Ariella's Revenge

"Class, pay attention!" the blissful teacher states excitedly while standing in front of the whiteboard while the heat is biting our flesh, causing sweat to pop out like blood

I sat there staring intensely at Mrs. Saint, wondering if her life is like mine.
I can hear her. I can hear my classmates. I can see her. I can see my classmates. Then again, I can't hear or see them because a misery of fog entraps me.

I am looking at the teacher yet remembering when I was playing with my pink ipod as the car was strolling down the road. I was listening to "My Life, My Love, My All" by Kirk Franklin. I meditated on the part of the song that said,

I've gone through the fire,
And I've been through the flood.
I've been broken into pieces,
Seen lightnin' flashin' from above.
But through it all, I remember
That He loves me
And He cares,
And He'll never put more on me
Than I can bear.

"Are you okay?" My grandmother asked as she turned onto the highway. She used the back of her brown hand to wipe her eyes. Lord, my daughter made me promise to protect her daughter from that man. What am I gonna do? The judge done believe him when he said he was a good father. That bastard had a nerve to say he had been in Ariella's life since day one. He even had a nerve to discredit my daughter after she raised her child alone up until her death. Why the wicked get away with everything?

"I am fine," I mumbled. I just couldn't believe the judge believed my father over my grandmother. She and my mother had always been there for me when that jerk was off pursuing a comatose career of being a deadbeat.

On that day, as my grandmother was explaining my new situation to me, I thought, God, he lied and lied, and now I'm gonna be stuck living with him. Watch! I'ma show him something. He was the same man who told the judge I wasn't his child. He was the same man who wouldn't help my mother and me when we were in the shelter and when we were walking the streets in winter as he drove by. He said he was always there, so how comes I didn't see him? If I go live with him, I promise something is gonna go down! He doesn't get to take all the credit after my momma and grandmomma done put in all the hard work. It won't go down like that!

"Did you hear me, Ariella?" my grandmother asked as we sat at the kitchen table drinking ginger tea. She didn't know I was paying close attention and had a plan for my own life.

"I don't wanna go...and if you make me go, things will get ugly," I said slowly as I gripped the blue mug closely to my chest. She knew how strong willed I had always been.

So as I sit in my class, all I could think about was vengeance. I have been living with him for about a month now, and my soul cringe at his lifestyle. To the world, he pretends he is such a wonderful person, but behind closed doors, he smacks his wife, drinks anything that'll set his throat on fire, and he won't contribute money to anyone, even me.

But today is my day for revenge. He thought he got over on my mother, but he won't get over on me...