Rule 10 - Domino

Age 12

Marisol shoved into my shoulder while bounding down the stairs. "Get lost."

I turned on the carpeted step and glared down at her. "What did I do this time?"

"Nothing. I just don't like you." She glared at me. "I'm having a slumber party tonight. I don't want to see you."

"Consider me gone." I started up the stairs again. "I have better things to do than hang out with your friends."

"Oh yeah, like what? Write love letters to your lesbian girlfriend, Courtney?"

"She's not my girlfriend. She's just my friend." I crossed my arms. "And she's a better friend than any of yours."

"Mine don't come over to try to kiss me."

"And mine don't come over to steal from us." I raised an eyebrow. The last sleepover she had, one of her expensive bracelets had gone missing. I had my suspicions about who took it. Marisol's face turned beet red.

"At least I don't have to dumpster dive for friends. People want to be friends with me, not take pity because of your limp, and let you sit with them at lunch like they do you." She looked down at my short leg and laughed.

"Whatever, Marisol. I'm not going to bother you. Have fun with your friends. Make sure to hide your jewelry." I raised my hand, flashing the ring that matched hers. Our dad had given them to us on our respective birthdays. It was some weird tradition. He called it a purity ring. I wasn't sure what that even meant, but I knew that the ring was super expensive, and I wasn't supposed to let anyone else have it.

I went to my room, locked the door, and pulled out the notebook Courtney and I shared. We took turns writing in it and passing it back and forth between classes at school.

My notes were mostly sketches and doodles of things, nothing that serious. I was always afraid of one of my siblings, or my stepmother, finding my private thoughts and sharing them.

Courtney, on the other hand, used our notebook to tell me everything she couldn't say out loud. How being gay in a small-minded community was, how her family, born and raised strict Christian, felt about things, and how our classmates reacted. Courtney and I bonded over our lack of friends, but our reasons for the isolation were different.

I read her last letter, in which she told me she'd almost kissed a girl at her church's youth group overnight lock in. She went on for pages about the girl, Morgan, and by the time I finished reading, I wasn't in the mood to draw.

I rolled over and stared at the ceiling. I couldn't wait until I could leave this place. But where would I go? I rolled back and picked up my pen, feeling inspired to talk about all the places I wanted to visit one day. The Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, the Amazon!

It's decided. The moment I turn 18, I'm going to all the places I've seen in the movies. Marisol and my brothers can have this place.

I shut the notebook just as someone knocked on my door. I hid it quickly and sat up. Lolita, the housekeeper, came in with a warm smile. She and Dad were the only ones who I trusted when they smiled at me.

"There are cookies in the kitchen, Mija. It"s got MM's. You like those, no?"

I climbed out of bed.

"I do. Thank you, Lolita. I'll go down in a bit."

She looked me up and down and scowled. "It's so late, why are you not in your pajamas? You're going to get your bed dirty." She went to my dresser and pulled out a green pajama set. Lolita hated to see us lying in bed in our jeans. She tossed them to me, and I rolled my eyes as I trudged to the bathroom to change.

"Thank you, I'll be down in a bit."

"Don't let them get cold," she warned before heading back downstairs. I changed and slid on my special LLD slippers before going downstairs and heading into the kitchen. On the way down, I could hear music and laughter coming from Marisol's room, but I moved quickly, not wanting to be confronted by any of her stuck-up friends.

I was just about to push the kitchen door open when I heard voices from the kitchen. Boy voices, lots of them. Did one of my brothers have friends over too?

"Man, I don't want to stay here and deal with your sister and all her stupid seventh-grade friends."

Slowly, I peered inside the open door. Fabian was at the island with three other boys, eating cookies.

"Me either, but my parents went out and we can't leave Marisol and Domino alone." Fabian shrugged.

One of the boys turned, and I recognized him. That was Swayze from school. Which meant the others must be Koi and Dennis. They were in ninth grade with Fabian and never went anywhere without each other.

"Why not?" Koi snickered. "They still need babysitters?"

"Only when it's the two of them. You've met Marisol; she's a bitch."

I rolled my eyes. Fabian had started cussing whenever adults weren't around. He thought it made him so cool.

"She picks on Domino. So, we can't leave them alone."

"I pick on my sister," Dennis said. I looked down at my slippers. He didn't understand just how cruel Marisol could be. It wasn't just teasing. I'd been pushed down the stairs, choked, embarrassed, and so much more. Marisol treated me like I was the worst thing that had ever happened to her. I knew because she told me.

"I don't want to talk about my sisters, man. It's all so dumb. Marisol is just… mean. She knows exactly what to say and do to hurt people and, I mean, you've seen Domino." He grew quiet. "She's..."

I flushed and wiggled my toes.Suddenly, I wasn't interested in a cookie anymore.

"So, who cares?" Swayze leaned against the counter. "She's got a short leg. The shoes aren't even that bad."

"Yeah, but Marisol makes her feel bad about it," Fabian explained.

"Probably because she knows all the guys at school—" Koi nudged his buddies, and they all laughed.

Fabian flipped them off. "I don't need to hear that shit, guys." He pointed a finger at them. "Stay away from her."

Koi put his hands up. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. She's in middle school, dude."

"Fair enough. But if she wasn't, I'd?—"

My heart racing, I pushed the door open, saving Fabian from throwing a punch at Koi. The room was instantly silent as I came in, nervous and unsteady on my feet.

"Hey, Domino," Swayze said.

"Hi. Lolita said there were cookies?" My voice shook as I pretended I hadn't eavesdropped. What had Koi been about to say? Did I want to know? Or would it be hurtful?

Dennis slid the mountain of cookies my way. "You want milk too?" he offered. I sat on a stool and nodded.

A moment later, I was surrounded by my brother and his friends, and we all had cookies and milk together.

They asked me what I'd been doing tonight, and how school was. They were polite and a little too friendly. I tried to remain calm, despite my heart hammering loud and fast in my ears. I knew they were only being kind because of my brother, but it was still nice to not feel as if I was going to be verbally attacked at any minute.

"I like your slippers," Swayze said, pointing to the green fuzzy things on my feet. "Are those custom-made too?"

"I have shoes for every occasion." I beamed.

"Even dancing?" Swayze asked.

I took in the look on his face. It was more than just polite. There was something behind his pretty blue eyes. Was that... interest?

The kitchen door flung open just then and Marisol marched in with a parade of her friends. They were laughing and chatting loudly but stopped the instant they set their eyes on us.

Her eyes lowered into slits as she stared at me. It wasn't until then that I realized Swayze had put his hand on my knee.