She's Too Young Continued

                                    

                                          
CHAPTER 17
                          
"Girls fall in love with what they hear, boys fall in love with what they see;
that's why girls wear makeup
and boys lie." 
                          
People clapped and cheered as the choir sang "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder.
Gradually, we all lined up, row by row, to leave out of the front doors of the church.  
                          
Passing kids pointed at me and stared; but I didn't think anything of it, until Kevin wrapped his jacket around me and whispered into my ear that there was blood on the back of my dress.
He offered to buy me some pads and clothes, to make me feel better; my only problem with his offer was he spoke far too loudly.
                          
"Sorry about that," Tyson whispered into my ear, before he grabbed me again, for the third time today.
An elderly woman, walking behind us, hit Tyson with her hand fan and yelled, "HOW DARE YOU SIN IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD!"  
I undoubtedly made the mistake of laughing, and I was hit too.
She then directed all of her attention toward me, as she scolded me with her eyes and battered me with her words.
                          
"And you, you nasty little girl, your mama's eyes may be closed; but I see right through you. And how these two young men look at you, you should be ashamed of yourself," the little old woman recited, through the grit of her teeth.  
Tyson and Kevin remained quiet. They never let go of my hands; their grips only tightened.
I kept my head down, trying to ignore the little old woman's cries, as we slowly walked outside the church.
                          
Her voice faded away, overpowered by the cheering crowd.  Rice was thrown into the air, as our parents walked through the crowd.  
Before disappearing into the SUV, just married was written in cherry red lipstick on the back window.
*
                          
Not long after the hour drive to the wedding's after-party, food was finally served, and the smell of fried chicken and macaroni and cheese lingered in the air.
I watched my mom and Tyson's dad dance from my corner seat while Tyson and Kevin also danced to the slow-paced music, horribly offbeat, not too far from them.
                          
They caught me watching them and walked over to me, pulling me into a group hug. Kevin said he loved me for the hundredth time, and Tyson whispered in my ear, "But he can't have you."
I broke from the group hug and was fixing my ugly pink dress when the DJ announced it was time for my mom to throw the flowers.
                          
As I walked in front of everyone piled up waiting for my mom to throw the flowers, Tyson's words repeated in my head. I hoped that they would be watching me and would see the beauty in me that I struggled to see within myself.
I hesitantly turned my head, to look in their direction. The only one watching me was Kevin, 'cause Tyson was already with someone else while I, on the other hand, failed to pay attention to what went on.  

                          
I was unexpectedly hit in the head with the small bouquet of flowers, then jumped on by a group of Tyson's overweight aunts.
"GET THE HELL OFF ME!"
I kept yelling, until Kevin pulled me out from underneath Tyson's toppled aunts.
A throbbing pain in my ankle kept me off my right leg, so Kevin had to carry me over to a nearby chair. He kept asking if I was okay while rubbing on my ankle; but I didn't bother to answer, because I didn't see the point.
Suddenly, out of the blue, he offered to take me away from there and, of course, I said yes like it was an once-in-a-lifetime offer.
                          
Kevin was just so happy to hear that I finally needed him. He smiled, picked me up bridal-style, and carried me to the exit, where we were stopped by Tyson's dad.
                          
"What's going on?" he asked us.
I showed him the mark forming around my ankle.
He told me to just put some ice on it.
Kevin wasn't too happy to hear what he had to say and told him to mind his own fucking business.
After placing me back into a seat, he told me to wait there, as if I had much of a choice.
Before disappearing into the kitchen in the back, Tyson's father followed him, asking him to repeat what he had said.
*
                          
As hours passed, I began to worry because Kevin nor Tyson's father had returned, yet.
Tyson started to make his way over to me, with his usual malicious smile.
                          
I asked him if he had seen his father, but the way he pronounced words made him sound as if he was feeling the drink in his hand. He called me baby, knowing that I hated when he called me baby, and told me that I needed to chill.
Kevin reappeared from out of the kitchen, breathing heavily, like he had been running. He asked me if I was ready to go.
Tyson, clutching his phone in his hand, looked at me as if I was supposed to say no.
I took one look between the two of them and said yes.

                          
Kevin didn't even bother to speak to Tyson; all he cared about was catering to me.  He picked me up from the chair and carried me to the exit in the kitchen.

                          
We walked about a block or two, then Kevin asked me to turn around and count to three.
I did. When I turned around, he wasn't there; so, I turned back around and counted to twenty, slowly.
Once again, he wasn't there as I turned around to an empty street.

                          
I heard Kevin yell, "Turn around."  
And so I did, for what I swore would be the last time. I didn't need a do-over, this time. This time around, when I turned and opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was an all-white BMW.
Parked jaggedly on the sidewalk, the backseat was neatly packed with bags on top of bags of clothes and shoes, and a bouquet of flowers sat upright in the passenger's seat.