Chapter 6

It was Johnson, the young cashier at the grocery store. I helped him up and we started to walk towards my house. Mama was sittin' on the porch reading a book. When she looked up and saw us, she gave us a double glance and screamed. She ran towards the boy and yelled, "MICHAEL! MICHAEL!" Dad came running out and said, "What's the-" His eyes bulged out when he looked at Johnson. Dad carried him into the house and place him on the couch. Mama went to get a bucket of water and a cloth. I held Johnson's hand. "What happened?" Dad asked. I told him. He got mad, clenched his fists, and asked me "What did the officer and the boys look like?" Mama was almost done wrapping up Johnson in bandages. He had a blackish-purplish right eye. He had several cuts on his left leg. His right leg was bruised and sprained. The nails on his pinkie and thumb were gone. Dad slammed the table and we all jumped. "Tell me who did this to you Johnson!" Johnson was in shock and couldn't speak. I told Dad instead. He started walk out the house. Mama went after him and said, "Michael! Don't go! They're gonna kill you!" Dad didn't listen to Mom. He continued to walk out. I let go of Johnson's hand. I wanted to go after Dad but Johnson took my hand back, held it firmly and gave me a pleading look. I clenched my mouth and sat back down. "Look how big your Dad is...I'm sure he'll be fine." He said with a weak smile. I looked down and said, "I hope so." I looked back up in concern. Johnson cleared his throat, and said, "My name is Atlas by the way. Thanks for helping me back there." "It was nothing." I blushed then asked him a question. "So, how old are you?"

"I'll be 18 next week," Atlas replied. "I'm going to have a big party, wanna come?" I looked at Mama but she didn't answer at first. Fear shot through her eyes as she walked to the kitchen and said, "NO!" I looked at Johnson, gave him a sad smile, and said, "Sorry, maybe another time." A black girl was recently murdered at a party in Louisiana. It's always been like this. I've started to convince myself that being white was right. I never get to have real fun just because of my skin color. I'm not white but I'm not black either. I'm mulatto. Mixed. It isn't a choice. Unfortunately, I'm gonna have to deal with it for the rest of my life. My train of thought was interrupted and I came back to reality when I heard Atlas say, "Hellooo...So, um, what's your name?" I looked up at him and said, "Mira. I'm 16." His eyebrows arched together as he said, "Are you okay? It's okay if those boys got you scared." Scared, me? I scoffed and said, "I'm fine. I'm not the one that's hurt." "MIRA!" Mom scolded me. I had this uncontrollable rage that suddenly surged through my veins. I rushed to my room and shut the door and jump on my bed. I didn't mean that. I just don't like being called a coward. I defended him and he goes and says something like that? Is he really a "nigga-lova"? Mama says I need to hold my head up with a stronger force because I'm a mixed gurl. I also need to control my anger. It's just hard sometimes. I don't want to be a damsel in distress. And I sure as hell don't want to be a crybaby. I take a few deep breaths and think about what I will say to Johnson's boy. As I'm about to open my door, someone knocks on it instead. I open the door all the way and see Atlas. He starts scratching the back of his neck, looks me straight in the eye, then says, "Look, I'm sorry. You just looked worried. I wasn't tryna put you down or nothin'. I ain't a bully." I smiled and said, "It's okay. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have snapped at you. Mama says I need to control my anger." Atlas smiles then says, "Naw, your good. It's okay to have a little fire in your system." I blushed then helped him back downstairs. Dad came back and watched us come down stairs. He gave us a sad smile and said, "I couldn't find those suckers. I'll take you home, Atlas." "Could I come?" I asked. "Sure." said Dad. We get into his pickup truck. Atlas and I sit in the back. I start looking out the window. Once we are on the main road, the sky had turned a deep blue. The moon and stars are following us tonight. "You goin' to Brookforest?" Atlas asked me. "Yeah, you?" He nodded his head and smiled. "We should walk together everyday." he suggested. I just smiled in response. When we got to his house, we traded numbers. Atlas's dad and my Dad traded numbers as well. They started to have a long conversation too. Atlas grabbed my hand and whispered, "Ya wanna see somethin?" I nodded my head. We ran and he lead me to a tall tree house in the back of his house. He helped me up the ladder and put out a fuzzy blanket on the wooden floor. We both laid down. He pressed a button and the top of the tree house started to open up. The view was incredible. A celestial ocean filled with stars. Atlas looked at my reaction and smiled. I smiled back. I, Mira Washington, had just made my first friend in the South. Maybe Mississippi isn't so bad after all. My initial thoughts were clouded by the stories and situations I only heard about before. Just like Mrs. Tracy, I can tell that Atlas is different. It gives me hope, hope that people like them actually exist.

I'm looking forward to the future.