The Rarely Rested Lives of the Dallas Sweet Talkers

It's so beautiful isn't it? Rain that is. It's like the sky is crying, like those gray clouds of misery can actually have emotions. When it touches your skin, so freezing cold. The way it smells, so fresh, like it washes everything away and you can start anew, start fresh. Isn't that what everyone wants? A new start, A second chance at this painful thing called life. For me and Kaht, my friend, or more like my sister. That's what we did. We gave up everything, ran way from our foster parents and started new. I'd trust Kaht with my life, and we have gone through times where the only things keeping us alive was eachother. Our foster parents Daniel and Jerry. So many needless beatings. They saw us as a check that they got from the goverment each month they kept us in that hell. That lock on the refrigerator? Was that really needed? We were already starved as it is. Knowing we were scared of the dark, and you'd lock us in a dark damp smelly room with a matress and call that piece of shit our bed. Well you know what. Fuck you. I bet ya'll don't even give a fuck about where we are now. And me and Kaht honestly don't give a shit where ya'll are too.
***
Opening my eyes into tiny slits, staring at the ceiling of my room I could feel my heart racing, and I couldn't move. The same thing each morning, not being able to move and barely being able to breath..
Kaht didn't know about the night terrors, at least I don't think she did. Slowly my body gained, I guess you could say 'consciousness', and I slowly raised up. My long brown hair was in a mess, and my sheets were ripped a bit. "I must of had a nightmare, again." I uttered.
Looking to the window, it was raining. My eyes scanned the blue walls until they found the clock radio. It read six in the morning. I might as well get up, I thought. My room was covered in anime drawings, most depressing and dark. I could feel the cold tile on my feet as I struggled to get out of bed. Well my poor excuse for a bed it was a pallet made up of covers and a pillow or two. My room was neat and organized unlike Kaht's. The few pairs of shoes I had were in a little shelf by the door. My shirts were hanging on a bar above the shelf, most of them were very colorful. Jeans and shorts of course were loosely packed in a hopechest that fit snug in the right corner of my room.
Belts hung by a rack on my door. In one corner I had a desk with a small laptop that I had stole from Daniel and Jerry. I illegally used Jude's WiFi connection even thought I'm sure he wouldn't mind even if I told him about it. I made the most of what I had, I earned a few bucks doing random art for a couple of the kids at my school. And some days Jude would let me do some work around Silver Snail and I'd earn a few bucks there. Pennies adding up to quarters, quarters adding up to dollars and so on. I was still in my boy shorts and a loose tank. I picked my clothes out. A pair of rainbow knee high converse I owned, well they were Kaht's but she grew out of them. Ripped skinny jeans. I couldn't decide wether to wear my TWLOHA shirt or my love is your drug Ke$ha shirt.
Eventually, I picked the Ke$ha shirt, I didn't want a million question about what TWLOHA meant on my first day of highschool. Staring at the belts hanging on my door I didn't know which one to pick. Wanting to look bright and cheery to mask how I really felt, I went with my belt with yellow smiley's on it. I pulled everything on in what seemed like seconds, but the clock told me 20 minutes. Sitting at my desk I had used a big piece of glass I had found on the side of the street once to make a makeshift mirror. It took so much duct tape to put that thing their. Looking at myself in the mirror, I looked so tired and so afraid. Closing my eyes I sighed and opened them again, I froze, I was terrified. I saw a reflection of Jerry in the mirror. I shook my head slightly and closed and squinted my eyes, it dissapeared.
Taking a brush to my hair I pulled out chunks of hair, I hated my curly hair. It was such a hassle. I pulled one of my drawers open to find my Chia Iron. I had saved up for a year to get that thing. It was one of my most prized possesions. I took it in my palm and glided it over my hair and watched the curls dissapate until there was nothing but a silky smooth sraight line. One section after another it was finally done. Almost 7. I placed a black bow in my hair. I had a drawer full of hair bows, it's like I collected them. I applied my eyeliner, it was turquoise. I ran across my room to get my doll eye contacts. They made my blue eyes pop. Setting them in my eyes I blinked. Last but not least my nose stud. It was a simple black dot, barely noticable. It was now 7. I scrambled to go wake up Kaht. Bursting into her room I saw her lazily laying on her matress. I kneeled down and jabbed my fingertip into her side begging and whining for her to get up.
After about 15 minutes I grabbed her arm and tried to yank her out, she shoved me and I hit the ground with a yelp. She began to get ready and I ramble about school, and how much I loved it. I loved to learn new things, people call me weird. Wanting to get to school early I leave and slam the door behind me making the few paintings on the wall surely jump a inch or two. I bursted out the doors of Silver Snail with my bag hitting my back. Our term school was only a couple blocks East so I made my way. Singing a little All time low tune. "I wanna feel weightless, and that should be enough." I said in a soft whisper.
Dallas was a big city, so much sounds. I looked so different from most of the people walking the sidewalks. Some called a occasional taxi or two. It was my first day of highscool and I was hella nervous. Freshman beatdown. Arcadia High School [AHS] was pretty big, not the biggest but pretty big. Our grade had around 100 people I think. I started jogging only being a block away, I wanted to get away from the sounds. I looked to my Hello Kitty watch it was about to be 7:45 and I turned to a sprint.
Coming up onto the campus so many people were entering the doors. Arcadia was a fairly new highschool, built about 10 years ago. I could hear the crunch of grass under my feet as i stepped onto the Actual campus. Their were alot of trees, and I could see alot of couples sitting under them, one guy was on his guitar singing to his girlfriend. The preps were in their corner giggling, the nerds were reading, the stoners just talking, and the outcasts just..sitting their. I didn't fit in anywhere, I only knew a couple people, such as Samantha and Amber. We hanged out a bit, but Amber was Samantha's sister and she hated me with a passion for no reason. My converses hit the concrete steps and I entered Highschool for the first time. It immedietly felt like a hostil atmosphere. I few guys tugged at my hair and I heard someone make a remark about fresh meat. "Assholes." I muttered. Seeing the office I entered and asked from my schedule, the lady at the desk I think her name is Mrs. Klein handed me a piece of paper. Have a good day she said, and I wished her one too.
My locker number was 617, and upon finding it I slammed it open. Not noticing there was someones hand right by me I heard a scream of pain. "I'm sorry!" I yelped. I hadn't even looked at his face but I took his hand and saw it bleeding, reaching into my pocket I pulled out a hello kitty band-aid and pressed it onto the wound. I did it all in seconds, like by instinct.
"It's ok, embrace the pain." I heard a voice say, and it was heavenly. I looked up and realized it was from the guy I had slammed my locker door into. Piecrcing blue eyes, he had. Ditry blonde hair and it was covering one of his eyes a tad.
I turned my head to the side blushing, "Sorry about that." I was barely able to squeak out. He just ruffled my hair and walked off with a few words.
"I'm Steven, see ya." and with that he was gone. I stared as he walked off. He was in some skinny jeans and DC shoes with a simple blue T-shirt.
The clock on my hand beeped 7:55, and no sooner the bell rang. My ears hurt, I hated loud sounds. I shoved my things into my locker and took my math supplies, it was first period. Math class waas oddly very close to my locker. Entering the room I got a blast of Vanilla scented candle. The room was, very, colorful. Walking to the front of the class I picked the third aisle first desk. Sitting down and laying my bag right by me I took out a pen and started to draw on my hand. Drawing about 100 stars I heard a familiar voice. "Oh hey, it's you again." Tilting my head to the left I saw that guy again, Steven is his name.
"Uh, hi?" I said in a soft tone.
"Is this seat taken?" he asked setting his hand on the desk behind me. I just shook my head no out of shyness. Sitting down he just whistled a tune, it sounded like My chemical romance welcome to the black parade.
"When I was a young boy, my father took me into the city to see a marching band." I sang in tune with his whistling. "Son, when you grow up will you be you be the savior of the beaten, the broken, and the damned." I barely whispered it.
I saw a sly smile come across his face out of the corner of my eye. "You liste-" and he was cut off by the bell. I hadn't even noticed the other kids that had piled into the room. But there were many, they all looked drastically different. I heard a door shut and looked to the teacher, he was old. But nice looking. He was bald with a mustache. He remined me of Dr.Phil. He walked very sternly and stiff like. He had masculine body language. You could tell, he wouldn't take anyones shit.
I heard a booming big voice, and it came from him. "I'm Mr. Barnett and I will be your arethemetic teacher." Arethemtic, oh yeah he was old. Any other younger person would have said math. I felt a sharp poke at my back, I've never been the kind of person to cry out in pain. I just winced and reached behind and rubbed my thumb where I had felt the pain. Something struck my hand, it crumpled like paper. Mr.Barnett was writing his name and the schedule times on the board. Clenching the paper in my hand. I opened it very quietly and read, I like your hair, and at the bottom it had been signed S.M. in bubble letters. Scribbling thank you, I passed it back behind. I felt him grasp the note in his hand, and he took his finger and traced it across my thumb. I bit my nails horribly and I panicked, they probably looked horrible.
I immedietly pulled my hand back. I clenched my fists and cursed under my breath. Mr. Barnett passed out some paper and I had to pass some back. Steven took the paper I was supposed to have. "Hey give th-" and he handed it back. Taking the other peaper and passing them back. I saw at the bottom the page was written a tiny message. I like bitten nails don't worry about it, was written on it. My heart began to beat faster and faster. Who the hell was this guy? And why the fuck was he paying attention to me.
I shoved it out of my head and concentrated on my paper. It was one of those lame ass 'get to know me' papers, filling it out I hurled it at Mr.Barnett. "Done." I said and he took the paper in his hand.
"Why are their slashes in what people say they like about you?" He asked.
"Because, no one likes me." I said.
He just stood there, "I'm sure someone does." He said in a playful kind of voice.
"Nope." I said. I felt a poke at my back turning around I saw Steven moving his head from left to right in disagreement.
"That's not true." He said.
"Whatcha mean?" I asked.
"I like ya." He said with a grin. I just sat there with neither a smile no frown on my face. I was too surprised to have any emotion. I just looked back at Mr. Barnett he handed the paper to Steven. In the part where it said what other people like about you he wrote; cute, shy, and nice sense of style. He folded it into a paper airplane and it glided to Mr. Barnett across the room. I just sat there at my desk in disbelief of what just happened.
"Wow." I said outloud. Mr. Barnett told us to just be quiet the whole class period and sit and do whatever, since it was the first day of school. I pulled out my book and began to read. I slowly melted away when the bell rang and awakened me from my fantasy. I stood up and made my way to exit the classroom, I felt someone glide their fingers through my hair I looked back but saw no one, he or she must have dissapeared into the crowd.
Next period was History, that went by fast. We really didn't do anything except learnt the basic things about Texas. English, blechhh, my worst subject was coming up. I was still making A's in it, but barely. Rushing to my locker I knocked into, yet again. Steven. I dropped my books. "Ah... IM sorry!" I yelped. He just bent down and picked them upand placed them back in my hand.
"Its ok, get to class shorty." He said with a wink and walked away.
Running to my locker, I threw my other subjects into the thing and grabbed my english binder, my locker was one thing I didnt keep organized. English was on the other side of the school in the junior and senior hallways. I didn't see Kaht but I asked one of her friends that I knew where room 126 was and they pointed down the hallway. I busted into the classroom, barely making it on time. Everyone stared at me, I quickly murmured an apology and made my way to a desk at the back. The teacher was fairly young, maybe twenty five. He was dressed nice. Casual, he cleaned up good. Pretty hazel eyes pierced when he looked at me. "I'm Frank Iero." He said, "Call me Frank." No way, the Frank Iero? The one Kaht is always rambling about? Wow, coincidence.
He asked each student to introduce themselves. When he got to me he referred to me as shorty, "So whats your name shorty?"
"I'm Baylee Beckwith, My favorite color is blue, and I live in the upstairs of a comic book store called Silver snail with my friend Kaht Keller." I said very quickly and sat down. When I said Kaht Keller he had a tense reaction, his fists clenched and he gave me a look. Turning his back to me he started to actually teach. Focusing on the lesson class passed very quickly.
I was the last one out of class, "Tell Kaht I said hi." he said and I nodded. Why the fuck would he want me to talk to Kaht for him? Creepy.
***
School let out and after I'd left for the party I was supposed to go to, I'd ended up not going at all. As I made my way home, I continued to think. I wanted to go to the party but I wanted to get home and tell Kaht about my day more.
I got sidetracked a bit after leaving to head to the party. Stopping at this little coffeeshop, I bought a cute panda figurine that was two dollars. I hadn't eaten lunch, so I had to spend my money somewhere. I made my way to Silver Snail and entering the door I saw Jude sitting back and reading a X-men comic. "How was school?" He asked. Jude was like family always asking me and Kaht how our day was as soon as we entered the store.
"Good, really good actually." I said with a smile.
"How so?" Jude asked slamming the comic down and taking his reading glasses off.
"I met this guy." I uttered sitting at the bar stool Jude kept by the checkout desk.
"Was he about 5'7 blonde hair, blue eyes, skater hair?" Jude asked.
"Yeah actually, howd you know?" I asked with a confused look on my face.
"He came by asking if you lived upstairs, I told him yeah but that you weren't in but if I could take a message."
"Did he leave a message?" I asked excitedly.
"He said to tell you that you're going to get a surprise this week." Jude said with a smidge of a attitude. I loved Jude, he was so awesome.
"Thanks Jude, thanks alot." I said with a smile.
"No problemo kiddo." he said turning back and reading his comic.
I climbed the stairs to the complex and entered the front door and slammed it. It was dead silent. It was like no one was home. I plopped my bag down and rushed to Kahts room expecting to find her on her cellphone texting and just chilling. I found something totally unexpected. I swung around the doorway only to have my eyes become as wide as the moon itself. There was Kaht, and there was Mr. Iero ontop of her, both of them naked under nothing but the comforter of her bed, Kaht almost seemingly pinned down to the matress. I was speechless, I ran out, my face burning hot with embarassment. I ran to my room and sat on my pallet, Kaht entered. She just stood there. Finally I just had to ask. "Were you just fucking your english teacher?" I sat there in disbelief and shock. I thought Kaht was a virgin. I mean sure, I knew she liked to party hard, but to fuck someone? I just couldn't see it.
My eyes to ground I heard a small squeak come from her, "Maybe."
I wanted to sit up and walk out of the room and just walk away from it all. I turned my head, trying to calm my eyes, locking on to hers, "How long?" I knew it wasn't the first time. Kaht wouldn't just fuck someone for the, well, for the fuck of it. She fell to her knees and begged me not to tell anyone. I knew I wouldn't, I couldn't. I'd take one of Kaht's secrets to my grave. All I could ask was, "How long?" My voice taking a deep and serious tone.
"... Since about the middle of last school year." She told me, "Baylee, please don't tell anyone!" I wanted to tell Kyle, I wanted to so bad. He deserved to know. I was disgusted, the thought of Kaht having sex with Frank. I have to see him in class almost everyday. I was never going to look at him the same! I couldn't!
"Fine. I fucking won't, and your damn lucky that I don't fucking tell Kyle right away too. Because you know very well that he really cares about you, and now you're just using him and hurting him." I said, I spoke my mind, I couldn't hide it. I was so dissapointed. I tried to sound soft and sweet, Kaht was like my sister after all. Kaht thanked me, but I wasn't finished. "I'm not finished with you yet, Kaht." I said sternly, and I meant it. I wanted to know what the fuck was going on, right here and right now.
Frank came out and said he was going to go. Thank fucking god, if he would have stayed one more minute I would have clawed his eyes out with my no nails.
Kaht told him she was going to take care of everything. She called him babe. I already didn't like Frank, he seemed so... I don't know, but I didn't like him. And I wasn't going to. How could she call him babe? Kyle was supposed to be her babe! It was like it was a game to her! Fuck one, fuck another. I have never been so disgusted, dissapointed, and angered, all at the same time. The door shut after Kaht had given him a light kiss. I averted my eyes, I didn't want to see them together. I had some questions that were gonna be answered within the next hour, or I was going to go apeshit.
Kaht looked to me and I stared into her eyes, "Why?" I asked.
"Why what?" She said with a guilt stricken voice.
"Why in the fucking hell would you fuck Frank? I mean, I would be alot less mad if I would have found you and Kyle! He's a teacher Kaht! If someone finds out he could go to jail! Kaht I don't give a damn if you're one year away from being legal, you're still a fucking kid and Franks a fucking adult. Why Kaht, why? Why would you do something so disgusting?"
I've never been quite sure if Kaht ever appreciated my bluntness or not, but she's learned to deal with it. If I had a opinion I couldn't ever hide it. My mouth wouldn't let me. We stood there in silence long enough for me to actually feel my legs start to get numb. I wasn't going to give in. I was pissed, and when I'm pissed I'm going to get some answers. I took my hair and pulled it to my right side and ran my fingers through it. I raised my eyebrows at Kaht. "Answer me damnit!" I said with not a touch of remorse in my voice.
"Baylee! It's not disgusting! Stop! You know I wouldn't have done it if I didn't actually like him, I wouldn't take that big of a chance for someone that I just used for sex. Give me a little credit, would you?" She said sadly, her lips curling down into a frown, "... I know he's a teacher, and so much older then me, but... age is just a number, right? I can't help what I feel. You don't understand what it's like, Baylee. This is why I wanted to keep it a secret, because I knew you'd do something like this! And so Frank wouldn't get in trouble! I can do whatever I want, you know. It's going to be my birthday soon anyway, and then once I'm eighteen I can do whatever the fuck I want. I'm not a kid! Look, you don't know what it's like, Baylee, you're only fourteen, alright? So just leave it alone, please."
"Leave it alone? You fucking fornicated on your matress with a teacher and you want me to "leave it alone" knowing you did that!" I said in a scream, "And don't know what its like? Kaht, there are certain things I've done that you have no clue about! And I'm only just fourteen? I thought you just said age is just a number! It's not! You get mature as you get older! And yes, I know you like him, I can tell by the way you look at him, you look at him different than Kyle, you look at him and your eyes get calm. You look more sincere. You know if you weren't with Kyle I wouldn't be near as pissed. That's what disgusts me, you seem happier with a twenty five year old fucking english teacher that your banging then with a boy that actually sincerely cares about you!" By the time I was finished with that sentence I was panting.
Kaht stood there her eyes wide and open, I'd never let my emotions out like I just did. I was usually quiet. I walked toward her and looked her in the eyes not breaking contact at all, "I'm so fucking dissapointed in you Kaht, so fucking much." I leaned my arm down and grabbed my bag. Opening the door, I left the apartment with the biggest slam I have ever given that door. I didn't look back, but I knew that she was staring straight at me.