Where Am I?!? | Teen Ink

Where Am I?!?

April 14, 2010
By jasminehaynes BRONZE, New Haven, Connecticut
jasminehaynes BRONZE, New Haven, Connecticut
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

-March 2, 2009-

He sat there waiting in his dark room. He sat there waiting filled with gloom. He waited for someone to come save him from this pain and suffering. His was a little 9 year old boy who has had a rough childhood so far. He has an abusive step father and a mom who is a junkie. When his mom first married that guy, Johnny knew something was up just by the evil look in his eyes he gave him when he met him the first time. Night after night Johnny buried his face in his pillow with tears praying that someday this nightmare would end. Every night before bed Bill would sneak into Johnny's room beating him so bad that he'd always end up swollen with sores all over his body. Johnny's mom wouldn't know what's going on because she's always too drunk to know anything. Her alcohol comes before everything, including her family. Bill beats Johnny because he thinks it's his fault, for why his mom is acting the way she acts now. Bill says things like: "If you had never been born your mother wouldn't be so stressed out and be on drugs. She had to be a single parent and take care of your little raggedy tail!!!"

-March 7, 2009-

One day Johnny's mom went out clubbing and left Bill to babysit. When she left Johnny knew something horrible was going to happen that night, so he hurried to the backdoor to escape. Right when he opened the door Bill was standing on the step with a huge grin on his face.
"Where you off to in such a hurry lil fella?" says Bill
Johnny stuttered and replied "Umm I'm going to the library to get a book." he stumbled a little.
"Not on my watch your not, in the house now!!" said Bill in a loud, sly voice.

Johnny scurried his tiny feet up the stairs to his room, but before he could make it to the top Bill grabbed him abruptly from behind and sent poor old Johnny tumbling down the steep steps. Johnny weeps in pain and agony and laid there not knowing what to do next.

"Get up you little creep" said Bill his voice booming throughout the house.
He began taking out all his anger on Johnny's body. When Johnny got the strength, he got up and ran as fast as he could. This time he really did escape. He was sore but that wasn’t even on his mind at the point, he was just worried about getting away from that man and being safe. He ran and ran through town, until he came across a shelter for kids.
“Who are you?” said a tall lady that worked there. “I am Johnny Jockington can I please stay here until I have some place to go” said Johnny
“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to you, why are you covered in dried up blood and where did all these bruises come from?” said the lady
“I get beatings all the time for no reason by my step father. You know I’m only 7 and I don’t deserve to be treated like this.” said Johnny
“Oh that’s just terrible! Let’s go get you cleaned up and we can talk more about this over a nice big meal at Popeye’s.” said the lady
She gives Johnny some fresh new clothes to put on after he gets out the shelters shower. After he’s dressed, they get in the car. On their way to Popeye’s they listen to Hot93.7.

They pull up into Popeye’s parking lot. They start making their way into Popeye’s. After they ordered they sit down and get comfortable.

“Ok kiddo let’s start talking. What’s been going on in your life that made you come down to our kid’s shelter?”

“Everything was fine when I was younger. I lived with a wonderful mother and father, but one day my father left my mother for some rich white lady. Every since then things haven’t been right. My mother turned to alcohol and drugs because it supposedly releases all her pain, and stress. She couldn’t take the responsibility of raising me on her own. One day she and I were walking home from a day at the park, and this thug approached her. To make a long story short she married him because they both had one thing in common, drugs and since she was so desperate she fell in love with him. How could she be so stupid to love a man who tortures, and abuses her son every night for the last couple of years? Has the alcohol made her into such of a monster that she can’t see the pain in her son’s eyes? Does she see the bruises, the swollenness on my body? DOES SHE?!” Johnny breaks down into tears. The food comes.
“This has been going on for this long? And not a family member nor teacher or friends have noticed all these bruises on you?”
“I don’t know any of my relatives. I also don’t have any friends or a teacher. I don’t go to school because the evil step father told my mother it will be better if I’d be homeschooled. And the dummy that she is, she agreed with him. My mother isn’t in any contact with any of her family. She was pregnant at age 18 with me, and her mom kicked her out and didn’t want anything to do with her. So my mother was raised in the streets and learned from what she saw. When my father left us she went back to being a prostitute, whatever that means.”
“Okay that’s enough, please stop right there that’s all I need to know. Finish up your food You are going to stay at the shelter until I talk some of the workers and figure out what we’re going to do because I know for sure you won’t be going back to that house until your mother gets her act together.”
“What if Bill finds me miss…?”
“Call me Roxy and don’t worry. He’s in big trouble and you won’t ever see him again. By the way Johnny how old are you again?” says Roxy
“9 but I’ll be 10 in two more weeks on March 15th.”
“Looks like we’ll have a little celebration for you lil man.” says Roxy
“That sounds like fun the last party I kind of remember was when I was 3 years old. I remember this because it was the one and only fun/ big party I ever had.”
“Oh my lord well I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure this is the best party ever. So you could remember forever and ever what your 8th party was like.”
They get back to the shelter and Roxy gets him settled in for the night. She tucks him in turns on Disney Channel for him to watch until he falls asleep. Before she leaves she makes sure he is comfortable in the big room alone with. Then, she goes and talks to the other workers about his situation. She informs them of what Johnny told her from beginning to end. They decide that in the morning they’re going to call DCF on his mom and stepfather.
-March 8, 2009-
The Jockington’s are awakened with a loud disturbing knock at the door. They run down to the stairs hopping it is Johnny. They open the door and are alarmed when the police officers come barging in. They inspect the house and when they see where Johnny sleeps at and how messy and unsanitary the house is and all the blood and damage that’s all over Johnny’s room and belongings, they are aware that what Roxy told them are true. They go to the room and search for more evidence and find liquor, marijuana, and weapons hidden in a hole in the back of the closet. They murk down the steps yelling,
“Put ya hands in the air now and lay on the ground for I beat you like you stole something like you had been beating that step son of yours.” He turns his head to Shanica (Johnny’s mother) and says “I don’t know what to say to ya ignorant behind about how you had been letting this man beat your kid.”
“But, but” she stutters
“Uhuh don’t say nothing now I don’t wanna here it. I dare either of you to speak! Whatever you say or do will be held against you!!!! Barks the big, serious black officer
He cuffs them and takes them downtown.”
-March 9, 2009-
The police arrive at the shelter and notify them that they have just taken the Jockington’s into the custody of the police department. They say that Bill will be in jail for a very long time and is being taken out into the Texas institute so he can be far away from Florida. In addition, they say that Jonny’s mom will only be in jail for a couple of moths then she will be taken over to rehab so she can get her life together and be able to take care of herself. Before they leave they hand Roxy a check that is for her to take Johnny shopping for clothes since he barely has anything decent to wear and he will be staying at the shelter for a couple of weeks until they get in contact with one of his relatives that is capable of taking good care of him until his mom gets his life together and can take better care of him and be the responsible parent that she once was.
Later that day, Roxy takes Johnny to the gap outlet and gets him mad different color hoodies and outfits. Then, she they go to the mall and she get him a whole bunch of Coogi, Phat Farm, Polo, and Roca Wear clothes. When they leave there she takes him to the hat store and lets him pick out all the fit its he want. Then, they go to the sneaker store and he goes and picks out all the uptowns, gores, jays and timberlands he wants. She spoils him by letting him get all this stuff because she wants him to be fresh and he is too handsome to be dressing like the bum his mother dresses him as. Come on now it was obvious his mom did not know what she was doing when it came down to buying him clothes.
“Okay Johnny boy is there anything else you need or want.” says Roxy
“ No but thank you so much I never had all these nice clothes and shoes you are the bestest Roxy!”
“Ha-ha you are so welcome honey.”
“Can we save the rest of the money for my party please?”
“Oh yeah definitely that sounds like a good plan smarty pants…So uh what do you want to do now because it’s only 6 o’ clock?”
“Can you take me back to the shellder so I can meet some of the other kids and maybe make some new friends?”
“Oh yea, yea it slipped my mind I should’ve been introduced you to them my mind was somewhere else. I think you’d really like them and become good friend with most of them because they’re really fun and nice kids like you, and have been dying for some new kids to come in and keep them company.”
“Sounds like fun let’s go.” they arrive at the shelter and she introduces everyone to Johnny.
“Okay everyone this is Johnny.” says Roxy
“What up my boy?” says the boy around Johnny’s age.
“Hiiii Johnny” say the little flirty girls in unison.
“Okay now all of you introduce yourself to Johnny” says Roxy
Okay they gather together in a circle and tell him their names.
“Kim, Tim, Dave, Hannah, Ken, Ben, Jen, Tom, Jan, Leah, Ronny, Jimmy, Ricky, Bobby, Niah, Ryan, Mariah, Nadia, Benjamin, William, Jake, Gavin, Evan, Eve, Gabriella, and Gabriel.”
They sit down and ate pizza and play some board games. You could tell Johnny was really enjoying himself because he hasn’t smiled and laughed like that every since he got to the shelter. Before you knew it, it was night time they had played and had fun throughout the whole day. Before they got comfortable on the living room couch to watch movies until they fell asleep, they make themselves ice-cream sundaes.
-March 15th -Johnny Birthday!!
7:00 am: “Everyone get up and get dress and make sure you put your swimming clothes on underneath your clothes, we’re all going to celebrate Johnny’s birthday at Disney World all day then when we come back we’ll sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY and eat cake and celebrate all night with music and more fun!!! I got all your bags with towels in it packed away on the bus for you.” hollers Roxy
“Happy 9th Birthday Johnny! yell the kids as they scatter in excitement to get dressed.
“Thank you ya’ll but Roxy are you serious I know you said you was gonna do something big for me but I wasn’t expecting all this.” says Johnny
“Yea kid when it’s a party we do things big around here. Go get dressed I got you a new outfit laid out on the bed when we get back you got some presents to open too.”
“Ooowee you just don’t know how you make me feel! Thanks for everything Roxy you treat me better than my own mother, it’s like you’re my real mom. Where have you been all my life?”
“Hahaha boy you are too much and that means a lot to me. I always wanted children of my own. I treat you this way because that’s how a child your age should be treated. Okay hurry up and get dressed because this conversation can go on and on all day long.”
After everyone’s all dressed and fresh from head to toe, they go outside and get on the coach bus Roxy and the other counselors rented for them to use for the day. They blast some hip hop n RnB all the way to Disney World. It only takes about two and a half hours for them to get to Orlando Florida.
“Finally we’re here!” says Roxy waking all the kids from their sleep, all except Johnny because he was wide awake the whole time.
They all scramble out the car in a rush excited because none of them have ever been to Disney World, even though they don’t live too far from it. When they checked in they headed straight to the water park. First they swim around in the pool and Jacuzzis and play games. After they got exhausted they got tired in the pool they went to the water slides. The best part of coming early was the lines were short and the sun was beaming down on them. There were so many water slides to choose from that they just decided to get on all of them. Their next location was the water rides. It was so scary but at the same time fun even Roxy was screaming and yelling in fear and excitement. When they finished the water park Roxy surprises everyone but Johnny especially because he wasn’t expecting this.
“Okay everyone go to the lockers and change back to your dry clothes we’re leaving.” says Roxy
“No we can’t we just got here.” Wines Johnny disappointingly
“Yea come on Roxy men you can’t do this to us…I mean Johnny; this his special day.” pleads Benjamin.
“Chill ya’ll chill I didn’t say we was leaving the park we just going to the hotel next door cuz I arranged for all of you to have breakfast with the characters from Disney World.”
“That what I’m talking about baby!” says lil Bobby
“Roxy I don’t even know what to expect anymore you just keep coming with these surprises.” laughs Johnny thankfully.
After they eat their big old breakfast and talk to the characters they go back to the park and get on all the roller coasters and other rides. They stay until the fire cracker show is over, which is when the park closes which is at 10:30. They bring back with them all their fried dough, cotton candy, stuffed animals, and candy apples with them wrapped up because Roxy told them to save it so they can have room for birthday cake. They arrive to the shelter about 11:45. They hurry up sing Happy Birthday and eat cake because Johnny wants to open his presents and have the rest of the party.
“Here you go.” Roxy hands hi all the presents
He opens up the first one it’s from all the kids and it is a card with $50 in it. The next gift is from Roxy and it’s a $100 gift card for clothes at any store of his choice. The last gift is from all the other residents and it is an Xbox 360 with 3 games.
“Thank you everyone ya’ll so nice!” says Johnny
“Okay I’ll hook up the game for you on the flat screen in the game room. In the meantime I’ll play some music loud and you can dance and do whatever you want until the game is hooked up.” says Roxy
“Okaaaaay thanks Roxy!!” says all the lil kids
April 1, 2009
Johnny wakes up to a shining light beaming down on his eyes.

“Where am I Roxy, Roxy?” says Johnny

“You’re in a better place my child Roxy and all that other stuff was a dream you were actually in a coma because when your step father beat you to death you never got away like you dreamed.”

“So who are you and where am I?”

“I’m God and you’re in heaven.”
THE END!*



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