Andromeda Jackson

It was the day before the last day of school, and we had actual classwork.

While all the other students in the sixth grade were watching movies, playing games, listening to iPods, basically lollygagging the time until summer away, I was in writing.

And I didn't even have all the materials for the dang project.

"Hey, stupid. I wanted to write a note instead of saying it out loud, but then I remembered that you can't read it, Avatar," whispered Jordan Masterson while my sixth grade second period writing teacher gave us instructions for a "portfolio" we had to do.

"The people in Avatar had blue skin, not blue hair," I muttered back to him. "And, go ahead, write a note. I'll pass it to Naomi and have her pass it to Mrs. Johnson."

"Miss Jackson!" I ducked down in my seat. Oh, heck. I didn't get the instructions, and now, I was in trouble.

"Oh, don't worry, 'Dro," Marie Terrence said from the front row, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "They're written right up there on the board! Oh, wait, you can't read!"

"Just because I have dyslexia doesn't mean I can't read!" I shouted, getting out of my seat.

"Miss Jackson!" I sat down again.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Johnson. It's just that I was trying to listen, when Jordan started making fun of my dyslexia." Marie was mocking me, just one seat up and one seat right. Just close enough for me to get out of my seat, take one step, and smack that pretty little red-head face down onto the tile. From behind me, Ryan put his hand on my arm, obviously telling me to calm down. "Could you please repeat the instructions?"

"They are on the board. Now get to work!"

"All you have to do," whispered Jordan, "is put your writing assignments in the folder, then glue the table of contents onto the front." I sighed in relief. Any help was better than no help at all. One problem-all of my writing assignments were at home-in a binder full of things I was actually good at. My drawings, short stories, essays, and photographs that I had created were in there. I was saving them for when my dad got home. I didn't know when he'd get home, but he would.

I began doing as Jordan had said-gluing the stupid table of contents onto the front. Mrs. Johnson stood up.

"Andromeda Jackson, why on earth are you gluing?"

"I-It was Jordan!" I stuttered, pointing to said son of a... female dog.

"You mean to tell me that Mr. Masterson was telepathically controlling your arm?" The whole class-excluding only Naomi, and I mean only Naomi-began to laugh. I could feel my ears getting red. Ryan, my own brother, was laughing along with the class.

"'I-It w-w-was J-J-J-Jordan, M-M-M-Mrs. Johnson!'" mocked Marie.

"Oh, get a new shtick, will you?" I yelled.

"What'cha gonna do? Tell your daddy on me? Oh, that's right! You don't have a daddy!"

"I do too have a dad!" I retorted. "He's a soldier! He's in Finland right now!"

"The title 'soldier' implies that he chose to fight. But I doubt he did. He was probably drafted. I bet he was considering going on the run when he got the letter. But, no. He's too afraid of the cops-just like you're afraid of everything! He's probably a coward! Just like little Miss Smurf!"

"Our father is one of the bravest men on this planet! I bet your dad's a coward! Oh, that's right! Your dad left you. Because he probably saw your face and realized that you'd grow up to be a stuck up, conceited bully!" Ryan was defending me. After he laughed. Mia's smug expression crumbled.

"My-my dad didn't leave because of that," she whispered.

"M-m-my d-dad di-di-didn't l-leave b-b-b-because o-of th-that," mocked Ryan.

"Ryan, now you're being a bully!" I was furious with him. Laughing at me, then making fun of a girl who had really lost her father. "You're just being mean now!"

"Students!" Mrs. Johnson shouted.

"You shut up, goody two shoes!" Mia yelled, walking over to me. She slapped me, and I felt an electric shock blow me off my feet. I landed on the floor. Mrs. Johnson grabbed the two of us by the arm and told Ryan to follow her. I walked willingly to the office with her, but Marie fought.

And if I didn't know any better, I'd say I saw a tear stream down her face.

XXXxxxXXX

Ryan and I waited nervously for our mom. It was bad enough we had to pull her out of work, but when she found out why... oh, crap, we'd be dead.

"Why did you laugh at me?" I whispered, rubbing the stinging red palm print on my hand. How had she done that?

"You gotta admit, it was hilarious."

"No I don't 'gotta admit.' It was humiliating and you know it!"

"Andromeda and Orion Jackson." Oh, fudge. We turned nervously to look at our mother. Her gray eyes were stormy. Her eyebrows were raised, and her arms were crossed. She shifted her weight and tapped her foot on the ground. "Come on!" Mom was getting impatient. Crap.

XXXxxxXXX

"You got into a fight!" Mom shouted in disbelief. "A fight. About what?"

"Well..." Ryan began.

"Shut up, Ryan! I started this, I get to tell it!"

"You'll twist things around!"

"It's bad enough you fight at home, but at school?"

"Mom, I didn't fight with Ryan. I fought with Marie flipping Terrence. But it didn't start with her. It started with Jordan Fu...dging Masterson. He made fun of my dyslexia, and then I didn't get Mrs. Johnson's instructions, then Marie was all, 'don't worry, 'dro! They're on the board!' Then she started mocking me and I told her to get another insult. Then-" I paused so I could control my language. "Then she said, 'Oh, are you going to tell your daddy? Oh, that's right! You don't have a daddy!' Then, I got mad..." I began to cry, remembering all that she had said. I can withstand most insults, but there is a line that should never, ever be crossed.

Ryan explained the rest, not even omitting the part where he made fun of Marie.

"You're grounded for one week. You can't leave the apartment except to go to school. You also can't walk home in the afternoon with Naomi."

"You mean we'll be home alone? Isn't that illegal?" I asked.

"No. It's illegal for someone under the age of twelve to be home alone. You're twelve. Therefore, it's not illegal. When school gets out tomorrow, I can just let you take care of her."

We finally made it to our apartment, where our mom payed the babysitter, then left.

"I'll be home tomorrow afternoon. I'm going to camp to check on something after work, and I'm staying there, so no one's getting arrested. You had both better be in bed. Make sure that Natalie eats something. If you get home before I do tomorrow-"

"We will," Ryan interrupted. "Tomorrows the last day of school, and it's a half day."

"Well, then. I won't give you the money for the cab. You can just walk. I have to go." Our mom left.

After she was safely gone, me and Ryan started to argue.

"Why did you react to Marie that way?" Ryan shouted at me.

"Did you even hear or care about what she said?" I retorted.

"Of course I did! But it wasn't worth getting into a fight! Now we're back home at 10 o' clock P.M! What did you expect to happen? Did you expect Mrs. Johnson to let you off the hook just because she insulted Dad?"

"I got angry! I got impulsive, Mr. Perfect! You don't know! You don't have ADHD! No one's ever made fun of you because it's difficult for you to read! You don't-" I stopped when I heard the screaming.

Natalie.

Natalie's our little sister. I've never been here when she's woken up, but I knew what to do when she did wake up.

And when she woke up, she was always crying. I dashed to her room, leaving Ryan in the figurative dust.

I didn't know how I knew, but judging from Ryan's personality, I figured he just shrugged, sat back, and turned on his iPod-the only electronic mom didn't think to include in her "Do this and you die" list.

When I got there, Natalie was already starting to dry up, but tears were still trickling out of the corners of her eyes. I lifted her out of her cradle and carried her to my room, where I sat down on the bed. Natalie didn't seem to register that I was home way to early, but I don't think she would have cared either way.

"'Meda?" Natalie sniffled. "When's Daddy coming home?"

Every time I heard those words, my heart broke into increasingly smaller and more numerous pieces.

"I don't know, Nat. I just don't know." I know what your thinking. Wouldn't calling her my dad's nickname for her just make it worse? In truth, she barely even remembered him. All she knew was that there was an absence at the dinner table where she knew her daddy was supposed to sit.

Natalie started to cry again, and the rubble where my heart used to be was suddenly sand. I started to sing the only song that would ever calm her down.

I remember tears streaming down your face

When I said I'd never let you go

When all those shadows almost killed your light

I remember you said, "Don't leave me hear alone."

But all that's dead and gone and passed

Tonight

Just close your eyes-the sun is going down

You'll be alright-no one can hurt you now

Come morning light-you and I'll be safe and sound

Don't you dare look out your window

Darling, everything's on fire

The war outside our door keeps raging on

Hold on to this lullaby

Even when the music's gone

Gone

Just close your eyes-the sun is going down

You'll be alright-no one can hurt you now

Come morning light-you and I'll be safe and sound

Just close your eyes

You'll be alright

Come morning light-you and I'll be safe and sound

I was learning how to play that song on my guitar, which was standing in a corner of my room, but I couldn't get the rhythm right-or the notes. I don't even know if Natalie's ever heard the song with music and back ups and all that fun stuff, but it made her happy-happier anyway.

Natalie leaned her tiny little blonde head on my shoulder. "I want to read about Daddy." Perseus was her favorite myth-even before she knew that was Dad's first name. When Natalie couldn't talk, she'd usually point to me, then at my kindle. But, now, she said she wanted to read about Daddy. I smiled and grabbed my kindle, which was laying on my bed. I navigated to find the myth and began to read.

And as I read, my heart turned from sand to dust.