The Time After Midnight

January 2

Hey, Kiara,” Her best friend called out from across the hall, “How you felling?”

“I am feeling quite good, actually.” Kiara said as she looked down at her math notes, “Jasmine, I saw this coming. This is just karma at work, my friend.”

“Well it’s not every day your parents get murdered like that. You have to feel a bit sympathetic for them.”

“No I don’t.” Kiara started to walk off.

“Kiara, I know you didn’t have that good of a relationship with your parents, but that doesn’t mean you have to be completely heartless about it.”

Kiara stopped in her tracks and turned around facing her friend, “If you spent only one day in my shoes, you would understand why I couldn’t care less about my parents. I’m actually happy they are gone. They can’t threaten me into doing stuff anymore, they can’t abuse me anymore; they’re finally gone!” She ended with a big smile and began walked off towards her class.

“Kiara, wait.”

“What, now?”

“Come here,”

Kiara walks over to her milk chocolate-skinned friend, “What do you want?”

“Girl, turn around,” Kiara did as she was told, “Now stay still and guard me,” Jasmine started to pull out her wedgies and Kiara looked at her in disgust, “What are you looking at me like that for? I’m pretty sure you get them too.” Jasmine laughed.

Kiara shakes her head at her friend with a smile, “You crazy,” She walked off to class with Jasmine following close behind as they entered their math class.

“By the way, I’m really liking that pink combo.” Jasmine was referring to the pink sweater jacket and the pink beret Kiara was wearing. “And I bet Jason is gonna like those skinny jeans.” She laughed.

“Well there’s nothing wrong with that, right?” Kiara laughed back.

“Ready for the test?” Jasmine asked as she sat in her seat.

“Nope. Everybody kept bothering me about my parents this past weekend. It wasn’t even people who cared. They were people who had family members that got murdered by my parents. You would be surprised by how many people there were.” She said sitting in her seat right next to Jasmine’s.

“How many were there?”

“Hundreds, Jaz, hundreds. I didn’t even know my parents got around that much. I was up till three in the morning dealing with them.” She gave a big yawn and rubbed her eyes, “They all think I have something to do with all of them. Just because I’m their daughter doesn’t mean I’m evil like them.”

“What about your brothers?”

“They were up too. I let them stay home though. They’re still pretty upset about everything.”

“It’s a shame how young you guys are to lose your parents like that… by the way, are they single?”

“They’re only ten!”                                         

“And your point was…?”

“Jaz, I know you’re joking but that’s just gross.” Kiara laughed in a disgusted chuckle.

She laughed, “Girl, I’m desperate at this point. I haven’t had a boyfriend in like a month.”

Kiara laughed but got interrupted by a yawn. Admitting defeat she put her head down on her desk with a thud. “It’s amazing how my parents are dead and they are still depriving me of my sleep.”

She yawned again. Right in the middle of her yawn, she got a kiss on the cheek, “Hey Kiara. What are doing here?”

She rose halfway up to find her boyfriend standing right next to her desk, “I had nothing better to do but get harassed like I’m some kind of blood-sucking demon out to destroy the world.” Jason raised an eyebrow, giving her a confused face, so Kiara resorted to a simple; “There’s a test today so I decided to just come to school.”

“But it’s only first period and you’re already knocked out on your desk. You need to go back home and sleep.” He kissed her and she planted a big smile on her face.

Jasmine interrupts with a smile, “Jason, why don’t you go with her and help her with that. You guys barely get it in anyway.”

“Jasmine!” Kiara screamed.

“I’m sorry but Jason is always saying how you guys don’t do it enough.”

Kiara looks up at Jason and he says with a smile, “Well it’s true. We don’t babe.”

Just then the bell rang, beginning the class, “Jason, sit down in your seat and let’s get started, please.” Mrs. Peterson, the teacher, screamed.

“We’ll talk after class.” Jason said with a playful chuckle.

“Yes we will.” Kiara screamed back at him, unfazed by their unfinished conversation.

Jason smiled before he sat in his seat on the other side of the room.

Kiara put her head back on the desk and fell asleep in no time.

After the pledge of allegiance and all of the announcements, Mrs. Peterson took attendance. As she did so, she explained the test, “This test is over chapters six through nine….Mark?”

“Here,” Mark answered.

The teacher continued, “I hope you all studied over the break….Jasmine?”

“Here,” she answered.

“Part of the test is vocabulary….Carlos?” She got no response so she kept going, “part is short answer and the last section has an extra credit question….Kiara?”

“She’s here, Mrs. Peterson,” Jasmine informed as she nudged her friend to get up. “She just had a long weekend, as you may know.”

“Yes, I am quite aware of the situation.” She looked over to Kiara, “Are you feeling ok, Dear?”

“Yes, I’m fine” She gave a huge yawn and then continued, “just had a rough night. I’ll try and stay up. Sorry about that.”

“Are you able to take the test today or do you need one more day?”

“I’m going to take it Mrs. P.”

“Ok, Darling. If you need anything just let me know.”

“Aight,” Kiara looked up in disgust as the teacher called her by those embarrassing pet names. She put her head down again, making sure not to fall too much asleep, as she waited for the teacher to finish the attendance and the test to be passed out.

Just then, a boy walked into the classroom with the principal. The principal whispered a few things to the teacher, and then walked out.

“Class, this is Devon Allen. He is a transfer student from California.” Mrs. Peterson announced.

Kiara lifted her head in shock. She used to know that name from when she was a kid, before she and her family moved to Pennsylvania three years back. She wondered if he was the same person and if it was, if he even remembered her.

“Devon, go on to the seat in the back. You are exempt from the test today, unless you feel like you want to take part in it.” The teacher grabbed the stack of tests on her desk and directed him to his seat.

Devon walked down the aisle that Kiara’s seat was in. He stopped at Kiara’s desk and got a big smile, “Well, hello there. Don’t I know you from somewhere?” Kiara didn’t say anything, since Mrs. Peterson cleared her throat rather loudly behind Devon, practically ordering him to get in his seat. Devon just smiled with a slight chuckle at Kiara then kept walking until he was two seats behind her and sat down.

“He just gave you the look.” Jasmine whispered to her friend.

“Jaz, you think every look a boy gives is ‘the look’” Kiara rolled her eyes.

“I know but this time I’m sure of it. The new kid likes you and Jason has some competition."

"Whatever." Kiara acted like she didn't care at all even though she did remember the times she and Devon had together, and wondered if he remembered them too. Kiara put her head back down on the desk, closing her eyes and fell asleep instantly.

“Ok class, pencils out and all notes away. The test is about to begin.” Mrs. Peterson said.

Jasmine nudged Kiara again. “Are you sure you don’t want to go home. The school will give you this whole week off if you wanted; that’s what I would do…and I would take Devon with me.” She gave her a big smile.

“Weren’t you just telling me to take Jason home with me? You need to make up your mind.”

“I can’t girl. They are both sexy. I suggest you take them both and compare the two.”

“I’m not doing that because I refuse to leave.” Kiara yawned, “I just need to stay up long...enough…to…” Kiara had already fallen back to sleep before she was even finished her sentence.

As Mrs. Peterson came around with the tests, she found Kiara in a deep sleep on her desk. She just walked past her and didn’t bother her at all. Jasmine peeked over at Jason, who had been staring at Kiara since class started. They both shook their head, knowing how stubborn Kiara was, and started their tests.

During her nap, Kiara dreamed of the day her parents died but this time, her parents were killing her and her brothers. They tried fighting back but their parents were too strong. They ran as fast as they could but the boys got caught. Kiara was the only one left with her parents catching up to her. She tried to fight back but again she failed. They stabbed her and cut her over and over but she wouldn’t die, no matter how much she wanted to. Her parents just laughed every time they kicked her. Punched her. Cut her. Shot her. She suffered and watched as her parents laugh as they killed her from the inside out.

Just then, the bell rang for the end of class. Kiara woke up frightened, shivering, sweating, and breathing really hard.

“What you dream about, Sleeping Beauty?” Jasmine asked as she witnessed her friend so shook up.

“Nothing.” Kiara exclaimed, trying to hide her fear, “Nothing at all. I’m fine.”

“Now that’s just bull!” Jason answered as he walked over to his girlfriend’s seat, “What really happened?”

“Nothing, really.” She said as she got out of her seat and gathered her stuff, “I have to go talk with Mrs. Peterson.” She walked away without another word towards the teacher’s desk, “Mrs. Peterson, I need to take that test.”

“Yes, Honey, I know you do. Are you sure you do not want to go home and rest for a day. It will be perfectly fine if you did. You can take the test another day, when you are feeling better about the situation-“

“I’m feeling fine now!” Kiara yelled as she slammed her hands on the desk. She thought about her approach to the situation and realized that she didn’t have to scream at something as minor as that, “Sorry, Mrs. P. I didn’t mean to yell. I want to take the test as soon as possible though.”

“It is ok, Sweetheart. I will allow you to take the test tomorrow if you decide to come. If you do decide not to come tomorrow, which I advise you do, I will hold the test for you, until your return.”

Kiara rolled her eyes as the teacher called her by those stupid names again, “Yeah, ok. I’m pretty sure I’ll be here tomorrow though. Thank you.” She walked off, with her books in her hand and her bag on her back. She noticed that Jasmine had already left, for her class is on the other side of the building. However, Jason was still standing there, waiting for her, just like every day.

“Come on. Let’s get to class.” He said as he grabbed her books from her hand as they began their journey towards the next class, “Don’t worry about the test; it was easy. Don’t rush to take it; you have all week or even longer if you wanted.”

“I just don’t want special treatment just because my parents died over the weekend. Everybody’s being all extra kind, sympathetic and just plain fake. They would never do that stuff any other time.”

“Well it’s not any other time. This is a big thing that most people are pretty heartbroken about.”

“Whatever,” She remembered their morning conversation, “So you’ve been telling Jasmine that we don’t do it enough.”

“Not really. I don’t know where she got that from.” He laughed then looked at her, “It is true though.”

“I know it’s true and it’s going to remain true.”

“See, that’s what I like about you…”

“What?” She smiled.

“You don’t let me just jump into your pants. I like that. Do you know how many girls I’ve been with that would do anything to get me all up in them?”

“Don’t give me that. You slept with all of them so you must not have hated it that much.”

“True but there’s one difference between them and you,” He stopped walking and faced her. He grabbed her under her chin and pulled her close, “I love you.” He kissed her.

“That’s what they all say but I’ll start making judgments when I find something wrong with you.” She smiled at him.

“Just deal with it and I’ll meet you next period, all right?” He asked as they approached Kiara’s class. He gave her books back and gave her a kiss, goodbye.

“Yeah, that’s cool.” She said with a big smile. She yawned big as she walked into her Spanish class.

The rest of her classes went on the same as her math class. She would be up for the first few minutes and then she would fall fast asleep. All of her teachers, taking into consideration her situation, didn’t bother her.

Once the last bell rang, Kiara was grateful. She hated all of the attention she got, all of the free-bees, and all of the special treatment. She had been trying to hold her temper in the entire day. She was hoping that she wouldn't do anything she would regret before she had a chance to think about the consequences. Thankfully, she made it the whole day without anything going wrong. She started to think about what she should do about the following day as she walked home.

She lived only about a mile from the school but she always took the scenic route through the neighboring woods, or what was left of them since it was winter. That was the only place she could actually think and do things without being harassed by her everyday life. She sat down under a tree and thought about the next day, thinking that it was probably a good idea to miss school for her own and everybody else’s sake. Watching the birds fly above, migrating to a place far from here, and the fresh winter breeze blow, she felt at peace for the first time all day. Not even Jason or Jasmine could beat this.

Then she remembered seeing Devon for the first time in years. He looked somewhat different but something about him made her feel the way she did back then. It made her feel safe and happy. He never saw her as a murderer, or even the daughter of murderers. He always saw her as something better than that; something that she wished everyone saw her as. That was impossible though. People will always see her for only the bad reputation that she was born into.

Looking down at her watch, she realized she left her brothers at home by themselves for the whole day, “I wonder what mischief they got into today.” She mumbled as she got up from her spot, “Wait a second. I’m talking to myself. That’s…not…weird…” She said sarcastically and started towards home. When she opened the door of her house, she realized the whole living room was completely trashed. Not only were the walls covered in spots, but also the living room lamp had mysteriously vanished, and she noticed they didn’t walk Titan today either for obvious reasons.

“Boys!” Kiara screamed as she put her stuff down and ran to their room.

When she got to the room, she saw Jim playing a video game, Tim reading a book on his bed, and Titan looking innocent at the foot of the bed. Just one look at Kiara and they knew they were in trouble.

“Boys, what happened to the lamp?” Kiara said, trying to deal with one problem at a time.

Tim put his book on the bed with a worried face, “We were kind of playing with Titan and it didn’t go well.” Instantly, he started playing the blame-game. “I told Jim not to tease the dog but he didn’t listen.”

“Don’t blame me!” Jim screamed at his brother, forgetting about his game, “It was your idea!”

“No, my idea was to take him for a walk. You’re the one who teased him therefore it’s your fault.” Tim finished with great confidence and stuck his head up in accomplishment.

However, Jim had other thoughts and denied his brother of his pedestal, “You let go of the leash so it was your fault.”

“I wouldn’t have let go of the leash if you weren’t teasing him, so it is still your fault.” Tim crossed his arms. “We can do this all day but it will always be your fault.”

Jim lost his temper, reached over to his brother and yanked him off the bed. Tim fell to the ground with a thud and Jim stuck his tongue out at him, triumphantly, “No, it was your fault!”

“No, it was yours.” He yelled as he got himself off his stinging back. He just sat on the floor, staring angrily at his brother.

The twins went back and forth for a while, getting louder with each turn.

“Shut up!” Kiara screamed over the fighting twins, who were now wrestling on the floor. “Just tell me what happened please.”

“We were about to take Titan for a walk.” Tim started as he got himself from his brother’s grip. “We had him on the leash and about to go outside when he spotted his ball. Jim got the ball before Titan could and started teasing him with it.”

“Tim had the leash but Titan kept pulling on it.” Jim continued, “Butterfingers over here lost his grip. Titan was coming for me so I backed up but then I fell backwards.”

“He tripped over his shoelaces.” Tim added, annoyed. “The ball flew out of his hand, towards the lamp. Titan knocked the lamp over trying to get the ball.”

“We have told you time and time again not to play with Titan in the house.” Kiara screamed, annoyed. “What about the spots on the wall?”

“After we cleaned the lamp up, we got hungry.” Jim started.

“So, we went to the kitchen to make some lunch. I made spaghetti.” Tim said with a smile. “And I added my own secret ingredient.”

“Wonderful.” Kiara said, rolling her eyes, “Can we get to the point please?”

“Jim and I got into a food fight.”

“It was awesome!”

“Hey, Jim, we never did take Titan on that walk…” Tim said to his brother.

“Oh, yeah, that’s what we were forgetting.”

Kiara leaned against the doorsill with her arms crossed over her chest. “Did you guys even feed him?”

“He licked some of the spots off the wall.” Tim said.

“I gave him one of my meatballs.” Jim said afterward.

Kiara shook her head in disgust then turned to the dog, which was looking up at her now, practically begging for her help. “Come on, boy. I’ll get you something to eat.” Titan ran to kitchen in a hurry as if he was just waiting for her to say the words. “Go clean up, now.” She ordered, “Then when you’re done that, give Titan a walk.”

“But we don’t wanna.” Jim pouted.

“Then you shouldn’t have made the mess and forgotten about him. Hop to it.”

The boys reluctantly walked out of their room to the messy kitchen. They huffed and puffed but they knew that they shouldn’t dare challenge Kiara.