Let Me Just Say This by B. Swangin Webster Read Free Book Online Page B

thug?”
    â€œB-but,” she stammered.
    â€œBut nothing. I have police coming to my house telling me about things I don’t have any idea about!”
    â€œB-but.”
    â€œShut up! You must be losing your damn mind!”
    â€œShe hit me first!” she yelled back, as if she had lost her mind.
    Cheryl didn’t see it coming, but her mother had slapped her just as hard as Brenda had and it stung even more since it was in the same side of her face.
    â€œWho do you think you are talking to?” her mom yelled. “I’m the parent here!”
    â€œBut she hit me first!” Cheryl yelled again.
    Her mother hit her with a closed fist this time and yelled at her, “You better not let me find out that you were fighting over some boy! Get out of my face!”
    â€œYou don’t care that she hit me?” Cheryl asked.
    â€œNo, I don’t! You embarrassed me acting like some stupid bitch in the street who doesn’t know the first thing about being a young lady.”
    â€œI am a young lady but everybody keeps on picking on me! Always pushing me and teasing me and y’all don’t even care!” she yelled at her mother.
    Her mother advanced towards her again but this time she stopped.
    â€œGo to your room!” she yelled while walking into the kitchen.
    Cheryl was hurt from so many things that had happened in the past few days that when she started to cry it all came rushing back. From Shaun disappearing on her after she didn’t sleep with him to her sister hitting her while her parents were gone to now her mother acting like she was the worst person in the world. She didn’t think she could take anymore. Maybe it was just better to not fight back. To let people treat you any kind of way because she felt that she was always on the losing end of everything anyway. She lay across her bed and cried until there were no more tears. Her heart was hurting and she didn’t know what to do about it.
    â€œHeard you got in a fight today,” her dad asked as he walked into her room.
    â€œYes sir.”
    â€œWell, Mr. Dayes called and we have to see him in the morning.”
    â€œYes sir.”
    â€œAre you hungry?” her mother asked from just outside her bedroom door.
    â€œNo ma’am,” she said, not looking up.
    â€œAre you feeling ok?” she asked while walking in and sitting next to her dad on her small bed.
    â€œI feel ok. Just tired,” she answered.
    â€œWell, if you don’t want to eat you can go back to bed. I will check on you later.” Cheryl burst into tears again and her dad rubbed her back and told her it would be ok. He told her that he would check on her later and to stay in bed and be ready to go by seven the next morning for their meeting with the principal.
    The phone started ringing and she heard her mother telling Shaun that she wasn’t feeling well.
    â€œOh, really? Oh, ok. I will tell her.” Cheryl closed her eyes when she heard her mother coming down the hallway towards her room.
    â€œCheryl, Shaun just called because he heard about thepolice coming over. I guess Deidre must have told him. Anyway, he called to tell me what happened. I’m sorry for not letting you tell me.”
    â€œIt’s ok.”
    Her mother put her hand on Cheryl’s head and smoothed her hair away from her face.
    â€œYou feel a little warm. Let me check your temperature.” Her mom rushed out of the room and Cheryl heard her telling her father that it felt as if she had a fever. When she came back and put the thermometer in her mouth, a minute later it confirmed what Cheryl already knew.
    â€œYeah, you are very warm. Do you want some water? Is your stomach hurting?”
    Whenever Cheryl got upset, her body shut down. This time was no different. Her mother tucked the blankets around her and rubbed her back.
    â€œJust sleep and I’ll come back in to check on you in a little while.”
    As her