Page 1 of Always There Bayou
The Past.
Note: Denny uses she/her pronouns during this time.
2002.
CoralineCoryTate-September 9th - 11 years old.
As the bell rang, I shuffled over to the corner of the outdoor area. It’s where I’ve felt the safest and most comfortable this last week. When I moved in with my dad, I hadn’t realized that it would mean I had to transfer to a new school three weeks into the school year. I fully thought I’d be able to stay at my old school, but now I knew that made no sense, especially because he lived in a different city from the one where my siblings, Imani and Ian, and I used to stay with our mom.
But I knew we couldn’t continue to stay with her, especially because she was constantly putting us in dangerous situations. I knew that I had to get our dad involved…even if it meant being taken from our mom. Yes, I was sad, but I had to make sure my siblings were safe.
Even at 11, I knew this.
I just hated that now I was the new girl, and in middle school at that. This was the time when everyone was awkward and mean. I still didn’t quite understand why, but I knew I was not looking forward to three years of this. If I could, I would fast forward to high school.
“Hey, Coraline!”
I looked away from the clouds I'd been gazing at to watch as a group of girls walked over. I groaned before looking past them, trying my best to ignore them. Instead, I focused my attention on the group of boys who were playing basketball. It's always been one of my favorite sports, and I desperately wanted to play with them. It was the only thing that seemed to take my mind off the less-than-perfect home life I used to have.
Back when we stayed with our mom, I’d take Imani and Ian down to the park a lot just to get them away from seeing her during one of her episodes. While they played on the playground, I’d shoot around on the court with the basketball that I’d been gifted a few Christmases ago. Sometimes I’d join the older kids in a game, and they’d always compliment me on how good I was. It was one of the happiest memories I had. Basketball was something that meant so much to me, and I knew that it was something I wanted to do for a career one day.
“You can’t hear or something?” One of the other girls asked as they stopped a few feet away from where I sat. I sighed and stood, already annoyed. “Coralineisyour name, right?”
“No, it’s Cory,” I snapped, narrowing my eyes. The girl rolled hers.
“That’snotwhat’s on the roll, and that’snotwhat Mrs. Green calls you,” she snapped back, rolling her neck.
“I don’tcarewhat the stupid roll says. My name is Cory.”
“Are you a boy or a girl?” one of the other girls asked.
I hated this question. Just because I was tomboyish didn’t mean I was automatically a boy. Just because I didn’t like wearing my hair like theirs or the other girls in our class didn’t mean I was a boy. I was every bit of a girl like them.
I didn’t dress or act like them, but so what?
“I’m a girl!” I yelled, stepping up to the head girl of the group.
“Well, you dress like a boy,” she shot back. “And you must be poor because you’ve been wearing the same sweater all week. It’s got a hole in the pocket and it’s missing some buttons, you know?”
I hesitated and stepped back a bit. My eyes traveled to the sweater as my heart sank. Yes, I was aware that the sweater was a bit worn down and missing buttons, but I didn't care. My dad had even tried to talk me into getting a new one, but I refused. This was the sweater that my mom had purchased for me before things started to change. It was the last gift I ever received, and it meant so much to me. When I first received it, it was a couple of sizes too big, but I’d finally grown into it. I wore it day and night because it held memories of how good things used to be.
Before I could control them, tears started to fall from my eyes. I missed my mom so much, and I couldn’t stop myself from feeling sad as I thought about how I might never get her back. The girls began to laugh and call me a crybaby, and suddenly, I was enraged.My fists balled up, and I charged at the girls, but someone held me back.
“Let me go! I’m going to punch all of them in their faces!” I yelled as I tried to get loose. I watched as terror flashed in the girl's eyes, but I didn’t care. They’d hurt me, so I wanted them to hurt, too. “Let me go!”
“No, Cory, no!” a soft voice pleaded, and I paused. My heart felt funny because no one outside of my family had ever called me by the name I preferred. Everyone always insisted on calling meCoraline,and I hated it because I never felt like it fit me.
I turned to my left, which gave the others a chance to scurry off, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was the girl beside me in the pink, flower print dress. Her smoky grey eyes bore into me as a frantic look flashed across her face. The girl was slightly taller than me, and her black hair was cut into a curly, shoulder-length style.
“They’re not worth it, Cory,” the girl said softly, letting me go. “They’re just mean girls, and if you fight them, you’ll get suspended.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t care,” I grumbled before sitting back down on the ground against the fence. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared past her. But the mystery girl didn’t leave. I groaned, turning back to look at her. “What do you want?”
“Uh, hi, I’m Denali. Um, I, uh,” the girl stuttered. She pointed to the empty spot beside me. “Can I sit with you?”
I was confused because I’d been at the school for a whole week, andno onehad offered to sit with me. I nodded slowly, and the girl smiled softly before sitting beside me. I watched as she fussed withher dress, trying to tuck it down so it wouldn't fly up in the wind. I couldn’t understand why people wore dresses. They were so stupid. A lot of the time, they didn’t even have pockets! Where were you gonna keep your gum and yo-yo if you don’t have pockets?
“You like wearing dresses for real?” I asked, catching Denali's attention. She stared at me for a little bit before shaking her head. “Why you wear ‘em then?”
