I looked at him.  At that moment, our frequency aligned, and his lips touched mine. A spark pops off in my mouth. “What are we?” He asked, breaking up the kiss, with his monster pressing against his pants, I looked at him again, “I'm ruby!” “You a pervert,” I busted out laughing.  He grabbed me by my waist and threw me over his shoulder, and threw my body into the bed. “Donte, what are you doing?” I screeched! He held his mouth to my neck and left me motionless. Again, his mouth sent tingles up my spine. 

“Take off your clothes,” he whispered in my neck. I thought about it and slowly slid my clothes off. He stood over me, looking at my body again. I started to feel awkward about my scar again Until I felt his hands rub all over my naked body. At first, it took me by surprise, but I grew used to and comfortable with his touch. All my worries and stress melted off. The online and in-school college was taking a toll on my body, but donte seemed to know exactly when & where to touch me. I moaned into the pillow, begging him not to stop! That was until I felt his monster in my back. “Really!” I shouted at him. He laughed awkwardly at the situation. “stop moaning then”

“Do you want me to stop?” He asked, “no, please don’t!” I begged him. He dug deeper into my flesh, pressing every muscle with equal force. I felt myself drooling, and I drifted off.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The next day

Eyes were still on me. Tamera giggled every time I came into the room. Mera and Donte's nephew had gotten close. He followed her everywhere he was like her shadow or sidekick, he didn’t miss a beat. I swear I was going to name him Tamera number two. Donte thought it was cute, and I thought it was funny. The two having interest was innocent, and to my surprise, what Donte and I had also was considered innocent. Which is strange for adults.

But Donte kept it clean and fun he respected the fact that I am a virgin and so far, he hasn’t gone against that. We all sat down to watch a movie and ate popcorn. Donte had a movie theatre in one of his rooms, so it was beautiful and dark. During movie night Those two-kept giggling he even fed her popcorn. “Tyreese don't get too comfortable,” he said out loud, making him take his hands-off Tamera.

And through it all, Valencia sat there chilling not bothered at all its been months. She didn’t have any interest in boys. But even so, Tamera told me that she never spoke a word to him. Tamera laughed extra hard at his jokes. I honestly felt bad that he had to leave as soon as the break was over. But they exchanged numbers and kept in touch. “Let’s talk, Valencia,” I said to her, pulling her into one of Donte’s rooms. I shut the door and patted the bed for her to take a seat. “What’s up, ma?” She said, smirking at me. “Well, the dance is coming up, and it seems that you don’t have a date,” I explained to her. She looked at me, can you go with me?  “As sweet as it is,” “no,” “you’re supposed to have a date.” I was concerned that she wasn’t social. “Any guys ask you yet?” I asked, “No, not yet,” she said, holding her head down. I grabbed her face and kissed her forehead. “Its okay somebody will come,” I told her.  “college guys like a different type of girl,” she explained.

She looked at me, scanning my face. “Am I ugly?” She asked. My heart hurt at that moment. “You are far from it,” “inside and out!” I snapped. “Why do you feel ugly?” I asked her. “I can’t help it!” She shouted out with tears running down her face. I was a young teenager too, so I remember the days where no matter how hard I tried, I felt ugly, but thanks to Monica, I never felt that way again.

She has to be going through a lot, but she keeps it bottled up, and it was time to talk. I love her and needed to make sure that she was okay.

“Nobody ever has anything to say to me,” Valencia said.  Lencia was taking online classes, but she had other courses on campus.

“I mean ma you and tam are my only friends,” she cried out with her voice going hoarse. I grabbed her and squeezed her. “What can I do?” I asked her. “What can I do to make you believe me?” “you are not ugly inside or out,” I asked her, my eyes starting to water.

“You can’t say or do anything,” she said coldly. “I hate myself; it’s simple.” Those words angered me as beautiful as she is, she still feels this way? I looked at her freckles and long natural hair and her beautiful eyes. I admired how she could pull off braces. She had a lighter skin tone than me, but her skin was flawless.

So the problem had to be deeper than the skin, and I didn’t know how to fix that I only knew what I knew.

I started to strip entirely out of my clothes. Lencia eyes grew big as I exposed my scar. I was no longer ashamed. “Your turn,” I said, pointing at her. She stood up and undressed covering her body, I moved her hands. She had scars and burns imprinted on her skin. My heart sank, but I wasn’t about to ask her questions, not right now. I pulled her in front of the full-body mirror, and I made her face herself. She wore saran wrap on her stomach, and she had strapped her breast down. I always thought she was flat-chested, but hers turned out to be bigger than mine. No words entered the room. Lencia closed her eyes and didn’t look in the mirror. I shook her until she opened her eyes, looking at me. She looked into the mirror and dropped a pound of tears. I slowly unwrapped her body, letting her be free. I finally spoke up. “I love myself,” I said to her, “but I just recently accepted myself.”

She looked at me in my eyes, “this scar ran my life, I told her.” She looked at me, taken in my every word. “I can’t love myself,” she mumbled. “Look at me,” she said, grabbing her stomach meat. I pulled at mine also you are a beautiful girl trust me I don’t just tell anybody that. “This scar is a reminder of my mistakes Monica would be here today” “if… I wasn’t drinking and trying to be grown with strangers; we would have never been kidnapped, and I would have never got stabbed by flying glass, and Monica would have never flown into the windshield.” “This scar is an apart of me. “yours have a story as well, and until you are ready to talk about them, I won't force you,” I told her. I should have noticed that she rarely eats, and she always has a smile on her face, but her eyes don’t match it was burning me up inside I thought it was just college stress and high school. But I guess it was something she was dealing with before me.

I couldn’t do this alone! I wrapped a sheet around myself and ran to find it. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------he front door swung open, and the ambulance carried her out on a stretcher. Dad chased after her. “Chelsea!” He screamed her arm hung off the gurney. She had a small tattoo on her hand with the initials c.w. Chelsea walker at that moment Valencia remembered her mother’s name, Her dad kept avoiding talking about her. Valencia wiped her tears.

Ruby ran to Donte and asked him to call his nephew over, and I explained the situation. He understood that even though he was upset also.  “I suffered through body issues when I was young, also,” he said. “it's deeper than that!” I explained without telling him everything. She needed a support circle, and we were all that she had.

Donte decided to throw a senior and college party for Valencia. She said she had no friends and no one noticed her I needed to see if it was true. Valencia wasn’t aware of this, so I hope it didn’t make the situation worst. She needed to see that she wasn’t alone.

-The next day -

An hour had gone by the party started at 5 pm, but no one showed up. At 6:05, people were knocking on the door. I lured lencia into the pool I made her wear a two-piece swimsuit because she thought it was just us. Minutes after being in the pool, music blasted. She looked in the direction of music to find a party walking into the pool area.  She sank underwater, hiding her body. But it was pointless tons of kids jumped in. Donte rolled out behind the bar; he had removed all the liquor and replaced it with juice and wine coolers. I didn’t want anybody to get drunk and pregnant over here. I had already told the kids from Tyreese and Lancia's school,  this is Lancia's house party. At first, everybody was acting funny until I walked up, calling them out. I wasn’t going to have anybody acting weird about my baby.

I saw a couple of boys walk up to her trying to start a conversation, but she kept trying to cover herself up. I ran into the house and brought her a swimsuit cover-up I didn’t want to push her.  “Where is she at?” Some girl yelled! “In the pool,” somebody pointed the girl swam over to lencia getting in her face. Was there trouble? I was watching to see what would transpire. I couldn’t hear what she was saying over the music, but whatever she said had lencia turning red and blushing. I had never seen her do that with anybody. “What was this girl saying, and who was she?” “don’t be nosey,” donte said, pulling me away after minutes of that girl being here. 

Lencia whole attitude changed; she walked around the pool in her two-piece. She laughed and hooked on to this girl I had questions, but I just let her be. I watched Donte bartender for the kids his beautiful self-smiling the young girls they were flirting hard. It was so innocent. I went back inside; he followed me shortly after. “Here something to drink,” he said, handing me a cup. I laughed taking a drink to my surprise; it burned my throat.  “Whoa, hey, what’s this?” I asked him, “Juice, I think,” he said, shrugging. “Somebody left it.” He said after I had drunk the cup.  “Wait, You think?” “You just handed me a random drink?” He smiled his innocent smile. “What am I drinking?” I asked him, “I don’t know ma somebody left it,” he said like it wasn’t serious, “really Donte?” “I don’t know where these kids have been?” I said and was shocked after I said it. “Here, ma,” he stated, handing me a cooler. I sipped it because it tasted like candy. After 13 of them, I started to slur my words.  It had been a long time since I drunk.

Donte thought it was funny. Lencia and her friend left, and the party lasted a while until people were ready to go. Donte sat and watched me. I had a slight waddle; he thought it was funny.  He sipped his cup. “YOU’RE A pussy because I drank 13, and you are on the same cup.” I teased, “I’m drinking adult juice,” he said, smirking.  “And… whoah, you have a potty mouth when you drink,” he was amused.I looked at him then snatched his cup of adult juice! “Please!” I said, pouring his cup into my lungs. I sat for a moment later; my chest felt like I had just ingested fire! I screamed, “help me,” “help me.” I panicked hoarsely! 

Donte hopped up, but then he fell over laughing.  I was dying, and he was smiling. I knew he was trying to kill me! After at least 10 minutes, my chest stopped burning, but my voice was completely blown out. Donte had carried me into the bed, and I was drifting off. He sat and massaged my feet, and I passed out.  I awoke to loud moaning Was somebody having sex?