by her appearance, by the things she does just to get by each day. I know how everybody else thinks, and the way they look at her like a freak just makes my skin crawl. I truly feel sorry for her so I do my best to be her friend.

It was a sunny Monday morning; my Mom was at work like she always has been since Dad lost his job. I woke up earlier than I usually do and decided to make myself some slapjacks. I grabbed the glass measuring cup, the pancake batter and a glass bowl to pour the mixture into. While I was mixing the ingredients, I saw my Dad in the corner of my eye walking towards the kitchen. He had his black curly hair smoothed back, a nicely pressed black suit and pants on and his black shoes spit polished and shiny.

“Why are you up so early sweetie?” Dad asked, as he leaned forward to kiss my forehead.

I felt like cooking today. Want some?”

“I would love some of your homemade cakes,” said Dad, as he put a napkin over his shirt.

I grabbed the spatula, scrapped off a few pancakes and put them on a plate for him. The pancakes were light and fluffy and if I wasn’t careful they would fall apart.

“Here you go Dad.”

“Thanks honey. They smell delicious!” Dad said, looking up at me with a smile on a face and a twinkle in his eyes.

I grabbed my plate and joined Dad for breakfast.

“So Dad, have you had any luck finding a job?”

“Not yet, I’m still looking. What about you anything interesting happening today honey?” he asked, taking a bite of his pancakes.

“Well, our Sweet Peas are beginning to bloom. I’m thinking about asking Sara to join our group.”

“That is nice of you Sierra, I bet that would make her day,” he said, as he took a quick glance at me before finishing his meal.

After breakfast, Dad put his dish in the sink and washed up before heading out the door for another never-ending attempt for a job. I put our plates in the dishwasher and headed towards my room to get changed for school. I found a pair of faded blue jeans and a purple button up shirtsleeve shirt to put on.

“Bye sweetie, have fun at school,” he said, as he leaned over to kiss me good-bye.

Bye Dad, see you tonight.”

Dad shut the door behind him, got into his truck and drove off to search for a job. After he left, I grabbed my purple backpack and headed towards the flower garden where the Sweet Peas are growing. I could see a couple of them are growing buds. I couldn’t wait to show Denise, Shauna and now Sara how much they have grown. As I made my way to the bus stop I could hear the brakes of the bus squeak as it stopped. It must be close by, I glanced behind me and saw the bus was just around the corner. I went from walking to the stop to sprinting. I got there just in time.

Hey guys, I’ve got some great news!”

“What is it?” Shauna asked, clapping her hands like a little girl in music class.

“You know how we’ve recorded the growth of the Sweet Peas?”

“Yeah” said Denise, tapping her fingers on the seat in front of her.

“Well, this morning I’ve noticed some of them have flower buds on them.”

“I can’t wait to see them blossom,” said Shauna, playing with her hair.

“Me neither,” said Denise, smiling at both of us.

“Oh, one other thing!”

“What is it now?” said Denise, waving her hands up and down.

“I was thinking of asking the new girl Sara to join our group.”

“She’s kind of odd though,” Denise said, scratching her head.

“But she needs friends, plus I could end up like her. You wouldn’t treat me like a reject if that was me would you?” I said, with my eyebrows raised.

“No, no course not Sierra, you’re our best friend,” said Shauna, looking straight at me with a smile.

“Why should we treat her like trash? Come on guys how bout it?”

“Well okay I guess,” said Denise, shrugging her shoulders.

“Great! That is why I love you guys.”

We gave each other a big bear hug. By the time our conversation was over we arrived at the school. I noticed Sara at her locker putting her books away. The three of us made like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and walked arm in arm towards Sara. I tapped Sara on her shoulder to get her attention.

“Hi guys, how are you?” Sara said, giving us a shy wave.

“We’re fine, we would like you to join our group?”

She paused a while and stared at Denise and Shauna for a while before responding to my question.

“Are you sure you want me to join your group?” she asked, shrugging her shoulders.

“Yep.”

“Well, okay then.”

I heard the bell ring for class to begin so we split and went to class.

“Class, it is getting closer to summer break. Which means what class?” said Mr. Martin, looking around for a response.

Derrick raised his hand; we all knew that he was going to give a smart aleck response.

“Yes, Derrick,” he said, pointing at him.

“Time to catch us some waves,” he said, bobbing his head like a life size bobble head.

His football buddies all started to burst out laughing. Denise, Shauna and I just stared at each other shaking our heads.

“No, it doesn’t mean catching waves. It means that your final grade will be due. With that in mind, for your final assignment before the break, I would like you all to do a creative writing piece that defines who you are. It can be a story, a poem, or even a song as long as the piece represents you,” he said, pointing to the chalkboard with his stick.

After his announcement, the bell rang and it was time to go to lunch. We put our books away in our lockers and gathered by the table.

“Sierra, I don’t know what you see in Derrick. He’s such a jock,” Denise said, spreading her lunch out on the table.

“He is so hot though,” I said, looking up at the ceiling, thinking about how dreamy he is.

“Keep dreaming, I heard he is with Heather now,” Shauna said, twirling her hair with her finger.

“Heather? The ditzy cheerleader captain?”

“Yeah, the ditzy cheerleader. I think they have been together for a month,” said Denise stuffing her sandwich in her mouth.

“Maybe I need to try out for cheerleading.”

“You wouldn’t last as a cheerleader,” Denise said, covering her mouth.

“Yeah, you’re right. I will probably end up on my face from tripping on my shoelaces.”

We couldn’t help laughing from the images that popped in our heads of me as a cheerleader. It was a sad and very funny image at the same time.

“Anyway, Sara, we’re meeting at my place at three-thirty to work on my project. If you want, you can get off at my bus stop and my parents can take you home.”

“Okay, sounds like a plan,” Sara said, putting her sandwich down.

After lunch, we all gathered in Mr. Hastings science class.

“Class, just a quick reminder before we begin, the science fair is next month so I hope you all do well and have fun doing your projects,” Mr. Hastings said as he strolled down each isle.

Throughout class we passed notes to one another secretly discussing the final details of our project. I couldn’t wait to get home to check on the flowers. Mom will be so happy with me when the flowers are fully blossomed. After class was over, all four of us sat next to each other in the bus.

“See you at three-thirty guys.”

“See you later alligator,” Denise said, pointing her index fingers at me.

“After while crocodile.”

Sara and I got off the bus and watched them disappear. We went into my house and put down our bags. I showed her our flower garden.

“These are our Sweet Peas,” I said motioning to her to come and see the flowers.

“Wow! They’ve grown!” she said, looking at the tiny buds firming on the flowers.

We saw Shauna and Denise walk our way.

“Shauna! Denise! Come here and bring the camera!”

“What is it Sierra?” Shauna asked.

“Look guys, our flowers are blooming!”

“Wow, hey Denise did you bring the camera?” Shauna asked, popping bubbles with her gum.

“No, I thought you were suppose to bring it,” Denise said, giving Shauna an evil glance.

“Guys, stop your fussing, I will just run inside and grab my Mom’s camera.”

I slammed the door as I rushed into my parent’s bedroom. I searched high and low for the camera tossing clothes everywhere. It wasn’t until I completely trashed their room when I found the camera.

“Shauna! Denise! Found the camera!” I yelled out as I ran with my Mom’s camera in my hand.

“Who wants to hold the camera?” I asked, looking at either Shauna or Denise to step up to the plate. Boy was I ever wrong. After I asked the question Shauna and Denise pointed at each other.

“Denise, you should hold it because you were suppose to bring the camera and you forgot it”

“No Shauna, you should have called me or even text me about it”

“Will you two weasels please for the love of God stop your bickering? We will never get first place in the science fair if we can’t get along.”

“What’s your bright idea smarty pants?” Denise asked, pointing at me.

“If it has to come down to this, then we will do paper rock and scissors,” I said with my hands on my hips.

“Fair enough” agreed Shauna.

Shauna and I stared at Denise to get her response.

“Okay, sounds fair,” Denise said, shrugging her shoulders.

“One, two, three” I counted.

“Shauna, it looks like you lost that battle.”

“Let’s get this project rolling,” Shauna said as she pointed the camera at me.

Like a news reporter I peeked through the window to make sure my hair looked halfway decent for the camera. I grabbed my report that I wrote and stood like a pro in front of the camera.

“Are you ready Shauna?”

“Yes Ma’m, sure am”

“Today is April 15th 2010. As we can tell our Sweet Peas have started to bloom.”

I gave a quick glance at the Sweet Peas to give Shauna a heads up to point the camera at the flowers. She aimed the camera back down to get a glimpse of the flowers and pointed it back up at me.

“Hopefully in a couple weeks our flowers will be in full bloom. Filling the room with shades of blue and purple. This is Sierra Mackroll signing off.”

“That’s a wrap guys,” I said, putting down the pretend microphone.

After we were done, Shauna and Denise went back home. I could hear my Dad’s truck pull into the driveway.

“Hey Dad! This is Sara,”

“Hi Sara, it is nice to meet you,” Dad said, shaking her hand.

“Nice meeting you too, Mr. Mackroll,” Sara said, with a smile.

“Dad, can you take Sara home?”

“Sure.”

“Just watch your step,” he said, smiling at Sara.

Dad drove off, taking Sara home. I went inside to get ready for supper. Midway into cooking dinner, I heard Mom’s van pulling into the driveway.

“Hi Mom, How are you?”

“I’m fine sweetie, I’m going to take a shower before I join you for dinner,” Mom said, making her into the bedroom.

Oh no! I forgot to clean my mess I made in their room when I went to find the camera. She is going to freak when she sees the mess.

“Sierra! Come here this instant!” Mom yelled making her voice cracked.



Chapter Four

I knew Mom is working all these hours so we could stay here. I know she is probably exhausted from working so long and the last thing she needs is to come home to a messy house. I am working just as hard. I shuffled down the hall to their bedroom, waiting to hear her wrath, her fury unleashed at me. When I made it to their room, she was standing tall, with her hands on her hips.

“Sierra! For heavens sake, what happened to our room?” Mom snapped at me, with her eyes fixed at me.

“Mom, I can explain. You see Shauna had forgotten the camera today and Denise and Shauna were fighting. So I ran to your room to find your video camera, because we’re getting nowhere with them constantly arguing whose fault it was,” I said, looking down at the floor.

“How come you didn’t clean up your mess? I don’t have time to clean up after you!” Mom said, with a firm voice.

“I know you don’t have time! You don’t have time for anything anymore! Plus you got home right after we’ve got done with filming!” I said, as my frustration and anger grew.

“Look Sierra! I know I have not been there for you like I use to, but we are getting behind on our mortgage. I don’t have a choice anymore,” Mom said, kneeling to my level.

“Are they going to kick us out Mom?” I asked, looking down avoiding eye contact.

“I don’t know honey, please just clean up the room before your father comes home,” said Mom, gathering her clothes to change into.

“Okay, Mom.”

Mom picked up her clothes and headed into the bathroom while I picked up the mess. I could here Dad’s truck pull into the driveway, so I dropped the clothes I had in my arms and ran to the door to greet him.

“Hi Dad!”

“Hi honey, where’s your mother?” he asked, searching the room with his eyes.

“She’s in the shower right now, don’t bug her too much cause she’s in one of her moods,” I said, nodding my head.

“Don’t worry honey, I won’t get on her nerves today,” Dad said, crossing his fingers behind his back.

“Okay.”

Dad went to the kitchen to get himself something to drink and I went back to cleaning up the disaster I created in their room.

“Honey, I am home!” Dad yelled through the bathroom door.

I could hear the water being turned off and the door squeaking as Mom stepped out of the bathroom. Mom’s hair was wrapped in a towel and she was wearing orange flip-flops.

“Hi love, how is your job search going?” asked Mom taking off the towel to dry her hair.

“I have not had any luck yet. Seems like everyone is fighting over jobs,” said Dad, shaking his head.

“I don’t know what we are going to do. Don’t you see the bills that are piling up on the table?” Mom said, shaking the bills in front of his face.

“Yes I am well aware of the overdue bills. I am seriously trying my best dear but it is a mad house out there, making it difficult for me to get my foot in the door,” Dad said as he snatched the bills from her hands.

I have had enough with the arguing going on between my parents so I had to get it stopped before one of ours heads exploded. I picked up the few items that were left in their room and slammed the door behind me shut as hard as I could. I marched right up to them making sure they notice me and the rage I had.

“Please stop your fighting! You’re giving me a headache and I can’t stand it no more!” I shouted at the top of my lungs with my hands rolled up in a fist.

They both stood and froze in a moment of silence, just staring at me like they saw a ghost.

“Calm down Sierra, everything will be okay,” Mom said in a soft tone.

“No not everything will be okay. Dad you can’t find a job, Mom you’re working overtime and we still can’t pay all the bills!”

Dad came closer to me, kneeled down to my level and looked at me in straight in the eyes.

“Honey, I know right now everything is looking bad. I promise you that we will try everything before they get the chance to kick us out,” said Dad as he reached out to hug me.

“You promise?” I said burying my head in his shoulders.

“Yes I promise.”

Dad got up from his knees, brushed off the dirt on his pants and headed into the dining room. Mom went to the kitchen to finish preparing the meal. I followed Mom and helped set the table for dinner. I didn’t feel like eating much, I was still upset over the fight.

“Honey, how come you are not eating?” asked Mom, looking at me with her eyebrows raised.

“I don’t feel like eating. I’m still worried about being kicked out,” I said looking down at my plate full of food.

“You need to eat something sweetie to get your strength up,” said Mom, motioning to me to pick up my fork.

“Okay, I guess I’ll try to eat a couple bites for you.”

We all sat around the table in silence eating our meal. I know everyone was worried about the situation. I really don’t want to leave my friends especially not now since the science fair is coming up soon. Our project is almost complete, the flowers are almost fully blossomed and we have every single moment recorded.

After dinner Mom put the leftovers in the fridge and ran the dishwasher. I went to my room to finish up my homework and Dad cleared the table. I thought long and hard about my English project, but my mind was blank. I put down my pen and put on my pink lacy pajamas so I could go to bed. I could hear footsteps coming down the hall so I jumped into my bed making the ground shake.

“Good night sweetie, I love you,” said Mom kissing my forehead.

“I love you too.”

The next morning as I made way into the kitchen, I heard the phone ring. I looked around to see if either Mom or Dad was near but couldn’t find them. I picked up the phone and held it up to my ear.

“Hello this is Sierra?”

“Is Mrs. Mackroll there?” the voice asked.

“Who’s speaking?”

“This is the bank calling, please let me speak to your Mom,” the representative said with a very firm voice.

“Mom! You’ve got a call!” I yelled away from the phone.

Mom closed the door to the bathroom, dressed but still soaked from her shower.

“Who’s on the phone honey?” asked Mom, hesitating grabbing the phone from me.

“It’s the bank Mom.”

“Sierra, I want you to go to your room, this may not be pretty,” Mom said pointing to my room.

“But Mom what about breakfast?” I asked, rubbing my stomach.

“You can eat after I talk to the bank, please leave me alone for now,” she said rubbing her forehead.

“Okay Mom.”

I handed her the phone and tiptoed to my room, waiting for her to unleash her frustration out on the bank. Even with the doors closed I could hear the conversation through the walls.

“Look, I know we are late on our mortgage just please give me some more time,” screamed Mom trying to contain her feelings.

“That isn’t enough time, I am working my butt off here and you want the entire payment by next month?” she asked.

“Okay, yes I understand. Thank you,” she said calmly.

Once the screaming stopped and heard the phone go back on the hook I sneaked back into the kitchen. Mom was rolled up in a ball on the floor with her head buried between her legs. I went over to her and tapped her on her shoulder. She lifted up her head in slow motion, her eyes flooded with tears and make-up smudged from her crying.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

She wipes the tears from her face and takes a deep breath.

“Honey, the bank is threatening to foreclose on our house,” she says, swallowing her tears.

“They can’t do this! What about my friends? You’re working long hours to pay our bills,” I said burying my head in my hands.

“I know you don’t want to leave your friends, but your dad has not found a job yet and they are not paying me enough to pay off the entire amount to stay here,” she says wiping the tears on her sleeves.

“How long can we stay here? The science fair is next month and I don’t want to leave before than,”

“They give us until the end of next month. You need to grab a bite to eat before you go to school,” said Mom handing me a granola bar.

“I’m not hungry anymore,” I said, pushing the granola bar away from me.

“Okay, honey finish get ready for school,” Mom said as she reached out to give me a hug.

I went back to my bedroom and sat on my bed for a while. Skimming through pictures of Denise, Shauna and I and remembering all the fun times we had together. Just thinking about the crazy things Shauna would say and the small things Denise would do to make me laugh when things start looking bad. My daydream was interrupted by a knock at my door.

“Honey, it’s Mom, are ready for school?” she asked, peeking into my room.

“Yes, I’m about ready to go,” I said wiping my tears.

I approached the door and gave a Mom a hug good-bye.

“Good-bye Mom, I love you.”

“Good-bye sweetie, have a good day at school,” Mom said, kissing me on my forehead.

I shuffled my feet along the pavement, looking down at the street the whole way to the bus stop. When I made it I could hear the bus haul to a stop around the bend. The pain in my heart was getting bigger as it got closer. My hands were sweaty and shaking like I had a seizure. I could feel the color in my cheeks fade and my stomach cramping up as I made my way into the bus one step at a time. I could feel the tears fall down my cheeks as I made my way to the back. I took a seat in front of them and buried my face, crying silently into the seat in front of me. I felt someone tap me on my back.

“Sierra, you okay?” asked Denise.

I lifted up my head with tears streaming down my face and opened my mouth.





Chapter Five

What was I going to say to them? I don’t want to think about saying a final good-bye to them; it’s too much for me.

“Sierra, don’t leave us hanging,” Shauna said, interrupting my train of thought.

I looked out the window, wiped off my tears and began to speak.

“I. . . I have to leave you,” I cried out as the tears poured down my cheeks.

“Why? I mean how come?” asked Denise with her mouth wide opened.

“The bank is giving us till’ the end of the month to pay for the house.”

I let in another big breath before I continued.

“I know even with Mom working all these hours, there’s no way we’ll be able to pay off three months of debt to them,” I said, as the tears ran down my cheeks and into my mouth.

“What about the science fair?” Shauna asked, twirling her hair.

“I think that will be the last day we’ll have together.”

“Well let’s make every second count then,” Denise said, giving me a half smile.

“Okay.”

It was the most depressing ride to school I’ve ever had. I promised to make Denise and Shauna that I would do my best to make every second count. When we arrived to school, I let out a big sigh and wiped off all my tears.

“Here we are!” Shauna said, smiling at both of us.

“Yep.”

We met Sara at her locker and all four of us walked arm in arm to Mr. Martin’s English class. When we made it into class, I saw Derrick laughing away with his buds. He was gorgeous like always and this might be the last time I will see him, so I took a chance at humiliation and went up to talk to him.

“Hi Derrick.”

My cheeks were flushed and butterflies were swarming around in my stomach as I waited for him to respond.

“Hi Sierra,” he said, not giving me a moment of his precious time.

He went back to his buddy gossip with his pals and I just stood there like a statue, wanting to hear something more than a hi.

“Is she still there?” I heard him ask one of his pals.

“Yep,” Jeff said, snickering.

He whipped his head around and stared at me with disgust.

“What? What do you want Sierra?” he snapped, tapping his fingers on his school desk.

“I don’t want anything Derrick. I just want to tell you that I’ve had a crush on you for the longest time but now I know you’re not worth it,” I said, staring straight into his eyes.

His jaw dropped open and I could see his friends burst out laughing as I headed to my seat. Who cares? If he’s going to act like a jerk than I’m definitely going to spend time moping around about him.

“Everybody, it is time to begin class,” Mr. Martin said, pacing back and forth the isles like a cougar ready to pounce on its prey.

I leaned close to Denise and elbowed her to get her attention.

“Denise, you never guess what I just did.”

“What did you do?” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

“I went up to Derrick and told him I liked him.”

“What did he say?” she said, leaning closer to get the latest scoop.

“He acted like a jerk, acting like a pest or something.”

“Go figure, he hangs out with football jocks and only dates cheerleaders. What did you say?” she asked, playing her pencil.

“Told him to bugger off and that he’s not worth my time,” I said, trying to hold my laughter in.

“Good for you, I bet he didn’t expect it,” she said, slapping across me across my back.

“Nope, I hope his buds give him grief about it. He deserves it.”

After the discussion, Mr. Martin approached Denise and I.

“Sierra, can you repeat what I just said?” he asked, putting me in the spotlight.

The whole class was staring at me waiting for me to respond to his question. I felt light-headed and wanted to bury my head in a hole like an ostrich.

“Um, well I think you’re talking about adverbs?” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

“That is what I thought, you two need to pay attention,” he said with his arms crossed.

“Can someone please inform Sierra and Denise what we were talking about?” he asked, searching the classroom for an eager student to answer his question.

He made his way to the front of room and pointed to Veronica who was raising her hand. We call her Miss No-it-all, because she always answers the questions Mr. Martin asks.

“Yes Veronica, what were we talking about?” he asked.

“We were talking about our assignment before we go on break,” she said, with wide eyes like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Thank you Veronica,” he said, as he grabbed the chalk.

Denise and I both glanced at ourselves and rolled our eyes.

The bell rang saving ourselves from another round of embarrassment.

“Class do not forget that the creative writing assignment is due at the end of the month,” he said, as everyone was leaving the room.

Denise, Shauna, Sara and I met at the entrance to the cafeteria.

“I heard you turned down Derrick,” Shauna said, playing with her hair.

“Yep, he’s a total loser and I can do better,” I said, nodding my head.

“Don’t blame you, we’ve told you that he wasn’t worth your time.” Denise said, twitching her thumbs.

“Here you go again, giving me the ole pep talk,” I said, rolling my eyes at them.

“That’s what friends are for,” Shauna said, shuffling her feet.

“That’s why I love you.”

“We love you too!” they said; as they leaned close to hug me.

After lunch we all headed to Mr. Hastings class.

“Everybody please have a seat. We have a lot of stuff to go over today,” Mr. Hastings said, gesturing to us to take our seats.

“Hey guys, I think it’s about time for the science fair.”

“You’re right Sierra, it must be at the end of the month,” Denise said, thumbing through her textbook.

“What do we have left to do on our project?” Shauna said, chewing her bubble gum.

“I think we’ve just have to finish recording the flowers bloomed and put the poster board together,” I said, with my finger on my head.

“Okay, we can finish it today then?” Denise said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Sounds good to me.”

“Me too,” Shauna said, nodding her head.

Mr. Hastings cleared his throat, which sounded like he had a hairball. Clapped his hands very loud to get our attention.

“Class, as you know the science fair is at the end of this month. I hope you all worked on the project, had fun and learned a little from the experience. Although it is fun and interesting, let me reminder that it is a major part of your final grade,” Mr. Hastings said, pacing in between the isles like a cat.

Everyone in class got into our groups and discussed what was left to do to get ready for the fair coming up. Mr. Hastings stopped at each group and checked up with them.

“Sierra, how is your group doing with your project?” Mr. Hastings asked us, hovering of me.

“We’re about finished Mr. Hastings, we have a few minor things to do but that is all.”

“Good, I can not wait to see how it turned out,” he said, smiling down at me.

When class was finished, we headed towards the line of buses.

“Where do you want to sit today?” Denise said, looking behind her at me.

“I know we usually sit in the back with the “cool” kids, let’s change it up and sit in the front today,” I said glancing at the seat next to me.

“Doesn’t matter where we sit, we’re still cool,” Shauna said, giggling.

“You’re right.”

We took the first few seats in the front.

“Same time today, Sierra?” Denise asked, peeking over the back of my seat.

“Yep.”

“I can’t wait to see how the flowers turned out to be,” Shauna said, clapping her hands like a schoolgirl on Christmas day.

“It should be cool,” Denise said, drumming the window with her pencils.

“Yep.”

The bus arrived at my stop; I waved good-bye to them and headed towards the door. When I arrived to the front door, I saw a stack of mail poking out of the mailbox. I grabbed the mail and noticed that most of it was overdue bills. I stepped into the empty family room and placed the bills on the table. I saw the voicemail box blinking; I headed over there and checked the messages.

Mrs. Mackroll, this is the bank calling about your mortgage. I need to speak to you as soon as possible. As soon as you can please give me a call at 1-888-THE-BANK.

I could feel my heart sank as soon I heard the message. I dropped the phone and plopped down on the couch. The only sound in the entire house was the busy signal.



Chapter Six

I felt like there was a weight on my back keeping me glued to the couch. My arms and legs were heavy, each time I tried to reach for the remote; my arms would sag back down to the couch. I just sat there like a dummy watching static on the television screen. I closed my eyes and each time I closed them I could see images of my best friends smiling and giggling. Tears were falling one by one down my cheeks as Shauna and Denise’s faces appeared. Why is this happening to me? I mean, what did I do to deserve this? I smothered myself with a pillow and cried into it, I was so wrapped in my own grief to notice my Mom coming home.

“Sierra, sweetie what’s the matter?” Mom said, stroking my hair.

I uncovered my face and glanced at her.

“Have. . you checked the voicemail?”

“No, I just got home,” she said, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

“The bank called again and want you to call them soon. And look at all these bills, piling up on the table Mom,” I said, waving them in her face.

“There’s no way we can pay all these bills,” I said, burying my face in my hands.

She pried my hands away from my face and lifted up my chin with her fingers.

“I know right now it does not look good. You must try your best to stay positive and just hope that your Dad will get a job,” she said, staring into my eyes.

“How can I be positive, when each time I close my eyes I see my friend’s faces? How can I stay happy when deep down inside me, it’s telling me that this month maybe the last month I’ll see them?” I said, burying my face into my Mom’s chest.

“I know this is not easy for you, but use the time you have with your friends wisely and cherish it,” she said, hugging me tightly against her chest.

“I’ll try Mom.”

Toward the end of the conversation, I heard someone knock at the door. I wiped the tears from my eyes, took a deep breath to calm me down and got up off the couch. I headed to the door and looked through the peek hole. It was Shauna, Denise and Sara; it must be time to work on our science project. I opened the door and put on the saddest looking smile I ever gave.

“Hey guys, ready to get to work?”

“What’s up with you? You look like crap,” Denise said, biting her nails.

“Well thank you for you expert opinion,” I said, with my hands on my hips.

We all stared at each other, paused and broke into laughter. It was one of the moments that I would always cherish.

“Shall we?” I said, gesturing them to lead the way.

“Wow, look at our flowers,” Shauna said, leaning in to smell the flowers.

“They sure are beautiful,” Denise said, spinning around to look at the flowers.

“Sure are beautiful and heavenly smelling,” I said, taking in the heavenly scent of the sweet peas.

We all paused for a while and took in the sweet smells and beautiful bliss of the flowers.

“Are we ready to film Shauna?”

“Yep,” Shauna said, holding the camera to her eyes.

I brushed back my black hair from my face and grabbed the fake microphone.

“This is the final month of the Sweet Pea Project, as we can see the flowers are fully grown and blossomed into shades of pink, purple and blues. We’ve recorded the entire photosynthesis process from time the flower’s a simple seed to a beautiful plant. Like us humans, the seeds needed sunlight and water to grow and over time it bloomed. This is Sierra Mackroll signing off.”

“Great job guys, Mr. Hastings would be proud,” I said, patting my friends on the back.

“Yep, so what’s next?” Denise asked, tapping her foot.

“Well, I think we’ve just have to work on the poster and that’s all.”

“Do we have the stuff?” Shauna asked, staring at me.

“Yes it is inside, so let’s get the ball rolling.”

We headed inside, turned on the music and spread the bright pink poster board on the dinning room table. We split the poster into three parts and split the work between us.

“Denise, you want to work on the first few steps on photosynthesis?”

“Okay,” Denise said, bobbing her head to the music.

“Shauna and Sara, you two can work on the middle stages of the flower’s growth.”

“Okay,” They said, together.

I worked on the last stage where the sweet peas are fully blossomed. We spent about two hours working on the poster. Once it was done, it was a work of art. There were picture scattered over the entire poster board with markings underneath the pictures telling the different stages of the flower’s development.

“I think we’re done with our science project. Great job guys,” I said giving my buddies high fives.

“Yep, it is definitely going to win first prize,” Denise said, nodding her head.

We make a great team,” Shauna said, playing with her gum.

“Well I’ll see you three tomorrow.”

“See yah later alligator,” Denise said, glancing over at me.

“After while crocodile.”

We all gave each other a giant bear hug before we went our separate ways.

“Honey, it is almost time to come in and eat,” Mom yelled, through the window.

“Okay Mom, I’m coming. You need to come in here and look at our science project.”

“Okay, I will come take a quick peek at your science garden,” Mom said, hanging up her apron on the stove.

Mom stepped out of the house and shut the door. The facial expression on her face when she entered the garden was the look of peace. Her smile widened and eyes got bigger as she saw the pink, blue and purple shades of the flowers.

“Oh Sierra, it is so beautiful in here,” she said, as she bent over to sniff the flowers.

“Thanks Mom, I knew you would love the flowers.”

“I am very proud of you, you guys worked hard,” she said, hugging me tightly.

Mom and I stood side-by-side admiring the sweet peas, breathing in the sweet aroma the flowers gave. Mom glanced over at the clock to see what time it was.

“I better get going on dinner before your dad gets home,” she said, kissing me on my forehead.

“Do you need any help Mom?”

“You can help with the salad if you would like,” she said, with a smile.

“Okay, I’ll follow you into the kitchen.”

Mom put the pot roast the in the oven while I gathered all the ingredients for the salad. I could smell the pot roast cook in the oven; it made my mouth water and stomach growl. I got out the ripe tomatoes and green spinach leaves for the salad. As I was cutting the tomatoes, the juice was squirting all over. I grabbed the salad fork and tossed the salad, and placed it in the middle of the table. As Mom and I went to sit down at the table, I heard my Dad’s truck pull into the driveway.

“Hi Dad, how are you?”

“Hi honey, I am good. How are you?” Dad said; as he bent down to kiss me.

“I’m okay, our garden is fully grown. You should go check it out.”

“Maybe after dinner,” he said, as he made his way to Mom.

He hugged Mom, kissed her on the lips and sat down next to her.

“This is quite tasty love,” he said, swallowing the first bite of food that was in his mouth.

“Thanks honey, glad you like it,” she said, smiling.

“How was your day sweetie,” he said, looking up at her.

“It was fine, any luck with your job hunting?” she said, as she was cutting the meat.

“I have had a couple interviews but nothing for certain,” he said, taking another bite from his food.

Mom stared down at her food, and took a big sigh.

“What is the matter, sweetie?” he asked, getting up from his seat.

“The bank is pressuring us to pay the mortgage,” she said, hiding her face in her hands.

“Yeah Dad, I was the first one to answer the phone, and they want Mom to call them ASAP and it sounds really serious.”

“Sorry to hear that, are you okay honey?” he asked, placing his hand on my shoulder.

“I wasn’t at first, but after Denise and Shauna showed up I was better. I don’t want to leave them. I’m nothing without them; they make me laugh when I’m down. Will we have to move?” I asked, staring down at my half empty plate of food.

“I don’t know Sierra, it looks like we might not have a choice,” he said, stroking my hair.



We ate the rest of our dinner in silence. When we finished I helped my Mom and Dad clear the tables and headed towards my room to work on my homework.

I grabbed a pencil and some scrap paper and thought about what I was going to do for my English project. I grabbed the photo album covered front to back with pictures of the memories of my best friends. Memories of the good times we shared that I will cherish for the rest of my life and keep with me forever. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. Tears were running down my cheeks and hitting the pages, smudging the faces of my friends. I could feel my chest tighten, feeling like I was drowning and trying to grasp for air. My hands trembled so hard that I had to pry my hand open to let go of the pencil. I couldn’t concentrate on my poem, my depression and sorrow was overwhelming me. I pushed my chair out from the desk and got up to my feet. Still shaking, I took one step at a time trying to make it to the bed. I felt dizzy and everything I saw was fuzzy. All of a sudden, I could sense myself falling. My body crashed to the floor, making a loud thump as it hit and everything went black.



Chapter Seven

Although I couldn’t see anything, I heard voices speaking to me. It was almost like an out of body experience. I didn’t know who or what was talking to me but I could almost recognize the voice.

“Sierra honey, wake up! Please wake up!” the voice said, in a shaky tone. I thought it was a dream and people in my dreams were talking to me. I felt hands on my shoulders shaking me.

“Please wake up! I don’t want to lose you,” the voice said, in a weeping way.

I could feel sensation coming back to my body little by little until I could fully get movement. I woke up from my dream and the eyelids slowly opened. The light in the room was too much so I squinted and saw my Mom and Dad kneeling beside me. Mom’s eyes were blood shot red from crying during the time I was out. Her make-up smudged from the tears she cried and her long brown hair tucked in her shirt.

“Mom, Dad what happened?”

“You must have passed out. As soon as we heard something crash to the floor we came running. Do you know what you did before this happened?” Mom said, holding my head close to her chest.

“I think, I was working on my English project and looked at photos of my friends when I started feeling weak. I tried to make it to the bed but my legs gone out before I got there and fell,” I said, holding onto the back of my head.

“This is difficult for all of us, I know when it comes time to leave, I know you will miss your friends. How are you feeling?” Mom asked, holding onto me tightly.

“I don’t have the heart to say good-bye to them. My head is throbbing, can you get something for the pain?”

“Yes, let me get you some ice,” she said, as she was getting back up on her feet.

I took my time getting up; I don’t want to have another dizzy spell and went to sit down on my bed. Mom had just returned from the kitchen when I made it the bed, just like a knight in shining armor she rushed to my side with a bag of ice.

“Here you go, this should help take care of your pain,” she said, holding the ice pack on the back of my head.

“Thank you Mom.”

“It is about time for you to get some sleep. Get ready for bed and I will come back to check up on you in a little while,” she said, kissing me on the forehead.

I closed my door and put the ice pack on my desk. Grabbed my purple nightgown and put it on. I lay on my bed staring up at the ceiling. I could see images of Denise and Shauna spinning around my head like a mobile. Each time I blinked tears were forming and traveling down my face. I heard footsteps coming down the hall, so I took a deep breath and wiped the tears away.

“Honey, I want to let you know that I love you so very much,” Mom said, stroking my hair.

“I know Mom, I love you too.”

“Try to have a good night sleep,” she said, kissing me on my forehead.

“Okay I will try.”

“Good night, sweet dreams,” she said, as she turned off the light.

The next morning I got up like I do every morning but really exhausted from the other night. I couldn’t open my eyes all the way and felt like I was dragging my body with me, when I went into the kitchen for breakfast. Mom had already gone for another long day at work and Dad had just about finished eating when I arrived.

“How are you feeling, honey?” Dad asked, swallowing the last bite of his cereal.

“I guess I’m okay,” I said, scratching my head.

“Eat a good breakfast, it will help wake you up,” he said, as went to put his plates in the sink.

I found Kellogg Corn Flakes and poured myself a bowl. I guess today I was going to eat by myself, which was very lonely and depressing. At least I have a chance to think of a poem for my creative writing piece. If I think too hard I might overwork my brain and I will end up like the ditzy cheerleaders at my school. I stared up at the clock and realized if I don’t hurry up, then I’ll miss the bus. I put my dish away and rushed my bedroom to get dressed for school. I threw on my purple silk t-shirt and a khaki skirt. I put my shoulder length brown hair up in a ponytail, brushed my teeth and grabbed my backpack as I made my way out the door.

I sprinted to the bus stop just in time to catch the bus. I could see my friends Shauna and Denise sitting in the back, waiting for me to come sit by them.

“What’s taking you so long, slow poke?” Denise asked, tapping her fingers on the back of the seat in front of her.

“You try running for a while and see how you like it,” I said, rolling my eyes at her.

“Not my fault for being in great shape,” she said, showing off her body to everyone on the bus.

“You just might have to tell me your secret then,” I said, with my hand behind my ear waiting for her response.

“If I do that then I might have to kill you,” she said, laughing into her hands.

“Ha ha real funny.”

We all broke down in laughter. We all laughed so hard that our faces turned bright red and we were all crying. When we were done, the bus arrived at our school. We each took a deep breath, wiping away happy tears from our face and walked down the step in single file right behind one another. We were arm and arm as we entered the busy building. We met Sara at her locker and headed off to Mr. Martins English class. I felt like I had a huge weight was lifted off of me. My eyes zoomed in at Derrick, since my confidence was up today I decided I was going to strut my stuff. I swung my hair over my shoulders, wiggled my hips as I brushed past him and winked at him.

“What’s that all about?” Shauna asked, playing with her gum.

“Oh it’s nothing, just teasing him.”

“He’s still staring at you,” Shauna said, nudging her head at him.

“Let him stare, he can stare as much as he wants,” I said, with my head held up high.

“Okay class, let’s begin,” Mr. Martin announced, interrupting the friendly gossip about Derrick and his buds.

I got out my textbook and pencils and pens to take notes with.

“Just a reminder everyone, your creative writing assignment is due at the end of the week,” he reminded everyone, as he paced up and down the isles.

I elbowed Denise and Shauna trying to get their attention.

“What is it Sierra? I’m trying to pay attention,” Denise asked, trying to be serious.

“Have you worked on your project yet?”

“Of course not, I like to do things at last minute,” she said, shaking her head.

“You’re a bad influence,” I said, laughing silently to myself.

“I know that’s why you love me,” she said, covering her mouth.

When the bell rang, we all raced to the cafeteria for lunch. We exchanged our lunches since it makes for an interesting combination of food.

“I know Denise hasn’t even started on her English project. What about you Shauna?”

“I started it but it’s not done yet,” Shauna said, slurping the pudding from her spoon.

“What about you Sierra?” Denise asked, grabbing her turkey sandwich.

“Nope, I’m doing a poem but can’t think of anything yet.”

“Well we’ve got a few more days before it’s due,” Shauna said, playing with her hair.

After lunch it was time to go to Mr. Hastings science class. Everybody was paired in their groups today so we found an empty table and took a seat.

“It must be getting close to when the science fair begins.”

“I think it starts in a week or so,” Denise said, chewing her gum.

“Class, I want you guys to use the entire class time to go over your project and discuss how you are going to present the project and who will be the main speaker for your group,” Mr. Hastings announced, pacing from table to table.

We knew the project was about complete except for the presentation. We focused really hard on who will present the project.

“I vote Sierra, since this was her idea,” Denise said, trying to raise my hand.

“Yeah I agree with you Denise,” Shauna said, nodding her head.

“I have stage fright. I can’t do it,” I said, shaking my head.

“You have stage fright? You Miss Reporter and leader of the pack are afraid of groups of people,” Denise laughed.

“I guess if no one wants to present our project to the judges then I will, but if I start stuttering and lose first prize, don’t hate me cause I told you so,” I said, giving out a big sigh.

“I have an idea!” Sara said, with a big grin.

“What is it miss sunshine,” Denise said, tapping her fingers on the desk.

“Well, since Sierra doesn’t want to do this by herself, we can just all take turns presenting the project,” Sara said, with her head up high.

“That’s a great idea,” Shauna said, twirling her curly locks with her finger.

“I agree with Shauna, great idea Sara,” I said, smiling.

“There you have it, we’ve got a plan,” Denise said, as she clapped her hands very loud.

After our discussion, the buses lined up in a circle in front of the school. I have a lot on my plate but I am use to stress and believe I can do well at both projects. We hopped on the bus and I ran to get the window seat since I know Denise is usually the one that gets it first.

“Hey, you’ve parked in a no parking zone. Get out of the seat, you need special privileges to sit by the window,” Denise joked around.

“I don’t think so. This is first come first serve basis now and I got into it before you,” I said, shaking my finger at her.

“Well maybe just for today I guess,” Denise said, with her head down.

I tapped the seat next to me trying to get Denise to sit down before she falls her face when the bus starts moving. She sat next to me in defeat, like an upset child at her parents. The greater time in the bus was spent in silence; I guess we went over the limit of words for today. I just stared out the window the whole ride, thinking about my poem for English project. All I could think of during the whole time was all the memories my friends and I shared. There wasn’t a single thing I would see that doesn’t remind of them. Maybe I would do my poem about the memories and everything I would be leaving behind when I move. I got out my notebook out of backpack and started jotting down ideas for my poem.

Memories

Friends I spent my lifetime cherishing

Moments that I won’t be forgetting

Little things we do together

Once I leave, I’ll carry them with me

Although I am far away

I will treasure them deep in my heart

Remember everything they do and say

To keep them close even though we are apart

I could see my notepad was getting wet from the tears that were falling down my face. When the bus arrived to my house, I wiped the tears from face and got up from my seat. I didn’t even look at them as I walked off the bus, I couldn’t, it hurts too much to have them see me this way. I rushed into the house, slamming the door making the floor shake as it closed and headed straight into my room. I plopped on the bed and buried my head with my pillow. I just let every raw emotion I had in me out. Crying everything to the very last tear in my eyes.



Chapter Eight

I was crying so much that I couldn’t hear my Mom pull into the driveway.

“Honey, what is wrong?” she said, sitting next to me on the bed.

I dried the tears that were falling down my cheeks and lifted my head to get a better look at her. I took a couple deep breaths before I answered her question.

“I was working on my poem for English and the thoughts of leaving my friends started invading my head and I don’t to leave them Mom,” I said, bursting into tears.

“I know you don’t sweetie, but there’s no way we can afford to live here anymore,” she said, running her fingers through my hair.

Mom and I held each other for a while, trying to comfort our sorrow we had. I calmed down but my body was shaking so much from all the emotions that were going through me.

“Just tell yourself honey, to make every day count like it was your last,” she said, kissing me on the forehead.

“Okay Mom, I promise I make every moment count the next few days I have left with my friends.”

Mom got up off my bed and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner. I took a deep breath to settle down and cleaned up my face. When I stared into the mirror, my eyes were bloodshot from crying so hard, my face was blood red and I looked like I didn’t sleep for weeks. I heard Dad’s truck pull into the driveway; I went to greet him at the door like I always do.

“Hi Dad.”

“What happened to you sweetie?” he asked, with his eyebrows raised.

“I’m just really sad that I have to leave my friends,” I said, looking down at the floor.

“I know you’re sad. I think this is going to be really tough for everyone,

he said, holding out his arms for a hug.

“Mmm, what is that heavenly smell?” he said, sniffing around like a dog.

“Oh, that’s Mom’s cooking.”

“Sure smells delicious though,” he said, with a grin on his face.

We headed to the table and took a seat. Mom came out with roast turkey that smelled like a taste of heaven and looked so moist and tender that it made my mouth water.

“This turkey is so tasty Mom.”

“Thanks, glad you like it,” she said, as she was taking a bite of her meat.

“How was your day at school?” Dad said, smiling at me.

“It was okay I guess. I went up to Derrick and tried to start a conversation with him but he turned out to be a total jerk so I stood up in front of him in front of his friends and now he can’t even look at me anymore.”

“Good for you Sierra, standing up for yourself,” Mom said, picking up her glass.

“Thanks Mom, it felt great too.”

After dinner, Dad and I cleared the table while Mom started on the dishes. I went back to my bedroom and rewrote my poem for English, making sure it was presentable. After I finished my homework I put on my purple silk pajamas and hopped into bed. I could hear my parent’s footsteps coming down the hallway, making the floor squeak with each step they take.

“Good night sweetie, sweet dreams,” Dad said, as he bent down to kiss me.

“Good night Dad.”

“Sweet dreams honey,” Mom said, kissing me on my forehead.

“Night Mom.”

The next morning I woke up to the sunbeams hitting my face. It looked like a beautiful day. I put on my bathrobe and slippers and went to see how the garden was doing. The green house was covered in shades of purple and pink and the sweet peas gave such a beautiful smell. Just standing there for a few minutes smelling the sweet fragrances the flowers gave I was able to find peace and happiness.

“Your breakfast is ready Sierra,” Mom called from the kitchen.

“I’m coming Mom!”

When I arrived to the kitchen, it looked like a breakfast buffet. The table was covered with pancakes, waffles and eggs. I couldn’t wait to dig in, so I grabbed a plate and picked a little of everything since I couldn’t make up my mind.

“Hungry today aren’t we?” Mom said, with her hands on her hips.

“No I just can’t make up my mind, everything looks so good.”

“Thank you. So what is going on at school today?” Mom asked me, handing me the orange juice.

“Our English project is due today and Denise, Shauna and I are going to set up for the Science Fair tomorrow.”

“Sounds like you have a busy day ahead of you. Good thing you are eating a good breakfast.”

“Yep, I need all the energy I can get.”

“Good luck sweetie, I’m sure you’re going do a great job.”

“Thanks Mom, it was a great breakfast,” I said, putting my dishes in the sink.

Mom got up from her seat and went to wash the dishes. I headed towards my room to get ready for school. I went through my closet, throwing clothes everywhere until I found the perfect outfit. It was a purple and blue slim fitting tank top and a black mini skirt falls a couple inches above my knees. It was a present from grandma from Christmas last year. I never had the guts to wear until today. I never felt so sure of myself until that time I confronted my crush. After I got dressed, my room looked like a tornado hit it. I made a quick effort to clean up my mess, I gathered my clothes and threw them in a big pile and slid them under my bed.

I combed my hair and put in a purple ribbon in my hair to make it look nice. I brushed my teeth, put on my black slip ons and grabbed my backpack as I headed out the door. Just as I made it to the street corner, the bus hauled to a stop in front of me. I could see Denise and Shauna’s head peeking out the window staring at me. I guess they’ve never seen me like this so it came a shock to them.

“What’s the occasion?” Denise asked, smacking her gum in her mouth.

“Nothing, I just want to look nice. Something wrong with that?”

“No, just curious,” she said, snapping her fingers.

“Good. Speaking of English, did you finish your project?”

“Of course,” she said, trying to give me a serious face.

“Oh really? What did you do?” I said, with a hint of disbelief.

“Sake! I will finish it while you guys are presenting,” she said, grinning.

“Whatever, what about you Shauna?” I said, turning my head in her direction.

“You know me Sierra, I always do my homework,” Shauna said, shrugging her shoulders.

“What did you do?”

“I did a play I call A Day in my Shoes,” she said, handing me her script.

“Wow, not bad for a blonde,” I joked.

I opened up my backpack and handed her my poem. I could see my poem really touched her. Tears were slowly making their way down her face.

“It’s really good Sierra,” she said, wiping the tears from her face.

“Thanks.”

The bus arrived at our school; students were swarming around trying to find their classroom and lockers. I couldn’t wait to present my poem to the class; I just hope I touch everybody else like it did with Shauna. We all went into the classroom and took a seat. I could see Derrick’s eyes follow me as I went past him, I kind of like the attention. I decided to play along, I’ll be the good looking but hard to get girl. I winked at him and then blew him a kiss, making his face turned bright red.

“What are you doing Sierra?” Denise asked, elbowing me.

“He’s got it bad for me, ever since the time I told him off he’s been staring at me. I couldn’t help myself, I know I’m bad.”

“Yep, you’re terrible,” she said, as we both broke down in laughter.

Our laughter was abruptly interrupted by the sound of the door shutting.

“Okay class, today your English assignment is due. Does anyone want to present their project?” Mr. Martin said, as he walked into the room.

I jumped to the opportunity to share my poem with everyone. I raised my hand and waved both my arms in hope that I’d get picked.

“Yes Sierra, would you like to start?” he asked, pointing to me.

“Yes I do.”

I took a deep breath and made my way to the podium. I looked around to the various faces of the classroom.

“I wrote a poem for my English assignment. I call the poem Memories. Here it goes: Memories. Friends I spent my lifetime cherishing, Moments that I won’t be forgetting, little things we do together, Once I leave, I’ll carry them with me, Although I am far away, I will treasure them deep in my heart, Remember everything they do and say, To keep them close even though we are apart.”

When I finished the poem, some people had expressions of shock on their faces with their mouths wide opened while others were crying. It felt good to let out my feelings, like I was set free. It was a relief and I’m glad I was able to touch so many people with my poem.

“That was really lovely Sierra, nicely done,” Mr. Martin said, clapping his hands.

“Thanks Mr. Martin.”

When I headed towards my seat in the back, students and friends were clapping for me the whole way there. Denise even had tears when I finished my poem.

“That was a nice poem, Sierra,” she said wiping the last tears from her eyes.

“Thanks, I devoted that poem to my three best friends.”

“Friends forever.”

“Friends forever and ever,” I said, doing our secret handshake.

A few other students presented their projects and to my amazement one of those students was Derrick. He did a musical piece; it was pretty good for his type. I went up to him after class to tell him how I felt about him.

“Hey Derrick,” I said, shuffling my feet.

“Hey.”

“You’ve got some talent hiding underneath your muscles.”

“Thanks, you’re not bad yourself,” he said, blushing.

We stood there a while face to face staring at each other, in the midst of the silence the bell rung.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you in our next class,” he said, fixing his gaze on the clock hanging up above Mr. Martin’s Desk.

“Mmm, see you later then.”

Derrick went out of the classroom to meet his friends at his locker. I stood there gazing up at the ceiling in my own dream world fantasizing about us once more.



Chapter Nine

“Sierra, earth calling down to Sierra,” the voice called out to me.

I rubbed my eyes and tried to get my head out of the clouds.

“Hey Sierra, we’ll going to miss our lunch period if you don’t wake up and smell the cup of Joe,” the voice called out again.

“What? Who is speaking?”

“It’s Denise, yeah over here,” Denise said, tapping me on the shoulder.

“Oh hi Denise. What’s going on?”

“Lunch is almost over, so step off of cloud nine and let’s get moving,” she said, pointing to the clock.

“Oh okay.”

We rushed to the cafeteria so we had a chance to get a quick bite before science class.

“I thought you couldn’t stand Derrick,” Shauna said, taking a bite into her sandwich.

“I can’t stand his attitude, but there’s something more about him that I love.”

“Like what?” Denise asked, with a blank stare on her face.

“Well for example, he’s a great singer.”

Shauna and Denise glanced at each other and broke out in laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s nothing, really it’s nothing,” Denise laughed out loud.

“I don’t believe you.”

“I’m not laughing at you, Sierra,” Denise said, trying to calm down.

“I know that silly. I’m not getting up until you tell me what you two are laughing about.”

“I can’t believe you think Derrick is a great singer,” Denise said, holding her stomach.

“Well he is and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Whatever,” Denise said, taking the last bite of her lunch.

“I guess lunch is over,” Shauna interrupted, looking up at the clock on the wall.

“Yep, time for Science class,” I said, packing up my lunchbox.

We got up from the table and headed towards science class.

“Class, as you know the science fair is tomorrow. For the entire class time I want you all to set up your project so it will be ready for the big day,” Mr. Hastings announced to the class, as he walked into the classroom.

We all lined up in single file and followed him to the auditorium where the science fair was going to be at. There were tables that were lined up side by side along each aisle. There were names of each group lying on top. Denise, Shauna, Sara and I found our table. I don’t know about everyone else but the excitement I felt for tomorrow was quite overwhelming.

“I can’t believe tomorrow is the big day,” Shauna said, rubbing her hands together.

“I know, I won’t be able to sleep tonight,” I said, jumping up and down.

“Now settle down there kiddo, I’m just as excited as all of us but we need to save our energy for tomorrow,” Denise said, holding my feet down to the floor.

“You’re no fun.”

“Well one of us needs to be the adult here,” she said, trying to keep a serious face.

“You’re not the responsible one, you’re a bad influence.”

We glanced at each other and couldn’t help but laugh at each other. I’m really going to miss them when it’s time to move. After we calmed down, we set out the black tablecloth and I got out the poster and pictures.

“I think the poster should be in the center of the table and we should scatter the pictures.”

“I think you’re right about the poster but the pictures should match the stages on the board,” Sara suggested, as she placed the pictures by the poster.

“You’re right Sara.”

Denise and Shauna nodded their heads to her suggestion like two bobble heads. I went over to get the video player and pushed it next to the table.

“We’re done,” Denise said, giving high fives to everybody in our group.

“Yep, it looks great. Can’t wait for tomorrow.”

“I have no doubt we’re going to get first prize tomorrow,” Shauna said, smiling.

We all stared at the presentation of our project and gave a great big sigh of relief. We huddled up and gave each other a giant hug. By the time we were done with setting up, the bell rung and the auditorium emptied out in a flash. When we made it to the bus, we were the very last to get on and found the empty seats in the back.

“Sierra, don’t forget to bring the flowers to school tomorrow,” Denise said, looking straight into my eyes.

“I won’t forget. I’ll have my Mom drop them off right before it begins.”

“This is so exciting,” Shauna said, smiling.

“I know I can’t hardly wait.”

“Me neither,” Denise said, tapping her fingers on her legs.

When the bus arrived at my house, I waved good-bye to my friends and skipped to the front door like a schoolgirl on summer break. I peeked out the window, watching it disappear into the distance. I stepped out of the house and went into the green house where our sweet peas are and stood there breathing in their sweet aroma they gave off. I just pictured the judges’ faces when they saw our project and how thrilled they looked. In the middle of my daydream I heard someone pull into the driveway. I closed the door to the green house and went to see whom it was.

“Hey Dad! How are you?”

“Hi honey, I’m fine and you?” he asked, hugging me.

“I’m great, it was a great day at school.”

“Glad to hear that, you can tell me all about it over dinner,” he said, smiling.

“Okay.”

I followed Dad into the house. I helped Dad with dinner, setting up the table and getting drinks for all of us. Dad put the pork chops on the grill and poured applesauce into the pot and put on the stove. After the table was set and the pork chops were done cooking, Mom came home.

“Nice of you to join us,” Dad said, kissing her on the lips.

“Thank you love, what is for dinner tonight?” Mom asked, hugging him tightly.

“Dad is cooking pork chops and heating up applesauce Mom.”

“It sounds good. Your dad makes the best pork chops,” she said, kissing me on my forehead.

“Yeah, I know.”

Mom and I sat at the table while Dad brought over the meal.

“Dig in,” he said, smiling proudly at his pork chops.

“How did your poem go at school?” Mom asked, putting a spoonful of applesauce on her plate.

“Oh it went so well. Everybody was either surprised or was in tears when I finished. Even Derrick was crying.”

“I am so glad that they liked it. How was the rest of the day?” Mom asked, swallowing a bite of her meat.

“Denise, Shauna, Sara and I set up for the science fair. The table looks great. I can’t wait until tomorrow. Oh Mom can you bring the sweet peas to school tomorrow, I don’t want them to dry out or die before the event begins?”

“Sure that should not be a problem. Love, how was your day?” Mom said, turning her attention to Dad.

“Same ole thing as usual. I did overhear somebody say that there are more employment opportunities in Detroit,” he said, glancing down at his food.

“That is a step in the right direction I guess,” Mom said, reaching out for his hand.

“Mom are you moving to Detroit then?”

“Sounds like there are more opportunities for your Dad,” she said, holding my hand.

“When are we moving to Detroit?”

“Probably right after school tomorrow.”

“Oh okay I guess.”

When we finished dinner, I helped Dad clear the table and went to my room to pick out the best outfit I owned. I had to try my best to get some sleep; I know it is going to a busy day tomorrow. I stripped out of my school clothes and put on my pajamas and brushed my teeth. I snuggled up under the covers waiting for Mom and Dad to say good night.

“Have a good night sleep sweetie,” Mom said, kissing me gently.

“Good luck tomorrow,” Dad said, hugging me in the bed.

“Thank you, love you both.”

They closed my door and turned off the lights. I drifted off to sleep, dreaming about tomorrow.



Chapter Ten



The next morning I woke up with black circles around my eyes from tossing and turning most of the night. I went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face to freshen up. Part of me was tired from the lack of sleep I got and part of me was pumped up about the science fair today. I smelled the sweet smell of French toast and hash browns cooking on the stove lingering in the air. My stomach was going haywire and grumbling nonstop. I bounced with each step I made as I headed into the kitchen.

“Mmm, Mom smells heavenly like always.”

“Thank you, how many pieces do you want?” she asked, pulling the bangs away from her eyes.

“Give me three pieces of French toast please.”

“Wow, aren’t you the hungry one today,” she said, handing me a plate full of French toast.

“No, I just know I’m going to need all the energy I can get.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right. Your science fair is today,” she said, smiling.

“Yep.”

I gobbled up the French toast and hash browns so fast that my chest was tightening up.

“Eating your breakfast too soon huh?” Mom asked, glancing down at my plate.

“I guess so.”

I took a couple of deep breaths to relieve the chest pain I had, and put my plate into the sink. I skipped to my room, making the chairs wobble on my way. I leaped through the doorway and shut the door. I could sense my Mom keeping a close eye on me, as I got ready for school. I shoved open my closet door and grabbed the outfit I picked out for today. It was a special outfit only meant for special events like the science fair. It was a purple velvet tank top that goes with my light purple swirlie skirt. Every time I would spin around, the skirt would fly up and spin around with me. After I got dressed up I went over to the bathroom and fixed my hair. I grabbed the curling iron and made my hair extra curly today. I found a beautiful purple satin ribbon to tie in my hair. I found my Mom’s make up in the bottom shelf and decided it wasn’t going to hurt anyone if I applied just a little bit of make-up. After I got done prettying myself up I tried to be sneaky and tiptoed past my Mom to the door.

“Sierra, did you get into my make-up?” she asked, spinning around to stare at me.

“Just a little bit, why?”

“You’re too young for make-up,” she said, with her hands on her hips.

“No I’m not, but Stephanie at our school wears make-up all the time.”

“You are not Stephanie and other cheerleaders though,” she said, not giving into my excuses.

“Please Mom, this is my last day at school probably and it’s a big day for me,” I begged.

“Well okay I guess, just this once,” she said, giving out a big sigh.

“Thank you, thank you Mom.”

“You better get going or you’re going to miss the bus,” she said, swatting my behind.

“Okay, okay I’m going now. Don’t forget about the flowers.”

“I won’t. I love you,” she said, blowing me kisses.

“Love you too.”

I skipped to the bus stop; twirling around with every few steps I took making my skirt twirl with me. Today was going to the most memorable day I will have with my best friends. I promised myself today when I got up that I would make this day the best ever. I couldn’t wait until the science fair after lunch.

The bus screeched to a stop right in front of me. I was jumping and down like one of the boxers ready to throw the first punch. I could sense that everyone was staring at me as I past them. I didn’t care, I felt beautiful and that’s all the mattered. When I reached my friends seats, their expression on their face was priceless. I don’t even think they could recognize me when they first saw me.

“Hey guys, what’s up with that expression?”

“Couldn’t recognize you with you all looking fancy,” Denise said, rubbing her eyes to get a second look at me.

“I know, don’t I look beautiful?” I said, trying not to sound too cocky.

“Of course you look pretty. Your mom let you wear make-up?” Shauna said, staring at my face.

“She wasn’t letting me at first, but I begged her to let me wear some. Since it is probably the last day with you guys and I want to make today special.”

“Oh yeah that’s right, you’re leaving us,” Denise said, giving me her best puppy pout.

“Not like I have a choice Denise. If I had a choice, I’d just move in with you,” I said, batting my eyes at her.

She just rolled her eyes at me and pretty soon we busted out into uncontrollable laughter.

“Boy, I’m going miss you guys when I leave.”

“Same here,” they said, wiping away their tears.

We got off the bus and stood in front of the school for a while. Thinking about the many memories we had together, the good and crazy times we’ve spent laughing nonstop about the silliest things.

“I love you guys.”

“We love you too,” they said, huddled up in a small circle.

Letting out a giant sigh, we headed inside the school and met Sara at her locker.

“Can’t you believe that today is the day?” Sara said, smiling at us.

“I know, we can’t wait either,” I said, speaking for Denise and Shauna.

We held hands forming a chain of friendship that will stick around for ages to come and headed inside Mr. Martin’s English class. I strutted past Derrick, turning my head giving him a quick glance and winked. He was staring at me the whole way to my seat.

“Hey Sierra, your lover boy is giving you the googly eyes,” Denise said, elbowing me.

“I know, let him drool over me.”

“Your such a tease,” she said, shaking her head.

“So nothing with that.”

We started to laugh, glancing over at Derrick and his Pose watching his face turn red. I know his friends must be giving him grief about his behavior towards me. In the midst of our giggling I felt someone nudge me.

“Hey Sierra, over here,” the voice said.

I eyed the room trying to find the person talking to me.

“Sierra, over in font,” the voice said.

It was Macy, one of the cheerleaders in our school.

“Oh hi Macy, what is it?”

“I have a note from Derrick to you,” she said, handing me the note in secret.

“Thanks.”

I opened up the note; as soon as I read it I could feel my cheeks turning bright red.

“What does the note say?” Denise asked, looking over me.

I handed her the note, it read:

Sierra,

You look like an angel from heaven. Meet me outside the classroom; I would like to talk to you.

Derrick

“Wow, Sierra that’s something you don’t see every day,” Denise said, handing back the note.

“I know, I wonder what he wants to talk to me about.”

“Maybe he wants to tell you that you’re hot,” she joked.

“You’re too much to handle sometimes Denise.”

“I know. Life without me will be dull.”

I just shook my head but deep inside I know life was going to be boring without her and Shauna. They make my life interesting.

After class I met Derrick at the entrance of the cafeteria.

“Hey Derrick.”

“Hi Sierra, I heard that your leaving today,” he said, staring into my hazel eyes.

“Yes that’s right. So?”

“I just want to tell you that you look beautiful today, and I kinda like you ever since you bumped into me that day,” he said, shuffling his feet.

“Thanks, I don’t know what to say. I thought you and Stephanie were a “thing”?”

“We were but not anymore. That’s all I wanted to say, see you at the Science Fair.”

“Okay see you later.”

Wow, who would have thought he had a secret crush on me. Too bad I didn’t know about it earlier.

“Hey what was that about?” Denise said, tapping on my shoulder.

“Nothing really.”

“I was right wasn’t I?” she said, tapping her foot.

“Kind of.”

“Come on Sierra. Quit stalling on us,” Shauna whined, stumping her feet on the ground.

“Okay, Okay, he said that I was beautiful and he had a secret crush on me.”

“I told you so,” Denise said, nodding her head at me.

“Yeah yeah yeah.”

After lunch, I waited for my mom to arrive and bring the flowers to the auditorium.

“Here are your sweet peas honey,” Mom said, handing me a pot of the sweet peas.

“Thanks mom, I know I can count on you.”

“You’re so very welcome, mind if I stick around?”

“No I would very much like it if you saw how the science fair goes.”

Everyone gathered into the auditorium waiting for Mr. Hastings to announce the start of the fair.

“Everyone may I please have your attention,” Mr. Hastings said over the microphone.

Everyone inside stopped what they were doing and chatter slowly came to an end and gave him their full attention.

“As you know everyone in my class worked together on a specific project. They will be graded and ranked on the following criteria: first criteria are how detailed their project is, second criteria is the accurate the project is and final criteria is on the presentation itself. By the end of the school day we should have the winner.”

Everybody was looking at each project jotting down notes on their notepad. Before long, they arrived at our science project. One of the guys glanced briefly at his notepad and glanced at me with his eyes focused on me. I was a little nervous but I know it was going to be a smash.

“Sierra, my name Eric, do me the honor and tell me about your project,” he said, in a low voice.

“Our project is on photosynthesis. We recorded and kept track of the flowers growth over the past few months.”

He was staring at the poster and eyeing the pictures we took of the flowers. He just nodded and wrote something on his pad of paper he had in his hand. My head felt dizzy and I could feel my hair getting soaked by the sweat that was coming from my forehead. As soon as he got done with whatever he was doing, he headed towards Mr. Hastings.

“How do you think we did?” Shauna asked, shuffling her feet.

“From the gestures he had looking at our project, I think we did great.”

“Keep our fingers crossed, let’s hope we get first prize,” Denise said, crossing her fingers.

Mr. Hastings went up to the podium and tapped on the microphone, making tapping noises echoing through the whole room.

“Let me have your attention please,” he announced over the microphone.

“This is it,” Denise said, squeezing my hand tightly.

“Yep.”

Soon as he got everyone’s attention he announced the winners.

“Third place goes out to Derrick’s team who did their project on ocean waves.”

Derrick and his jock friends jumped up and gave each other high fives. We all looked at them and shook our heads.

“Second place goes out to Veronica’s group who did their project on the effects of magnetism.”

We squeezed our hands tighter eagerly waiting to see if we got first prize.

“First prize goes to . . .”

“This is it, what we all are waiting for,” I whispered into Denise’s ear.

“First prize goes to Sierra’s group who did an outstanding job on her photosynthesis project.”

We were all so excited jumping and down in a giant huddle, hugging each other for the longest time. Mr. Hastings handed me the trophy and we all held it above our heads for the perfect Kodak moment in victory.

“You guys rock,” I said, as tears streamed down my face.

“Love you to death,” Denise, Shauna and Sara said, hugging me tightly.

I felt my Mom’s arm pulling me away from my friends.

“I don’t want to leave yet Mom,” I whined, trying to pull back hard.

“We need to leave now,” she said, tugging me along.

I was stuck in a game of tug of war with Mom pulling me on direction and Denise pulling me the other way. I squeezed Denise’s hand with all my might, but my hands were getting sweaty and I couldn’t hold onto her hand much longer. I was slipping out of her grasp until our fingertips touched. Pretty soon we were out of reach. With every few steps I made, I would glance behind me watching their faces fade off into the distance.



Chapter Eleven

Before we reached the van, I heard someone calling out to us.

“Mrs. Mackroll, I need to say good-bye to Sierra!” the voice called out in the distance.

“Stop Mom! Please I beg you. It might be Denise or Shauna.”

“Oh all right just for a minute, we can’t take too long,” Mom said, brushing back her brown hair from her eyes.

“Thank you Mom.”

We stopped just in time for the person to approach us. It was Denise and my other two friends Shauna and Sara following right behind her.

“Sierra, we would like you to keep this trophy,” Denise said, handing me the trophy.

“Why? It belongs to all of us.”

“Cause it’s your idea and it’s a reminder of what we accomplish the last few months you had with us,” she said, as tears streamed down her face.

“I’ll keep all you guys close to my heart. BFF’s forever,” I said, swallowing my tears.

“Come here you guys, “ Shauna said, opening up her arms for a bear hug.

We gathered in a tight huddle embracing each other tightly. Standing in the middle of the school’s parking lot holding and hugging one another. Forming a circle of friendship that will last in all eternity.

“Come on Sierra, we have to leave now,” Mom said, pulling me out of the embrace.

“Okay Mom, I’m coming,” I cried out loud.

“Bye Sierra, friends forever and ever,” they said, waving good-bye to me.

“Bye guys, I’ll never forget you,” I said, as tears trickled down my cheeks.

Mom and I got into the van and drove away. I kept my eyes on my friends, watching their faces get smaller and smaller the further we got from the school. I just stared out the window crying in silence, feeling my heartbreak, as I left the life I love behind.

“We’re home Sierra, we need to help your dad pack. Go to your room and pack your belongings,” she said, stepping out of the van.

“Okay Mom,” I said, staring at the ground in front of me.

I brushed past my dad, not bothering to lift my head and made a straight line to my room. I folded my clothes and all my belongings up snug in boxes, saving the most personal items for last. I was crying so hard I couldn’t see right, everything was a blur. I could hardly hold onto my belongings, I was shaking so hard. I grabbed my photo album, thumbing through the pages staring at each photo like it was the first time. I held the pictures close to my heart and lied on my bed soaking my pillow with tears. When I gathered myself enough to finish packing, I carefully laid my photo album on top and whispered:

I’ll never forget you guys

I closed the box and taped it shut. Before I left to give Dad my packed belongings I stood in the doorframe staring at my empty room and said a final farewell to my cozy home.

“Here you go Dad.”

“Thank you, honey,” he said, putting the rest of the luggage into the back of the truck.

“Have we got everything packed?” Mom said, rubbing her hands.

“Yes I think we have about everything,” Dad said, as he closed the back of his truck.

“Let’s just go please, I can’t stand staying here any longer,” I said, wiping my eyes with my arm.

“Okay honey, we’ll get a move on,” she said, hugging me tightly.

I sat in the very back of the van, holding onto the trophy with all my might watching the houses and trees pass by as we drive off to a new beginning. I tried to close my eyes and go to sleep but each time I closed them, my friend’s faces were pop up, making it hard for me to take a nap. It was the longest drive in my lifetime; everything I once knew is now different and unfamiliar.

“We’re here sweetie,” Mom called, interrupting my thoughts.

The neighborhood was tiny and seemed very poor. People hanging out on each corner, the driveways were mostly made from dirt and only a few houses that were old and broken. When we arrived at our new house, it just didn’t seem real to me, it was more of a nightmare. The house had torn curtains hanging from the cracked glass windows. The door was barely hanging on the doorframe. The paint was chipped on the house and when I stepped into the house the floor creaked.

“We can’t live here Mom, it’s not safe and the house might fall to the ground one day.”

“It might not look great now, but we just need to give it a little TLC,” Mom said, squeezing my hand.

“We’ll work on the house this week and make it our own,” Dad said, smiling.

“Okay, whatever Dad.”

Mom and I helped Dad unload the cars. The house had a dinky kitchen enough for one person at a time and one bedroom. The bathroom was dirty and dusty.

“Mom, where do I sleep?”

“I think our couch can fold out into a bed, you can sleep in the family/living room.”

“Okay I guess,” I said, letting out a big sigh.

We unpacked the boxes putting everything away filling in every gap and space in the tiny house. Mom made sandwiches for us for lunch but I couldn’t stomach much.

“Honey, why aren’t you eating?” Mom said, as she took a bite out of her sandwich.

“This house is filthy and I don’t feel like eating.”

“I know this house isn’t much right now but you need to eat to get your strength up,” she said, handing me a sandwich.

“Okay, I’ll try to eat something.”

We finished our lunch and went to clean up the house. I got into some play clothes that I didn’t mind getting dusty and helped dusting off the windows. Dad fixed the front door and windows, Mom worked on cleaning the floors and prettying up the bathroom. It took about three to four hours of hard work getting the house in livable condition. I felt gross covered in dust and dirt so I hopped in the shower to freshen up. After my shower, I put on some clean clothes and went into the kitchen to grab a snack. All that cleaning made me hungry.

“What do you feel like for dinner?” Mom asked, hanging her hair up in a ponytail.

“I don’t know, maybe pizza I guess?”

Mom searched through the phone book trying to find a place that delivers, since our neighborhood isn’t the safest place to be in, she had to pick up the pizza. Mom put her yellow sundress on and drove off to our food. Dad and I set the table while waiting for her to come home.

“Do you think you’re going to find a job here Dad?”

“I’m sure hoping I’ll find a job here,” Dad said, putting the drinks on the table.

I heard Mom’s van pull into the dirt driveway, so I went to greet her at the door and to see if I can help her.

“Hi Mom, want me to take one of the pizza’s for you?”

“Sure you can sweetie,” she said, handing one of the boxes.

We followed each other to the kitchen and put the food in the middle of the table. We each grabbed a couple of pieces and discussed tomorrow’s plans over dinner.

“Sierra, I think tomorrow we’re going to find you a new school for you,” Mom said, biting into her pizza.

“Do we have to?”

“Yes Honey, don’t worry you’ll be fine,” she said, glancing at me.

“Are you going to find a job love?” she said, turning her attention to Dad.

“Yes, I’m really hoping I find a job soon,” Dad said, taking a drink of his water.

After dinner, we put our Styrofoam plates in the garbage and I went to get ready for bed. Mom and Dad set up the couch so I could sleep in it.

“Good night Mom and Dad.”

“Good night sweetie,” they said, taking turns kissing me good night.

I lied on the couch, trying to get comfortable with the springs digging into my back. I couldn’t sleep, there was too much on my mind. As Mom and Dad turned off their lights and went to sleep, I was lying on the couch facing up with my eyes wide opened looking up at the ceiling, thinking about tomorrow.



Chapter Twelve



The next morning I felt like I was dragging my body with me. My back was stiff from sleeping on the hard mattress. I had dark circles around my eyes like I got into a fight and ended with two black eyes. I wasn’t sure about this new school my parents were talking about last night. At least this morning I was able to have some of my Mom’s home cooking, which I missed when she was working over time.

“What happened to you?” Mom said, glancing over at me.

“Couldn’t sleep,” I said, plopping down on the closest chair I could find.

“Well, eat up today’s a big day for you,” she said, handing me a plate of scrambled eggs.

“Okay, I’ll try to eat something,” I said, taking baby bites of the eggs.

Dad stepped into the kitchen dressed up head to toe in a black suit. His curly black hair was slicked back away from his eyes.

“Wow Dad, what’s the occasion?”

“I’m determined to find a job today,” he said, taking the seat next to me.

“You look very nice dear,” she said, putting his plate in front of him.

Dad finished his eggs and went to the bathroom to clean up before heading out. I ate the last bite of my breakfast, put the plate in the sink and went to dig for an outfit to wear for today. I went through a pile of clothes until I found the perfect outfit. It was my cargo shorts that were a little longer than daisy dukes and my punked out tie-dye t-shirt.

“Mom, can we go now?” I called down the hall. I just want to get this over with.

“Yes honey, let’s go,” she said, as she closed her bedroom door.

I followed Mom out of the house and sat down in the passenger seat. The whole way to the school, I stared out of the window, feeling sick to my stomach.

“Are you okay honey?” she said, glancing over at me.

“No, what if they don’t like me at the new school?”

“You have nothing to worry about sweetie. Just be yourself, you’ll have no problems making friends in no time,” she said, keeping her eyes on the road.

When we made it to the school, the building looked like it was haunted. There were people hanging out in every corner of the building, some were talking while others were passing small bags of stuff to one another.

As Mom and I stepped into the entrance of the school, there was a man with a white shirt and black and blue striped tie who approached us.

“Hi I’m Mr. Turner, you must Mrs. Mackroll and the lovely lady standing next to you must be Sierra,” he said, bending down to get a good look at me.

“Yes, I’m Rosanna Mackroll, nice to meet you,” she said, holding out her hand to him.

“We’ve got some time before her first class begins, let me show you around,” he said, gesturing us to follow him.

I couldn’t help but notice that people were staring at me as we were making our way through the school. I didn’t feel like I belonged here and their cold stares were giving me goose bumps. I clung next to my mom like Velcro, not leaving her side for one minute. As we passed each room, Mr. Turner introduced me to my new teachers.

“This is Mr. Jones, he’ll be your English teacher,” he said, introducing me to the tall gentleman in front of me.

I felt my Mom nudge me forward, as I inched closer to him.

“Hi, you must be Sierra,” he said, bending down to my level.

“Y Yes I.. I am Sssiera,” I said, stuttering and moved closer to Mom.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Nice to meet you too, Mr. Jones. I’m Rosanna, Sierra’s mom,” she said, shaking his hand.

After we met the teachers, Mr. Turner handed me my textbooks for the classes I needed and walked us back to the school’s entrance.

“Well honey, it’s almost time for your first class. I’ll be back here at three to pick you up,” she said, kissing me on my forehead.

“Don’t go Mom, I don’t want to go to school,” I said, gripping onto her hand with all my might.

“You’ll do fine, school will be over before you know it and I’ll meet in the parking lot at three,” she said, hugging me one final time before leaving.

“I love you.”

“Love you too, have fun and remember to be yourself,” she said, as she walked away.

After Mom left the parking lot, I headed towards Mr. Turner’s office to meet him.

“Ready Sierra,” he said, smiling.

“I guess so,” I said, shuffling my feet.

“Okay let’s go,” he said, gesturing me to follow him.

When we arrived to Mr. Jones English class, the room looked busier than a mall the day before Christmas. There were people throwing paper wads and flying paper airplanes around the room.

“Class, I would like to introduce you to Sierra. She just moved from L.A. so please welcome her to our classroom,” Mr. Jones said, as he entered the classroom.

He pointed to the empty seat in the back of the room. I could feel their cold eyes focused on me as I made my to my desk. I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing and tripped over my own feet. I came tumbling down like a tree that has been cut down falling with a thud to the ground. My books scattered all over the floor making me the laughing stock for the entire class. Everyone grew red with laughter, pointing and laughing at me. I wish I could just curl up in a ball in hide, hide from the complete embarrassment and humiliation I felt. I knew one thing, I wasn’t going to cry and have everyone think that I’m a big baby. I gathered myself and took a few deep breaths so I wouldn’t break down in front of everyone. I got up off my butt and gathered my books, doing it as fast as I can so everybody in the class can focus on something else other than me.

“Can I help you with those books,” a voice said.

I glanced up to see where the voice was coming from. When I glanced up I saw a girl with brown hair that goes past her shoulders and green eyes, helping me gather my stuff.

“Sure I guess so,” I said, staring into her eyes.

“I’m Janice, you must be Sierra,” she said, handing me the rest of my books.

“Yes I’m Sierra. Thank for helping me.”

“No problem,” she said, smiling.

As soon as I got everything that had spilled on the floor, I made it to my desk and took a seat. Janice sat in the seat next to me, so we made small talk while the teacher was going on about whatever he was talking about.

“What made you come to this part of town?” she said, leaning over my desk.

“My Dad lost his job and the bank made us move,” I said, looking down at my textbook.

“Oh that’s too bad, my Dad works for Stokey’s Mill a few miles from here and heard that they are hiring.”

“I’ll be sure to tell my Dad to apply there, thanks.”

“No problem, want to hang out during recess?” she asked, doodling on her notebook.

“Sure love to,” I said, as I smiled.

Over recess we got to know each other a lot better talking about our likes and dislikes.

“Name two things you don’t like?” she asked, hanging on the monkey bars.

“I don’t like football jock and ditzy cheerleaders,” I said, hanging upside down next to Janice.

“Me neither, they’re dumber than a donkey,” she said, breaking into laughter.

“I know, here’s a joke: how many cheerleaders does it take to screw in a light bulb?”

“No how many?” she asked, staring at my red face.

“None because they are not bright enough,” I said, laughing so hard, that I was crying.

We spent the rest of recess telling jokes and laughing hysterically. I knew ever since Janice helped me clean up the mess I made during English class, that Janice and I had something special. Hopefully my life would be getting better from now on.

Chapter Thirteen



When recess was over with, we headed towards Mr. Glee’s science class. Mr. Glee was a very odd looking man. He had a moustache that was two-nickel sizes thick, which covered his upper lip. He was wearing the ugliest toupee that I had ever seen. He looked like a miniature snowman. Janice and I couldn’t help but laugh at his looks. It made for an interesting class.

“I wonder if he lost his hair due to a chemical explosion in science class?” she asked, giggling into her hand.

“I have no clue but that hair he does have is hideous.”

We both burst out laughing as he entered the classroom.

“Class, since it is a beautiful day out, let’s have today’s lesson outside,” he said, gesturing everyone to get up.

“This is cool,” I said, jumping up and down.

“Sure is interesting,” she said, grabbing her science book.

We followed the teacher outside to a shady spot under the maple tree. It was gorgeous outside. I could hear the birds chirping and feel the summer breeze as it blew through the trees.

“Today, I want everyone to lay down on his or her backs and take a good look at the clouds. Once you do, then someone tell me what kind of clouds are in the sky,” he said, staring around at everyone.



Everyone laid on his or her back like we were told to do. Janice and I pointed out what we thought the clouds looked like.

“This cloud looks like an elephant,” she said, pointing to the cloud right above us.

“This one looks like a baby.”

“Sure does,” she said, giggling.

In the midst of our conversation someone shouted the answer.

“Those are called cirroculumus clouds Mr. Glee,” the voice said.

“Good thinking, Deon,” Mr. Glee said, nodding his head at him.

“Does anyone know what you call rain clouds?” he asked the class, searching for an answer.

I knew this answer from my days in the previous science classes.

“They are called Nimbostratus clouds and the ones that create storms are called comulonibus clouds.”

“Good job Sierra, I see that your old school taught you well,” he said, smiling.

“Yes I guess they did,” I said, blushing.

After Science class, school was done and I was feeling great. I said good-bye to Janice before she got on her bus.

“I had a lot of fun today.”

“Me too, hey want to come over sometime?” she asked me, as she stepped onto the bus.

“Sure sounds great.”

“We’ll talk bout it tomorrow,” she said, out the window.

“Okay, see you tomorrow.”

I waved good-bye to her watching the bus disappear in the distance.

As soon as she left, I saw my Mom’s vehicle parked in the parking lot. I couldn’t wait to tell her about my day.

“Hi Mom!” I said, running to the meet her in front of the car.

“Hi honey, how’s your day at school?” she said, hugging me tightly.

“At first I thought I wasn’t going to like school because I dropped all my books on the floor at the beginning of English. But I met this nice girl name Janice and she helped me pick up my stuff. She said that her dad works at this Mill and she thinks that my Dad should apply there. We even had science class outside today since it’s such a nice day out!”

“Wow it looks like you had a busy day today,” she said, helping me buckle up.

“I did, oh I didn’t tell you that Janice wants to come over to her place some time. Can I come over to her place tomorrow Mom?”

“I don’t think it should be a problem, let’s first check with your dad.”

“Okay Mom.”

When we got home, Dad must have just pulled into the driveway.

“Hey Dad, how’s your job hunting going?”

“Hi Sierra, jobs are hard to come by,” he said, as he hanged up his sports jacket.

“Why don’t you go to this place called Stokey’s Mill? My friend Janice said that her dad works there and that they are hiring.”

“I’ll go there first thing tomorrow and see if I can get a job,” he said, with a smile.

Mom and I got dinner set up, while Dad went to hang up his coat. Mom put the meatloaf in the oven and I tossed the salad and made crescent rolls.

“Smells great sweetie!,” he said, sniffing the aroma of the meatloaf over Mom’s shoulders.

“Thank you honey, I wouldn’t have had this done in time if it wasn’t for my helper,” she said, as she winked at me.

“Thanks Mom, but you’re the one that should be getting the credit here.”

Dad put our beverages on the table and we all gathered at the table enjoying the feast Mom has made for us.

“So how’s your first day of school honey?” he asked, with a wad of meat in his mouth.

“Dad, where’s your manners?” I said, covering my mouth before I sprayed milk from laughing.

“Oh I’m sorry, so anyway how’s your day?” he said, swallowing his meat this time.

“Well at first it didn’t go so well since I fell on my face, splattering my textbooks all over the place. Then I met Janice who helped me pick up my mess. Things started looking up from there.”

“I’m glad you’re making friends over at your new school,” he said, taking the last bite of his meatloaf.

After dinner, Mom and Dad cleared the table while I went to get working on my homework. Midway through working on my math and history, I heard screaming coming from close by. I put down my pen and closed my books to go check out what was going on.

“Mom, whose screaming?”

“Sierra, get away from the windows!” she yelled at me, pulling me away from the windows.

“Why? What’s going on Mom?”

“Honey, we need to mind our own business,” Dad butted in, hiding in the hallway.

“You think it’s a drug bust or something?”

“It could be anything but we need to watch out for ourselves,” Mom said, holding onto me tight.

“Okay Mom I’ll stay away from the windows like you asked.”

“Thank you honey, we love you very much,” she said, hugging me even tighter.

“I know.”

We curled up in a ball towards the back of the house with our hands over our ears to block out the dreadful noises, waiting for the horrific cries and screams to end.



Chapter Fourteen



It seemed forever for the noises to stop. Finally when we thought it was safe Dad got up from the floor and peeked through curtain.

“I think it’s alright now,” he said, keeping his eye outside.

Mom and I glanced at each other before deciding to take Dad’s word for it. Mom gave me her hand to help me up.

“Okay, sweetie it’s time for bed,” she said, pushing her hair away from her face.

“I don’t know if I can sleep Mom. What if they come back while I’m sleeping?”

“I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep okay sweetie,” she said, brushing my bangs away from my eyes.

“Okay I guess.”

I grabbed my pajamas and got ready for bed. Dad and Mom pulled the couch bed out and set the bed up for me. I closed the bathroom door and moved as slow as a snail to the bed. I was tired but still shaking from the noises outside. I laid down on the bed while Mom covered me up.

“I miss our old neighborhood, this place is scary and I’m afraid to close my eyes.”

“I know this place isn’t the best neighborhood for all of us, but we need to better than those people hurting others and find the good things in it and hope that things get better,” she said, as she combed her fingers through my hair.

“How could you find any good in this place?”

“There is good in everything, although it might be small it is there. We just need to help find that good and pull it into the light,” she said, kissing me on my forehead.

“Okay Mom I’ll try to find the good here.”

“Good, now try to get some sleep,” she said, rubbing my back.

My eyelids were getting heavy and I couldn’t stop them from closing. I drifted off to sleep hoping I wouldn’t have any nightmares.

The next morning I woke up and found my mom outside in her blue jean coveralls and straw sunhat on. I shut the door behind me and went to see what she was up to.

“Mom what are you doing?”

“Good morning sweetie, want to help me plant these roses?” she said, handing me a rose shrub.

“Okay sounds interesting.”

Mom got on her hands and knees and dug holes in the dirt in front of our house.

“Grab one of the shrubs and put it in one of the holes I just dug,” she said, pointing to the shrubs by the side of the house.

I went over to where the shrubs were leaning on the side of the house and picked one out. I placed it in the dirt. We did that for each shrub until the entire garden was filled with rose shrubs.

“Grab the watering can and fill it up with water,” she said, as she got up from her knees.

“Here you go Mom,” I said, handing her the watering can.

“Thank you honey, do you know why I picked roses to plant besides veggies or fruit?” she asked, as she watered the garden.

“Because they are pretty?”

“That’s one of the reasons but also it represents love as well as beauty,” she said, smiling down at me.

“Oh okay I think.”

“Hopefully when people see our neighborhood, it will give them hope to find the beauty and love in the world,” she said, as she put the watering can down.

I followed Mom inside the house and got breakfast ready. Mom handed me a plate of homemade waffles and a glass of orange juice. I pulled out a chair and plopped down with my food. Didn’t realize all the work in the garden gave me such a big appetite.

“These are very tasty waffles Mom.”

“Thanks, so what’s your plans today?” she asked me, sitting down at the table next to me.

“I don’t think I have much going on today for school.”

“Just be safe and stick to your guts and close to your friends,” she said, taking a bite of her waffle.

“Don’t worry about me Mom, Janice and I are stuck together like glue. You just be careful.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said, smiling at me.

I finished the waffles and placed my plate in the sink and went to find something to wear. I went through all the drawers until I found the perfect outfit. I grabbed my purple sundress that had lace wrapped around the skirt. I put on the dress and went to the bathroom to fix my hair. My black hair was an inch past my shoulders now. I searched for a clip to put my hair up and wrapped my hair up.

“Bye Mom love you!”

“Bye sweetie, be safe,” she said, kissing me good-bye.

I made my way to the corner where the bus usually picks me up. I am extra careful now ever since the danger alerted us last night. The bus finally came; I could see it turn the corner as it made it’s way towards me. I stepped onto the bus and saw Janice waving me to the back.

“Hey Janice, this is the first time seeing you on the bus!”

“Yeah I know, my mom had some errands to run so I’m stuck taking the bus,” she said, shaking her head.

“It isn’t bad, you get to keep me company,” I said, trying to keep a straight face.

“That’s the only good thing,” she said, bursting into laughter.

“So anyway did you the gun shots last night?” she asked, changing the subject.

“Yeah, I think it was close by my house. We spent most of the night hiding in the dark. Do you know what happened?”

“I heard on the news that Micah who is the leader of the C-Clan which is the most dangerous gangs around here got into a fight with his arch enemy Jerome,” she said, staring out the window.

“Oh it’s shame that there’s people like that,” I said, shaking my head.

“Yep, we just have to stick like glue to each other and watch our backs,” she said, glancing back at me.

By the time we were done talking, the bus arrived at the school. We decided to walk everywhere together to protect each other from all the danger around us. Everybody was running around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off trying to get to class before the bell rung. We couldn’t help but laugh at the chaos that was happening around us. We went into Mr. Jones English class and took our seats.

“So what did your parents say about coming over today?” she asked, leaning over my seat.

“Well they haven’t given me an answer yet with all the excitement going on. I did tell my dad to apply at your dad’s work though.”

“Maybe our families can become good friends then,” she said, doodling on her notebook.

“That would be great, it helps to know people you can trust in this town.”

“Class can I please have your attention!” Mr. Jones said, as he shut the door behind him.

We stopped our chatter and gave him our full attention.

“I want you to partner up with somebody,” he said, as he scoped the room.

Janice and I already knew that we would partner up since she is the closest friend I have here. We still didn’t have a clue why he wanted us to partner up.

“For the next week or two of class you and your partner are going to do a production for the talent show coming up. It can be anything as long it doesn’t involve violence and foul language,” he said, pacing down each aisle.

“Wow sounds like a fun project for us,” Janice said, tapping her pencil on her desk.

“Yeah can’t wait to get started.”

“Me neither,” she said, nodding her head.

When the class was over, we discussed the project over our lunch period.

“What do you think we should do for the talent show?” she asked, spreading her lunch over the table.

“We could do a duet or a play even.”

“Let’s do a play since I stink at singing,” she said, covering her mouth.

“My singing stinks too, sounds alright to me.”

“When is the talent show anyway?” she said, as she swallowed a bite of her sandwich.

“I think it’s in two weeks, so it gives us time to think about the play.”

After lunch we went to our science class. Ready for another interesting class with a very strange teacher.

“Class, today we’re going to be discussing natural disasters,” Mr. Glee said, as he wrote down the topics on the chalkboard.

“Can anyone tell me the four disasters?” he asked, pacing back and forth in the classroom.

I knew all four of them so I raised my hand as high as I could, hoping that I would get picked.

“Yes Sierra, do you know the four disasters?” he asked, as he pointed at me.

“They are hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and tornadoes.”

“Very good. I want you to pair up into a group of four and I will assign you a disaster. At the end of this month each group will give a report on your topic,” he said, writing down the assignment on the board.

“Who’re we going to pick to team up with us?”

“Well Deon is very smart and how bout Susie she’s smart too?” Janice asked me, as she took notes on her pad.

“Okay, I trust you.”

We went to Deon and Susie and asked them to team up with us.

“Time’s up class have you picked your team?” Mr. Glee asked everyone.

We all got into our teams and waited for him to tell us our topic.

“Sierra your team will work on hurricanes,” he said, handing me a pamphlet on the disaster.

“Thanks Mr. Glee.”

“Wish everyone best of luck and can’t wait to see how your reports went,” he said, talking over the dismissal bell.

We had a lot to do, hopefully our families can get together and we can plan everything at each other’s houses.

The ride home was a good time of reflection since Janice’s mom picked her up. I couldn’t wait to get home and do research on hurricanes. When the bus arrived at my stop, I saw Mom work on her rose garden. When I headed towards the house, I heard screams coming afar. My heart was beating faster and I found myself running towards her. The closer I got, the screams and cries got louder. When I finally arrived she pushed me into the house.

“Mom! What’s going on?”

“Get inside now!” she yelled to me, as she rushed inside.

I could here gun shots coming closer and closer.

“Mom please hurry!” I pleaded to her with all my heart.

“I’m coming!” she said, glancing back for a moment.

Right before she made it inside, I saw her topple to the ground. I rushed to her side despite the danger and held out my arms to catch her before she hit the pavement. I could see her blood rush out of her making a giant puddle in front of me. She glances up at me with her eyes barely opened and her mouth wide opened like she wanted to say something to me. Without words she smiles at me staring into my hazel eyes.



Chapter Fifteen

The sun has disappeared into the clouds and the sky became a misty gray. I just sat on the cold pavement with my Mom in my arms. I could sense her spirit slowly fade away while the rain came pouring down. I’m lost for words as my eyes swelled with tears as I stare down at her face watching the twinkle in her eyes die.

“Mom, you can’t leave me not now please,” I cried out, brushing her hair away from her face.

“I love you so much. Remember no matter what I’ll always be with you,” she said in her final breath.

“No! You can’t leave me, stay with me!” I cried as the tears came flowing down my warm cheeks.

I watched her spirit die in front of me, holding her tight against my chest, I whispered in her ear:

I love you too Mom

I closed her eyelids shut with my cold and sweaty finger tips and cried my heart out. I saw Dad pull into the driveway and I don’t know what I’m going to say to him when he gets out of his truck. There are no words to describe the pain I feel watching Mom go like that. My head hurts from crying, my heartaches knowing my Mom is dead and now I have to break the news to my Dad.

I saw Dad’s smile disappear when he saw Mom’s lifeless body lying on my lap.

“What happened Sierra?” Dad asked, rushing to my side.

“M . . Mom’s dead,” I said, as I swallowed my tears.

“How? Why?” he said, hugging me close to him.

“There’s a drive by shooting, she’s got struck by a bullet right before making it to the house,” I said, crying into his chest, making his shirt wet from my tears.

“No! No she can’t leave us!” he said, letting out a blood-curling yell.

He stared up to the sky and with all of his might he screamed to the God’s in heaven:

Why! Why me God? Why you got to take the one thing I love so much away from me?

Dad and I held each other with all our might and sobbed with the rain as it formed puddles around us. Crying all our pain out in the cold misty air, letting everyone out there know how we feel. We stayed outside despite the rain until it was pitch black. I helped Dad carry Mom to the garage and went inside. When I stepped into the house, our phone rang. I gathered myself enough to answer the phone.

“Hi is this Sierra?” the voice asked.

“Yes, who’s this?” I asked, unsure if I felt like talking.

“This is Janice, you don’t sound to well,”

“My Mom just died in my arms of course I don’t sound to well,” I said, with anger in my voice.

“Want to talk about it?”

“No not really,” I said, sniffling.

I hanged up the phone and plopped on the couch. As soon as I made it to the couch, I heard someone knock on the door. Who could it be now? Hopefully it’s not another annoying reporter trying to hover over the action. I let out a big sigh and wiped my tears on my sleeves and dragged my body to the door. When I opened the door, to my surprise it was my friend Janice.

“Janice, what’re you doing here?”

“I thought you could use a friend now,” she said, hugging me tight.

“Thanks for coming,” I said, crying into her shoulder.

I let go over her so she could come into the house; she followed me to the couch. I went over to the photo albums and grabbed one of them and shuffled my feet back to where she was sitting. I plopped down next to her and opened up the pages filled with memories of my Mom.

“Your mom is pretty,” she said, glancing at me.

“Thanks, she always has a way with everything.”

I went through each photo, telling stories of how incredible she was. We all admired her for her strength. Even in the most unbelievable situations she always has a way to pull herself together and gives us her strength.

“I’m really going to miss her,” I said, as the tears splashed down on the photos.

“I know, I’m here for you if you need me,” she said, hugging me with all her might.

“Can you stay with me for a while?”

“Yes I’ll stay and keep you company,” she said, as she smiled at me.

“Thanks.”

When we reached the last page of album one, I closed the book up and hold it up to my chest before putting it back.

“Dinner’s ready Sierra!” Dad called from the kitchen.

“Dad can Janice stay over tonight?”

“If it’s okay with her family,” he said, stirring the stew.

“Mr. Mackroll, I already asked my parents before I came over they said it’s okay,” Janice said, as she helped set the table.

“Glad you can join us then,” he said, as he handed me the plates for supper.

Dad and Janice placed the silverware and drinks on the table. I grabbed the butter for the biscuits and placed it in the middle of the table. Dad brought over the pot of beef stew and freshly made biscuits and placed it in the middle of the table. We all took our seats and had a moment of silence before eating in remembrance of Mom. We lifted our glasses and toasted the memories we’ve had with her.

“To Rosanna, who’ll always stay in our hearts and memories forever,” he said, lifting his glass as high as he can.

“To Mom, we’ll always remember her.”

We each grabbed a plateful of stew, a warm biscuit and ate in silence. Remembering all the times we’ve had with her the good ones and the bad. The only way I can keep her in my heart is to live out her legacy and remember everything she taught me. There’s so much that I’ll miss with her gone.

We finished our dinner and cleared the table. Dad went to the attic to grab the sleeping bag for Janice and I went to the bathroom to get dressed for bed.

“Good night you two,” Dad said, as he handed Janice the sleeping bag.

“Good night Mr. Mackroll,” she said, climbing into her bed.

“Night Dad.”

Dad kissed me good night and headed to the empty king size bed in their bedroom. The house that was filled with love and happiness is now a hollow place of solitude. Everything changed in the house after she passed away. Poor Dad sleeps in a big bed made for two by himself and I have one less person kissing me good night. I never felt so empty before, it’s like somebody took a big chunk out of my heart and threw it away. I could hear my Dad’s heart break each night when he enters the empty bedroom where they spent all their time together. I wish I had the strength to comfort my Dad but there are no words to soothe our heartaches. Hopefully our hearts will heal in time.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN



The next day was going to be busy with Dad and I planning Mom’s memorial service. Dad got up before I did and drove Janice back home so we could begin planning for the event. I woke up with the sunbeams shining down on my face blinding my sight. I didn’t feel like doing anything today all I wanted to do is spend the entire day by myself. Nothing’s sadder than sitting on my butt moping around about my Mom’s death. I know deep down inside that is one thing she wouldn’t want me to do.

I grabbed my black silk dress off the hanger and slid it up my body. I went to the bathroom, tied my black hair up in a ponytail and splashed cold water on face to freshen up. I stared at my ghostly reflection in the mirror and saw my Mom’s image. The cut in my heart just got deeper when I saw her face. Sometimes I wish I didn’t look like her especially not now. Each memory of her is a dagger piercing my heart just making the pain harder for me to bear.

After freshening up I grabbed some of her make-up and put some on my face to hide my paleness from lack of sleep. I went to the kitchen and stood there for a while picturing her cooking me breakfast in the morning with her brown hair tied in a ponytail and her Greatest Mom apron on. I tried my best not to smear the make up I just put on but the heartache grew and pretty soon the tears came flowing down my cheeks. Now the kitchen is empty with no warm smile greeting me in the morning and no more home cooked meals to enjoy. Just a cold stove untouched and a crisp clean apron hanging off the handle. The loneliness and emptiness of her gone crept in, filling my body with goose bumps making me tremble with overwhelming grief.

I couldn’t stand being in the house anymore not alone, it was too much for me so I ran outside slamming the door behind me and kneeled on the lawn. Crying out loud in front of everyone letting the world know how I feel. When Dad came home he came rushing to my side.

“Sierra sweetie what’s wrong?” he said, rubbing my back.

I lifted up my head and stared at him before I answered him.

“I. . I miss my Mom,” I said, almost unable to complete the sentence before I broke down crying.

“I know you do and so do I but we need to always cherish her and do our best to move on,” he said, as tears were coming down from his eyes.

“I. . I can’t move on, I want her back Dad,” I said, shaking from all the emotions that were bottled up inside me.

“We can’t bring her back but we can keep her close to our hearts,” he said, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“I know Dad. Why does this happen to us? It’s not fair.”

“Bad things happen to good people at times, we’ve just have to pick up our pieces and be strong.”

“But how Dad? There’s so many pieces that we need to pick up and I don’t know if I have the strength to carry on.”

“We’ll pick up the pieces together and do our best to give each other strength,” he said, getting up from his knees.

“You promise,” I said, staring up at him.

“Promise, now let’s plan Mom the most beautiful memorial everybody will remember,” he said, giving me his hand to help me off the ground.

“Okay.”

I grabbed his hand and made it back up on my feet as he pulled me up. I followed him inside and the planning process began. We want people to remember her and everything she represents. Dad and I went through several magazines searching for the most beautiful flowers to put in the church.

“We should have roses and sweet peas cause they remind of me her Dad.”

“That’s a good idea sweetie, we can also put daisies and orchids in the mix representing her beauty and happiness she brought into the world,” he said, thumbing through the pages of the magazine.

“This is going to be a beautiful ceremony for Mom.”

“Yep she would be proud of it,” he said, closing one of the magazines.

Dad called the florists to have the flowers ordered and ready for the memorial tomorrow. After he called them, we drove over to the church to help us picture what everything will be. When we made it to the church it was huge, the temple reached up to the sky and the stone arches of the entrance were beautiful. As we entered the stone building, stained glass windows formed a line on each side down to the podium. With the sun hit the glass it created a beautiful rainbow of colors flowing down the aisle.

I helped Dad carry the heavy black velvet carpet into the building; we laid it on the ground and unrolled it down the center aisle. We decorated each end of the seats with white satin ribbons. We went over to the small round table by the podium and placed a black tablecloth on it covering it top to bottom. Dad picked up the picture of Mom and put it in the center. We sprinkled white rose petals around the picture then we stood in the middle of the aisle taking in the beauty of the church. Picturing how beautiful it will be tomorrow with white satin bows down each row and flowers covering each corner of the church filling the air with their sweet aromas.

After we finished preparing for her memorial, we headed home to think about what we were going to say. I thought long and hard what I wanted to say tomorrow during the journey home. I could sense that Dad was in another world probably thinking about tomorrow.

“Do you know what you’re going to say tomorrow Dad?”

“I think about it every night sweetie, I’ve already written down my piece for tomorrow. What do you want to do for her memorial?” he asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

“I don’t know Dad, I don’t know if anything is good enough for her,” I sighed, looking out the window.

“I’m sure whatever you do, she’ll be smiling down at you,” he said, glancing at me briefly.

“I want this to be special cause Mom’s special and I’m afraid of messing up.”

“Just talk with your heart and you’ll do fine,” he said, reaching for my hand.

“Thanks Dad.”

“No problem,” he said, giving me a quick smile.

When we got home, Dad went to the kitchen to make dinner while I watched video clips of Mom and tried to come up with a beautiful piece for tomorrow. I got out a piece of paper and pen and jotted down everything I have in my heart.

You bring the sun in when it’s dark

You find the good in everything

No matter who they are

Now that you’re gone

I’ll miss you more than you’ll ever know

I’ll remember what you taught

And carry it close to my heart

I’ll keep you’re spirit alive

Making sure you’re legacy shall live on

I love you always Mom



I put down my pen and stared at the poem I wrote straight from my heart and could sense Mom’s presence as I read to myself. I got up from my seat and went to show Dad what I wrote.

“Dad, this is what I wrote for tomorrow,” I said, handing him my poem I wrote.

Dad’s face lit up and tears were forming in his eyes when he read my poem. He put down the poem and wiped his tears he was crying on his sleeves.

“That’s a beautiful poem Sierra, that really touched me. I’m sure your Mom will love it very much,” he said, handing me back my poem.

“Thanks, I sure hope so.”

Dad finished preparing dinner while I set the place for two. When the food was done cooking Dad came and put the food in the center of the table. I grabbed our drinks and sat across from him. We lifted up our glasses honoring Mom before we started to eat.

“To you my love, you’ll always be in my heart no matter what,” he said, lifting his glass as high as he can.

I lifted up my glass letting the edges of our cups touch and toasted Mom.

“Mom, I’ll always remember you.”

We ate our meal in silence, remembering her from everything from her facial expressions to the enlightenment she brought with her. When we finished, Dad cleared the table and ran the dishwasher. I went to the bathroom and got dressed for bed. Dad pulled out the couch bed and waited for me.

“Good night honey, get a good sleep, tomorrow’s a big day,” he said, tucking me in.

“Good night Dad, love you.”

“Love you too sweetie,” he said, as he turned off the lights.

I stared up at the ceiling until I could feel my eyelids get heavy and drifted off to sleep as dreams filled my head of tomorrow.



Chapter Seventeen

Dad and I woke up at the crack of dawn to get an early start for her Memorial. I grabbed my special black silk wrap dress and put my long black hair up in a twist. I found my black pumps that were lying on the floor of the closet and put them on my feet. I went to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat so I would have the strength to get through today. Dad was very handsome in his black tux that was barely worn and his curly black hair slicked back with just a few curls that hang a little above his eyes.

“You look nice today Dad.”

“Thanks, you look very beautiful yourself,” he said, as he sipped his coffee.

“Always look your best for the one woman in our lives.”

“That’s right, she’ll be pleased at both of us,” he said, putting down the paper to look at me.

I grabbed some Corn Flakes and a glass of orange juice and took a seat next to Dad. We ate our breakfast in peace with him looking at the news while I read the comics to myself. Carrying on like nothing bad happened trying to focus on the ceremony today.

After we finished eating we put our dishes in the sink and washed up before heading out to the florists to pick up the flowers.

“You ready Sierra?” Dad called out from the family room.

“Yes Dad, I’m all set,” I said, walking towards him.

“Let’s go,” he said, gesturing me to lead the way.

We hopped into the van and drove off to the florists. I stared out the window watching the trees and birds pass by on our way. It was a gorgeous day out with the mild breeze making the trees flow from side by side and birds chirping singing lovely tunes to each other. For once in my crazy life I was in peace with myself, although still grieving from the loss of my mom I knew she was in heaven and in peace too.

When we arrived to the florists the sweet fragrances of the flowers filled the air and warm colors of all shades brightened the shop. I could see the flower arrangements we ordered sitting on the counter more beautiful than ever. I grabbed two of the four flower sets helping Dad carry them to the car.

“These flowers are beautiful Dad,” I said, staring at him with a smile.

“Yes they sure are just like your Mom,” he said, taking a quick glance at me before returning his attention to the road.

“This ceremony is going to be so beautiful and memorable.”

“Your mom deserves the best we can give,” he said, not taking his eyes off the road.

We arrived to the church both carrying an armful of flowers inside. We finished setting up placing the flowers in the four corners of the church. After we’re done getting the place ready for the memorial, we waited for the guests around. Dad and I stood at opposite sides of the doorway to greet the guests. Tons of people soon piled into the parking lot coming towards us. Believe it or not I saw Shauna and Denise coming my way.

“Shauna! Denise! You’re here!” I said, running towards them.

“Hey Sierra, we’re really sorry to hear about your Mom,” Denise said, hugging me tight.

“Good to see you Sierra,” Shauna said, joining in the tight circle.

“Thanks for coming, it means a lot to me.”

We held onto each other in the tight circle of friendship hugging one another. When we stopped hugging, I saw Janice coming towards me. It was a great time to introduce her to my other best friends.

“Guys this is Janice, she is my new best friend at the new school.”

“Hi Janice, my name is Denise and this is Shauna,” Denise said, sticking out her hand to shake Janice’s.

“It’s nice to meet you two. I hear a lot of things about you two,” Janice said, shaking their hands.

We all walked inside to the beautiful stone church together. They sat behind Dad and I, when everyone was seated the memorial began.

Dad got up from his seat and went over to the podium to begin the ceremony. He stood up tall and tapped on the microphone making sure it was on. He cleared his throat and began.

“Everybody I thank you for all your support and being here honoring my wife Rosanna. Most of you know her well and know her strength. She always has a way about her. She was a strong woman who brought sunshine into our lives. She’ll always live on in our hearts. I know she is in peace up there in heaven looking down at us.”

Dad finished his speech and stepped off the podium to go back to his seat. I got up from my warm seat and headed to the podium to do my poem. I stood up at the front of the church and looked around to the various faces some of which I know and others I don’t. I got my poem out of my pocket and placed it on the stand. With taking a deep breath to calm my nerves I started.





You bring the sun in when it’s dark

You find the good in everything

No matter who they are

Now that you’re gone

I’ll miss you more than you’ll ever know

I’ll remember what you taught

And carry it close to my heart

I’ll keep you’re spirit alive

Making sure you’re legacy shall live on

I love you always Mom



After I finished my poem I stared up at Jesus Christ and whispered under my breath:

I will always remember you Mom

I wiped the tears that were flowing down my cheeks on my arms and headed toward the back of the church. People one by one got up and went to pay their respect to Mom. I said good-bye to the guests on their way out, thanking them for coming. My best friends were the last ones to leave. We both gathered by my Mom’s picture thinking of all the memories that we’ve had. After a while I walked them back to their parent’s cars and said another farewell to them.

“Sierra that was a lovely service, I know your mom loved it,” Janice said, hugging me tight.

“It was a nice service, I’ll see ya around,” Denise said, moving in to the huddle.

“I’ll see you around Sierra,” Shauna said, squeezing in between the three of us.

“See you guys later, thanks for coming,” I said, waving to them.

Dad and I stood side by side watching the cars fade off into the distance. When the last car was gone we went back inside to clean up.

“That’s a nice service we had for Mom.”

“Yep sure was honey, I know Mom loved it,” he said, holding me close to him.

We gathered the black velvet carpet and carried it into the back of the van. We picked up the flowers and laid them on the floor of the car. The very last piece we got was the picture of Mom. She looked so happy in that picture and I know that is how she would want to be remembered. I held her picture close to my chest and closed my eyes feeling the tears fall down my face. We went back to the car and drove away heading back home. As they say home is where the heart is.



Chapter Eighteen



When we arrived to the house, we gathered everything out of the car and put it in the garage. While Dad put the chicken into the oven, I went into the bathroom to put my pajamas on. I could smell the roast chicken cooking a mile away. It was making my stomach rumble like crazy.

“Mmm smells great Dad.”

“Thanks honey, the chicken is about done,” he said, as he put the mashed potatoes on the table.

Dad grabbed the chicken, put a piece on both of our plates and took a seat at the table next to me.

“Dad do you think they’ll ever catch the person that shot Mom?”

He put down his glass of water and stared at me like he didn’t know where I was coming from before answering my question.

“I don’t know sweetie, the entire police force is searching for your mom’s killer.”

“I hope whoever killed her gets punished for his terrible doing.”

“Me too Sierra. Me too,” he said, sipping his cup of water.

I got a quick peek at the person who shot her but it’s really hard to pick the person out since the windows of the car were dark. I guess I can only hope that he gets caught.

We finished our meal in silence thinking about catching the killer and giving Mom justice. We put our dishes in the sink and I went to lie down on the hard springy mattress of the couch waiting for Dad to tuck me in.

“Good night sweetie,” he said, tucking me in snug as a bug in a rug.

“Good night Dad, love you.”

“Love you too, get a good night sleep. Tomorrow you go back to school,” he said, turning off the light above me.

Dad headed to his room and went to bed. I didn’t feel ready to go back to school but maybe it will help take my mind off of Mom’s death.

The next morning, the sun was shining bright through the blinds waking me up squinting my eyes. I shuffled my feet on the floor all the way to the kitchen and saw Dad dressed up in his working clothes eating a bowl of Wheaties.

“Morning Dad, I see you got the job at Stokey’s.”

“Good morning sweetie, yep today is my first day on the job on my own,” he said, taking a spoonful of his cereal.

“Are you excited?”

“Yes, Janice’s dad has been very helpful,” he said, putting down the paper.

“Have a good day at work.”

“Thanks, you have a nice day at school,” he said, putting his dishes in the sink.

“I’ll try.”

I finished eating my breakfast and put my dishes in the sink. I went through the dresser full of clothes searching for an outfit to wear. I came across my blue jean shorts and my off-shoulder baby blue tee and decided that’ll do. I put my school clothes on and finished preparing for school.

“Good-bye honey, have fun at school,” Dad said, kissing me good-bye.

“Bye Dad see you tonight.”

Dad went into his truck and drove off to his new job. I grabbed my purple backpack and closed the door behind me. I let out a big sigh before heading out to the corner. When I arrived at the stop, the bus was there waiting for me. I spent the entire ride to school thinking about my Mom and how I would make sure she wouldn’t die in vain. When I arrived at school I met Janice at her locker.

“Hi Janice how’re you?”

“I’m fine how about you?” she asked, getting the books out of her locker.

“I’m okay I guess. I just wish they would catch the person that killed my Mom,” I said, as I let out a big sigh.

“It would be nice wouldn’t it?”

“Yes sure would be nice.”

We walked next to each other to Mr. Jones English class and took our seats.

“Sierra I’m truly sorry to hear about your mom,” Mr. Jones said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

“Thank you sir.”

When Mr. Jones headed to the front of the class I nudged Janice to get her attention.

“What’s wrong Sierra?”

“Nothing really I would like to devote our play for the talent show to my Mom. Is that okay with you?”

“I think that’s a great idea,” she said, with a smile.

After English class was over, to my surprise Dad was there waiting for me outside of the classroom. I wonder why he’s here, could it be that they caught the killer?

“Hey Sierra, why’s your dad here?” Janice asked, staring at him.

“No clue I guess I’ll find out one way or the other.”

Janice and I met my dad at the entrance to the classroom.

“Dad why are you here?”

“I got a call from the police station, telling me they want you to pick out the guy that shot your mom,” he said, staring into my eyes.

“Can’t it wait ‘til after school?”

“I’m afraid not sweetie, they were pretty clear that we had to do it now.”

“Okay.”

I turned my attention to Janice and said farewell to her.

“Well Janice see you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow. Good luck,” Janice said, giving me a big squeeze.

“Thanks.”

I followed Dad to his truck and we made our way to the station. When we arrived at the police station, a man dressed up in a suit and tie greeted us at the door.

“Hi you must be Mr. Mackroll,” he said, sticking out his hand.

“Yes I am Darren Mackroll and this is my daughter Sierra,” Dad said, shaking his hand.

“My name is Officer Daly, please come this way,” Officer Daly said, gesturing us to follow him.

We followed him through a long hall before arriving to the line up.

“Sierra do you remember anything about the day your mother died?” he said, bending down to get a better look at me.

“I remember the dreadful noises everyone made and had a quick glance of the guys shooting at each other.”

“What’s going to happen is there are going to be five guys all lined up and I will call one person at a time to come foreword. I want you to do get a good look at these guys and tell me which one resembles the person that shot your mom okay?” he asked, getting up from his knees.

“Can they see me officer?”

“No we can see them but they can’t see us. Are you ready?” he asked, getting ready to signal the guys through the glass.

I glanced back at my Dad and nodded to the officer motioning him that I was ready to pick the guy. One at a time, each guy stepped foreword and turning every direction until one of them stood out from the rest. I was sure he was the guy; I remember his Afro hairdo and the shape of his face through the tinted windows.

I nudged the officer in the arm to get his attention.

“Officer, number three is the man that shot my Mom,” I said, pointing to the guy.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes I’m positive, he’s the one. What’s next?” I asked the officer, staring at his badge.

“The next thing is to testify against him in court so he get the right punishment.”

After I picked out the guy, the officer escorted us out of the building and we headed out to our car.

“I’m proud of you Sierra, I know that wasn’t easy,” Dad said, glancing over at me.

“Thanks Dad, so when do I need to testify in court?”

“Probably tomorrow, so we need to get a good night sleep to have the strength for court the next day,” he said, keeping his eye on the road.

We arrived at the house and got ready for dinner. I couldn’t eat a whole lot since I have so much on my mind. Even with the pork chops smelling so tender and looking so moist didn’t do anything for me.

“I know you’re nervous about tomorrow but you need to try to eat,” Dad said, motioning me to pick up my fork.

“There’s so much on my mind and I’m really not hungry.”

“Try to eat, do it for me,” he said, almost in a begging way.

“Okay I will try a few bites for you.”

“Thank you.”

We finished our food and put the plates in the sink. I went into the bathroom and changed into my pajamas. I met Dad in the family room and lied down on the hard mattress waiting for Dad to say to goodnight to me.

“Goodnight sweetie, see you tomorrow morning,” he said, kissing me goodnight.

“Good night Dad, love you.”

“I love you too,” he said, as he turned off the lights.

He went into his bedroom and turned off the lights. When he fell asleep, I stared up at the ceiling in the dark house alone with my thoughts.



Chapter Nineteen



The next morning I got up and smelled eggs and bacon cooking in the kitchen. I rubbed my eyes and stretched every limb of my body before getting off of the bed. I followed my nose to the smells sizzling in the room next door.

“Good morning sunshine,” Dad said, as he flipped the eggs over on the skillet.

“Morning Dad smells good.”

“Thanks honey, here have a seat and grab something to eat,” he said, handing me an empty plate.

I grabbed a spoonful of eggs and a couple strips of bacon and sat down at the table.

“Are you ready to testify?” he asked me, taking the seat next to me.

“I think so. I had a lot of time to think about what I was going to say last night.”

“Good, as soon as you get done eating, put on something nice and freshen up,” he said, sipping his coffee.

“Okay.”

I finished eating my eggs and bacon and put the plate in the sink. I went to the dresser trying to find something nice to wear. I came across my black slacks and my purple lace blouse and put them on. I went to the bathroom and put my black hair up in a bun so I could look older.

“How do I look Dad?”

“You look great sweetie,” he said, attempting to put is tie on.

“Here let me help you,” I said, as I grabbed his tie and tied it for him.

“Thanks honey, your mother was great at that,” he said, as he smiled down at me.

“It’s in my genes I guess,” I said, blushing.

After we got dressed and ready for the court date, we headed outside and hopped into the van. Dad turned his head towards me and said:

“Ready?”

“Ready than I’ll ever be.”

“Okay, let’s go,” he said, as he buckled in.

We drove off to courthouse; which was about a half an hour away, but it seemed longer than that. Probably because I was nervous and anxious at the same time and just want to get this over with so I could move on with my life.

“We’re her Sierra,” Dad said, as he pulled into the crowded parking lot.

“Already?”

“Yep, let’s get the ball rolling,” he said, giving me a hand out of the van.

We walked into the big brick building that seemed like the building didn’t have an end and walked through the long hall until we reached the right room.

“This is it,” he said, giving out a big sigh.

“Sure is,” I said, staring at all the empty seats in the room.

We took a seat in the front row and waited for the judge to step into the room.

“Everybody please rise for Honorable Judge Dean,” the plaintiff said, motioning for the jury and us to stand up.

“Please have a seat,” Judge Dean said, taking his seat in front of the podium.

I watched the officers bring the defendant out with his orange jumper on and his hands and feet chained up. I stared right into his eyes, as he stared back at me. I felt no mercy or sympathy when I looked at him. Just the cold and heartless breeze that he made as he passed me.

“Your honor I would like Sierra Mackroll to take the bench,” the lawyer said, pointing at me.

“Go on sweetie, be brave and strong and tell it straight from the heart,” Dad said, nudging me to stand up.

I let out a big breath and slowly made my way to the bench next to the judge. As soon as I took a seat the plaintiff came with the Bible and stood in front of me. I stood up for a second and placed my hand on the holy book.

“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”

“I do.”

Judge Dean glanced over at me and asked me:

“Sierra can you tell me in your words what happened?”

“Yes your honor. I was coming home from school and after I got off the bus, I heard screaming and crying close by. The closer I got to my house the louder the noises got and pretty soon I could hear gunfire nearby. Mom pushed me in the house and as she was rushing inside the house I saw her fall to the ground. When I caught her before she hit the pavement, my hands were covered in blood. I saw them drive off with their heads out the windows and guns in their hands. Your honor my mom was shot in cold blood.” I said, wiping the tears from eyes.

“Thank you Sierra, you may step down now and take a seat by your father.”

I stepped down off the podium and took a seat by my Dad, still shaking and sweaty from the experience.

“Does the defense have anything to say before the final decision’s been made?” Judge Dean said, staring at the defendant.

“Your honor, my rival gang the Death Headers and I got into another fight, while we were under fire we had to defend ourselves. What happened to her Mom is sad but it wasn’t in cold blood,” Micah said, clearing his throat.

“We’re going to take a recess and when we get back the verdict will be in,” Judge Dean said, slamming his javelin on his desk.

Everybody got off their seats and left the room while the jury went into their conference room to debate what the proper punishment would be. I followed Dad out of the room and we sat on the bench right outside of the room.

“Dad, do you think he will be punished hard for his crime?”

“I think so, I’m very proud of you for standing up in front of him like that. It takes a lot of courage for what you did,” he said, with his arm wrapped around me.

“Thanks Dad I just want justice,” I said, as my face turned red.

“Me too honey.”

It seemed like it was taking forever before they were finished discussing their thoughts and opinions on the situation. The Jury walked into the courtroom and we followed them and took a seat.

“Everybody please rise for Honorable Judge Dean,” the plaintiff said.

Everybody got up from their seats and waited for the judge to take a seat before sitting back down. The judge turned his attention to the jury and asked for their verdict.

“Jury do you have a verdict?”

A lady with her hair twisted up and wearing khakis responded to his question.

“Yes your honor we do,” she said, as she handed him their decision.

“What is the verdict?” he asked, staring straight at her.

“We the jury find the defendant guilty of involuntary manslaughter.”

“Thank you, you may take a seat.”

“Will the defendant rise please,” he said, staring at him.

“Micah, your sentence for involuntary manslaughter is eighteen months of prison time and a thousand hours of community service,” he said, slamming his javelin on his desk.

The judge stood up from his seat and headed into his office. I stood up and followed Dad out of the room. Next thing we knew there were reporters blocking our path out of the building hovering in every corner, wanting to know what happened. I was trapped, and the only way out was through the chaos.



Chapter Twenty



Every corner we tried to go, there was a crowd of reporters shoving their microphones in our faces trying to get the scoop.

“Mam can you tell me what the jury decided to do?” one of the reporters asked, shoving her microphone in front of my face.

“No comment,” I said, pushing the microphone away.

She turned her attention to my Dad hoping he would answer her question.

“Can you comment on the jury’s decision?” she asked, getting up in his face.

“All I can say is that justice has been served,” he said, with a smile. We shoved through the crowd of reporters until we could see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was more like a race to get to the other end, away from the chaos inside.

“Glad that was over,” he said, wiping the sweat off of his forehead.

“Me too. Hey Dad I’m thinking that maybe I can have a memorial garden for Mom.”

“That’s a great idea honey,” he said, wrapping his arms around me.

We made it to van and drove off to our house. I stared out the window on the way thinking about the memorial garden.

“Where are you thinking about putting the memorial garden,” he said, interrupting my train of thought.

“I want to put where everyone sees it, so maybe the town square?”

“That’s a great spot to put the garden. I’m sure everyone will see it,” he said, giving me a quick smile.

“I think so too. I’m hoping with the garden being in the heart of the town that it’ll make a difference.”

“I’m sure it will sweetie,” he said, placing his free hand over mine.

When we arrived at the house, I could see that the roses have dried out and dying one by one. It was a really sad sight to see, the only thing left on the flowers were the stems.

“Mom’s poor roses,” Dad said, staring at the naked stems in the ground.

“I’m sorry Dad, if I watered the flowers after she passed they wouldn’t have died.”

“It’s not your fault sweetie, I know this is tough for both of us,” he said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

“Just like this ole house, it was sad looking once but with some love it would be a cozy home.”

“We’ll both take turns and hopefully in time these roses will grow back,” he said, as he let out a big sigh.

“Sounds good to me.”

I closed my eyes for a second and tried to picture the roses fully bloomed. I tried to picture their beauty they gave and lovely the garden will look. After thinking about the roses that gave me an idea for Mom’s memorial garden. I tugged on my Dad’s shirt to get his attention.

“Hey Dad, maybe we should plant roses for the garden since Mom loves roses and symbolizes everything she believes in.”

“That would be beautiful Sierra, let me know what I can do to help,” he said, as his face brightened up.

We headed inside so we can get ready for dinner. Dad cooked pot roast and scalloped potatoes for dinner. I got out my homework and though about what the play was going to be for the variety show coming up in a week.

“Dinner’s ready sweetie,” he called from the kitchen.

“I’m coming Dad.”

All that excitement from the court was giving me the munchies. The smell of the pot roast cooking the oven wasn’t helping my cravings at all. I couldn’t wait to dig in. I put our beverages on the dining table and took a seat. Dad grabbed the pot roast and potatoes and placed them on the center of the table. Once he sat down, I grabbed a spoonful of potatoes and a big slice of the pot roast.

“What’s gotten into you?” he asked, giving me a blank stare.

“Nothing, all that chaos was making me hungry.”

“Me too,” he said, getting twice the serving I got.

I just stared at him shaking my head at him. What a hypocrite! I swallowed my milk real fast and bursted out laughing. It had to one of those Kodak moments where we felt happiness after spending all those endless night grieving over her death. In a way her death brought us closer.

After dinner we both cleared the table and putting the dishes in the sink. I went back to thinking of a play to do for the show and even did research on hurricanes before going to bed. After I finished I got ready for bed and said goodnight.

“Good night Dad.”

“Good night sweetie, sweet dreams,” he said, bending down to kiss me good night.

The next morning I woke up feeling well rested. Dad had already gone to work when I got up. It’s up to me to make my own breakfast; I grabbed an English muffin and grape jelly to eat. After I had a quick bite to eat I went to put on clothes to wear for school. I saw a dress my Mom made me for my birthday and decided to try it out. It was a light purple sundress that was pretty yet casual. I stared at myself in the mirror and could tell that I almost look exactly like her. I grabbed my backpack and rushed over to the bus stop.

The bus arrived soon after I made it to the stop, the whole way to the school I thought long and hard about the many things that circled around my mind. The one thing I knew was that both the play and memorial were devoted to her. I wanted it to be meaningful and reach out touching others. After the bus pulled in the drop off circle in front of school, I got off and met Janice in front of her locker.

“Hey Sierra, how did the court go for you?” she asked, as she closed her locker.

“It went well, the chaos afterwards was awful though.”

“What you mean chaos?” she asked, giving me a blank stare.

“All those reporters up in our faces, asking me the same question over and over again.”

“So what did you do then?”

“I just said No Comment and tried my best to walk away from them. I’m just glad that it’s over with and I can get on with my life.”

“I’m glad that it’s over with too. Now we can get working on our play.”

“Speaking of the play, I was thinking of doing an expressive dance to music instead.”

“Sounds alright to me I guess. We just need to practice everyday until we feel comfortable doing it in front of others,” she said, as she stared at the ground.

We headed into Mr. Jones English class and took our seats. We discussed the details for our dance and a time we’ll meet to practice.

“What time’s good for you?”

“How bout four o’clock? Is that alright with you,” she asked, while doodling on her notebook.

“That’s fine, so four o’clock today after school then?”

“Yep.”

Mr. Jones walked into the classroom, shutting the door behind him.

“Okay class can I have your attention?” he said, heading to the front of the class.

When everyone stopped what they’re doing he continued.

“The variety show is next Friday, so I hope you are all preparing for the show.”

I leaned toward Janice and tapped on her arm to get her attention.

“Wow the variety show is coming up, we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

“Yeah I know, but I can’t wait for the show to begin,” she said, keeping her eyes focused on the teacher.

“Me too.”

After English, we walked into the cafeteria together and began to discuss about the variety show and science project.

“Have you had any time to work on the science project?” she asked me, while she scattered her lunch on the table.

“Some time, I did some research on hurricanes but that’s all.”

“Hopefully we’ll work on it in our groups during Science today,” she said, taking a bite of her sandwich.

After lunch period was over, we headed into Science and waited for the teacher to enter the classroom.

“Okay class today is going to be a busy day so let’s get started,” Mr. Glee said, stroking his moustache.

We all got into our groups and discussed our findings.

“Have you guys done any research on hurricanes?”

“Yes I got tons of stuff on hurricanes,” Deon said, getting out his research materials.

“Wow that’s a lot of stuff Deon,” Janice said, flipping through the books of paper on the topic.

“Good let’s combine what we have founded and figure out how we are going to present it.”

We organized everything so it will be clear and well put. After class was over, all the buses were lined up ready to load up with students.

“See you at four o’clock Janice.”

“Okay see you then.”

I couldn’t wait to practice for the variety show and plan for the memorial garden for Mom. When the bus arrived at my stop, I jumped off and ran home, anxious to get started. When I got to my house, Dad was still at work so I was able to have time to myself. I grabbed a quick bite to eat and plopped down on the couch. I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.

”This is Sandra May reporting live the at the Mound Correctional Facility talking with the infamous leader Micah about the possibility of early release for good behavior,” she said, holding her microphone up to him.

I laid down the remote, swallowed the bite of my sandwich that I have chewed on for an hour and stared at the screen in disbelief.

No, this can’t be happening.

Chapter Twenty-One

This can’t be, he can’t get out early for good behavior. What if he comes after me? In the midst of my panic I heard someone knock on the door. What if he just got out and now is getting revenge? I was so scared I jumped when I heard the knocking. I approached the door slowly and peeked through the peek hole in the door making sure it wasn’t what I feared.

Thank goodness it was just Janice

I opened the door relieved to see Janice standing there. I just stared at her, she probably thought I was nuts but I was still shaking in my shoes.

“Well aren’t you going to let me in or do I need to let myself in?” Janice said, tapping her foot on the ground waiting for a response.

“Yeah, yeah so sorry, I just heard the news and don’t know what to think.”

I got out of her way and followed behind her, shutting the door snug tight, locking it after it closed.

“About Micah?”

“Yes about Micah getting out early. What if he’s angry and decides to come after my Dad or I?”

“I think he’s changed, we won’t know until he gets released,” she said, smiling at me.

“Let’s hope so, I can’t take much more chaos. Changing the subject, I found the perfect song for our dance.”

“What’s the song called?”

“It’s called the Rose by Bette Midler. I think it’s a perfect fit for our dance.”

“I agree with you nice choice.”

We cleared some room to practice the dance and tried out some moves. Midway through our dance auditions, I saw Dad’s truck pull into the driveway. Janice went to turn off the music and I arranged the furniture back to wear it were

“Hi Dad how’s your day?”

“It was fine, what are you up to?” he said, kissing me on the forehead.

“Janice and I are practicing for the variety show coming up in a week.”

“How’s it going?” he said, as he hanged up his jacket.

“Hi Mr. Mackroll, we’ve got the moves picked out for now,” Janice said, smiling up at him.

“Good luck, if you guys need anything just let me know,” he said, heading to the kitchen.

“Thanks Dad.”

When we finished with practice, I escorted Janice out of the house and went back inside to help Dad with dinner.

“Hey Dad, have you been watching the news?”

“I haven’t had time, why?” he asked, as he stirred the stew.

“Well there have been reports saying that Micah might get out early.”

He let go of the stirring spoon and spun around just giving me a ghostly expression on his face.

“Is that true?” he asked, bending down on his knees.

“Yes Dad, he told them that they will cut his sentence in half for his behavior.”

“Well, my guess is that he’s probably a changed person since his sentence.”

“That’s what Janice thought too.”

When the stew finished cooking I helped set the table for dinner. Dad brought the pot of stew to the table and served the food.

“Dad can we go shopping for the flowers for the Memorial this weekend?”

“Sure we can sweetie,” he said, as he took a bite of his stew.

After dinner we cleared the table and I went to get ready for bed. There was so much on mind I would be lucky if I got any shut eye tonight.

“Good night sweetie,” he said, leaning over my bed to kiss me goodnight.

“Good night Dad.”

After all the lights went out I laid on my back thinking about the memorial garden, the dance we have for the variety show and more concerning was Micah’s early release. I just hope he changed like everyone thinks he has. I stared at the ceiling until I could feel my eyelids get heavy to where I had no choice but to close them and drift off to sleep.

The following morning I woke up to the smell of home made waffles cooking in the waffle iron. It was driving my stomach crazy so I followed the scent to the kitchen. Dad was wearing Mom’s Greatest Mom Apron when I made it to the dining room.

“What’s the occasion Dad?”

“Today Janice’s dad offered to help out with the memorial. So today is going to be busy getting the props ready for the garden,” he said, as he handed me a plateful of waffles.

“That’s nice of him. Do you think Janice can come too?”

“I don’t see that being a problem,” he said, as he swallowed a bite of his waffle.

“I can’t wait to get started.”

We finished our breakfast and put our dishes in the sink. I went through my dresser until I found my purple and blue sundress and put it on. I pulled my hair up in a ponytail and waited for Dad to finish getting ready for our shopping trip.

“Come on Dad! Are you going to be done sometime before the end of the year?”

“Patience is a virtue sweetie,” he said, rolling his eyes at me.

“Well patience doesn’t get anything done Dad,” I said, pacing back and forth between the couch and the door.

“You can stop pacing back and forth now, you’re making me dizzy,” he said, trying to steady his head.

“Why you done yet?”

“Yes let’s go,” he said, heading out the door.

I followed Dad out the door and we drove out to Janice’s place to pick her up. When we got there they were already waiting outside. I jumped out of the car and ran to Janice.

“Hey Janice, it’s so awesome that your coming with me!”

“I know I’m really excited. This will be something that we’ll all remember,” she said, giving me a big hug.

We all hopped back in the van and drove off to the florist to pick out the flowers for the memorial. When we arrived I could smell the scents of dozens of flowers a mile away.

“Wow look at all these flowers,” I said, spinning around the room.

“There’re so many flowers, so how’re we going to choose the flowers for the garden?” she said, going through each aisle.

“Mom loved roses and they remind me of her.”

We all went to the aisle filled with roses and picked out the prettiest ones there. We got pink, red, yellow and purple since it is rare and special like my Mom. Dad went to pay for the flowers while the rest of us carried them out to the van.

“Your memorial garden will be so beautiful,” she said, smiling at me.

“I know, our hearts will spread through out the community.”

“That’s for sure,” she said, jumping up and down.

“Ready guys,” Dad called out from the store exit.

“Yes Dad we’re ready.”

We all hopped into the van and drove off to clean the town square. The garden grounds were covered in garbage and there was graffiti covering the entire walls on both sides. We all took an area of the ground and picked up the trash and painted the walls. I noticed people passing by us just staring like we were nuts but I didn’t mind, to it’s all worth it. We worked until the sun has set in the sky and decided to finish it tomorrow. We drove off to go out to dinner and dropped off Janice and her dad.

“See you tomorrow Janice?”

“Yep we’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, waving goodbye to us.

When we got home, I couldn’t help but notice a black Cadillac driving by us. The windows were down and the guys in the car were giving me an evil stare as it passed me. My body was covered in good bumps watching the car crawl past me. I ran inside and slammed the door behind me, hiding behind the wall. Something was wrong with that picture and my gut had the same feeling like something bad was going to happen.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Honey, what’s the matter?” Dad asked, staring at the worried look on my face.

“Dad, did you see that Cadillac creeping by our house?” I asked him, peeking out of the curtain.

“Yes, why? What about the car?” he asked, shrugging his shoulders.

“That car belongs to Micah and his gang, you should see the look I saw on their faces. The evil glare in their eyes as they drove by just gave me a sickening feeling in my gut.”

“Well I’m sure they won’t do anything,” he said, holding me tight.

“Are you sure Dad? What if they want revenge?”

“Just try to be positive. Let’s just walk away from the window sweetie and try to enjoy our dinner,” he said, motioning me to get away from the window.

“Okay, maybe your right,” I said, taking a final peek through the curtain before going over to the table.

Dad brought out the food and placed it in the middle of the table. I was still afraid of his gang and more afraid of what will happen when Micah gets released. I wasn’t really hungry plus there’s still so much to do in the short amount of time I have to complete it.

“Sierra, why aren’t you eating?” he asked, picking up his fork.

“I have too much on my mind Dad. I am just not hungry right now.”

“Take a couple bites please, you need all the strength you can get,” he said, staring at my empty plate.

“Okay I guess I’ll try to eat,” I said, letting a big sigh.

After tempting to eat my dinner, I put my plate in the sink and went to find the photos of Mom in my parent’s bedroom. I found the photo of her we used for her memorial and placed it close to my heart.

Mom, what am I suppose to do? I don’t know if I can find it my heart to forgive the guy that killed you. Please mom, help me find it in my heart to forgive him.

This is when I really need her; she always had the strength to see the light when others didn’t. I know what I need to do, but when he took her away from me it made a big hole in my heart, which hasn’t healed yet. All I could think is: only if I had her strength but I’m afraid that I don’t have the strength to forgive a man like Micah. He doesn’t have respect for human life at all. It is going to be the biggest challenge for me to show him the meaning of life.

“Honey are you okay?” he asked, calling out from the kitchen.

“Yes Dad, I’m fine,” I said, wiping the tears away from my face.

I put her picture back where I found it and whispered: I love you always Mom.

I kissed my Dad goodnight and went to sleep on the hard mattress. I prayed that I would have the strength to carry out my mission for a better place and to carry on my Mom’s beliefs.

Over the next few days, Janice and I would meet at my place touching up our dance for Friday’s variety show. It was going to be a breathless performance in which all of it is dedicated to my Mom. I hope she will be watching from the heavens above that day.

“I think we’re ready for Friday, what do you think?”

“I agree with you, our dance is about perfect and your mom will be very pleased,” she said, as she helped move the couch back to where it was.

“Good, I can’t wait until Friday.”

“Me too, we’ll shock everyone,” she said, giggling.

After Janice left, I saw Dad’s truck pull into the driveway.

“Hey Dad, how’s work today?”

“It went fine, how’s your dance going?” he said, as he bent down to give me a hug.

“We’re all set for tomorrow. Are you coming to the variety show tomorrow?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said, smiling down at me.

“Good I can’t wait.”

I followed Dad into the kitchen and helped get set up for dinner. The baked ham and scalloped potatoes cooking in the oven was making my stomach go crazy. I couldn’t wait to dig in.

“What time is the variety show tomorrow?” he said, placing a spoonful of potatoes on his plate.

“I think it is at three tomorrow, right when school ends.”

“I can’t wait to see you and Janice dance tomorrow,” he said, sipping his water.

“Me neither.”

After dinner I helped Dad clear the table and got ready for bed. Tomorrow was going to be a big day so I needed to try to get some sleep so I would have the energy for tomorrow’s performance.

“Good night sweetie, rest up for tomorrow,” he said, bending down to kiss me.

“Good night Dad.”

He kissed me goodnight and went to his room. When all the lights were turned off, I closed my eyes and dreamed of her. I was going to put everything I have in me into the dance.

The next morning I went over to my dresser and picked out my pink dress. The skirt would flow in the breeze with every step I take. It was a beautiful dress with pink lace trim around the bottom of the skirt. After I got dressed I grabbed a quick bite to eat. When I finished eating my cereal I went to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My black hair is now past my shoulders, I decided to put a ribbon in my hair and leave it down.

I grabbed my book bag and headed out the door ready to put on a show nobody will forget. I strutted to the bus stop feeling beautiful and anxious for the big performance. I thought long and hard about our dance and what needs to be done for the grand opening for the memorial on the ride there. When I arrived to the school, I jumped off the bus and ran to Janice.

“Wow, you look pretty today,” she said, scooping me out.

“Thanks, you look nice today.”

“We need to look our best don’t we?” she said, brushing her long brown hair back.

“Yep we sure do. I hope classes go fast today.”

“Don’t we both,” she said, rolling her eyes.

We both broke out in laughter. It was going to be a good day today. We headed into Mr. Jones English class and took our seats.

“Class today is a big day for everyone here. I hope you’re all ready for the variety show today. I am looking forward to seeing what you all came out with,” he said, walking down each aisle.

“We’re ready Janice,” I said, elbowing her.

“Yep sure are,” she said, winking back at me.

While Mr. Jones was going over the last details for the variety show with the class I still had a lot on my mind. For instance, the memorial garden and the uneasy feeling I have trying to work with Micah when he gets out next month. I was just relieved to hear the bell ring.

“Remember class, be at the auditorium at two-thirty,” he said, while everyone was leaving the room.

Instead of going to lunch like everyone else, we decided to do one quick one through of our dance in the auditorium. We turned around in circles together and made delicate movements with our arms. I’m sure this will bring everyone to tears after we’re done. Once the song ended, I heard the bell for our science class go off in the background. I grabbed the CD and stuffed it into one of the front pockets of my book bag and rushed behind Janice to make it to Mr. Glee’s class in time.

“That’s a close call, we’re almost late,” I said, wiping the drops of sweat off my forehead.

“You’re telling me. It’s a good thing we can be fast and delicate at the same time,” she said, laughing in her hand.

In the midst of our laughter Mr. Glee entered the room.

“Okay class next week is when your report is due. I hope that you’re done or almost done with your report,” he said, closing the door behind him.

“Are we about done with our report do you know?” I asked, leaning over Janice’s shoulder.

“I think so, I hope we can round up our group before class is over,” she said, with her eyes focused on the chalkboard.

“I want you to get into your groups and do the finishing touches on your report,” he said, eyeing the classroom.

Janice and I headed towards Deon so we could discuss the last details of our assignment.

“What else is there to do?”

“We need to figure out our presentation,” Deon said, looking at Janice and I for a response.

“Well we can read the report in three parts, so we all can take part of the presentation,” Janice said, smiling at both of us.

“That’s an excellent suggestion Janice. Deon, what do you want to talk about?”





“I can talk about the formation of hurricanes and work on details of the disaster,” he said, fiddling with the papers in front of him.

“I can talk about the actual event,” Janice said, tapping her fingers on the desk.

“Great and I will talk about the aftermath. I’m sure we’ll ace this report.”

When class was over, Janice and I rushed to the auditorium. We stood on center stage picturing ourselves performing in front of many. Before we knew it, crowds from nowhere entered the building filling up the seats fast. Janice and I ran behind the curtain and watched other performances, waiting for our turn. My heart was pounding so hard that I could feel it almost jump out of my chests. I never have been this nervous in my life.

“Janice, Sierra, your up,” the voice called out from the stage.

When I made it to the center of the stage, I just stared at the many faces that filled the room. My palms were sweaty and my legs were shaking.

So many people, Please God give me the courage to perform.

Chapter Twenty-Three



“Sierra, are you alright?” Janice asked, tugging on my arm.

“I don’t know if I can perform in front of so many people.”

“Well try to find your dad’s face and only focus on him,” she said, pointing to the crowd in front of the stage.

I looked all over the room searching for his face until I finally spotted his face out of the many. I cleared my head for that moment and stayed focused on him. Before long they played the song for our dance. I just close my eyes during the dance and let the music lead my body to do the moves.

Some say love, it is a river

that drowns the tender reed.

Some say love, it is a razor

that leaves your soul to bleed.

Some say love, it is a hunger,

an endless aching need.

I say love, it is a flower,

and you its only seed.



It's the heart afraid of breaking

that never learns to dance.

It's the dream afraid of waking

that never takes the chance.

It's the one who won't be taken,

who cannot seem to give,

and the soul afraid of dyin'

that never learns to live.



When the night has been too lonely

and the road has been to long,

and you think that love is only

for the lucky and the strong,

just remember in the winter

far beneath the winter snows

lies the seed that with the sun's love

in the spring becomes the rose.



When the song stopped, I opened my eyes and took a bow with Janice by my side. The whole auditorium filled with echoes of clapping and the roars of the crowd when we finished. It felt so good, all our hard work paid off. I could see my Dad wipe his face, I knew the dance really touched him.

After the last performance I ran up to my Dad.

“So I can see that you loved our performance,” I said, hugging him tightly.

“Yes that was really moving,” he said, wiping the rest of tears on his sleeves.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, I know Mom would be pleased with it too.”

“Do you want to go get some ice cream?” he said, smiling down at me.

“Sure, can Janice come too Dad?”

“If it’s okay with her parents.”

I ran over to Janice and tugged on her sleeve to get her attention.

“Janice, want to go out with ice cream with Dad and I?”

“Let me ask my parents,” she said, with a smile.

Janice tapped on her Dad’s arm, he turned around to look at us.

“Hey Dad, can I join Sierra for ice cream?” she asked her Dad making puppy dog eyes at him.

“Sure, we can all go get ice cream,” he answered, smiling at us.

“Good, I’ll go get my Dad and I’ll be right back.”

I ran to the other side of the aisle and stopped next to my Dad. I bent down to catch my breath and wiped the sweat that was falling down my face.

“Dad, Janice said that her whole family would love to join us.”

“Sounds like we’re going to have a party at the ice cream place,” he said, in a laughing manner.

Dad and I headed towards Janice and her family and we walked out to the parking lot together. Driving off the parking lot in single file caravan style to the ice cream shop. When we arrived to the parlor, I jumped out of the car and rushed to Janice’s car to greet her when she gets out.

“Come on Janice, let’s go!” I said, pulling her with me inside the building.

“Slow down, if you’re not careful, you might pull my arm off,” she said, laughing at her own comment.

“No it won’t silly, it will just get longer,” I said, laughing with Janice.

When our parents finally caught up with us, we stared at the ice cream menu in front of us. There were so many choices.

“Wow look at all these kinds of ice cream, I don’t know if I can pick just one.”

“I know what you mean, I’m going to do eni mini mo with the menu,” she said, eyeing the menu in front of us.

“That’s what I’ll do too.”

After debating what I’ll get, I’ve finally decided what I was going get. I went up to my Dad and pulled at him to get his attention.

“Have you decided what you want sweetie?” he asked me, keeping his eyes focused on the menu.

“Yes Dad, I want the turtle sundae.”

“Okay sounds good, I’ll think I’ll try the rocky road sundae,” he said, out loud to himself.

After we all ordered our ice cream, we went over to the big oval table by the window and took a seat.

“So Sierra, what else do we need to do for the Memorial Garden before the grand opening?” Janice’s dad said, as he took a bite of his ice cream.

“We need to finish cleaning the grounds, get the graffiti off the walls and weed the garden, I think that’s about all though.”

“We’ll be happy to help you this weekend with the memorial,” he said, smiling at me.

“Thanks, I really appreciate it Mr. Jacobson.”

When we finished our ice cream we said farewell to Janice’s family and drove home. When we arrived to the house, I was beat from all the excitement. I was looking forward to going to bed. I got out of my dress and put on my nightgown and went to sleep.

“Good night sweetie,” he said, bending down to kiss me.

“Night Dad, thanks for the treat.”

“Your welcome,” he said, as he went to turn off the lights.

Over the weekend Dad and I picked up Janice and her dad to finish cleaning up the grounds where the garden will be. It seems like a never-ending pile of trash, when we pick up the trash on the ground, more garbage shows up. It’s like the neighborhood is using this place as their trash can. While we were cleaning, people would just stop and stare at us like we’re nuts and walk away.

“Hey Sierra, have you noticed that black Cadillac watching us?” Janice said, as she had her eye on the car.

“Yeah, it’s Micah’s posse, they’ve been keeping an extra close eye on me ever since Micah got locked up.”

“Creepy Huh?”

“Yes it’s really creepy. Should we go up and ask them for our help?”

“I don’t know, let’s just finish cleaning,” she said, staring at me.

“Okay, well maybe when Micah gets out, then they’ll might join.”

We finished cleaning for the day; we loaded the van and drove off to Janice’s place to drop her and her dad off.

“See you tomorrow Janice.”

“See you then,” she said, waving good-bye to me.

When we arrived at the house I decided to freshen up since all the cleaning made me feel gross. Dad plopped on the couch and turned on the TV. I could hear the television set from down the hallway. He must be hard of hearing since he turns the sound up so loud. I couldn’t help but over hear the news while washing my hair.

“This is Cathy reporting live at the Mound Correctional Facility. Micah can you tell me when we’re expecting you to be released?” The reporter asked.

“Yes Cathy, they told me that I’m going to get released at the end of the month.”

I couldn’t think straight anymore when I heard the news. The only thing I could feel was my heart racing.







Chapter Twenty Four

I didn’t realize how close it was till’ Micah’s release. In the midst of my panic, I stumbled around the shower trying to find the body wash and the bottle came crashing to the bathtub floor with a THUD.

“Honey, are you alright?” Dad asked me through the bathroom door.

“Yes Dad that’s just the body wash. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Okay just checking.”

I bent down to pick up the wash with water dripping down my face and into my mouth. I quickly washed my body and turned off the shower. I grabbed the closest towel and wrapped it around my body. I wiped off the fog on the mirror and stared at my reflection, asking myself: What would my Mom do?

I dried myself off, got into my nightgown and met down at the dining room table. Dad had already put our dinner on the table when I arrived. Grilled Cheese and tomato soup, a meal that satisfying and one of which we don’t have very often.

“Dad, can you believe that Micah is getting released that early?”

“Well I guess the committee thought that he was ready to be on Parole,” Dad said, sipping his soup with his spoon.

“What would Mom do in this situation Dad?”

“She would try to be positive and hope that he’s changed,” he said, as he took a bite out of his sandwich.

“I’ll try to be positive then, I just hope you’re right.”

We finished our dinner and I got ready for bed while Dad finished washing the dishes.

“Good night sweetie, try not to get yourself worked up about his release,” he said, as he kissed me on the forehead.

“Okay Dad, I’ll try my best to be calm about the whole thing. I love you.”

“Love you too,” he said, as he got off my bed.

After the lights went out, I was scared to close my eyes. Even though I told him that I would do my best to be calm, I am still worried about-facing the man that killed my mom. Through the rest of the night I went to sleep with thoughts of Micah’s release lingering in my head.

The next few days went by pretty fast. Janice, Deon and I stayed late and rehearsed our report for Friday’s presentation. We got up to the front of room and tried to imagine the students waiting for us to begin.

“Our report is on hurricanes and how it affects people around the world. I will be talking about how hurricanes are made, Janice will talk about what the hurricane does when it hits land and Sierra will be talking about the aftermath of the disaster,” he said, keeping one eye at the classroom and the other on his report.

“Hurricanes are swirling storms that range from sixty to a thousand miles in diameter and usually occur over warm ocean waters. They start off as a cluster of strong thunderstorms that move across the ocean called tropical disturbance. When the winds hit the surface at forty or more miles per hour it becomes a tropical storm. If the wind reaches seventy-four miles an hour or more it becomes a hurricane,” he said, putting down his paper.

Janice took over the spotlight; Deon took a step back by me and let Janice begin her presentation.

“Hurricanes create tidal waves, heavy rain and strong winds. The tidal waves can cause shipwrecks and the strong winds can destroy cars, bridges and buildings. At times the hurricanes can create tornadoes in the ocean. Hurricanes are responsible for death of 1.9 million people worldwide,” she said, stepping out the spotlight.

I approached the front of the empty room and presented my portion of the presentation.

“As you all heard hurricanes could create a lot of damage. A lot of people loose their homes from flooding and can be years before getting back on their feet again. From flooding, illness from long standing water can occur. Some people die from being trapped under the debris or in their house. The water ruins neighborhoods, businesses. It may take months to even years before everything was back to normal. I hope you all learned something about hurricanes.”

“Nicely done guys,” Deon said, giving us high fives.

“I’d say it went quite well,” Janice agreed, nodding her head.

“Yep I agree, we’ll as set for tomorrow.”

Janice and Deon went their separate ways, while I waited outside for Dad to pick me up from school. There was so much on my mind from the report that’s due on Friday to the memorial garden. I guess I will just take it one day at a time so I don’t pass out from the stress.

“Hey Sierra!” Dad called out from the car.

“Hi Dad!” I said, running towards the van.

Dad helped me into the van and we drove off back to the house.

“How did your rehearsal go?” he asked, peeking over his shoulder.

“I think it went well, we all worked really hard on our project.”

“I know you’ll all do really well,” he said, glancing over me smiling.

“Thanks Dad.”

By the end of our conversation we made it back home. I followed Dad back in the house and helped prepare dinner. I was still really nervous about tomorrow’s presentation and facing Micah in the flesh. He is probably already thinking about ways to get revenge on me. I helped put the pot roast and macaroni and cheese on the table while Dad got our drinks done.

“Honey how come you’re not eating?” he asked, taking a sip of his ice water.

“There’s too much on my mind I guess.”

“Take a couple bites for me then,” he said, concentrating on his dinner.

I looked at my dinner and tried to stomach as much as I could. After we finished I helped clear the table and went to get ready for bed.

“Good night sweetie,” he said, bending down to kiss me on the forehead.

“Good night Dad.”

The next morning I woke up to the sunbeams hitting me on my face. I sat up and stretched and went to find the right outfit for my presentation. I skimmed through all my clothes until I found the slender purple slip on dress. I brushed my teeth and put my long black hair up in a ponytail and grabbed my book bag.

“What’s the big hurry sweetie?” Dad asked me, as I brushed past him.

“Today’s the day my presentation is due and I don’t want to be late.”

“You’re too big in a hurry to kiss your Pops good-bye?” he asked, pointing to his cheek.

“I guess I could spare enough time to kiss you good-bye,” I joked.

I rushed to his side, and reached up to kiss him good-bye.

“Now that wasn’t hard was it?” he asked me, with his hands on his hips.

“No,” I said, rolling my eyes at him before heading out the door.

When the bus arrived at my stop I stepped up and saw Janice sitting in the very back.

“Hey how come you’re on the bus today?”

“My Mom and Dad had to get to work early today so they made me take the bus. Are you nervous about our presentation?” she asked, twiddling her thumbs.

“Nah, I’m more nervous about working with Micah.”

“I’ll be your trusty side kick and together we can conquer our villain,” Janice said, covering her mouth.

“Yeah we’ll be the Dynamite Duo,” I joked.

We both cracked up laughing until our faced were bright red. I wouldn’t be able to handle Micah and his posse by myself. I’m so thankful that I have Janice with me. When we arrived, we met Deon at his locker and headed towards Mr. Glee’s science class.

“Good morning class,” Mr. Glee said, closing the door behind me.

“Good morning Mr. Glee!” the class said, in one gigantic voice.

“I hope everyone has their presentations ready since today’s the day that it is due. Whose going to be brave and present their project first?” he asked us, eyeing the class for an eager student to raise their hand.

I glanced at Janice and Deon to see if we wanted to go first. They just shrugged their shoulders and leaving the decision up to me.

Oh what the heck. At least we’ll get it over with.

I popped up my arm in the air, reaching up to the sky hoping he would pick us.

“Yes Sierra, would you like to do your presentation first?” he asked, making the entire class focus on me.

“Yes Mr. Glee.”

“Okay the class is yours,” he said, escorting us to the front of the class.

Deon went first so he stepped in front of Janice and I.

“Our report is on hurricanes and how it affects people around the world. I will be talking about how hurricanes are made, Janice will talk about what the hurricane does when it hits land and Sierra will be talking about the aftermath of the disaster,” he said, focusing on the front of the class.

We each took our turn explaining the effects and causes of hurricanes. When we were done, there was a brief silence and all of a sudden a roar of clapping.

“Very nice guys, you’ve worked really hard on your presentation,” Mr. Glee said, when the clapping quieted down.

“Thank you sir,” Deon said, with a smile.

After we presented our report we headed towards our seats and waited for someone else to do their presentation. After Veronica and James did their presentation on Tornadoes, the bell rang for class to be over with. Everyone jumped out of their seats and stampeded out of the room.

“I’m glad that’s over with, one less thing I need to worry about.”

“Yep we all did well on it,” Deon said, shutting his locker.

“Well see Monday guys.”

“See ya later,” Deon said, as he headed out of the building.

“Hey Sierra, what time are we going to meet?” Janice asked, as she stepped into her Mom’s car.

“Meet me at the town square around nine tomorrow morning.”

“Okay see you then,” she said, out the window.

I stepped on to the bus and headed towards the back of the bus to sit down. The whole ride home I thought about meeting Micah face to face tomorrow. All I could see were the cold icy glare of his eyes staring harshly at me when I closed my eyes. I just know I wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight. I was relieved to get to the house and find my Dad finishing cooking dinner.

“So how did your report go today?” he asked, stirring the stew around in a slow motion.

“I guess it went good.”

“What’s wrong sweetie,” he asked, with a gentle tone in his voice.

“I’m just scared of meeting Micah tomorrow,” I said, shuffling my feet on the tile floor.

“It’ll be okay sweetie,” he said, as he put the spoon down.

He headed towards me and bent down to give me a hug.

“Maybe he’s changed like we all hope he has,” I said, staring up into my Dad’s soft brown eyes.

We sat down across from each other and ate our dinner in silence. When we finished I put my nightgown on and plopped on the futon.

“Good night sweetie,” he said, as he kissed me gently on my forehead.

“Good night Dad.”

When he went to his bedroom I laid on my back with my eyes wide-open thinking about tomorrow. Thinking about his icy stare, his viscous attitude and what might be going through his mind when I stand across from him. Everything about him and his gang gives me chills down my spine. As I stared up at the ceiling, watching the blades of the fan spin around I whispered to God:

God please be with me tomorrow. Give me the courage to do what is right and help me make it through the day.





Chapter Twenty-Five



The time has come where I have to find the strength to work with Micah and show him a thing or two about human life. Just waiting for his arrival was making me nervous. It was time to make things right and bring peace to the community after all the violence. Too much blood shed and tears in our neighborhood where people run away from his posse of standing up for themselves.

Janice and I held hands by my mom’s memorial garden watching his black SUV pull up in front of us. As one by one of his men step out of the vehicle wearing torn jeans and bandanas around their foreheads. I swallowed hard and pulled Janice with me to meet Micah. I slipped my hand from Janice’s grip and stuck out my sweaty palm for Micah to shake it.

“You must be Micah, this is my friend Janice and I am Sierra,” I said, staring at him right in his eyes.

Instead of speaking to me, they just swept past us like we never existed. They just stood there like a bunch of statues. I guess it was my duty to make sure they help with the garden. I approached him with my head up high and tapped him on his back.

“Look here, you may be the toughest group around here but I’m not scared of you. You killed my Mom! Now it’s time to pay for your mistakes. So grab some gloves and start pulling weeds,” I said, pointing to the gardening tools.

He gave an icy cold stare that could send goose bumps up someone’s body but not mine. His posse followed him to gather the tools needed for weeding and scattered through out the grounds.

Janice elbowed me trying to get my attention.

“Hey nicely done Sierra. I mean way to put them in their place,” she said, as she watched them weed.

“Well, if I had to the tough guy then so be it.”

Janice picked up the weeds and tossed them in the wheelbarrow while I supervised Micah and his posse. I felt like a prison guard doing patrol while the criminals have their recess. This was important for me and maybe just maybe some good will come out of this. Two hours passed and all the weeds in the garden were cleared.

“So what’s next?!” Micah said, tapping his foot on the ground.

“First of all watch your tone with me mister! Second part of you can plant flowers into the ground, while the rest can help me paint over the graffiti on the park bench.”

Janice and I split up so we can watch over the posse to make sure they are doing everything right. Janice went with the two posse members to paint the walls while I handed Micah and the other two the tools to plant the roses in the garden. As Micah and the rest planted roses I couldn’t help but notice the neighbors coming out of their houses watching the gang working in the garden. Janice dropped the paint and headed towards me.

“Hey Sierra, we’ve got an audience,” she said, keeping her eyes on the people surrounding us.

“Maybe we can make a difference for everyone.”

Janice went back to work on supervising the two gang members and I went back double checking Micah’s work.

“Be gentle with the roses, they’re just as frail as we are,” I said, showing Micah the proper way to handle them.

Before long the benches were painted over and the flowers were all planted. Janice and I picked up our supplies and watched Micah head toward his SUV.

“Don’t forget same time tomorrow,” I yelled out to him before he slammed the door.

He rolled his eyes at me and said to me in a harsh tone:

“What for?”

“There’s still a lot of things we need to do before the memorial is done!”

They drove off into the sunset, leaving a trail of gas fumes behind.

Janice and I stood side by side awaiting for our ride to come pick us up. We just glanced at each other and burst into laughter with one thought on our minds.

That was interesting

Five minutes later my dad showed up. The van side doors opened and Janice and I hopped into the van. After we took our seats, dad glanced over his seat.

“So how did everything go girls?” he asked, with a weak smile on his face.

“I think it went pretty well Mr. Mackroll,” Janice said, elbowing me in a joking manner.

“Yeah Dad, you would be proud of me. I wasn’t scared of him or his gang at all.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” he said, returning his attention to the front of the car.

After we dropped off Janice at her house, we headed home and got ready for dinner. Dad got our drinks ready and I put the salad on the table.

“Dad, what’s left to do for Mom’s memorial?” “Well let me see,” he said, sipping his tea.

After a brief pause he continued.

“We should get a plaque with Rosanna’s Memorial Garden engraved on it. We can also make a walking path that curves around the garden and make a pond in the middle.”

“That’s a nice idea Dad maybe with Micah’s help we can make a pond tomorrow.”

“Then Monday after school we can pick out a plaque for the garden,” he said, with a smile.

After dinner we both cleaned after ourselves and I went to get ready for bed. I couldn’t wait to see everyone’s faces when the memorial garden is opened for the neighborhood. I could picture the garden when I close my eyes and Mom’s face smiling down at me from Heaven.

“Good night honey, sweet dreams,” he said, bending down to kiss me goodnight.

“Good night Dad.”

When the lights went out I drifted off to sleep dreaming about the grand opening.









CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX



I woke up to a gorgeous morning with the sun beams hitting my face and sounds of birds chirping outside my window. I stretched my arms as far out as I could and strolled down to the kitchen to make me breakfast. I grabbed the eggs out of the fridge and bacon out of the freezer to cook.

“Hey honey, smells delicious,” Dad said, as he grabbed himself a cup of coffee.

“Thanks, I need a good breakfast to give me the energy to finish up the garden today.”

I scooped the eggs out of the pan and split up the batch between Dad and I and took a seat across from Dad.

“Would you like my help with the garden?” he asked, sipping his coffee.

“That would be great, we need all the help we can get.”

After we finished our breakfast, I placed the dishes in the sink and went to change into gardening clothes. After I found a pair of torn jean shorts and a top to match, I went to the bathroom and put my hair up so it wouldn’t get in the way.

“Ready Sierra?” he called out from the kitchen.

“Yup Dad I’m coming!”

We hopped into the van and drove off to the town square to wait for Janice and the rest come. While I waited for them to show up, I gathered the shovel and wheelbarrow so we had everything ready. By the time I finished getting everything set up, I could see Janice and her parents come.

“Hey Janice my Dad had an idea to improve the memorial garden.”

“Hey Sierra, so what idea did your Dad have?” she asked, skipping to my side.

“He thinks we should make a pond in the center of the garden and make a path to wrap around it.”

“That’s a nice idea,” she said, jumping up and down.

I could see Micah’s black SUV getting closer to us.

“Here comes trouble,” Janice joked, elbowing me hard.

“Don’t remind me,” I said, rolling my eyes at her.

Micah stepped out of his car wearing torn Jeans and a white tee and his hair wrapped up in a bandana. His posse followed him closely like body guards as they approached me.

“Here’s the scoop about today. We’re going to split up in groups like we’ve done before and half of us are going to work on a path while the others work on the pond.”

Micah circled around to face his men and whispered a bunch of stuff to them. Next thing I know they burst out into laughter.

I rolled my eyes at him and cleared my throat as loud as I could. Once I got their attention I began to announce today’s assignment.

“Okay here’s the deal, Micah and Jerome you come with me to work on the man made pond while the other two go with Janice to work on the path.”

I handed Micah and his second hand man Jerome a shovel and pointed to the place where we are going to put the pond. My dad got a shovel and Janice’s parents split to help us with the garden. While we were working on the garden I couldn’t help but notice everyone gathering around the town square. Like scared turtles coming out of their shells after the storm. Janice dropped what she was doing and rushed to my side.

“Hey Sierra! We’ve got an audience!” Janice said, leaning forward to catch her breath.

“I couldn’t help but notice them standing there like statues. Hopefully they were loose their fear of Micah’s gang and help us out.”

I wanted to let the town know that this neighborhood could be different. I marched up in front of the fifty or so people standing there and encourage them to join us.

“May I have your attention please!” I shouted as loud as I could.

I gazed upon the many face and continued on with my spiel.

“My neighbors, our lives have been traumatized by the bloodshed and horrifying cries of our friends and neighbors. Well that’s going to change. I’m not scared of Micah and his posse no more and neither should you. If anyone of you want to help with my Mom’s garden, grab a shovel and dig in.”

I spun around with my back facing the crowd with my head held high and headed toward the gang. My mom always told me that if I get one person to join me then the rest should follow. I grabbed my shovel and slammed it to the ground, hitting the dirt hard. After a little while one person came to help and pretty soon it seemed like the entire town was joining in helping put the finishing touches on my mom’s memorial garden.

Dad came to my side and put his arm around me. As we watched the neighborhood pitch in, he turned his head to face me and said:

“Your Mother would be so proud of you.”

“Thank you Dad, I’m doing this for her.”

By the time the sun was going to set, the pond was finished and the rock path around it was done. It was going to be a beautiful place to sit and take in all the beauty that surrounds the garden. I couldn’t wait to the grand opening and picturing Mom’s face when she sees the garden from the heavens above.

“Everyone I want to thank you for all the help you gave and all the hard work we all put in to making this a place for everyone.”

When everyone made their way back home, Janice and her family and my Dad and I went out to eat to celebrate the change that has taken place.

“Can’t you believe the whole town came to help us?” Janice said, still in shock from the event.

“No but I think it’s great. Maybe from now our town can be a great place to live.”

“So what’s next boss?” she asked, in a joking way.

“Well tomorrow after school Dad is taking me to pick out a nice plaque which is the very last piece to the puzzle.”

“Can I come with you?” she asked, fluttering her eyelashes at me.

“Sure if it’s okay with my Dad,” I said, turning my head towards my Dad.

“That’s fine honey,” he said, wiping the BBQ sauce off his mouth from the ribs.

“What time should I meet you?” asked Janice, sipping her lemonade.

“ Four o’clock? I guess?”

“Great, I’ll meet you at your place at four,” she said, smiling at me.

I couldn’t help but notice that Janice’s teeth were covered in BBQ sauce. I burst out in laughter.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, licking her lips.

“You. . . you should see yourself in the . . .mirror,” I said, trying hard not to laugh.

She showed her BBQ mouth to her parents and my Dad. Pretty soon the entire table burst into uncontrollable laughter. Her Mom got out a pocket mirror and handed it to Janice. Janice took the mirror and gazed at herself, as soon as she realized how messy her face looked she broke out in laughter.

When dinner was finished I said good-bye to Janice and her family and followed Dad back to the van.

“Wow what a day!” Janice said, wiping the joyful tears from her eyes.

“I know it was a great day today and the grand opening would be even better.”

“Yep, see you tomorrow then,” she said, giving me a hug.

“Later Janice.”

We waved good-bye to them as we left the parking lot and drove on home. I need to get a goodnight sleep. When we got home, I got ready for bed and jumped on the Futon making the floor shake.

“ Good night sweetie,” Dad said, leaning down to kiss me.

“Good night Dad.”

When he got to his room and the last light in the house was turned off, I drifted off in a deep slumber with dreams of peace and love filling my head and heart.