I knew it before she said it, I knew it was time. Her eyes were red, but there was such determination within them, more to be found with every step she took.
"It's time to go," she said to me, and she wanted to cry, but she did not.
"Okay," I replied.
I felt relieved. I felt scared.
We looked around us, watching everyone. We watched the younger ones running over the playground equipment, watched the girls with their jump ropes, the kids with their basketballs and watched the kids like us, sullen in circle groups.
It was a long moment.
Then we turned our backs and stepped forward. We were leaving the school grounds.
We were going to be free.
There is an area of hill, thick with trees just off school property. The safest place to be we decided quickly. We would be covered, sheltered from view. We could leave with everyone when school was over. Un-detected by teachers.
We had made plans. Most of them wasted. We had written them down in a yellow notebook. It had been found.
Our parents decided we were both nothing but trouble and we were not allowed to hang out. We were not even allowed to look at each other at school...Or else. That was the warning from my mother, anyway.
We sat in the dirt, the fallen leaves. She told me why we were leaving right now and she cried. She cried tears hot and loose.
We did not have a new plan. But one thing was sure.
We were still going to Toronto.
We were quiet, thinking, sitting chin to knee, staring ahead, when they pulled into the school parking lot.
The white police cars. Two of them.
We looked at each other.
We knew.
Our parents must have let the school know our plans, too.
We watched two officers, dressed in dark blue, short sleeves, emerge from their cars and meet to walk into the school together.
We sat. We did not move. We waited until they came back out of the school twenty minutes later.
They drove out of the parking lot as quietly as they had come in.
When everyone was let out of the school, we came out of hiding, leaves stuck to shoes, one in her hair. We slid into the group of kids happy to be leaving for the day. No one paid any attention to us as we walked down the block.
We walked right on by another white police car with eyes searching from the inside.
Searching and never finding.
"It's time to go," she said to me, and she wanted to cry, but she did not.
"Okay," I replied.
I felt relieved. I felt scared.
We looked around us, watching everyone. We watched the younger ones running over the playground equipment, watched the girls with their jump ropes, the kids with their basketballs and watched the kids like us, sullen in circle groups.
It was a long moment.
Then we turned our backs and stepped forward. We were leaving the school grounds.
We were going to be free.
There is an area of hill, thick with trees just off school property. The safest place to be we decided quickly. We would be covered, sheltered from view. We could leave with everyone when school was over. Un-detected by teachers.
We had made plans. Most of them wasted. We had written them down in a yellow notebook. It had been found.
Our parents decided we were both nothing but trouble and we were not allowed to hang out. We were not even allowed to look at each other at school...Or else. That was the warning from my mother, anyway.
We sat in the dirt, the fallen leaves. She told me why we were leaving right now and she cried. She cried tears hot and loose.
We did not have a new plan. But one thing was sure.
We were still going to Toronto.
We were quiet, thinking, sitting chin to knee, staring ahead, when they pulled into the school parking lot.
The white police cars. Two of them.
We looked at each other.
We knew.
Our parents must have let the school know our plans, too.
We watched two officers, dressed in dark blue, short sleeves, emerge from their cars and meet to walk into the school together.
We sat. We did not move. We waited until they came back out of the school twenty minutes later.
They drove out of the parking lot as quietly as they had come in.
When everyone was let out of the school, we came out of hiding, leaves stuck to shoes, one in her hair. We slid into the group of kids happy to be leaving for the day. No one paid any attention to us as we walked down the block.
We walked right on by another white police car with eyes searching from the inside.
Searching and never finding.
Comments
But when are they gonna fuck again?
Q