The metal wiring of the fence slightly burns my right hand as I glimpse my friends playing on the courts. It’s been two weeks and still nothing of value. That’s right. Not even a glimmer of anyone that I could interview. I feel like I’m wasting my time, honestly. That’s why I’m here. Just tired of staying inside and dedicating myself to a failed endeavor.
It’s just, you know, watching my friends laugh and play basketball, reminds me of how much I’ve missed them. I just want to get back out there and forget about my stupid project. In the long run, do I really need it? I’m already the star of a popular TV show. Maybe that’s enough.
Despite my inner protests, I know that’s not true. It can never be enough. First of all, how many child actors actually make it big as adults? Not many. At least this “Special Friends” thing can afford me the opportunity to springboard into something else, if need be.
I don’t know. I’m so conflicted right now. Might as well just go back home until…
“Hey. Is that who I think it is?” Kanisha Robinson calls out as she and Meylin jog towards me.
“Where’ve you been? Too afraid to come out and lose?” Kanisha jokes as she gives me a quick hug.
“I’ve just been really busy. Memorizing scripts and stuff like that.”
“Special Buddies?”
“It’s Special Friends and, yeah, I’ve been working on that too. It’s been really slow going, though.”
“That sounds really weird. Like you’re exploiting them or something.”
“I have learning disabilities too, Kanisha. I’m just trying to provide an outlet for people. That’s all.”
“Oh, I know. We’ve been friends for years. I haven’t watched any of it so I don’t know. Just sounds a little weird.”
“What’s going on, Autumn? Sorry, I’m late to the party. I just finished practicing my free throws.” Courtney says as she approaches me whilst dribbling the basketball.
“And missing every one.” Kanisha taunts her older sister.
“Get out of here, loser.”
“Alright. You want to play some two on two basketball with us? You and Courtney versus me and dolphin girl.” Kanisha suggests.
“Dolphin girl?” Meylin says.
“Yeah. You let me know when you get to more adult literature like books by Octavia Butler.”
“You want to see adult?”
Meylin then playfully grabs Kanisha by the waist as they tumble to the asphalt. They then wrestle each other on the ground while laughing.
“You want to count to three or should I?” Courtney asks.
I just laugh as the exhibition on the ground continues. This is exactly what I needed. Just being with my friends and the atmosphere of the courts. Sometimes you have to refresh to put things in perspective.
By the time I get home, I’m covered in sweat and the only thing I want to do is collapse on the couch. Playing with the girls completely drained me but in a good way.
I hold open the door for Meylin as she follows me inside my apartment. “You want a water?” I ask as I head towards the refrigerator.
“V’a. Ja sounds really good right now.”
“Yeah, I felt a little rusty out there. I mean I hope Courtney wasn’t too upset with me.” I then toss a water bottle to Meylin and she easily catches it.
“I wouldn’t worry about it. You just need to get out there more. Look, I can help you practice your technique and…”
“Oh, yeah. Right. We’ll do that sometime soon.”
Meylin eyes me, as if to say she doesn’t believe me, as she takes a sip from her bottle. Whatever. She knows I’m busy.
I walk over to the couch, with my own bottle, and sit next to Meylin. The texture of the bottle on my lips encourages me to drink greedily from its contents.
“Where are your parents? They teach classes on Saturday too?”
“No. They’re out having a late lunch. They won’t be back until later.”
“Hey. You know what? Let’s go to the pool. Come on. We’re both really sweaty. It’ll feel so good.”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on. You’re not still embarrassed because you have a onesie, right?” Meylin laughs.
“It’s called a one piece. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I have to get back to work.”
“Spirit Scribe work?”
“No, Meylin. I’m working on stuff for Special Friends.”
“Not that again. Look, I’m sorry I even suggested it. It’s taken over your entire life. And you haven’t even done one interview yet.”
“Calm down. I know it’s been slow going but something will turn up.”
“You’ll be waiting forever then.”
Wait a second. That’s it. Meylin just described my entire problem to me in one sentence. I’ve been relying on only one method of communication. Meaning, I’ve been waiting for people to contact me. Instead, I need a more proactive approach.
“You know what? You’re right.” I tell her as I get off the couch.
“So, you’re going to quit?”
“No way. No. I’m going to reach out to people. And I know the perfect person to start with.”
“You mean you’re going to call people yourself?”
“Yeah. Why wait around when I have, about, a dozen classmates from my special Ed class to choose from?”
I place the water on the coffee table and reach for my phone. Okay. Do I have any of my classmates’ numbers from my resource Math class? I don’t think so. Let’s see.
I go through my contacts hoping for a name that I recognize from that class. Come on. There has to someone here that I can use.
“You sure that…”
“Hold up. Give me a second, Meylin.”
What do you know? I do have someone, after all. Eric Humphries. He’s from my resource Math class (resource room is just another saying for special education classroom). We’re not really friends. The fact is that I felt sorry for him so I gave him my number. In actuality, we’re more like acquaintances that talk about video games. If you want to compare him to me, his learning disabilities are much more severe.
“This is great. I’m going to call him right now.”
“Uh, call who?”
“Eric Humphries. You don’t know him. He’s a kid from my Math class. He has learning disabilities and it’s a start.”
I’m so excited my hands are shaking as I wait for Eric to answer his phone.
“Hello…”
“Hey, Eric. This is Autumn Blevins. You know me, right? I’m in your Math class. We talk about video games. I’m the actress on TV.”
“I think he knows who you are.” Meylin whispers behind me as I tell her to shush.
Yeah, maybe, I’m a little overly enthusiastic. However, she doesn’t understand all the frustration leading up to this moment.
“Oh. Hi.”
“Right. Anyway, the reason I’m calling is because I’m working on a new documentary series about people with learning and developmental disabilities. Would you be interested in participating?”
“I’m not sure. I…I have to ask my Mommy if it’s okay.”
“Yeah, no problem. Is she home now?”
“Yes. I’m going to go ask her. I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time.”
I give Meylin the thumbs up, as everything seems to be coming together. The sound of Eric, in the background, conversing with his mother is like music to my ears. There’s only one more step to this and that’s convincing Eric’s Mom, which shouldn’t be too hard.
“Hello. This is Eric’s mother. What’s this about? You said you’re Autumn Blevins?”
“Hi, Mrs. Humphries. It’s so nice talking to you. Yes. My name is Autumn Blevins and I’m a classmate of Eric’s. What I told Eric is that I wanted to…”
“You’re from the Spirit Scribe show?”
“Yes, that’s correct. Anyway, I just…”
“You play Lexi Fransen?”
“Um, yeah. I…”
“Oh my gosh. That’s incredible. My kids, Eric included, are such big fans. I actually watch it too. It’s a lot of fun and really educational. It helps my youngest daughter’s literacy.”
“Wow. Thank you. I’m honored.”
“So, you want to interview Eric?”
“If that’s okay?”
“Absolutely, you can interview him. My kids are going to freak out when I tell them.”
“That’s awesome. Would next Friday be okay?”
“Of course. I’ll text you tomorrow to iron out the details.”
“Great. Thanks so much, Mrs. Humphries. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye now.”
I look over towards Meylin with a big smile on my face. After all those weeks of frustration and the only thing I had to do was take some initiative.
“I guess you’re doing the interview?” Meylin asks and in a tone indicating that she’s disappointed somehow.
Huh? Did I misread her? I don’t know. It doesn’t matter in the long run.
“No. We’re during the interview. So, I hope you don’t have anything going on next Friday.”
“I have a game at eleven in the morning.”
“Okay. I’ll schedule the interview for four. That should be more than enough time.”
“Is that cool, Meylin?” I ask after about a minute of silence from her.
“Yeah. I’ll be there.”
Whatever’s going on with Meylin, I put it in the back of my mind. I can’t let it interfere with the work needed to prepare for the interview. This anticipation is tempered with the realization that I have to get this right. Especially, when making a first impression. Believe me, I’m an actress, I know all about it.
“We should start composing questions. Let me get my laptop.”
“Do we really have to do this now? I feel icky with all this sweat.” Meylin complains. “Why can’t we just go to the pool? Come on, it’ll be fun.”
“We don’t have much time, Meylin. We have to focus here.”
“Let’s just go for an hour or so. Don’t tell me you’re comfortable sitting here like this. You know I’m right.”
On second thought, maybe she’s right. I do feel kind of gross sitting in my own sweat. Besides, maybe swimming will recharge my mind as well.
“You know what? Yeah. Let’s go to the pool. I need to wash this sweat off.”
“Yay. You get your onesie and I’ll meet you at the pool. I have to stop home first to put on my bathing suit.”
Meylin then gets up and leaves the apartment. This shouldn’t take too long. Just take a nice and relaxing dip in the pool for an hour. After that, it will be time to work.
The most annoying thing about going to the community pool is the draconian rules. For instance, you have to have your bathing suit already on before entering. Which is very annoying since it’s about a fifteen-minute walk there. That’s not the only thing, either. You won’t believe this one. You’re not allowed to have your cell phone on you. Can you believe that? It’s crazy. Yeah. So, the pool definitely has its drawbacks.
Meylin and I get there right before three and there is a long line in front of the entrance (which isn’t a surprise). I grip my reusable bag with one hand and shield my eyes, from the sun, with the other. Oh yeah, another rule is no sunglasses.
“You think it’ll be twenty minutes?” Meylin asks as she tries to stretch her neck to see towards the front of the line.
“I don’t know. Maybe. I just hope it’s not an hour like last time. Remember that?”
You’re probably wondering that, with such a long line and a crowd of people, why isn’t anyone approaching me for a selfie or autographs? Well, as I stated earlier, everyone is pretty chill around here when it comes to my celebrity status (with the exception being Andrew Gregory).
The line then starts to move as staff members usher in small groups of people at a time. I check the bag to make sure our towels and shorts are still there (nervous habit).
This is taking forever.
Finally, after what seems like an hour, and almost breaking the record from last time, we approach the front of the line. Two staff members, dressed in yellow t-shirts and black shorts, wave us through and into the pool area.
At this point, I fully expect my bag to get checked. Usually, Meylin’s holding the bag and the staff always checks it. However, this time, they don’t even give me a second glance.
“Wow. That was easy. I wonder why they didn’t check my bag?” I ask but that’s when I notice Meylin isn’t there.
“Huh? Meylin…”
I turn around and see the two staff members pat Meylin down. Her arms are stretched out in front of her as they take their time.
Why are they doing that? She’s not holding anything.
“What’s going on? I’m holding the bag, not her.” I say as I walk back towards them.
“It’s okay, Autumn. Just doing a security check.” One of the staff members tells me in an annoyed tone.
“She doesn’t have anything on her, though. Check my bag if you need to.”
“That’s not necessary. Anyway, we’re done.” The staff member then nods to his coworker and they walk back towards the line.
“You okay?” I ask Meylin who is still standing in the spot where she was patted down. Her face is bright red from embarrassment.
“It’s nothing.”
“No. That wasn’t right. Let’s go to the manager’s office and…”
“I just want to swim, okay.”
Meylin then runs away from me and towards the pool. She takes off her sandals and tosses them to the ground. A second later, I hear a splash as she submerges herself in the water.
I’ll tell my parents what happened later and they can call the manager.
Okay. Now, the only thing I need to do is find an empty chair so I can put my bag down. I survey the pool area and it’s extremely crowded. Throngs of people are either lounging around in their beach chairs or swimming in the pool. It’s hard to even walk around, much less find a chair.
I then brush past a group of younger kids as I collect Meylin’s sandals and place them on top of the bag (even as they threaten to fall off). That’s when I notice a classmate of mine, which isn’t too surprising since it’s a Saturday and the community pool is close to our school.
“Hey, Felicia.”
“What’s happening, Autumn?”
That’s when I smell burned popcorn wafting through the air. The picnic area is several feet away and it’s not unusual to be bombarded by many distinct odors while relaxing.
Finally, I find a chair located in the back, in the way back, of several rows of chairs. Well, it’s better than nothing.
I place the bag on the chair and remove my sandals. The heat from the sun only encourages me to move faster as I make my way towards the pool.
Meylin is easy to spot as she is doing laps around the pool. Okay. Now, I’m just going to slowly inch my way into the water. And I just hope some little kid didn’t pee in it. Believe me, it happened before.
The cold sensation automatically makes me lift my leg out before slowly putting it back in. With some degree of reluctance, I lower my body into the water. Laughter in the distance makes me turn my head before I get accustomed to the invigorating nature of the pool.
It’s then that I see something at the farther end of the pool. It can’t be her. Please don’t let it be…Jessica.
However, there’s no denying that it’s Jessica Sale swimming in the distance. I lower myself further into the pool, hoping that the ebbing water will provide some semblance of security. It doesn’t.
Jessica is laughing and playing with a small child, he’s probably four or five years old. Her long blonde hair, wet from the pool water, flows down her shoulders. There’s another girl with them. She has short dark hair but I don’t recognize her.
Gathering a modicum of courage, I lift my head out of the water and look towards Jessica. No, that’s not an accurate description. I’m downright staring as I observe her continuing to play.
Well, one of them is her friend. I think the kid is one of her younger brothers. Yeah. Apparently, and this is what Hassan told me, Jessica has to watch her brothers all the time because her mother is never around. I don’t feel sorry for her. She deserves never having her Mom around.
I’m not being too harsh. Jessica made my life a living nightmare last year. I’ll never forget the humiliation she inflicted on me. Never. I told you guys what she did with my IEP, right? Add that to a hundred other things she did that…I really don’t want to get into right now.
The more I see Jessica laugh and being happy the angrier I get. I slam my fist into the water as particles of liquid splash up and into my face. Two weeks suspension wasn’t enough for what she did. It’s not enough.
Jessica hugs her brother while her friend gives the kid a high five. Look at that. She clearly loves her parasitic little brother. Isn’t that sweet? How about my brother? Huh? No matter how evil Jessica is, at least all her family members are around.
Wait a second. That’s not exactly true, is it? Hassan also told me that Jessica’s father ran out on her family. I love it. At least there’s some justice in this world. I only wish Jessica’s mother and brothers would abandon her too. That would be awesome.
Jessica doesn’t even glance in my direction as her brother wraps his arms around her neck. Her brother, however, does look at me. The expression on his face is a mixture of sadness and confusion. As if he doesn’t understand the anger in my eyes.
And, all of a sudden, I’m ashamed.
I then pull my eyes away from Jessica and lower myself into the water, until only my chin and head is above it.
“What happened? You look really upset.” Meylin says as she comes up from behind and inadvertently splashes me in the face.
“I’m good. Just have a lot on my mind.”
The water then takes on a soothing quality as my body embraces its texture. It’s the only thing that keeps me from screaming.
Related Articles:
Being Special, Chapter 1 https://baltimoreraven87.medium.com/being-special-chapter-1-b5e175dc0d00
Being Special, Chapter 2 https://baltimoreraven87.medium.com/being-special-chapter-2-4c622095b4e9
Being Special, Chapter 3 https://baltimoreraven87.medium.com/being-special-chapter-3-9515c777c14
Being Special, Chapter 4 https://baltimoreraven87.medium.com/being-special-chapter-4-d9f850a08edd
Being Special, Chapter 5 https://baltimoreraven87.medium.com/being-special-chapter-5-d7160ad484ca
Being Special, Chapter 6 https://baltimoreraven87.medium.com/being-special-chapter-6-f7045cc44661
