two

                                    

                                          
RALEIGH SAMIRA PEYTON
ST. LOUIS
GRADE 8
"Girl i'm doing this shit wether you like it or not. Either shut up and come along or gone home Samira."
Demontè was in his mood right now and I guess I was irking him even more. Him telling me to shut up did hurt my feelings a bit, but I decided not to worry about it too much.
School had just let out and me, Cadence, Demontè, and Rollie were all walking to a nearby park. They were about to fight.
"On my mama I'm finna do his ass." Tey Tey spoke to no one in particular. I sighed as the three boys all got lost in their own conversation, leaving me to think.
I was the only girl in our group. Well, they're the real group. I just tag along most of the time because Demontè likes having me around. He says I make him feel important. I like to think they consider me as a friend too regardless of me mainly being around for Demontè.
I also tag along because I don't have any other friends. Cadoe and Rollie were starting to feel like family I didn't know if they felt the same way though or if I was just a tag along.
We arrived to the park and there stood another group of boys that looked a little older than us which made me scared.
I looked ahead at Demontè as he lead the rest of us closer to the other boys. "Y'all deep as hell for what though." Cadoe chuckled.
"Man ain't nobody finna jump y'all ass, c'mon." A boy from the opposing side said. I started to get anxious, but this is how I always get whenever Demontè does something I don't agree with.
There were six of them and three of us- saying three because I don't count. There was no way Demontè, Cadoe, and Rollie were gonna win. We were only in eighth grade. The others looked more like freshmen, maybe sophomores.
I hate when he fights. He always fights.
Demontè dropped his backpack and his coat on the ground and I quickly picked them up before moving off to the side. He also hates bugs.
A lot of arguing started between the two groups, but it didn't take long for the actual fight to pop off.
Demontè and a boy that he had fought before were going one on one and Demontè was winning. He always does.
Soon enough, two boys had jumped in to help their friend stop losing and the other three began to fight with Cadoe and Rollie, making tears swell in my eyes. I always cry.
Demontè was on the ground with three boys all sending punches towards him. I looked around with pleading eyes, hoping someone would come and help them.
There was something about the boys being in danger; Demontè specifically, that made me cry. I don't want anything bad happening to them and even though I still stick around for all of it, thats just how I was.
"Get off of him!" I screamed, but obviously it didn't work. I dropped Tey Tey's belongings before trying my best to pull one of the boys off of him, but I was too little and too weak to make an impact.
I took a textbook from my backpack and swung it across one of the boys head. After that, I started windmilling. He stopped fighting Demonté and punched me in my stomach before pushing me down to the ground, making me drop my book.
The fall caused skin to scrape off of my knee and blood began to flow down my leg and onto my socks.
I cried even harder.
"Lil girl I'll beat your ass." I sat on the ground with a defeated expression.
you damn near did
Police sirens could be heard in the distance, but they were quickly getting closer. "We gotta shake, twelve coming!" The voice of one of the opposing teens spoke. The fight suddenly stopped and they all scurried away. 
Cadoe helped me and then Tey Tey off of the ground and he quickly grabbed his belongings before the four of us sped off into an alley.
I was limping more than running, but none of them had noticed my leg, so I tried to make it back home. 
"Guys, it hurts." I panted. "Can we stop?"
We all stood there looking around. I pointed to my leg with one hand and held my stomach with the other. He had punched me as if I was the one he was originally supposed to be fighting.
"How the fuck that happen?" Demontè dropped his stuff at the sight of me being hurt. Guess he didn't care about the bugs that much.
I liked that about him.
"He punched me and then pushed me because I hit him with a book." My bottom lip quivered.
"Who?" They all asked in unison. I shrugged.
Cadoe removed his shirt, revealing the white tee that was under his school uniform. He took that one off too, leaving him bare chested, and used it to clean the blood from my leg. Then, he tied it around my knee.
"You can walk the rest of the way?" I nodded my head even though I was lying. I didn't want them to worry about me.
We all stood there looking at eachother for a moment. I was mainly looking at the scars on Demontè's face. They had gotten him real good.
I didn't notice, but I had never stopped crying from when we were at the park. 
"Stop crying Raleigh. You ugly as shit." Rollie used his thumb to wipe my face, but it kind of hurt because he was doing it pretty aggressively, so I pushed his hands away from my face. 
"You always crying man." Cadoe spoke.
"Shut up." I mumbled while wiping my cold and wet chin. 
"We gone get you off this punk shit. Can't be hanging around me and all you do is cry." Cadoe complained. 
"I am not no punk." I smacked my lips. The boys all stale faced me. "Be so foreal."
"Okay maybe I am but only a little." They all gave me the same look as before. The "be deadass right now" look. 
"Its okay lil sis. We gone get you right." Rollie chimed in.
I focused my attention back to Demontè, but he had continued walking.
"Tey Tey are you okay?" I desperately tried to catch up to him, but my backpack and my knee was slowing me down. 
"Demontè?" I tapped his shoulder once I caught up, but he still didn't answer, so I stopped talking before he got the chance to yell at me and placed my hand into his. He looked down at my hand, but didn't move his and we all kept walking.
"I'm sorry." I whispered while taking my arm and cuffing it into his.
"Don't be. If you straight then I am too." He replied. "What you gonna tell your mom?"
"She probably won't even notice it." I shrugged. We all stopped considering we were now in front on my building which came first in the complex of small apartments.
"I'll see you guys later. Please be safe." I looked at everyone, gaining nods.
Demontè pulled me into a tight hug, resting his chin on top of my head because he was that tall.
"Im sorry I get you in so much shit. You too pure for this world." I didn't say anything back. I didn't know what exactly to say.
what does that even mean?
We pulled away from eachother and I gave them all a small wave before going inside.