Saving Hope

Beep....Beep....Beep....
Hope sighed slamming down the snooze button of her alarm clock. She turned her head to look at the clock.
6:45 a.m.
'It's too early,' she thought. 'I just went to bed two hours ago. Ten more minutes of sleep won't kill me.' She drifted back to dream land.
Hope woke suddenly. It took a few seconds to realize what had woke her. That blasted beeping sound from her clock. She reached over and clicked it off. She stared at the clock with wide eyes.
7:30 a.m.
Cursing she jumped out of bed. She had barely 10 minutes to get dressed, wash her face, and get out to the bus stop. She pulled on a pair of old faded blue jeans and a plain blue shirt. She stuffed her feet into a pair of socks and her shoes.
She went into the bathroom and rinsed her face. Her hand trailed the scratches that her mother's rings had left last night when Hope asked why she had to bring home strange guys. Shaking her head she brushed her hair as fast as she could.
She looked at her watch. Three minutes to go.
Hope ran back into her room to grab her binder and a few dollars from her hiding space knowing that her mother didn't leave her any money out.
As she walked by her mother's bedroom door on her way out she noticed that it was open. Hope walked over looking inside. Her mother layed sparled in bed with the man she brought home last night. Sighing Hope closed the door.
She got to the bus stop in time to see it pass. She thought about running after it but just decide to walk. She didn't really care if she was late.
Hope started the 40 minute walk to school.
"It's about time you got here," Kat said without looking up. She knew it was Hope. Hope was the only one that would actually talk to her. They’d been best friends since the sixth grade when Kat had moved to Houston.
"I woke up late," Hope replied sitting down at the table.
Kat looked up from her book. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the scratches on Hopes left check. She asked what happened but already knew the answer. Kat wasn't stupid; she knew what went on at Hopes place. Though Hope never told her out flat but she guessed it when she kept coming to school with new bruises. Hope always said that she kept getting into fights with the kids in her neighborhood, but Kat knew better.
"I tried to get a cat from under our porch," Hope was saying. "It didn't go to well."
"I thought you like cats," Kat said putting her book away.
"I do. But apparently they don't like me." She hated lying to Kat. It tore a little peace of her heart every time she had to do it.
"What do you have for first?" Hope asked.
Kat recognized the need for the change of subject. "Bio," she groaned. "You?''
"Geometry."
The morning bell rang.
"See you in English," Kat said walking away.
Hope nodded. She sat there for another minute before going to first period.
The tardy bell rang just as she stepped foot into the classroom. Mr. Harston didn't like it for his students to be tardy. He said you never learn anything by being late. Who ever came late to his class got sent right back out. He was always looking for something that Hope might do so that he could send her out. Just to bug him, Hope usually went out of her way to show up about a second before the tardy bell rings.
By the time she had to go to English, which was just before lunch, Hope was actually having a descent day. She knew that she aced the Pop Quiz that Mr. Harston had given them. She thought that for once maybe she would have a good day.
That thought was erased from her mind as she and Kat entered English. Marybeth was in there.
The bell rang so Hope and Kat took their seats. Miss Anderson handed out some papers and went over the test they had the previous day. About twenty minutes before the bell scheduled to ring she started up one of her famous class descuions. This told the class that she didn’t have anything else to do.
"What is Hope? And where can you find it?" Miss Anderson asked the class.
Having no desire to enter this descuion Hope took out her drawing book and went to work. Hope was a fairly good drawer when she wanted to be. She sold them every now and then for some extra money.
"Hope is setting in the back of the class," Marybeth said. Everybody laughed except for Kat who rolled her eyes. "Can't you see her?"
"How would you like to see stars?" Hope said rising her fist.
"That's enough," said Miss Anderson. She knew that if those two kept going there would be a fight. Marybeth and Hope had a reputation of getting into fights at the drop of a hat. "Now, what is Hope?"
'I should have stayed home.' Hope thought going back to her drawing.
"It's something in side of you," Jon said.
"What does it do?" Miss Anderson persisted. She always wanted people to get involved in class descuions.
"It helps them," someone said.
"Helps how?"
The class was quiet. Nobody knew what to say. "What about you, Hope?"
Hope looked up from her drawing. She hated it when Miss Anderson tried to get her to participate. "What?"
"How does hope help people?" She asked.
"It gives them cause for doing something. Hope is what get's most people threw the day. They want a cause for doing what they do. Wither it be a big pay check or something they want."
Hope looked around the classroom. Everyone was staring at her. She didn't normally say a lot, so it was big surprise that she said all that.
"Well ...." Miss Anderson started to say but the bell rang for lunch.
"Read pages 121 through 134 tonight," she said as the class bolted for the door. "Hope hold on a second."
Hope cursed coming back into the class room. Miss Anderson always had something to say. She always kept Hope after class to tell her that she could do better if she would just try. The thing was that Hope didn't want to try. She didn't really care about school.
"That was," Miss Anderson searched for the correct word. Hope never actually participated in class and now that she had Miss Anderson couldn't figure out what to say. She decided for, "very good. I think that's the first time I have ever heard you say so much at one time."
"Can I go now," Hope said. She wanted to hurry up and get to lunch. Not that she ever ate. She just liked sitting under her tree.
Miss Anderson sighed, "Yes you can go."
She watched as Hope walked out. Hope was heard to get to. Miss Anderson had never met a kid who wanted to be left alone so much. What really bothered her were the bruises that seemed to pop up every now and then. Hope always claimed that it was because she got into a fight or fell.
"So what did she want this time?" Kat asked when Hope came out of the class room.
"Same as always," was the answer she got. They walked together in silence down the stairs to the cafeteria.
"So you think you’re smart now." Said a voice behind them. "You say three sentences and now you think you’re smart."
Kat and Hope turned around. Sure enough there was Marybeth standing there with her crowd. "You’re not smart. You’re stupid. You always have been."
'Defiantly should have stayed home,' thought Hope. Out loud she said, "Not as stupid as you. At least I could think of something to say."
Everything after that went by fast. Hope remembered getting punched so she punched back. She was dimly aware of the shouts of, "Fight! Fight!" She felt someone pull her away from Marybeth. The next thing Hope knew she was in the office.
"What possessed you to get into a fight in the middle of the cafeteria?!" Mr. Langston shouted. "This is the second fight you two have been in since school started. It hasn't even been three months."
"She hit me first, Mr. Langston," Marybeth pleaded through her swollen lip.
"Bullshit," Hope muttered.
"You will refrain from using that kind of language in this office Miss Gaston," Mr. Langston snapped. "Keep the ice on your lip Miss Pall."
Hope rolled her eyes. She didn't even hit her that hard. Hope rubbed her jaw. That was the only good hit Marybeth had gotten. Pour Marybeth got a black eye and a swollen lip.
"Now," He turned his attention back to Hope. "you say you didn't hit her first. So, what happened?"
"She hit me first," Hope stated. "She was saying stuff and then she hit me so I hit her back."
"You’re saying that she hit you first?" Mr. Langston asked.
Hope nodded. 'What is it with this guy?' She thought. 'Is he deaf?'
"Is that true Miss Pall?"
"No," Marybeth said. "She hit me first. You can ask anybody. They all saw."
Hope leaned back in the chair and put her hands under head to support it. She looked as if she didn't care wither Mr. Langston thought she was telling the truth or not. In reality she didn't. Hope figured out long ago that adults would believe what they wanted to believe and that there was no way she could change their minds.
"You each will receive two days suspension." Mr. Langston said looking from one girl to the other. "Your parents will be called to come and pick you up. Waite in the main office for them."
"Can I just go home?" Hope asked. She knew that he would never be able to get a hold of her mom and 'she' didn't even know where her father was.
"No." Mr. Langston said firmly. "You will wait in the office."
"Whatever." Hope muttered starting get up.
"Miss. Gaston, if you leave the office you will be suspended for a week." He hardly thought that that would do any good. Hope never showed much respect for authorities. Mr. Langston didn't really think that she would care if he suspended her for a week. "Now go wait in the office."
"Yes, sir." Marybeth said through her fat lip.
'I should've hit her harder.' Hope thought as she stood up.
As Hope started to walk out Marybeth pushed her. Hope turned around and pushed her back. She would be damned if she let Marybeth push right in front of Mr. Langston.
"That's enough!" Mr. Langston yelled standing up.
"Did you see that, Mr. Langston?" Marybeth asked. "She pushed me and I didn't do anything to her."
"Man, she pushed me first." Hope said.
"Do you want another day add to your suspension, Miss Gaston? If not I advise you not to try and start another fight." Mr. Langston said sitting back down.
Marybeth had a smug look on her face. "That goes for you too, Miss Pall."
'Not so smug looking now are you?' Hope thought. A little smile tugged at the end of her lips. It wasn't very often that Marybeth got reprimanded by a teacher much less a principle. The look on her face was priceless.
"I didn't do anything." She argued.
"I'm just warning you. Now go sit in the office."
Hope walked out the door only to be confronted by Mr. Langston's secretary.
"Sit over here, Hope." Miss Len said hanging up the phone.
"Shit."
"Watch your language." Miss Len said absently. Miss Len was used to Hope's sudden outbursts of curses and didn't really think anything of it.
Every now and then Hope would curse and kick the chair. Miss Len didn't say anything to her because the curses were said in a whisper that she couldn't really hear. She had to get on to her about the chair kicking though.
"That's very disturbing. Can you please stop?"
"Hn." Was the answer she got. The kicking stopped.
Miss Len looked up from her paper work. Hope didn't usually do as she was asked. Hope had her hands behind her head and was staring at the sealing as if she didn't have a care in the world.
"Was your father around when you were growing up?" Hope asked suddenly.
"What?" Miss Len asked surprised by the question.
"Nothin'." Hope sighed sitting up straight.
Miss Len was bout to comment when a lady came up to her desk.
"May I help you?" She asked.
"Yes," said the lady. "I'm looking for Hope Gaston."
"That's me," Hope said looking the lady up and down. "Who are you?"
The lady looked at Hope and then went back to Miss Len. "I need to see a," she pulled out a piece of paper, "Mr. Langston."
"Hey!" Hope all but screamed. "Who the Hell are you?" She was being to get annoyed. This lady asked for her and now won't even tell her her name. And on top of that she wants to see Mr. Langston. Not until she found out who she was.
"I'm your aunt." She said casually. As if Hope hadn't even yelled at her. She looked to be a relatively calm person. A person that would listen to what you had to say before dismissing it or acting upon it.
"That's a load of crap," Hope said standing up. "I don't have an aunt."
The lady looked Hope up and down. "On your father’s side you do."
Hope just stared at her. Her father. This was her father's sister. She hadn't seen or heard from her father in almost 7 years and now his sister shows up. Something just wasn't right about that.
"I have no father," She spate. In her mind the statement was true. Why should she call a man father if he didn't want to act like one? "You have the wrong person."
"Your mothers name is Martha," the lady said. Hope narrowed her eyes. "From the expression on your face I'd say I have the right person. You have met me once but you were very little."
Hope smiled a bit. It was more of a tug at the lips. The lady must have misread her because she smiled too. "You now what? Screw this and Screw you. I'm going home."
She started to walk down the hall. When she was half way she turned around and said. "Hey, Miss Len, tell Mr. Langston to go ahead and give me that week off he was talking about."
She turned and walked off again. This time she didn't stop. She went out side and kept walking until she got home.
The lady closed her eyes shaking her head.
"Are you really her aunt," Miss Len said.
"Yes," she answered opening her eyes. Miss Len, to the lady's surprise, was smiling.
"Finally," Miss Len said.
"I don't understand what you mean," the lady said confused. "Am I missing something?"
"No," she said shaking her head. "It's just that that girl needs someone right now. Lord knows her mother hasn't been there. She never talks about her father and he's not on any of the records. Maybe you'll be the one to bring her out. If you are than I'm warning you now that she isn't one to take lightly."
"What do you mean?"
"She can be as mean as a cobra. She doesn't like to be told what to do and she'll try to deify you every chance she gets." Miss Len told her. "Well, I've said way too much. Now you wanted Mr. Langston, right?"
"Hn?" the lady said. She was thinking about what Miss Len had just told her. "Oh, Yes, please."
Just as Miss Len picked up the phone, Kat walked or rather stormed in. She stopped in front of Miss Len's desk. "I need to see Mr. Langston right now."
"You’re going to have to wait Kat. Set over there." She indicated the seat that Hope had been sitting in.
"No," Kat bluntly. "I need to see him now. I have to tell him that Hope didn't start that fight. Marybeth hit her first, I saw it."
"She's just saying that because she's her friend," said Marybeth, who was sitting on the other side of the office. "They always back each other up."
"Why you little..." Kat didn't get to finish her sentence. The lady had put her hand over her mouth.
"Don't say it, kid." She said taking her hand away. "If you say it you'll end up in trouble to."
"I don't care," Kat said looking at her. "She's lying and Hope's the one getting in trouble for it. I'll bet you anything they just gave her," she pointed at Marybeth, "two days suspension and Hope got a week."
Mr. Langston stepped out of his office when she said that. "Yes," He said looking around the office. "Hope does have a week. I told her to stay here."
"That is so unfair," Kat muttered.
"What's unfair, Miss Johnson, is that I told her to stay here and she left. That is the reason she got a week. She had two days. The same as Miss Pall," Mr. Langston informed her. He had to go through this with her every time Hope got sent to the office. He had to hand it to Kat though. She was always there with unfailing loyalty when Hope got into trouble. And Hope was the same way when it came to Kat.
Kat looked confused. "Then why would she leave? I mean you were finally fair and gave them the same amount of days. I don't understand."
"I could help with that one." The lady said raising her hand a bit. "Apparently she was freaked out when I told her I was her aunt and she left." She turned to Mr. Langston. "She said something about going ahead and giving her the week off that you were talking about. I guess that's what she meant."
"Hum," Kat said thoughtfully. "Hope doesn't have an aunt. At least none that she's told me about."
"Miss Johnson," Mr. Langston said sharply. "I think it's time for you to go to class." He turned to Marybeth. "Miss Pall your mother will be here shortly. Miss Len will you please give Miss Johnson a pass back to class and a notice for detention."
"Detention!" Kat yelled. "What for?"
"Did you have a pass to come down here?"
Kat bit her bottom lip. She turned to Miss Len. "When can I schedule that detention. How's Thursday? Thursday good."
Mr. Langston shoke his head and rolled his eyes. "If you follow me into my office, Miss..."
"Gaston. Lena Gaston." She said.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~
'My father's sister,' Hope thought. She was lying on her bed staring at the sealing. 'Why would she wait until now to see me. I ...'
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard someone turn the door knob to her room. She sat up and stared at the door knowing who it was. Her mother liked to come in her room when she wasn't there and go threw her stuff looking for money or anything of value to sale. Hope knew that her mother would never find anything of value in her room. The little money that she had from selling pictures was hidden to well for her mother to find. It was hidden in the one place that she would never look.
Inside her pillow. She had a rip in her pillow a few years ago and instead of sewing it she put small safety pins to hold it together. When her mother was drunk she wouldn't be able to find a quarter that was in front of her face much less safety pins. As her mother was usually drunk or high her money was safe.
"What are you doing home?" her mother sneered. She had to lean of the door to keep from falling over and had a bottle of beer in her hand. "Why aren't you in school?"
"Why aren't you at work?" Hope countered. The second the words came out she knew it was the wrong thing to say.
Her mothers face twisted in anger and she threw the beer bottle at her. Hope barely had a moment to react. She put her right arm to cover her face. She tried to duck but she didn't have enough time. The bottle hit her wrist and Hope knew that she would have a huge bruise. Beer sprayed on her bed and clothes.
Her mother came into the room. She grabbed her daughters hurt arm and yanked her off the bed yelling at her. "You dare talk back to me! You ungrateful whore!" She slapped her in the face so hard that Hope lost her balance and fell to the floor. She could tast blood in her mouth. Hope tried to get up but her mother kicked her back down still yelling at her. Having no desire to be hit again she layed their and stared at the wall. She ignored the words that her mother was shouting at her. Hope had learned that if she ignored her mother long enough that she would get bored and leave her alone.
As if on cue her mother said "You’re a waste of my time, you little shit."
She walked out of the room. Hope sat up slowly as she lessoned to her mothers foot steps. She heard her mother grab her keys and head out the door. Hope knew that she was most likely going to the bar.
The second the door was closed Hope stood up and turned on her radio. She turned the volume on as loud as it would go. She looked down at her arm and saw the bruises forming. She walked into the bathroom as Eminem's "Lose Yourself" came on over the radio.
She opened the med. cabinet and pulled the out her ace bandage. She began to wrap her wrist. She starts to sing with the radio as tears stream down her face.