CALYPSO.2

Hearing my alarm, I move my head just a little. I gag and jump up to lean over the bed. I throw up everything in my stomach, which is mostly liquid. I flutter my eyes open to see a bucket already filled with throw-up. After I few seconds, I realize that I’m not in my room.

“What the fuck” I mumble to myself.

I shift my leg just a little and feel nothing but pain between my legs. I didn’t right.? No way I got that fucked up.

I look behind me. Thankfully nobody is in the bed with me. I remember just about everything from last night. I just don’t remember anything after running upstairs and taking that edible. I definitely remember dancing on Massiah. I always kept my distance as much as possible. It’s just a little hard at times because my cousin, Melody, is dating his friend, Quan.

I turn my alarm off and grab my phone to look at the time. It’s 7:30 AM. I have to be at work at 8:45 and I’m not even at my house.

I quickly get out of the bed and grab my shoes. As I make my way to the door, I see my bathing suit top, bottoms, and jacket lying on the floor. I glance down at what I have on to see that I have on a large shirt that reaches my knees.

What the fuck did I do last night.? I thought to myself. As my mind fills with a million possible scenarios, I grab my things off the floor and make my way out of the room. I rush down the stairs and make my way to the front door.

Shit, my keys. I stopped in front of the door. For some odd reason, I can feel eyes on me but I ignore the feeling. I shake my jacket and my keys fall out. I pick them up and walk outside. I run across the lawn to the last place I parked my car last night.

My legs are fucking killing me right now, but I don’t even want to think about what happened last night. I was keeping my virginity until I got married, but clearly, that went out the window last night. I hope he used a condom because I don’t want a kid. Especially since I work with kids on the spectrum every day. Also, I don’t want to be attached to him for the rest of my life.

⇟

I just got to my job and thankfully I’m not too late. I gotta get the kids off the bus and I don’t think I’m gonna be able to get through the day. My stomach is eating at me, my head is pounding, and I feel like I’m gonna vomit again. I haven’t eaten yet either.

As I walk through the door, I spot Kieth standing behind the desk with a smile. He works at the front desk and with the teens when they get here after school. The girls I work closely with think he likes me. He’s cute and all, but I don’t want to get into a relationship or anything with him because I work with him. Not closely, but we still work together.

“Wassup gorgeous. Long night?” He stands up, setting the clipboard on the counter.

“Very. Is Tonya here yet?”

“Nah, she not coming in today. Shawn’s here though.” He hands me a pen. “You want me to get her?”

Taking the pen, I flip through the pages until I find a blank sign-in sheet. Every morning he wants me to write the date on the guest sign-in sheet. He says it’s because I have perfect handwriting. After writing the date, I pull the page out and put it on the top.

“Nope, I need Tonya. It’s cool though” I adjust my bag on my shoulder. I started walking around the desk.

“Ight, you eat breakfast?”

“No, let me know what you getting” I push the double doors open.

Feeling my phone vibrate, I pulled it out of my back pocket. It’s Melody and I’m not surprised she’s just now checking on me. It’s the same thing everytime I go out with her. I never learn my lesson, but I’m done for real this time. I’m never going out with her by myself again. I love my cousin, but since she’s been dating Quan I’ve been getting left behind for dead.

Mel💕 You made it home? I’m just getting up nd saw the car was gone. Drell said you was with siah so I ain’t wanna bother yall… he ain’t do nun right.? Unless you did sum..👀

Dreamy🫶🏽 at work.

Mel💕 I need the deets when you get off!!!!!!!! Read 8:52 AM

Rolling my eyes, I push my phone in my pocket and continue walking to room 134. I glance out the bus loop door to see a bus. I already know none of my kids is on this bus because of the bus number.

As I turn the corner, Shara bumps into me. This is so not gonna be my day. I can feel it already.

“Shit” I mutter.

“That’s my fault, I wasn’t looking. I brought donuts for us. Loni bringing orange juice” Shara smiles.

“That’s if she actually comes” I roll my eyes.

“She said she was a few minutes away. I’m surprised she even getting here on time” Shara giggles.

I smile, “Shit I’m surprised she up on time, but ima go put my things down and ima come back out.”

“Bet”

We split ways and I continued walking to the classroom. I open the door to the playground and walk across to the room. I love that our room is right in front of the playground. It makes it easier to get the kids back in the classroom because they’re super active and when they elope, they can’t get far because of the gates.

I walk into the classroom to see our head teacher, Aalisha, setting the kids breakfast on a table. I love the females I work with. Our energy matches and we never clash with each other. The kids match our energy too. All of us are extremely goofy and like to play. Thankfully when it’s time to do work, most of the kids will sit down at the table. The problem is just getting them to follow instructions like “wait” or “don’t touch it yet”. Thirteen kids and four of us staff. It’s a lot sometimes, but I love it. I’m hoping not all of the kids come today.

“Good morning” I set my Stanley on the counter.

“Morning, how was your night? Did you go?” Aalisha asks.

“I did and I lowkey regret it”

I walk past Aalisha and open the fridge. I pull my fruits out of my purse and set them in the fridge. When I close the fridge, I’m faced with her looking at me like my mother does when she wants me to continue talking. It’s giving ‘spill the tea’ right now.

“Let’s just say I might have lost my virginity when my cousin left me for her nigga” I quickly say before biting down on my lip.

Her eyes widen. “WHAT?”

“Yeah, I can’t even tell you how it happened because I don’t know. Also, you don’t wanna know with who” I tuck my lips in.

“Please tell me, not the boy that said yo body blessed” She crosses her arms.

“Oh god no. I’d kill myself” I walk towards the closet.

“Then who.?”

“Not telling that part,” I mumble.

I open the closet and walk inside. I set my purse on the shelf and walk back out. Aalisha is still staring at me waiting for me to finish. I really don’t want to tell her who because she’s close to Massiah’s ex-girlfriend. The bitch just as crazy as he is and I don’t need her trying to play crazy with me for him. She can have him because I don’t want him.

“Not telling” I grab my walkie-talkie from the charger.

I look down at my watch to check the time. It’s 8:58. I head out of the classroom to the bus loop. I’m lowkey ready to get this day over with.

⇟

“Elijah” Kieth says on the walkie-talkie. “It’s his brother”

It’s dismissals and I gotta take my babies that stay after school back to the room. Illoni going with me since she’s my assistant counselor for after school. I lead my after-school class. Aalisha is still cleaning the room.

“Donny stay with Loni” I set Adonis’s snacks in front of him. “Lijah clean up, bestie”

“Help me” Elijah yells.

I push my hair behind my ear and go to Elijah, who’s in his corner. I make him sit near the wall because his clumsy ass can never sit still. He stumbles over everything and I rather him sit at the corner of the table by the wall than between two other kids and hurt one of them or himself. He moves less by the wall.

“Bestie, you don’t have to yell” I grab his chips and roll the bag.

As I pull his lunchbox, he tries to put his open juice inside but I grab it before he can. I close the bottle before letting him lay it inside the lunchbox. After we clean up everything, Kieth speaks on the walkie-talkie again.

“Elijah 134. His brother is picking him up”

I grab the walkie-talkie, “We’re coming”

“I wanna say it” Elijah snatchs it from me.

I don’t know who his brother is, but he never picks him up so he needs to stop rushing people. It’s always grandma who picks him up.

“I coming” Elijah puts the walkie to his face.

“Ready?”

“Ready” he grabs my hand.

I grab his backpack and walk him out of the cafeteria. He starts walking fast, almost falling, but I pull him up.

“Take your time, best”

“I got it” he pushes his glasses up.

“You sure cause it don’t look like it. You gone fall if you don’t take your time” I look up, kind of looking for his brother. I see nobodyECKECK nobody, but Kieth in the front.

When we reach the double doors, Elijah lets go of my hand and attempts to run off but he falls. I set his backpack and lunchbox on the floor to help him up.

“Nigga, why you running?”

I look up to see Massiah. We make eye contact and I can tell he’s just as surprised as I am. Great. This is his brother. Why does he have to be related to my favorite kid.?

“I not running” Elijah slurs.

I stand up straight, “Um- Lijah had a really good day today. We worked on tracing and cutting. He didn’t really sit still to get to the cutting, but I did help him trace his name. He had therapy today as well. They said he-“

Massiah cuts me off, “You ain’t gotta tell me all that”

I push my hair behind my ear and take Elijah’s backpack and lunchbox from Kieth. I hand it to Massiah, trying not to look up at him.

“Bestie, I need my walkie” I hold my hand out.

Elijah put it in my hand, “Bye bestie”

I smile and watch him walk to the door. Well more like stumbled. He got a drunk walk for real, but I love it.

“Yo, can I talk to you outside real quick?” Massiah says.

“Negative” I turned on my heel and headed back to the cafeteria.

Nigga doesn’t even know my name and wanna talk to me after last night. I’m good. I just hope he used a condom because I want zero attachments to him. He scares too many niggas for me and I don’t need the nigga I actually want to be scared to talk to me because they think I belong to him.