I’d been at the K-Spot for a few days now and things were going smoothly. Kayla had even brought me some clothing that she couldn’t fit anymore so that I could go on job interviews. I didn’t want to be seen as a charity case, but I wouldn’t turn down the help when I really needed it. During the day I wouldn’t just sit around on my ass, but instead, I got a library card and filled out at least twenty applications daily. So far, no one had emailed me about an interview, but I felt that my luck would soon be changing.

I sat in my new room reading Sacred Woman, by Queen Afu, when I heard a light tap on the door.

“Come in,” I answered.

In came walking the stallion of a man whose name I still didn’t know yet.

“Hey, just checking in to make sure that everything is good with you. I hope my sister didn’t scare you by kidnapping you and bringing you here,” he said with a smile. A perfect smile.

“Oh yes, I’m good. And thank you for your graciousness. I really appreciate you and your sister. I’m looking for jobs now, so I won’t wear out my welcome.”

“No thanks necessary, but what are you reading?”

I showed him the book.

“What is it about?” he questioned, leaning his toned body up against the wall.

“It’s really a guide to healing your mind, body, and spirit from an Afrocentric standpoint. It promotes growth and positivity within oneself through positive affirmations and healing. I’ve actually read it three times already. It’s one of my favorite books.”

“Oh, it sounds dope. I might have to borrow it when you finish so I can try to understand y’all better.”

“We are difficult creatures, aren’t we? But what some of us possess is unmatched.”

I felt myself getting a little too deep as he stared at me, so I shut up.

“You do that a lot, huh?” he asked after the brief silence.

“Do what?” I asked.

“Silence yourself. Since I’ve known you, you start but always stop. Why?”

“Because I don’t have anything to say.”

“You seem like you have a lot to say that you just choose not to.”

“And that’s my choice, right?” I snapped.

“Yeah, you’re right, it is. I didn’t mean to bother you. Guess I will see you around.”

“WAIT! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to come off rude. I am really grateful for your help.”

“So, what’s your story? How did you end up where you are now?”

“I don’t have a story and I guess I’m here right now in this moment because this is where I’m supposed to be.”

She looked at me and there was something familiar in her eyes. It’s like we’d met in a past life or something before.

“Well, good or bad, everyone has a story, and whenever you are ready to share it, there will always be someone to listen.”

With that, he walked out.

I wasn’t used to people being so nice to me and thought Kayla and her brother seemed like good people, but I couldn’t be too trusting because there were some bad people in this world.

I ran as far and as fast as I could, finally stopping at the end of the street to catch my breath. My chest heaved up and down as I’d run for at least twenty minutes without stopping. I had been bounced around from foster home to foster home, and each time they got worse. I was fifteen years old and on group home number five. At least this foster mom did feed us, but when she was upset, her punishments were torture.

I felt the open scabs on my back, and they burned at the touch. I didn’t have anywhere to go but before I knew it, I was back in my old neighborhood at Chandler’s house. I rang the bell repeatedly praying that someone would answer. The door finally swung open and there stood Chandler, all grown up. I hadn’t seen her since I was twelve years old.

“Misty! Is that you?” she said before grabbing me and hugging me tightly. I winced at the pain that she was causing to my back.

“Misty, what’s wrong?” she asked, turning me around. “Oh my god, Misty! What happened to your back? Who did this to you?” She cried out so horrendously that her parents came to the door. “Mom, someone hurt Misty.”

Ms. Arlene let me in and took care of me. She assured me that I could stay with them and after the weekend, she would petition to become my foster parent.

It felt good as hell finally being back with the people who knew me the best. My dad and I stayed in our old house for a year after my mom died of a heart attack, and then one day he just never came home from work, leaving me alone. I didn’t have any family besides my dad’s family who were all still in Haiti. Soon after, I became a ward of the state.

“Dang Misty, I missed you so much girl. I’m so glad you’re here,” Chandler said. That night we laid in bed and talked all night. I shared everything that I had been through with her and we cried together promising to never leave one another again.

I had been staying with Chandler and her family for about two weeks when her big brother, Chase, came home from college. Chase was fine as ever with his light skin and dreamy eyes. He would always call me cutie and he told me that we would get married once I turned eighteen. I had a little crush on him, and Chandler knew it, so she teased me about it all the time.

One afternoon, I came home from school to find that I was all alone. Chandler had stayed after school for cheerleader practice and I guess her parents were just out. I put my things away and then went to the kitchen to make a sandwich. I got out everything I needed and then started to make it when Chase snuck behind me. I didn’t even hear him come in the house because I had my earphones in.

“Oh my god, Chase! You scared the crap out of me.” My heart was beating fast as hell.

“My bad girl. You don’t have to be scared.” He laughed. “Where everybody at?”

“I don’t know. When I came in no one was here,” I said, piling lettuce on my sandwich.

“You know you filling out real nice in them clothes that Mom got you,” he said with a smile. He walked up to me and then palmed my face gently.

“When you gone become my girl?”

I laughed. “Chase, I’m fifteen and you are twenty. I know you have older girls chasing you around at college,” I said nervously.

Chase and I had flirted before, but we never took each other seriously.

“Look, stop playing with me Misty,” he said, grabbing my breasts and squeezing them.

“Wait, Chase. What if your parents come home?” I asked anything so that he would stop.

“Don’t worry, they won’t,” he said, tugging at my jeans. He then ripped open a condom and put it on before pumping in and out of me. I laid there crying but my tears didn’t seem to faze him as he went harder and harder making grunting noises.

“Please don’t,” I said, barely above a whisper. It seemed like him pounding on top of me lasted forever. Once he was done, I ran out of the house, never returning again.