Ivory's story for Thursday, 11/5 class discussion

Here is Ivory's story for this week's class. Please read it and bring a copy to class. We will also be discussing Cynthia's story "Self Reflection," which was posted last week.

Ivory T. Jefferies
The Glitches of the Rich

They told me I would see what the unimaginable would be like and if I refused how being alone would feel. Feel for the rest of my life. They forced me into it. I had woke up that morning thinking it was going to be one of my boring, unnoticed days back in Adams High. Preparing my backpack with my usual peanut butter and apple jelly sandwich with the crust cut off, my thirty two ounce Poland spring bottled water, seedless green grapes and my mini Altoids for desert to cover the smell of peanuts, breath, and wheat bread. Put on my clothes that were ever so plain, just my usual jean jumper with a rotation of shirts underneath, today it was plaid. I had on shoes that the cool kids called skippies, they can in two varieties, either Velcro or laces. I hopped down the stairs of my mom’s one bedroom apartment to see her in the kitchen. The usual, she was there at the sink washing the dishes she just used to make a fully prepared breakfast, in her apron and work uniform under. It was pearly white for someone who washed them with bar soap and water and it had creases in it. She was the aide to a nurse’s aide and got paid just as little as the job sounds. We walked together every morning to the end of our street except she turned left and I turned right, always leaving each other with a “goodbye”, kiss, and “ I love you”. She thought I went straight to school, which I was suppose to but I didn’t. I went to Jenny’s house. Her mom and dad were always gone on business trips, so that’s when we did it. We would close the blinds and lock the doors, run all the way upstairs with the butter knife and jimmy the jewelry box on her mom’s dresser. When it came to fashion, glamour and riches Jenny always said “Imitators should be prosecuted they take all the real attention from me and other rich girls”. We would change into Jenny’s sister Leah’s clothes, put on the sexiest thing we could find along with her mothers jewelry, and walk to school in fashion like real girls should. We dazzled our way everyday up the front steps of Adams High into the hallways where we would strut and shake our butts while the jealous ones stared in amazement. I knew the hated us, and I loved every moment of it. I was on top. I was the one they wanted to be. Wasn’t I? Yeah, yeah I was uh huh yeah. The girls we stare with mouths dropped down to there shoulders and the guys would drool. I loved it when they did that. I eye stalked this football captain named Josh, he was so freaking hot. There he sat at lunch time in the middle on top of the table with his yellow and blue leather arm sports jacket, tight fitting v- neck t shirt that read Hanes below the neck when his coat was off, medium blue boot cut baggy jeans, and his estimated size eleven wheat timberlands. God knows how I wanted him. His eyes made my daydream of being on a beach, eighty degree weather and dazing into his crystal blue eyes like they were the ocean we should have been in to cool off. That’s what grabbed my attention about him, those eyes that Brad Pitt smile and the chiseled physique. He made me want every inch of him but when he approached day after day I played the hard to get bitch that didn’t have time for lame sports jocks. Jenny created this persona for me. Ring went the bell for class to start and lunch to end, I had to continue to suffer through chemistry lecture while staring at the back of Josh the whole class, but not this one. As I found my usual left back corner seat closest to the wall Josh came seductively in class greeting Mr. Michael’s with a “ Hey, what’s up?” to humor the class for the five seconds the laughter lasted. He looked at me as I giggled and winked but I sat like little miss prissy and gave him the cold shoulder rolling my eyes. Through twenty five minutes of lecture I found myself asking to be engaged in conversation. He slid me a note that read, “Girl, why do you always play so hard to get, you know you want me and I want you, I’m trying to hook up. Sound like a plan? Circle yes or No”. My heart was racing and my prayers had been answered. I thought of every possible thing I could say without looking like a geek and replied, “No thank you, I don’t date skinny guys”. We both busted out laughing and no tolerance having Mr. Michaels shipped us right out to the detention room. We giggle and flirted once we left, getting lost in each others conversation. We even stopped for a drink at the bubbler and he helped me hold my hair back. I was so into him and him me, you ever have that feeling? It’s like in Lady and the Tramp when the boy and girl dog share the same spaghetti string! I was that Lady! I leaned in aggressively kissing him as hard and as passionate as I could, throwing my then lifeless body against his letting my lips do all the work as my tongue explored his big but dry mouth. He loved every bit of it; he took my hand almost tearing my arm out of the socket dragging me down the hallway to a place that he told me we could go. It was by the football field, attached to the shed but not in it. Josh said it was like a recovery room that players would lay in during practice so the coaches could monitor them. He bolted out the cafeteria side door, ran through the field behind the soccer net and walked to “the spot”, which he called it. I opened the door turned to him and initiated the kiss, he was all over me but he giggled so much I realized he was fooling around. Inside sat Kevin, Darren and Zack the other football players and also Josh’s friends that I didn’t like much. I told Josh who seemed to be more interested in his friends than me that we should go else where and hang but the three of them insisted this was the best spot and pulled me in between them. I felt uncomfortable. I wanted my mom. I switched back to bitch, bad girl mode but the three of them had me surrounded kissing me, touching me, and telling me inappropriate things in a language that mom says a man should never use with a woman. I tried to burst from in between them but felt vulnerable and in an attempt to flee I kicked Kevin, the one in front blocking my way to the door, so hard that he shouted. Josh punched him for screaming, bitching about people hearing and Zack had thrown me to the floor so hard that the skin on my elbow had broke from trying to stop my fall. The whispered and yammered at each other while I sat there agonizing at the excruciating pain my arm was in, that’s when they came forward. They tore my clothes off and placed to jewelry to the side as I fought as hard as I could without them hitting me. My nameless bra and panties were exposed showing the holes and soils of my youth, the inability I had to fill the thirty four A bra I had on, and I had cried the make up off that I had on. They had taken me out of my shell, the real me was revealed. A knock at the shelter door made only me out of everyone jump and the knock that I thought would come from my savior belonged to Jenny’s hand. They cracked up but I was extremely happy to see her, groveling like a bomb waiting for her to console me and steal me away instead she pushed me hard. She pushed me back down to the floor and I laid in confusion as they stood up above me like monuments. I asked, “Why would you do that? Aren’t you going to help me?” Jenny snapped her fingers a small commandment that told those three to finish me off. I looked at her and before I passed out at the thought of the rape she told me, “ Imitators should be prosecuted, you take all the real attention from us rich girls, enjoy your punishment”, with a wink and a smile as she stood back and watched as they took turns with my body. Four hours later, awaken by the schools janitor Ernest I jumped up screaming and crying but they were not there. I was alone how I use to be. I pulled some scraps together and dragged myself home to see it was only seven o’ clock; mom doesn’t get out to eight. I hurt everywhere and I cried when I thought of everything I could remember. I drew a hot bath. I got in and laid back. I scrubbed between my legs for as long as I could before it felt like rug burn. I had been used and abused and I had deserved it. I wanted no life. I had no life. I did not know where to start to live my own life. Jenny’s revenge had awakened me. I said to myself there is no reason to live any longer. They told me I would see what the unimaginable would be like and if I refused how being alone would feel. Feel for the rest of my life. So right there and then I drowned away my misery and that was the last time I felt alone, alone for one last time.