don't. I have a lot of things that you don't. I'm smarter than you, I'm prettier than you and everyone knows that my style is much better than yours."
I was so angry I felt as if I were about to explode with rage. Then it happened, something in my mind clicked and I heard a voice tell me to beat her down. I swung at Liz but she moved out of range and immediately sprang to her feet.
"Come on! I'm not afraid of you," Liz said as she removed her earrings. Everyone sitting at the table suddenly jumped to their feet.
"Fight!" someone cried out. Just as I was about to leap up on the lunch table and punch Liz and her goons in the face, my brother, Mike, appeared out of nowhere.
"Keysha, come on," he said as he hooked his hands on my shoulders and held me back.
"No, she has it coming, Mike! Let me go!" I shouted out and wrestled to free myself from his clutch.
"What's wrong? Your brother has to come to your aid and fight your battles for you?" Liz continued to antagonize me. In that moment whatever thread of a friendship we had ended. Liz had just become my fern enemy.
"Let me go, Mike!" I tried to jerk away from him, but he was much stronger than I was. He grabbed my arm with one hand and picked up my books with the other and pulled me out of the cafeteria. His clutch was so tight I felt his fingernails tunneling into my skin.
"Why did you stop me, Mike? I was about to kick her—"
"You can't afford to get suspended again, Keysha! Think about what you're doing."
"Let me go!" I snarled at him like a wild monster.
"Keysha, calm down before a hall monitor comes and nails both of us," Mike snapped at me.
"Okay, just let me go," I said. Mike wasn't sure if he should.
"Please, just let me go," I pleaded, and finally Mike released his grip.
Mike and I argued during our walk home from school. He was talking to me as if I had no business starting trouble with Liz.
"You've got to calm down, Keysha. You just can't go around getting into fights."
"Why not?" I barked. "She had it coming, Mike. She's the source of all the drama that's going on in my life."
"I know but you've got to think about the consequences of your actions."
"I wasn't thinking about consequences. All I wanted to do was to beat the truth out of her. I mean, who does she think she is? When I came to this whacked-out school, I didn't know anyone and she was the first person who acted as if she wanted me as a friend. Then she turns around and stabs me in the back?" I growled. "I want to know why she's doing this to me. I want to know why she's treating me like I'm some psycho who doesn't know up from down."
"Look, I'm not saying that she didn't have it coming. What I am saying is that you can't get involved in a fight. You have two strikes against you already. You have a court case and you've been suspended. One more mishap and who knows what will happen? If a hall monitor had come you'd have gotten suspended again, then what?"
"At least I would've felt better knowing that I'd gotten suspended for seeking the truth."
"Ahhh, why can't you see what I'm saying, Keysha?" I was frustrating Mike because I refused to agree with him.
"No, Mike. Why can't you see what I'm saying? If I go down for this, they're going to ship me off to a juvenile detention center and I can't deal with that, okay? You have no idea of what it's like to be in a place like that."
"They're not going to ship you off to a juvenile detention center." Mike didn't believe me.
"You want me to leave, don't you?" I snapped out on Mike. "You never did want me in the house. You and Barbara really want Jordan all to yourselves. Come on, Mike, say it?" I punched him on the arm. "Come on! Say it." I hollered at the top of my lungs. "Say it, you jerk!" I felt tears of anger swelling up inside. I didn't want Mike to see me cry but I couldn't help it.
"Say it! I know that's what you're
I was so angry I felt as if I were about to explode with rage. Then it happened, something in my mind clicked and I heard a voice tell me to beat her down. I swung at Liz but she moved out of range and immediately sprang to her feet.
"Come on! I'm not afraid of you," Liz said as she removed her earrings. Everyone sitting at the table suddenly jumped to their feet.
"Fight!" someone cried out. Just as I was about to leap up on the lunch table and punch Liz and her goons in the face, my brother, Mike, appeared out of nowhere.
"Keysha, come on," he said as he hooked his hands on my shoulders and held me back.
"No, she has it coming, Mike! Let me go!" I shouted out and wrestled to free myself from his clutch.
"What's wrong? Your brother has to come to your aid and fight your battles for you?" Liz continued to antagonize me. In that moment whatever thread of a friendship we had ended. Liz had just become my fern enemy.
"Let me go, Mike!" I tried to jerk away from him, but he was much stronger than I was. He grabbed my arm with one hand and picked up my books with the other and pulled me out of the cafeteria. His clutch was so tight I felt his fingernails tunneling into my skin.
"Why did you stop me, Mike? I was about to kick her—"
"You can't afford to get suspended again, Keysha! Think about what you're doing."
"Let me go!" I snarled at him like a wild monster.
"Keysha, calm down before a hall monitor comes and nails both of us," Mike snapped at me.
"Okay, just let me go," I said. Mike wasn't sure if he should.
"Please, just let me go," I pleaded, and finally Mike released his grip.
Mike and I argued during our walk home from school. He was talking to me as if I had no business starting trouble with Liz.
"You've got to calm down, Keysha. You just can't go around getting into fights."
"Why not?" I barked. "She had it coming, Mike. She's the source of all the drama that's going on in my life."
"I know but you've got to think about the consequences of your actions."
"I wasn't thinking about consequences. All I wanted to do was to beat the truth out of her. I mean, who does she think she is? When I came to this whacked-out school, I didn't know anyone and she was the first person who acted as if she wanted me as a friend. Then she turns around and stabs me in the back?" I growled. "I want to know why she's doing this to me. I want to know why she's treating me like I'm some psycho who doesn't know up from down."
"Look, I'm not saying that she didn't have it coming. What I am saying is that you can't get involved in a fight. You have two strikes against you already. You have a court case and you've been suspended. One more mishap and who knows what will happen? If a hall monitor had come you'd have gotten suspended again, then what?"
"At least I would've felt better knowing that I'd gotten suspended for seeking the truth."
"Ahhh, why can't you see what I'm saying, Keysha?" I was frustrating Mike because I refused to agree with him.
"No, Mike. Why can't you see what I'm saying? If I go down for this, they're going to ship me off to a juvenile detention center and I can't deal with that, okay? You have no idea of what it's like to be in a place like that."
"They're not going to ship you off to a juvenile detention center." Mike didn't believe me.
"You want me to leave, don't you?" I snapped out on Mike. "You never did want me in the house. You and Barbara really want Jordan all to yourselves. Come on, Mike, say it?" I punched him on the arm. "Come on! Say it." I hollered at the top of my lungs. "Say it, you jerk!" I felt tears of anger swelling up inside. I didn't want Mike to see me cry but I couldn't help it.
"Say it! I know that's what you're