Ex-Factor (A Short Narrative)

This is a link to a playlist of the music.

https://open.spotify.com/user/12138539698/playlist/3BHDFjjS1YO3tkXbQ472re?si=toVap3h_Sym9JWGOUWuwdA

School’s Out

“You have to smile once babe,” Greg said as he rotated the lens on his camera once more.

My eyes squinted at the camera and tilted the white hood of my jacket further past my forehead.

“Oh come on you know a pic of you actually smiling would be the highlight of my gallery Lyss! Even with that black eye in the frame.” His hand gestured toward my face.

I rolled my eyes and said, “Haha I wonder how good those pictures would be if I cracked your lens.” I lunged for his camera and Greg hastily moved back and clutched his camera like it was a newborn.

“Lyss quit playyyying. Before I call your dad over here” He smirked and pointed towards the parking lot.

I was praying that was just another one of his jokes and turned to see the black Range Rover slow to a stop in front of us. After letting out a sigh, I grabbed my Jansport backpack and hugged Greg before I left. Suddenly, Greg held me tight and brushed his hand over my black hair. I could feel my silver chain press on his chest.

“If you need anything just call me and I’ll be right there.”

Immediately, I returned his embrace with the same amount of force and turned to see the passenger side of the Range Rover held by a man with white and black concords on his feet.

“Hey Alyssa, how was school??” He waved at Greg and closed the door behind me with a smile on his face. The silence continued to fill the air of the car until he turned the knob of the radio on.

“I see your grades have been a 4.0 all semester. I think we should all go out and eat at that Italian place you like so much.”

“Nah I’d rather stay inside Dad,” I responded.

Dad slowly turned his head back to the road and continued to try and make some small talk all the way home. I drowned out the sound of his voice with the music.

Another Day

(Play Sunflower by Post Malone and Swae Lee)

The next morning, I came downstairs to the scent of warm cinnamon and syrup. I could feel the heat hit me while I was in my hoodie. I picked up my pace and the jingle of my silver chain matched the beat. The kitchen table was covered with plates of cinnamon pancakes with dollops of whipped cream on each stack. Dad walked in with his grey sweats on and hand towel hanging off the top of his right shoulder. I had no clue how he had the energy to do this every morning but hey if it gets me a fire ass breakfast every day I won’t complain.

My dad hustled over by when he saw me sit down. He simultaneously grabbed the half-empty bottle of syrup and squeezed it on the stack of pancakes that sat in front of me. The sound of the bottle made a loud and drawn out “PFFFFFT.” His gaze was fixated on the pancakes, however, when that noise was made, his eyes rolled over to me while the rest of his body stayed perfectly still.

We continued a long staring contest until the sides of his mouth started to twitch up.

“You are so stupid” I chuckled as I started to push him away.

“7 years old and the StuPiD fart noises are the only thing to get you laughing.”

My mouth immediately fixed straight. “The immaturity is what’s funny.”

My dad quickly whipped his head around and said, “Girl if you don’t get yo-”

We continued to laugh while stuffing our faces in whipped cream and syrup. We both started to wash our mouths down with milk when I heard footsteps enter from the master bedroom. A woman in a red satin robe emerged. Her dark caramel brown hair was wet and looming over the left side of her shoulder.

“You guys eating without me again?” she playfully announced.

“Haha we were tryna eat them while they were warm” my dad replied.

She approached my dad and gave him a kiss on the cheek, “Yeah yeah whatever. As long as my plate is intact.”

My eyes glanced out the window. I rose out of my seat and asked my dad where the keys were.

“They’re by the counter Lyss. By the way, I put that ice pack in the fridge for your bruise.”

Him telling me where the location of the keys was all I needed, to start my escape route. I walked past the fridge and out the door.

Bad Decisions

(Play Walk by Comethazine)

I pulled up to a shop that had bright green neon lights spelled “Viper Prints” in the window with the “s” at the end as a snake. When I stepped closer and closer to the shop’s door, my heart rate started to increase just a little more. However, each step was followed with an ounce more force and confidence in each step. I was THAT BITCH. And as soon as I open this door I’ll-

“Alyssa whatthefuckareyoudoing at a tattoo shop??” a voice said closer to me than I had anticipated.

I immediately whipped my head around to see this guy who’s standing 6ft on a good day with short black hair, a jean jacket with pants matching the same color, solid black shirt, and mustard yellow vans. It’s Greg. And although he’s probably wearing the most basic fit a guy can have, he’s still somehow pulling it off.

“Wondering ‘whatthefuckareyoudoing??’ wearing that jean jacket when the suns out” I responded.

“1. I’m deadass 2. I know you’re not talking about my jean jacket when you got a whole hoodie on” he said while tugging on the back of my hood.

I give off a slight giggle because I completely forgot about what I was wearing. Simultaneously, I open the door of the Viper Prints and guide Greg in with my hand. He gives off a grunt accepting the fact that whatever decision I made, he wasn’t going to be able to convince me otherwise.

While waiting on the bench, Greg asks me one more time if I’m willing to go through with it.

“If you ask me one more time you can just go” I hastily reply.

“Just gotta be sure. You might’ve changed your mind after the last 11 times I asked” he said with his hands making ‘woah woah’ movements. “I just think you might be trying to get back at your dad a little too much.”

Right before I was going to hit him with the facts, a big bald burly guy entered through the hallway that was encased in beads from the ceiling. His voice didn’t match his body as a high pitched version of my name came out. “Alyssa??” I took off my hoodie and handed it to Greg.

“Wow you really need to go out some more I know those arms haven’t seen sunlight in a millennia boyyyyy” Greg joked.

I fiercely made unbroken eye contact with him. “You’re still cute as ever though,” he said while he gave me a kiss on the forehead.

My shoulders relax as a warm heat started to radiate from my cheeks. I feel as though Greg could get paid for turning around bad situations. He should give up on photography and get on Fixer Upper on HGTV. I’m sure renovators make way more money anyways.

Surprise

(Play Ain’t it Fun by Paramore)

It was almost evening, and I flung the door open with my hoodie in hand. My dad was walking past the hallway and paused mid-step.

“Oh hey Lyss. I was about to start cooking dinner. Oh wow you’re actually wearing a shirt instead of a hoodie it must’ve gotten real hot outsi-“ his eyes suddenly bulged and he started to approach me. “Lyss whatthefuckisthatonyourarm?”

Innocently, I glanced at my arm as if presenting for show and tell.

“Oh this?? I got a tattoo.”

“A TaTOo” he questioned as his knees collapsed on the ground and crawled forward.

“On your forearm too?” His voice started to get high pitched.

“Oh you had such a cute little forearm too. You couldn’t have gotten it higher up on your arm at the least?”

His distraught subsided when I peeled off the wrapping. The black and red swelled numbers “12/3/2008” were on top of another set of numbers that were “5/10/1982”. My dad rose to stand. (Song ends, or not if you want because it’s a good song)

“I love the first half of that. I got no clue why you put that bottom date on there” he said nonchalantly turning his body away from me.

“Why not” I immediately retorted while following him.

“Well I have no reason why you’d want to memorialize the person who made you need one of these.” He grabbed the ice pack out of the fridge, slammed it on the table and continued to walk away. I slapped the ice pack off the counter as it flew into the wall and bounced on the floor. My dad flung his head toward me with his nostrils flared. His voice deepened and reverberated throughout the house.

“Girl who the hell you think you are.” Red-robed girl frantically ran into the room.

“Who the hell do you think you are having her in our house?” I said as I pointed at the woman in silk and kept my eyes dead on my dad.

“I got these dates because I actually care about Mom and Quincy.”

My dad turned his intent stare away from me and towards the girl.

“Heather I’m sorry but me and Alyssa are heading out.”

“I’m not going anywhe- “

He grabbed the keys from my hand and opened the front door of the house. I walked out of the house as if the door opening was the cue to put me under a trance.

Car Rides

Both of my dad’s hand grasped the steering wheel as he focused both eyes on the road. The engine stirring down the road was all I could hear until Dad broke the sound.

“What makes you think I don’t care about your mother and Quincy?”

“Well you did cheat on her with that bimbo,” I said gesturing to the cardinal direction of the house.

“First of all, I think about those 2 every day and secondly, don’t call Heather that because you and me both know her doctorate says otherwise.”

I crossed my arms and looked toward the passenger side window.

(Play Ex-Factor by Ms. Lauryn Hill)

“It doesn’t feel like it. You took down all the pictures we had together as a family and let that bit-“my dad darted his eyes at me. “Heather. You let Heather, just lay in the same bed you and mom did. Let her sit on the same dinner table we prayed together at. And you let her lay on the same couch we would all laid together until we’d fall asleep.” I got him to finally shut up for a while until he finally replied.

“Do you know why me and your mother divorced?”

“Because you cheated.”

“No, because I used to use that same ice pack back at home for the same reason.” After hearing this my eyes strung tight together and my shoulders swiftly shifted in his direction.

“Mom didn’t start getting physical until you cheated.” His gaze on the road didn’t waver.

“No, she didn’t start getting physical until after Quincy passed away.” My baffled face must’ve looked very satisfying to him if he had turned to witness it.

“I won’t lie to you Lyss, I did cheat. But what me and your mother had was gone after she continued to act like that. You try to see your abuser every day with no breaks.”

I peered down at the floor of the car. “You always used to tell me I reminded you so much of her. So, do you think I’m as crazy as her?” My eyes started to water, and my voice started to waver. “Do you think you’ll get tired of looking at my face too?”

The car started to slow down and come to a halt. He carefully perched his index finger under my chin and slowly started to push my head up.

“Alyssa the reason I told you that you remind me of your mom is because it’s true. The times when we were all a family were the most amazing times of my life and at that time I was in love with the most beautiful woman I had ever come across. I put down those pictures because as long as I get to see your face every day, I can remember every one of those times vividly.” He then placed his hand on mine. “I know all of us handled Quincy’s death differently and it brought out another side of your mother. But you’re the embodiment of every single good thing about her and more.” He began to wipe the tears from my face.

I started to sniffle and wipe the tears myself. “I’m sorry I’ve been ignoring you so much lately. But I really needed well this I guess” I said while gesturing the whole interior of the car.

My dad giggled, “Well I’d have to admit you been a pain lately, but I guess it was more my fault. You ready to leave?” he said while reaching to open the passenger door for me.

I finally lifted my head to see where we parked.

“Dad, what’re we doing at the tattoo shop? You know I don’t think you get refunds for these.”

“Haha well if you get to have something for your loved ones, why can’t I? How about you and Quincy’s birthdays on my chest. I still have to work so I don’t think the forearm would be safe for me. Maybe a chain too since you always have Quincy’s on.” He flicked on Quincy’s necklace that was wrapped around my neck.

I looked at dad and replied, “Gee I don’t know, I mean if you really loved me you would get an ‘Open for Business’ tramp stamp.”

Dad backed his head all the way towards the glass of the driver side door.

“Girl if you don’t get out this damn car.”

Laughing, I told him, “Hold on let me reply to this snap from Greg.”

Tilting the camera towards me, I sent him a selfie with a smile.

(Play Nice For What by Drake)