The New Orleans Stories
Part I: Memoir
In the Uptown New Orleans building that once housed Agnes L. Bauduit Elementary School, the ReNEW Accelerated High School is a novel tenant. On one side, a shiny playground sits empty; on the other, students chatter along the edges of an asphalt court, ringed by a chain-link fence. The days are still sultry, more than three weeks into the first quarter — they will be for perhaps another month — and the budding writers in my creative nonfiction elective file in from lunch asking to adjust the thermostat.
In spiral notebooks and on Microsoft Word, at desktops and the handful of Chromebooks that I lug up from the computer lab as we approach publication day, the students describe peaceful moments and poor decisions, rambunctious in the opening minutes but soon settling into the murmur of scratching pens and keystrokes. From the partial drafts I read and comment on each night, attempting to draw out vivid, specific details and clear chronology and round characters, I know their lives have been hard — far harder than mine. The program here is designed, per the charter network’s website, for the city’s “most academically behind students,” the “over-age” and “under-credited,” the displaced-by-Katrina, the once-incarcerated, the working-to-help-out-the-family, the caring-for-families-of-their-own. In this sense, their stories, published here with their permission, are New Orleans stories par excellence — stories of struggle and resilience, trauma and triumph, facing down at least a few of the demons that have shadowed the decade just. There is more work to do, in my classroom as in our city, but this is a start.
I am proud of them. I hope they are proud of themselves. — Matt Brennan
My Family Trip to Atlanta
by Nikailyn Thibeaux
On a chilly fall night my family and I left Lafayette, Louisiana. We were in our way to Atlanta, Georgia for our family trip. We were in my aunt Sheila’s Ford Explorer. It was my mother, Amanda, her three sisters, Angela, Rose, and Sheila, my cousins Naomi and Danasha, and of course me.
On the way there, we watched movies. Some of our choices were Madea’s Family Reunion and Madea Goes to Jail. They were both very funny movies, everyone enjoyed watching them. We stopped a few times to eat. We stopped at Burger King and I ordered a Whopper and french fries. We also had to stop for gasoline quite often. While we were at the gas station we grabbed a few snacks.We bought potato chips, Skittles, and sunflower seeds. The adults fussed at the kids and told us not to make a mess with the sunflower seeds.
The car was kind of packed down. We all had our luggage. We were all girls so you can imagine how much luggage we all had to pack. We all had to be dressed to impress in the big city of Atlanta. I had packed up some cute blue jeans and a warm sweater with a few scarves and of course a pair of boots. We talked about other trips the family had taken before we were all born. Our parents talked about when they were younger. They talked about how they used to have a lady in the neighborhood who sold snacks and cold cups. They talked about who they had crushes on when they were teenagers and how they used to party. Which seemed to be very interesting to the kids. Our parents told great stories about their childhoods.
It seemed like forever, but when we finally arrived in Atlanta we were all excited. We pulled up to my sister Kindalyn’s apartment complex. My sister had left Louisiana and moved to Georgia. She left to go to college. She was attending Georgia State at the time. She went to school and got her associate’s and bachelor’s degree. She is now pursuing her master’s degree. She is now 28 years old and she recently gave birth to my beautiful godchild Kaidence Eliyse. When we pulled in the driveway, she was already waiting outside for us. She was so happy that we were there. She hugged everyone as they got out the truck. We all went inside because it was chilly. She had a two bedroom. Everyone split up into rooms. We all freshened up and got ready to go do some fun activities in the city.
We decided where we would go and we all got in the car. We drove to the train station where we parked the truck. We got on the train and rode to downtown Atlanta. We went on a walk downtown and saw people making balloons for kids. On almost every corner there was someone selling something.
My mom really wanted to go to the Martin Luther King Museum so we all went along. When we walked in it was extremely packed. When you walk through the doors there is a case of shoes that belonged to famous people such as James Brown and Michael Jackson. There were different stations with statues of Martin and his life. There was even the carriage that he was carried in at his funeral. As you walk through they had a speaker playing some of the speeches he had given. We went to the church. It felt so spiritual and sad. There was some gloomy music playing as we walked through the church. As you walked out of the church there was a little gift shop to purchase souvenirs and gifts. We also went to the site of his grave. His grave was under water and it had a big waterfall flowing down. It was beautiful, but back then it was scary to me. I was horrified to even go near it. I didn’t even want to take pictures with the family near it.
We had a really good time on the trip. Other than the grave it was a great day. The next morning we had to get back on the road to make it to Lafayette. We got some rest and woke up the next morning to head out. Everyone was sad to have to leave my sister behind, but she had college. On our way home, we were in a small town in Alabama and the car began to act up. A few more miles down the road, the car broke down on the side of the highway. We were all upset and ready to make it home. We knew we most likely weren’t going to make it back home that day. My aunt Sheila called her insurance for road side assistance. While we waited we were aggravated and just wanted to get back on the road and get home. Roadside assistance came to the rescue and gave us a ride to a near by hotel.
We weren’t going to be able to get a rental until the next morning because Enterprise was closed. We slept at the hotel for the night. We were all so tired and exhausted that we all showered and went to sleep. The next morning the grown ups got up and went to get the rental. They came back with a huge ugly white van. No one wanted to be seen in there, although it was very spacious and comfortable. We got on the road and were back in route. When we got home it was early in the morning. I unfortunately had school the same morning. Thankfully my mom let me stay home for the day.
Nikailyn Thibeaux is a 17-year-old high school student. She attends Renew Accelerated High School. She is a very creative writer and is in gifted and talented for drama. She will be graduating in June of 2016 and plans to go to Tulane University and pursue a career in psychology and counseling.
The Worst Day of My Life
by Jamon Brown
The worst day of my life was when I lost my potna to a gun. He had just got up and called my phone.
“What are you getting into today?” he asked.
“I’m chilling, what’s up?” I said.
“They got a party today,” he said.
“I’m gone come, where it’s at?” I asked.
“Desire,” he said.
“Alright,” I said. “Come around here.”
He made it ’round here, so we started talking about some dudes and were like, “We got to watch them at the party,” because they had been looking at and talking about us. They were mad ’cause we were making money and we be fresh and one of the dude’s girlfriend’s likes me and I’d been talking to her.
We went to the park and started balling. We played like three games back to back, then Moms called and said we needed to walk to the store for the stuff for the party. We went to the store to go get the stuff, then some dudes came in there who my potna ran into. They were looking us up and down and one of them said, “Aright,” so we like, “Aright.” We started to walk home from the store.
When we got home, we ate, and then we played Xbox 360. We made a bet on the shooting game: whoever get the most kills win.
My potna said, “I have to go take a shower so I can get ready for the party.”
He got home and got in the shower. He pulled up at like 8 p.m.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said.
So we were on our way to the party in the Desire. When we had got to the door, girls were dancing everywhere in the party, and everyone was getting along in there. The DJ man had them dancing for money. Everybody was having fun, drinking and eating. People were drunk, full off them drinks, feeling good.
When we got to the party, we saw the dudes that were in the store. They were just looking at us, so we were like, “What y’ all looking at?” They said, “Y’all” and we were like, “Fasho.” We went back to partying and having fun. Two hours passed before the party ended and some dudes started fighting — one had dropped some water on another and messed up his shirt and shoes, so he hit him, and his friends started to jump the dude.
We started to leave but the dudes from the store seen us. They like, “What’s up, nah” and started shooting, so we started running. I went by the lady’s house and I started to call my potna’s name, but no answer. I went back out there when they had stopped shooting. But when I got there my potna was laying on the ground, dead. I’m saying his name, crying and mad. I just can’t believe that he’s not breathing. They told me he was dead. I didn’t want talk to anyone after that. They really killed my potna right in front me. That was the worst day of my life.
Jamon Brown is an 18-year-old student at Renew Accelerated High School.
A Time I Lied and It Backfired
by Abria’ Robinson
I was living with my Mom in Gulfport, Mississippi. When we were getting in the car I was listening to my music. Mom’s husband told me to turn it off. I was looking for my headphones to plug into my phone so they wouldn’t hear it. Mom’s husband tried to take my phone and I wasn’t having it because none of them bought the phone or paid my damn bill. My little brother was in the back, and while I was holding my phone trying to keep it away from them, he took it from me and gave it to them. Mom was holding my phone and I said, “Give me my fucking phone.’’ She didn’t want to so I started fighting with her. I rammed Momma’s head into the car and took my phone back. Then her husband tried to grab me off of her. I got mad and punched him. I kept punching him until he had to restrain me by sitting on me until the police came.
About five or ten minutes later the police came and I was arrested for assault on Mom. She lied and told the police I was crazy and that I cut myself. She always said that I stabbed my sister in the neck with scissors and that I needed to be in the state’s custody because she didn’t want me at her house. That hurt my feelings, so I said, “I don’t care and I hate her and I wish she’d die.” When I got to the detention center I called Dad since Mom said she didn’t want me with her. I asked him to come get me because he was always saying if I came by him I wouldn’t have those problems. I believed him only because I wanted to get out of that shitty-ass place. My real motive was to go back by my Grandma, not to stay with him and his nasty wife.
Dad came get me from jail after I went to court twice. It was the end of the school year. I wanted to finish my 8th grade year so I would be able to start school in August. My Dad sent his ugly wife to register me for school, but they told her she couldn’t do that because he was my parent, not her. We told my Dad what they said and he told me that he was going to register me the next day, but he never did. I wasn’t talking to my family because I didn’t have a phone and everybody was mad with me. I kept asking my Dad if he could hurry up and register me for school so I could take LEAP so I could go to the next grade. He just kept saying he was going do it.
I started back talking to my Grandma again and I asked her if I could come by her house after school let out and she said yes. My Dad had bought me a phone, so I was talking to my Grandma almost everyday. I couldn’t really tell her nothing when she kept asking about school, because my Dad was sitting there listening to what we were talking about. My Dad wouldn’t even try to check if I would be able to go to summer school and test. I told my Grandma I had good grades and I scored high on my state testing, which was a lie.
It was Mother’s Day and I wanted to go be with my Mom and my daughter. My Dad told me he would bring me and I was mad because he lied. I had already told my family I was coming. I was really irritated because he started talking about, “Yeah, you always want go by the same people who did this, that, and the third to you.” I told him stop talking about my Grandma and Momma! This escalated into an argument and he said, “I’m your Daddy and whatever I say goes.” I said, “You’re not my Daddy biologically!” He felt some type of way and told his wife that I hurt his feelings, which she then told me. But I didn’t care.
I went by my Momma’s for a couple of weeks because I wanted to spend some more time with my daughter. We were getting along for a good bit of time. I went back home for a party at the legacy hall on Chef. I went to the party and I had fun. When I got home it was almost one o’clock in the morning. My Grandma was going to Mississippi, so I asked her to drop me back off by my Mom, and she did. I stayed over for a couple more weeks. Me and my Mom got into it because I fell asleep in church. I was tired. My baby had stayed up all night and I stayed up with her.
I went back by my Dad because it was time for school to start. I told my Grandma I was going to high school knowing damn well I was lying. A couple days later I talked to my Grandma and she told me that a high school had called for me and they wanted me to come to school. I called my Dad because I wanted him to know that I wanted to go back by my Grandma for school, because I’m more comfortable going to school by her. Dad said, “Alright, bruh.” I went back over by my Grandma’s and we went to the school and tried to get everything we needed. They asked for my test scores that I didn’t have. I had to go to the school board and they said I could take this test to say that I could go to the 9th grade. My brother started messing with me and we fought. I called the police on him. My Grandma put me out because, she said, “You’re always starting shit.” But he hit me first.
I went to Texas by my biological father, Byron, and he was supposed to put me in school after my Momma and Grandma brought me to him. He had surgery on his neck and couldn’t drive. I stayed by him for a week or two, and when he got better he told me I had to go back to New Orleans by Anthony, my father on my birth certificate. I went by Anthony and I asked him, “What am I going to do about school?” I needed to be in school before I went back to court. That’s when he said that I couldn’t go to school and that they weren’t going to care if I was in school or not. I finally got in school in November and I was still in the 8th grade at an alternative school doing 90 days. I was in 8.5 while everyone else was in high school. Even my little sister had passed me up in school.
I left alternative school and my Dad lied and said I was going to high school and that I wasn’t going to be in 8th grade since I went to alternative school. When I got to Hahnville High School they had me in the 8th grade. I was so mad. I was only getting elective credits. I started talking to my Grandma again and I lied and told her that I was in the 9th grade and that I was making good grades, so that’s why I wasn’t coming back home. My Grandma was so happy for me. I wasn’t happy because none of what I was saying was the truth. My Dad told me to tell my Grandma these things, so I did.
I got into it with my Dad’s wife because she was talking about my Mom and I felt some type of way about that because she knows that she wouldn’t say it to her face. I cursed her ugly man-looking ass out. I said, “Fuck you, fat dirty bitch!” She was all in my face and she was trying to fight me. She said “I’m not Anika,” meaning my Mom. I said, “I know, I could really kick your ass.” She put me out and this woman Javon who worked for her doing home healthcare told me I could come stay with her and go to school. I stayed with Javon for a couple months. I was going to school but I wasn’t happy. I felt empty and bad because I’m always used to being around my family and not being a failure in anything so this really hurt my pride and confidence.
I talked to my Grandma a couple times and all I did was fucking lie! My Grandma would always tell me how she hates a liar. I really was saying things that weren’t true. I told her I was in the 10th grade, because that’s the correct grade I was supposed to be in at that time. My grandma asked me how I got in the 10th grade. I lied and said, “I went to the school board and took a test.” I was frustrated about being in 8.5 because I know for a fact I’m smarter than that. I guess I just lied to cover up my failure and disappointment in myself. I had my family thinking I was doing so well in school and they were proud of me. I really feel like I let them down when I lied. I know I hurt them when I told them the truth.
Although I lied to my family, my Grandma mostly forgave me and let me come back home. She is my rock because no matter what I do that might make her mad, she never judges me or turns her back on me. I’m thankful that my Grandma believes in me when nobody else does. Not a lot of people can say that. I will not be lying to my Grandma or Mom. I will also never disrespect them again, because when I look around or need someone they are the first two people who always come to my rescue and save me.
Lying is a bad habit and I don’t advise anyone to lie. If you do decide to lie, make sure you aren’t hurting the people you love and care about the most. If you lie I promise you will regret it. I know from personal experience that lying is not a game.
Abria’ Robinson is 16 years old and attends Renew Accelerated High School. Abria’ likes to draw and write outside of school. Abria’ writes so that people will understand her and hopes they will learn from her mistakes.
The Best Day Of My Life
by Reneisha Patterson
The best day of my life was when my brother came home after six years. That was my best day because I had wanted to see him. That was my only brother. When he was gone, we couldn’t do the things we like to do. I never really got the time to talk to him because he never was able to talk on the phone.
The morning that I woke up and saw my brother in the living room, that made my whole day. When I saw him I ran and gave him the biggest hug and set under him all day. The reason why I was all under him is because I missed him and and didn’t get to see him for six long years. Then that’s when we all got hungry and I made him his favorite thing to eat. My brother wanted pancakes and eggs. I made him food because I knew he was hungry, he had been on a long flight. That’s when I went and put his clothes in his room. When my brother was gone I was in my room all day, every day. I didn’t want be bothered with nobody. The reason why I was in my room is because I felt like I ain’t had nobody to talk to and I was used to talking to my brother. All I did was talk, talk about him and pray that he was okay and safe.
When we all settled down we were ready to go see our city. We were ready to show him what he was missing out on, like how St. Charles, the French Quarter, and City Park looked. We first went on Canal St. and got us some drinks. We each got Long Island and a few more drinks. That’s when we walked down Bourbon Street. We all went in different kinds of clubs. That’s when we got hungry and went to eat at Le Bayou. I ate some gumbo, and he had some red beans. While we were eating our food we were laughing about all the old things we remembered, like one time when we got in trouble from eating all the cookies.
That’s when we left Le Bayou and walked down Bourbon some more. After we were tired of walking down we got on the City Sightseeing bus. That brought us all around and showed us the things we hadn’t seen. That’s when we got off the bus and went to the car to go see some of our other family members that hadn’t see him, either. When we made it by my grandmother’s house everyone was very happy to see him. They all gave him big hugs and kisses and was laughing about all the things we did when we were little children.
We sat over there for 2 or 3 hours. Then me and my brother were ready to go home cause we were sleepy. When we made it home we ate the food my mother cooked and sat around the table. Me, my mother, and my two sisters listened to the story of why he was gone for six years. He told us that when he was gone for those six years he was called to serve in the Army. He told us that all the times we’d been calling his phone he was never around it to call back or answer. My brother said that it was very hard to be away from his family and not call or be able to answer the phone.
We were all done eating. After everyone had took a shower, we all sat in the living room and watched a movie. We watched Big Mama. We were all laughing. But by the time the movie went off we were all falling asleep. So that’s when everybody told everybody goodnight and they loved them and gave a few kisses and went to sleep.
Reneisha Patterson is a young lady who lives in New Orleans.
Skate Day
by Marley Cousan
One Saturday evening, I was at home smoking, chilling with my cousin. We were at the pool blowing on some gas, called AK47. The pool was clear and the sun was shiny and bright. There was no breeze floating in my direction. When we were chilling by the pool, this dude came by asking if we knew anybody who was selling piff, which is another word for gas. We told him the weed man had left and went to the Down Man Discount Store. He’s one of the main sellers. The boy told us he was gonna pass back around here.
Torey, a.k.a Tee, called my phone. People have nicknames when they don’t want people to know their government names. Some people don’t like for people to know their real names. My nickname is Marley. Everybody calls me that because I’m a Rasta and living a clean Hippie Life. A clean Hippie Life is not looking rough and dirty. My room is red, yellow, green and black. Part of being a Hippie, you can always catch me wearing something that has to do with Bob Marley’s theme. Torey is like a brother to me. He reminds me of one of Bob Marley’s kids, Damian Marley. If I need anything he’s right there to assist me. Torey has thick black dreads with a little hair on his mustache. He is light skinned and has hairy arms.
I asked him who all was out there skating. He told me Forehead, Chris, Red, and himself. He asked me if I was coming to skate with the crew. I told him, “Yeah son I’m on my way.” I started getting dressed. I wore Glo Gang joggers and a purple LSU jacket. It was freezing that day. I grabbed my skateboard and keys and left out the door. The bus stop is in front of a gas station. The gas station is located on the side of my momma’s house. As I was waiting on the bus to come, I bumped Chief Keef and Migos. Their music gets me prepared to skate. I call it hype music.
I got on the bus and we headed to Canal St. It costs $1.25 to catch the Lake Forest to the East, where I stay at. They had a few people on the bus. The bus driver was “pushing it,” meaning driving fast. Every time I get on the bus I never sit in the front because people be stank. We made it on Canal St. 10 minutes later. I got off the bus. I walked by the Joy Theatre. The Joy is a movie theatre. I called Tee on the phone and asked him where they were. He said, “By the Wall.” The Wall is further down past Canal Street. It’s close to a place called the River Walk, that’s where people go to shop. I told him to skate down by the Joy. I saw them skating down towards me. I hugged everybody and we started skating right after. Tee and CJ sketched on a black car. Sketching means holding onto a car or truck while skating with your board.
The man who was driving hit the corner going fast. Tee and CJ were going so fast their dreads were flying. The truck slowed down, coming towards a red light, then they hopped off the truck. Then Tee, CJ, Chris and I hopped on a truck. We were on the back of some lady’s truck. We asked her to speed up while we were on her truck. She raised her thumb to say yeah. We were all listening to the same song, “Earned It” by Chief Keef. She turned the corner and took off. We were halfway down the street, and CJ, Chris and I let go. The car kept going straight. I was skated back to Elk St.
I spotted the OPPs as soon as I let go. OPPs stands for Police in our terms. They were going for Tee. The OPPs don’t like skaters sketching because they think it’s dangerous. We see people get hurt everyday sketching. I sprained my ankle sketching. The OPPs chased after Tee. They caught him and pulled him over and harassed him. They asked him why he was sketching on the cars. Tee never responded to the police. We never answer them because we can’t stand them. The police grabbed Tee by his shirt and cussed him out. He said, “You shouldn’t be fucking skating on the back of a car. It’s dangerous, you dummy.” Tee replied, “Bitch you not my dad, so don’t tell me nothing, fuck boy,” and skated off. The OPPs left. When I heard what he told the OPPs, I started laughing. We skated down to the Joy and hopped off.
Brionte’ “Marley” Cousan is from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Losing a Child
by Nicole Smith
I was 14 years old when I met my ex-boyfriend. He was 15, in the 9th grade. It was the end of the school year, and I was about to graduate from the 8th grade. His name was CJ. We had known each other for about a year at that point, and even though my parents did not agree with me seeing him because of the lifestyle he lives, it didn’t make any difference to me. I wanted who I wanted. He was 5’4, brown skin, a decent size bottom lip, and a flat curly bush and baby brown eyes. Maybe that’s what really caught my eye for him.
On Friday, May 13 he called me to see if I was still coming to his house after I dropped my brother and sister off at school. I told him that I would have to come up with an excuse because he knew that my parents would not approve of that type of behavior. When I got home from dropping my brother and sister off at school, my mother asked me why I took so long. I told her that the dog had gotten out again, and I had to chase him around the neighborhood — not because he’s a bad dog, but the last time I had let him run around the neighborhood because I didn’t feel like chasing him, he got hit by a car. He wasn’t really hurt, just bruised a bit. He ran off once again, and I had just let him go when I made it home. I told my mother. She said, “Let that bitch stay gone since he wants to keep getting out.”
I was suspended from school again because when I was in science class this boy named D kept throwing paper balls at me. I was already being bullied but was scared to speak up, so the time he threw 2 paper balls at me, I sat there getting heated, pissed, I wanted to cry I was so mad. Then he threw the third paper ball at me. My anger took over me. I got up out of my seat, ran over by him and started fighting him like I was a man. The kids in class, they broke it up, but I was so mad I just kept going like I was trying to kill him in that moment. The school called my mother and told her what happened. My mom said she was fed up. This was not the first time he had picked on her child. The school suspended me and him for 5 days.
My mother told me I was not gonna sleep throughout the day doing nothing, and she was going to find me something to do, so every day I had to bring my brother and sister to school. Me and CJ’s slick ass made up a master plan for us to sneak around. Everything fell into place so perfectly around the same time like it was meant for us to be together. At least that’s what I thought in my head. While I’m walking to CJ’s house in my head I’m thinking, “Really? Am I really going to do this? Am I ready to do this? Am I sure that I want give up all my innocence to him?” He said that we were going to be a family, have our little boy, and no one can tell us anything! So stupid. I let a nigga tell me anything. It was too late to turn around because he was outside waiting on me and I didn’t want seem like a wimp so I pulled through and hid my fears. We walked in his house. It was dark, quiet, and smelled like an old mop bucket that’s been sitting there for a few days. I was so petrified, I felt like my hands were going to shake off my arms. He was about 5'4" and I was 5'0" so of course he looked down on me then grabbed my left hand directing me into his room. He turned his head at me and smiled, showing his crooked-ass teeth thinking he all that and a bag of chips.
In the back of my head I was thinking about why my mother didn’t want me to be with him! Was it because he hung out in the streets all day? Was it because he smoked weed? Or maybe it was because he hung with a lot of females and she didn’t want me hurt. Of course that would be any mother’s excuse if she didn’t want her daughter hanging out with some nigga off the block, but to me it didn’t make any difference. I liked his lifestyle, the way he dressed, talked, walked, and how he carried himself. Walking with your pants to your ankles, talking like you have mushrooms stuck in your cheeks, not going to school, selling drugs: all that was attractive to me. Maybe because that’s what all the other girls liked and young girls in those days were all followers, including myself. But why? Out of all the boyfriends I’ve had why would I give something that my life depends on to him? For the life of me I couldn’t understand. I just knew in the back of my mind I wanted to spend the rest of my life with the boy, have his kids, and live happily ever after.
As he’s leading me into his bedroom I’m trying to keep my cool, and make it seem like that’s what I really wanted even though the whole time I wanted to call it quits and run home and forget the whole thing. It wasn’t the type of scared that I wanted to call rape, it was the type that a virgin feels when she’s not sure about the decision that she is about to make. Will I be smart enough to let my mother know the action that I have just made, will I be able to explain to her why out of all the decisions I make in life why I made that exact one? I guess if I’m old enough to make that decision I’m old enough to talk about it. As we were about to start the worst mistake in my life, he bucked my head up for me to think that he really love me and were going to have a happily ever after. At 14 years old we don’t know the real story about half of the things we’re getting into.
He laid me on the chair that was along the wall in his room as soon as you walk in and look to the left. I guess that’s what he slept on. I was laughing in my head, trying not to laugh out loud so he wouldn’t feel stupid. We had sex for about 25 or 30 minutes and then I called it quits because I knew my mother would wake up looking for me sooner or later.
After I got up and put my clothes on I felt normal. It felt just what I thought it would feel like, just less screaming. As he was helping me get dressed he walked me out. When we got to the living room I looked up and his brother was in the living room, just getting home. I was so scared because I had a feeling he knew just what went down. When I got home I was scared that my mother was going to notice. You know what they say a mother notices everything about her child. By the time I got home my mother was still asleep. I went in her room to let her know that I was home she said, “Look at the time, you should have been home.” I told her that I had to go chase our dog Sammie around the neighborhood because he got out again. She said, “Oh, alright, that’s cool.”
One morning, I don’t remember what day it was exactly, I was about to go into the kitchen to speak to my parents, but before I could even speak to them I ran to the bathroom throwing up. I thought they heard me, but I guess not. When was finished I brushed my teeth, wiped my mouth, and walked in the kitchen. No one told me anything so I was guessing and hoping no one heard me. I was so scared. Only the worst came to my mind. I tried to ignore it, and not put so much attention on myself to make it look obvious that I had something on my mind. I don’t know how, but for some reason my mother always knew when something was wrong no matter how much I told her that I was fine. She didn’t accept that.
I finally convinced myself that I was pregnant. My cycle was late, and all I wanted to eat was pickles and crushed ice. My stomach was getting bigger my line was getting darker. There I was, making the same mistake that my mother made. 14 and pregnant. It scared me to death at first because I had to tell my mother sooner or later.
One day I was chilling at the park with my friends. I was 3 months at the time, and one of the little boys that was there kept trying to fight me. I said, “Lah, boy, if you don’t leave me alone…” He took it as a joke and decided to kick me in my neck, and I lost control then ran after him, forgetting I was pregnant, and chased after him with everything I had. I was out of breath by the time I was done, and I still didn’t catch him. When I got inside my grandmother was gone so I was home by myself. Out of nowhere my stomach was cramping so bad I dropped to my knees screaming for help, but no one could hear me. I had enough strength to crawl to my room and get in my bed. I was crying so much I fell asleep. The next morning I woke up with blood all in my bed. I was freaking out because my mother didn’t know. How was I supposed to tell her that I had just had a miscarriage?
Nicole Smith is a high school student in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Winter Formal
by Sterling Mullen
My winter formal, let’s see. Where do I start? Man, that was a long-ass day. First, I arrived at the school starting out at 6:40. Arriving to school is always the same unless there is something going on like a fight, a half day, or a school dance that night. For everybody who’s a somebody or a nobody, Winter Formal is the night we’ve been waiting on all year. It’s the only school dance where all classes can finally attend the same dance. Unfortunately for me it was a huge pain — not the dance part, because for me the pain part was mainly getting there.
I went to school talking mad shit about the girl I’m going with knowing that I wasn’t even prepared for the dance, so my best friend and I chose to leave the school and skip football practice so we could get ready for the night. First we had so sneak around the gym and our coach, who always stands there and gives out his same greeting, to get to the auditorium for morning assembly and then straight to class. First period was always boring because everyone always went to sleep in history class. We had a dry teacher who read straight from the book, which made the lesson suck. At 8:30 it’s second period, math — which normally goes by fast. After that it’s lunch, which is 10:00 to 11:00.
That was the perfect time to ditch school. We waited for the lunch bell to ring and wait for the school to get crowded so we could escape to the parking lot and jump in his mom’s car and take off to go get our suits for the school dance. On the way over to the shop we ran into horrific traffic. We sat in traffic for an hour and sitting in that traffic was like riding to Las Vegas during the day with the windows down and without A/C in midsummer. When we finally got to the suit shop we already knew what suits we had because we pre-ordered them. Then I got dropped off at home. Both of my parents were at work so I was in the clear for ditching school. I walked my dog and enjoyed a little peace in quiet. When I walked back inside I took a shower and got dressed and called my date to make sure she was still coming and if we were matching and to discuss where we were meeting.
After I got off the phone I called my best friend to see if he was ready and his response to that was, “I been waiting on you for like a hour.” On the way there we met up with our dates and grabbed a bite to get eat at IHOP. Leaving out of IHOP was the problem: we came out to find that my best friend’s mom’s car had been scratched up by another car. We didn’t know what to tell the ladies, so we just left it as a problem to deal with after the dance.
Arriving at the winter formal was a different story. Walking through the double doors was like entering heaven with the perfect woman and my closest friends. Half of the football team was there. They were surprised to see me there and who I was there with. When I started to look around I noticed that the setting of the dance was moon light white along with cold winter weather. A lot of people were dressed and a lot of other people chose to wear casual clothes. They had food set out for the dance but nobody was going for it as if it was poison. Then comes the dancing point of the famous winter formal. Everybody up dancing doin’ the Cupid Shuffle and all them other old dances I can’t seem to recall the names of, and then the slow music starts. As she started to make her way over to me it felt as if my heart weighed a ton and fell to my stomach. Then she asked me once we were face to face, “May I have this dance?” and I replied, “Yes, you may.” Close to the middle of the dance I wondered what was on her mind as were dancing and she looked as I stared down at her majestically. We kissed and time froze as if we were in a twilight.
At the end of the night my friend and I brought our dates back home and then headed to his house to drop off the car and talk to his mom about what had happened at IHOP. There was much explaining to her because she was pissed. The next day at school it was back to normal because nobody really showed up, but that’s what happens when you have a school dance on a Thursday. That was one of the best nights I ever had in my life and I’m sure to remember it.
Sterling Mullen is an 18-year-old YouTube gamer for PlayStation 4! He is also a student at RAHS in the 12th grade. He lives in New Orleans.
Music, My First Real Love
By Jovan Gilmore
When I first figured out I love music, I was around eight years old. I was into sports then like basketball and football so much that I thought that’d be the only thing I’d ever love or want to pursue in my life. I thought I was the best in everything I engaged in as an adolescent. Then, one day, I stumbled upon my cousin listening to an instrumental in my room. It was a good beat and it had really nice sound to it. I saw him writing in a notebook, but he didn’t go to school.
“What are you writing in that notebook?” I asked.
“I’m writing rhymes.” He calmly said in his deep voice, focused.
“Is it cool if I write one with you?” I asked.
“Do ya thang son!” he said as he ripped out sheets of paper.
It wasn’t as easy as he made it look but it wasn’t impossible. So, I did try and put a lot of effort into writing my first rap verse ever! It took me a lot more time to finish than I thought it would but I was determined to finish it. I have no memory of what I wrote but I can’t forget how frustrating it was to write the verse because I was young and hadn´t experience anything major or anything at all for the fact of the matter. My taste in music as a child was very one dimensional. I would rarely listen to someone that I hadn’t heard before or had no knowledge of. I wouldn’t give a new artist music a try unless I heard it and liked it or unless they did a song with someone I’d listen to.
I would listen to rappers like Lil Wayne, Soulja Slim, Cam’ron, Juelz Santana, and Young Jeezy. I would listen to them as much because it was good quality music and it inspired me in some kind of way. Up until the eighth grade, I was listening to one genre of music.
Something I would consider ¨Wise Words¨ is what made me start to look at music and just life differently. I would consider them wise words because at such a short age those words changed my life. It was words from an old friend. An ex-girlfriend, to say the least. Her name was Jordain. What she told me made me look at everything in life differently. She told me to ¨Expand my horizon.¨ To some it might not be the deepest choice of words but they were to me. Simply because we were so young and it made me realize how open her mind was to music and life. Those words that she had told really had an impact on my mindframe and the kinds of music I would listen to from that day forward.
I started to listen to people whom I´d never heard of. Before that time, I never knew what kind of music I liked or would like because I would listen one genre and only a handful of people. That’s when my mind started to enhance and get more open to the newer things or things I wasn’t used to. For example, I was looking into an Ebony Magazine and I went to the music section of it to see whose album was at the top of the charts in Hip-Hop & R&B at that time. Then, I realized it was the weird dude from that MTV video, Tyler,The Creator. I´d never listened to him before, So I was wondering how was he over some of my favorite rappers. I then downloaded his chart-topping album and IT WAS AMAZING! It was a one-of-kind album because it so original and unlike anything that i’ve ever heard before. Everything was different. His lyrics, concepts, and sounds were extraordinary and complex. The drums, horns, jazzy like samples and the other little things he added just put me into such a state of amazement.
The more I started to listen to the little stuff that was deeper inside the music or instrumental itself that most people wouldn’t hear and be fascinated by, The more my love and passion for music increased. Rapping was something I always did for the fun or looked at as a hobby. When I got in the ninth grade, I stopped playing sports for good and music was overpowering my love for sports. So, I knew I wanted to make music a career for me. I knew this was something I could do freely and for years to come. Music was always around me in some way and I didn’t pay attention to realize that. So I feel like I’m destined to make good, soulful and life changing music that’ll be around for generations.
Jovan Gilmore is a Renew Accelerated High School student. He raps and lives in New Orleans.
Moving to a New State
By Jiriell Coleman
Deciding to move to Dallas wasn’t the easiest decision for not only me but my family to make when it came to making the decision of going to a new state for the first time. There were many different meetings among the family and everyone had different reasons why moving to a new state would be a fun experiment.
Three hours before the meeting, everyone got ready for the day as they usually did. My oldest brother, Jay, who is 16, sat over in the corner on the computer desk and typed his essay for his class, My dad stood in the bathroom with his vest and boots. As he prepared his things to head out on the road, he played the music loudly on his phone, My youngest sister, who happily skipped and sang, played in her room with numerous toys that she had received for Christmas two days earlier, My mom was standing in the kitchen singing to a song playing on the radio, while preparing a delicious meal for later and cleaning anything else that needed to be cleaned around the large house, before she would get her things ready to go to the hospital where she worked that evening, My oldest sister Jess, who was 20 years of age, stood in the doorway that led to the living room with a well-put-together outfit and rapped to music which she played on her phone. I sat quietly in the living room on my phone while watching Criminal Minds.
Later on that night when everyone returned home, we got ready to eat dinner and have the first meeting about moving to a new state. My dad, who sat at the end of the table on the right side, spoke first.
“How was everyone’s day?” he asked.
My youngest sister Jabre, who sat next to me, replied to my dad with a big smile.
“It was okay, Dad. I had fun playing with all my toys,” she said.
My oldest sister Jay, then spoke.
“It was cool, Pa. How ‘bout yours?”
“It was good, Jay,” my dad replied.
My mom sat at the other end of the table on the left side.
“So how y’all feel about moving to a new state, Ji, Jay, Jess, & Jabre?” she asked.
“Hello, so nobody didn’t hear my question?” my mom asked a little more loudly this time.
“Mama, nobody wants to move to a new state, that’s too much,” why should we have to move anyways? We’re fine right here where we’re now.” My youngest sister replied.
“Yeah Jabre, you’re right nobody don’t want to move, it’s the middle of the year. Why we can’t just wait until next year?” Jess said to my mom, who had a weird look on her face.
“What’s the big ass deal with moving to a new state?” my mom said with an angry look on her face, as she took a sip out of her cup. “Ya’ll act like the shit going to kill ya’ll or something. What ya’ll don’t want to move because of ya’ll friends and all that shit. Ya’ll don’t need no fucking friends, ya’ll need to be trying to stay focused and stuff, and explore different states and go to different schools. Ya’ll know how many children would love to see new states and explore new things, and get a new start? Yeah I know, Ya’ll don’t cause ya’ll not looking at it like that, ya’ll to worried about all the shit, ya’ll think, ya’ll going to miss. Instead of worrying about the important things in life.”
After my mom spoke no one said anything, and the room was quiet. The argument was not going good, and everyone seemed to have a lot to say, but even then no one replied to what my mother had said.
“That’s not a way to address a situation,” my dad said. “Because they’ll have a say in what they think should and shouldn’t happen. They’re children and what might be a new start and a fun experience for you, doesn’t mean that it is going to be a fun and exciting experience for them. It is the middle of the year and everyone has gotten adjusted to the way things are and they’ve made new friends and things, both of us have got used to the jobs we’ve been working at for a long time now, so them feeling the way they do, well I could understand that, you should be able to because you were a child before too, and moving to a different location is never easy when you’re so used to everything and everybody you’ve been around so long.”
An hour later, everyone sat in the living room and watched television, as my mom cleaned up the dinning area and my dad proceeded to finish helping with the dishes. The decision to move to a new state was made. We were finally moving to a new state. Where we would soon experience new things and explore new adventures in life.
Jiriell Coleman is a student at Renew Accelerated High School. She lives in New Orleans.
My First Summer Job As A Babysitter
By Henryionne Porter
Have you ever experienced being a babysitter at a daycare center? Well, I have, and it’s not as bad as it may seem. My sister convinced me to take this job because she was telling one of her coworkers that I do a good job with looking after my nephew. Her coworker said she might have a job for me because she knew a daycare center looking for a babysitter ASAP. She told my sister write down my important information like my cell phone number, social security, and my age.
The name of the daycare was Guiding Light. When I arrived for my first day on the job, the yard looked nice and decent. There were beautiful, healthy flowers blooming in front of the door, a welcome sign, and a good view of the playground up the street. Inside there was a room for babies, another for toddlers, and a sanitized, clean kitchen. The toddlers’ room had paintings on the walls, toys, and big screen television. The babies room had baby cribs, toys that make a lot of noise like pianos, or a music playing train. I was nervous because I was going to be working with different personalities, but by the end of the day me and the kids were getting comfortable around each other.
The second day at work the girls were playing with my hair, and asking me about school and my family. The boys were getting bored so I put the movie ¨Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory”,on to keep them occupied. When lunchtime came I gave every child a Lunchable, and carrots. After they finished their lunchable they were throwing the carrots at each other. I didn’t fuss at them because they were having fun and carrots are easy to clean up.
I couldn’t get too attached to them because I knew I had to quit in August. The pressure of going to high school and work was too much to handle at the time. After the first week, I got comfortable with the kids. Some of the 4 year olds were more active than usual so I figured I needed to make a behavior chart. The behavior chart had three categories of behavior, Green meant Good behavior, Blue was not good but not bag, and red meant bad. None of the kids got red. I rewarded all of children with a sugary treat like cookies or ice cream.
On the last week as a babysitter, I rewarded them by going to the park. Weeks passed by and it was almost time for me to quit the job, the kids didn’t understand why I was leaving. On the last day I brought all the children a snowball dressed however they like, then we went to the park. When parents started arriving the children started hugging me and telling me not to quit. I was more attached to them than they were to me.
Henryionne Porter is 18 years old, and is currently a senior at Renew Accelerated High School.
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