My Destiny

Chapter 3 - Kite High

Destiny could hear what sounded like her name. Maybe she was dreaming. She was probably still in bed. Maybe even on the verge of being late again. Hopefully, it was a dream. That would mean that she still had a chance to make it to school on time.

"Destiny?"

There it was again. She wanted to get up and see what the hell was going on but couldn't pull it together. Then she felt a nudge. Destiny dragged her head up from the desk and connected eyes with Ms. Hayes.

"Now, you know good, and well, I don't allow sleeping in my class."

"Yeah, I know." Destiny rested her head in her palm, still trying to pull it together.

"I don't feel good." Destiny lied. She scanned the room and found most of the class staring dead at her. Had she really fallen asleep in class? She honestly couldn't remember coming into the classroom.

"So, do you want a pass to the office?" Ms. Hayes asked, irritation eeking through her pretentious attempt at showing concern. Destiny could tell she didn't care one way or another.  Awake or not. She just didn't want Destiny to appear disengaged in her classroom.

"Naw, I'm okay." Destiny sat up straight and opened her notebook.

Satisfied with her effort, Ms. Hayes headed back towards her smartboard. The fifteen minutes it took for the bell to ring felt every bit like thirty. Destiny slowly collected her backpack and felt so chill, and she just about floated out of the room.

She never expected to get that high off some silly ass piece of a weed brownie. At first, she just figured Andre had gotten cheated, because she didn't feel anything for close to an hour. She was walking into her third-hour English class when she felt it kick in. Everything was mostly a blur after that. She couldn't wait to catch up with him.

"What's up with you today?" Charlotte stood next to Destiny at her locker, one hand on her hip. "You stay out too late last night? I see you didn't even text me back."

"Girl, no. I was sleep. I didn't go anyway last night. You know I had the twins."

"Oh yeah, your twins. I forgot you were their main caregiver."

"Don't start, Charlotte."

"I'm just saying. It's like you went out and got knocked up and now you gotta deal with the consequences. Only they're not your actions, though."

"Yeah, I know." Destiny was tired of having to hear Charlotte complain about her having to take care of her brothers. The good thing was, her rhetoric was sobering.

"When is the last time she was even home?"

Destiny thought about lying, but Charlotte knew her too well and would probably know right away.

"Sunday." Destiny didn't bother to connect eyes with Charlotte because she knew what she would see.

"Hmpff, " she said, shaking her head. "That's a damn shame."

"At least I know they safe. And gonna be taken care of."

Charlotte seemed to resent Destiny having to care for her brothers more than she did. Probably because she had one little sister, and any time she babysat, she got paid for it. Like, a lot.

Destiny didn't feel resentful having to take care of the twins. Hell, she actually felt at peace about it.  She knew her mother was taking advantage of her, but she didn't care. She just wanted to make sure they were okay. Most weeks, her mother stayed with her boyfriend in Westland. Good. She was always yelling at them and being mean anyway. Only because she wanted to get back to her beloved pill-popping "fiance" Jeffery.  He was a whole joke, and she couldn't believe how stupid her mother was being.

Destiny couldn't stand that fool. He was really just using her mother for her -- actually the twins' -- checks. Their father died when they were 3, and they got his social security. Meanwhile, her mother enabled this fool, working weekends when she felt like it, using her carpal tunnel as a reason why she couldn't work consistently. She had filed for Social Security "disability" twice and been denied both times, even after she hired a lawyer. She refused to give up, though. Destiny figured she was just hoping to get three checks so she would never have to work.

She didn't have time to work anyway. She was too busy trying to watch Jeffery. Not Jeff, but Jeffery because he didn't like his name shorten. Destiny made it a habit to call him Jeff everything time she saw him. Her mother would get on her as soon as Jeffery was out of earshot.
"I know you're doing that on purpose, Destiny!"

"What? Oh, ma bad." Destiny would half-ass apologize, making it apparent that she couldn't care less about Jeffery's feelings.

"So, DeAndre tell you about the game tomorrow? It's supposed to be at Cass Tech."

"What kinda game?"

"Girrrrllll! What is you, high? Basketball."

"Oh, I didn't know," Destiny said, shrugging. If Charollett only knew how on point she was.

"Hell, I don't know. He didn't even ask me."

"Alright, I'll tell him you going too. I'm sure he won't mind. Just make sure you have your baby sitter lined up." Charlotte said, walking away without a second glance. Anyone walking by would have thought for sure had a whole baby.