CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Better (Pia’s Ending)

It was the last day of March, and Pia was feeling good about things. Tonight was going to be another big slumber party at Willow’s house for the swoop list girls. Things were getting better for everyone. Sanaa wasn’t sweating the fact that she couldn’t control how other people felt about the decisions she’d made. She could only get better from them. Willow was thankful her parents were giving it another go. Olive was ecstatic that Charles was going to be home for the next couple of months to graduate. Octavia seemed excited that her father liked Shawn, and Pia was happy too. Her mother had started finding a job, and the landlord was working with them on paying back the rent owed.

Pia was running around the corner in the hallway to get to class when she heard squeals. When she saw some of the swoop girls, she started running towards them. “What’s going on?”

“It’s Stephen, look!”

Pia looked down and saw her friend’s face bashed in, barely recognizable. She bent down by him. “Oh my gosh! What happened?”

She helped Stephen to his feet, and he said, “Some of the guys know I gave statements to the police about them raping you. They’re trying to shut me up.”

“Oh my gosh! You’re gonna have to take back what you said. I can’t let you get hurt over me.”

“But you were hurt. Because I didn’t stop the rape back then when I had a chance, I can’t get all of that out of my mind. Today those punks jumped me from the back. One of them covered up my eyes with a dirty sock, like I can’t hear their voices. A black eye and a bloody nose are not gonna make me hush up. I’m going to the office to report this right now. All of their violence is gonna be on the record. It’s got to stop.”

Sanaa tapped on Pia’s arm and asked, “Is he gon’ be okay?”

Pia nodded as she helped him hobble to the front of the school. “I don’t want you to try to be some hero and keep taking abuse for me. I can take care of them. I didn’t even know the cops were going to ask you anything.”

“Oh, the last week they’ve been asking a lot of the players a lot of stuff, and word is out I’m the only one talking. They didn’t even know I witnessed the rape, but I did, and I didn’t make it right for you then. But I am now, Pia.”

When the principal came out to speak to Stephen, the two men went into his office. Pia had to go on to class. She couldn’t get Stephen out of her mind. He was helping her, maybe because he liked her, but more because he wanted to do the right thing. He was a hero in her eyes. Her heart had been hardened for so long, but now things were looking better.

Later that evening, when they were having their third slumber party and Pia was staring into the bathroom mirror at Willow’s place, she thought back over the darkness she’d experienced the last few months. She suddenly realized that she had made it through that dark period. She was wiser and actually ready for the next phase of life.

“Alright, open up in there!” Willow said, standing on the other side of the bathroom door.

“Yeah, come on out. You don’t want us to have to bust the door in,” Sanaa said. “It’s girl time!”

When Pia opened the door, she asked, “Where’s Octavia?”

“Sittin’ over there all melancholy,” Olive smiled and said. “Something’s wrong with the redhead.”

“No,” Octavia announced, typing on her laptop. “I’m just really enjoying our time, and I’m doing some research, and I found out where that girl, Leah, went to school.”

“Is she dead?” Olive asked, searching through her purse to find the letter.

“Yeah. Her obituary is right here,” Octavia said.

The girls gathered around the computer, and they were shocked to see the beautiful African American girl smiling like she had no care in the world. Silence befell them as they looked on. Pia felt sad that this girl had actually taken her own life.

“Gosh, it says right here she was a dancer,” Willow said.

“And was a star student,” Sanaa pointed out.

“She’s survived only by her mom,” Pia said.

“Looks like she had some involvement with a local gang,” Olive uttered.

“But, in the end she was a loner,” Octavia said.

All of them felt like they had something in common with Leah, and for a moment, things got really quiet again and even more intense. Pia wished she could have known Leah to help save her life. She sighed, realizing that Leah had helped to save her life with the little notes.

Pia said, “How could she be sending us stuff if she’s not alive? I mean, clearly, she’s dead. There’s an obituary.”

“Maybe she’s not,” Willow said.

“Everything she’s told us, we needed to hear—change our lives, get some faith, examine our past—but not all of us are always listening to everything she tell us,” Sanaa said, looking dead at Willow.

“Yeah, I hear you. Took me a while to get there, but making the same mistakes over and over is pointless,” Willow replied.

“How you doin’ with Toni, anyway?” Pia asked Sanaa.

“She’s still mad. But I’m so thankful I got you guys.”

“Ditto that!” Olive said. “You guys gave me the strength to channel all of my passion in the right area.”

“It’s not like we went with you to talk to the judge,” Willow said.

Olive admitted, “You weren’t actually with me, but in a way you’re with me all the time.”

“Yeah, I clearly get that,” Pia agreed. “I was only able to help my mom and at the same time understand all she went through because you guys supported me.”

“So here’s a question I have,” Willow said. “Since we’ve looked back, we all know how bad being on the swoop list has been, but would you trade it? Would you change it? If you could go back, would you make sure that you weren’t on it? Sanaa?”

“No,” Sanaa said, looking at all of them.

“Olive?” Willow asked.

Olive responded, “No. It got me away from Tiger.”

Willow said, “Octavia?”

Octavia hesitated, but then said, “A little yes, but more no. Please don’t ask me to elaborate.”

Willow shrugged at Octavia’s weird response, but said, “Pia?”

Pia said, “Before I answer, you tell us your answer.”

Willow nodded. “Obviously no, because I keep wanting to do the same things that probably got me on the list. I never could’ve imagined that I’d have such friendships. So, no, because of y’all too. Now you, Pia.”

Pia smiled and motioned for them to grab hands. When they were all standing there, facing each other, Pia said, “No, I would not change being a swoop list girl. This list brought me you all. And because of your friendship, I’m better. Actually, I know our tight bond has made us all better.”