Part 1Days have passed since the custody trial of Alyssa Jean Who. Given the courage by the ones who love her, Alyssa was given a new life in the home of Jo-Jo's family which means a new chance at happiness. Life was at a new beginning.
It was as if Alyssa had always been apart of their family. She fit so perfectly into the mix and just seemed to bring so much life into the house. Jo-Jo was the only one who seemed to notice that she was still someone they had adopted out of an abusive family because he was always watching her to make sure she didn’t try anything sneaky. Other than that, Alyssa was just another one of his many sisters. Soon, they were learning things about Alyssa no one ever would have guessed.
She began to teach her new sisters to dance, to sing, and to play various instruments. Drawings in bright colors started popping up all over the place and her room and the living room were soon scattered with books that she was always reading. Neither of Jo-Jo’s parents seemed to mind though. They were just happy that she had adapted to her home so well.
There was, however, one thing she refused to do.
“I told you before Kitty, I can’t jump rope!” Kitty and Daisy both stood in the kitchen with Alyssa; each holding a jump rope in their hand. For the past few days, they had been trying to convince her to jump rope with them, but Alyssa denied them at every turn. She just refused to try. “Come on Alyssa! It’s like a family sport around here. You gotta try!” Daisy insisted loudly. The girls argued on with their new sister while Jo-Jo listened to them from the next room.
Did they have to be so loud? He had been listening to them bicker about jump rope all morning and they just refused to stop. No matter how far he sunk back onto the couch, Jo-Jo couldn’t seem to drown them out. “I just can’t jump rope Daisy now please go away. I’ve got work to do.” But her new sisters didn’t give up. Despite her protesting cries, they kept nagging her to give the game a try.
The Mayor entered the room at the same time as Jo-Jo; also wondering what the fuss was all about. “Dad, Alyssa wont jump rope with us!” At the word “jump rope” the Mayor’s eyes seemed to light up. He motioned for the girls to move and placed a hand on Alyssa’s shoulder; making his adopted child look up from her writing. “Give it a try Alyssa! It’s good for you!” How did Jo-Jo know that his dad would take Kitty and Daisy’s side on this one?
Within seconds, he was jumping rope with the two and continuing to coax Alyssa into joining in. Jo-Jo rolled his eyes and turned to leave as Alyssa finally gave in and stood up to join them. No sooner had he turned around he heard a loud thud along with the two surprised gasps of his sisters. Alyssa had already gotten herself tangled in the colorful rope and lay face down on the floor; both her ankles tied together. “Well that was…A good try Alyssa!” his dad encouraged as he kneeled down to help her get untangled.
Alyssa didn’t seem very warm to the idea of trying again as she shook the stars from her eyes and brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. Before she could make the angry comment that was bubbling up inside her, the doorbell rang and the Mayor jogged off to answer it. “Jo-Jo! Mandy is here to see you!”
Jo-Jo sighed and went to the door where Mandy stood with one hand in the pocket of her jacket. He gave her a wave and a half yawn as he leaned against the door frame. “Morning Jo-Jo. Haven’t seen you in a while and I decided to stop by and see what’s up.”
Jo-Jo nodded as if saying he understood and then moved to the side to let her inside. That was when Mandy saw her. Standing the kitchen with Jo-Jo’s dad, was Alyssa; the girl who Jo-Jo had been spending so much time with. Her eyes narrowed slightly before moving back to Jo-Jo. “So what’s up?”
Part 2 | Jo-Jo shrugged and pointed into the kitchen where the Mayor was attempting to talk Alyssa through the art of jump roping. “She’s living with us now,” he replied. Mandy’s scowl deepened into a look of pure hate. She had been friends with Jo-Jo a lot longer than Alyssa yet she was the one living with him. What made Alyssa so special? She followed Jo-Jo into the living room and took a seat in one of the large green armchairs, but couldn’t seem to get her mind off the girl who had somehow slipped in between her and Jo-Jo.
A loud thud echoed from the kitchen once again; followed by a shout of frustration. Then Alyssa entered the room, Jo-Jo’s dad right behind her. “Come on Alyssa! It just takes practice!” She shook her head and continued through the living room in a huff. Apparently her second try hadn’t gone very well.
“You can keep your devil rope. I’ve got history work to do,” she stated in an aggravated tone before disappearing into the parlor; the Mayor hot on her heels. So even the Mayor was under her spell? Mandy sighed and gritted her teeth to keep herself from speaking out against what she had seen. She had no idea what was going on between Jo-Jo and Alyssa but she sure as heck didn’t like it. For now though, Mandy figured it was best to keep quite about it. She didn’t want to blow the cover off her feelings for Jo-Jo anytime soon and asking about Alyssa wouldn’t be the smartest idea. She would have to deal with this problem on her own.
“So what did Mandy want Jo-Jo?” The family had just sat down for dinner and as always, the Mayor was trying to start up a conversation with his only son. Jo-Jo wasn’t in the mood to talk though and ignored him as he chewed his food. What did it matter to his dad why Mandy had come to see him?
The Mayor sighed when his son didn’t respond and absently stirred his soup. Sensing that dinner was slowly going down hill, Alyssa jumped in. “So…Daisy! How about we give that jump rope another try after dinner?” Even the Mayor, who had previously been distracted by his rejection, looked up when she said this. His face brightened and he clapped his hands in an excited fashion.
“Sounds like a plan Little Al. We’ll make you into a jump roper even if it kills us!” Alyssa suddenly regretted ever mentioning it. “Why don’t you join in this time Jo? One last family night before we all go back to school.” Every kid at the table gave a protesting groan. None of them wanted to go back to school. After a week off because of Alyssa’s trial, they had all gotten used to sleeping in, doing what they wanted, and not having homework. “Now kids, let’s all just enjoy tonight and tomorrow everything will go back to normal.” Sally, as always, took the Mayor’s side even though she looked like she might not have been paying attention to anything that had happened during dinner.
After cleaning up, the family gathered in the living room for their jump roping night. While the girls performed flawlessly, and Jo-Jo sat on the floor, the Mayor and Sally were trying to get Alyssa to at least make one jump. Every time, she fell flat on her face until her knees where bruised and her feet were killing her. “Alright. You can adopt me into the family, you can home school me, but you cannot get me to jump rope. I am just no good at this kind of thing,” she grumbled; pushing herself up once more and kicking the jump rope off her legs.
Sally gave her shoulder a reassuring pat and sighed, but the Mayor refused to give up. He just didn’t know when to quit. “Jo-Jo, come over here and show her how it’s done.” Jo-Jo looked at his dad like he had gone crazy. Did his dad actually think he was going to get up and jump rope like the girls? Apparently he didn’t have a choice because his dad was already dragging him over to where Kitty and Daisy were preparing the rope. Giving in, Jo-Jo did as he was told and began to jump over the rope as easily as if he were walking. Alyssa scowled and crossed her arms in frustration.
“Oh sure. Let the boy show me up….” |
Part 3The next morning was just as it had been only a few weeks before. Everyone was up early and making themselves lunches or getting themselves dressed for their first day back to school in a while. Jo-Jo and Alyssa were far ahead of everyone; having woken up earlier than usual. It was amazing how excited Alyssa seemed to be going back to school. All morning she had been rambling on about how she liked getting out of the house and being surrounded by other kids her own age; practically skipping through the house in joy.
When it was finally time for them to leave, Alyssa grabbed Jo-Jo by the arm and hurried off toward the school. She had to be crazy to want to go to school this badly, but Jo-Jo went along with it so he wouldn’t have to hear about it later.
They sat in class just like they had before Alyssa had moved in and received quite a few stares from their other classmates. Jo-Jo had hoped the rumors would have passed by now but apparently that hadn’t happened. Even Mandy stared at Alyssa like she was some kind of alien. It was like that the entire day. At lunch time, they sat at the far table with Mandy as they always did, but Alyssa wouldn’t eat. “Why is everyone avoiding me? I didn’t do anything…” she continued to mutter to herself quietly.
When she finally left, Jo-Jo decided the only thing he could do was ask Mandy.
“Alright Mandy….what’s going on?” Mandy looked up at him with a smile as she tried to hide her obvious satisfaction. “What do you mean Jo-Jo?” Mandy didn’t exactly play innocent very well, but Jo-Jo seemed to be none the wiser. He looked at her in question and waited for her to come up with a better answer. After a moment of acting as if nothing were wrong, Mandy finally looked back at him and tapped her chin.
“Oh you mean the rumors about Alyssa….The ones saying she stole the school flag…” Jo-Jo instantly knew what was going on. Mandy never listened to rumors or at least never followed through with them. He looked at her for a moment more and then crossed his arms. “You started this rumor didn’t you?” Mandy tried to act innocent once again but couldn’t seem to hold the expression.
She scowled and looked away with a sigh; refusing to answer Jo-Jo until she felt his stare burning into her. “Alright fine! I started the rumor about Alyssa but she deserved it! I mean, what did she do to deserve living with you? Nothing!” Mandy stopped for a moment to catch her breath and brush back her hair into place. Maybe she shouldn’t have said that so loud.
Jo-Jo got up from the table and left without a word; leaving Mandy alone to regret what she had done. It wasn’t like she could just undo what she’d started. The only way she could think of would be to return the flag and admit it was her, but Mandy didn’t want to take the risk. Not yet at least. She would let Alyssa suffer a bit more until she was sure she’d learned her lesson; no matter how long it took.
Part 4 | Things at home weren’t any better. Alyssa was stressed from the trials at school which meant she didn’t feel like doing much with his sisters and when Alyssa didn’t distract them, they bothered Jo-Jo. They crowded around him as he tried to complete his homework and begged him to play with them or help them with work and Jo-Jo felt a sudden headache coming on. Just when it seemed like they might never leave him alone, Jo-Jo head the sound of footsteps slowly making their way down the stairs.
He looked up to see Alyssa slowly walking past the living room with her school books held to her chest. Had she been doing homework this entire time? Normally Alyssa got through her work in a matter of minutes; always on task and ready to do what she had to for a good grade. But it had been well over 3 hours since they’d gotten home. He watched her as she went to the kitchen and poured herself a drink then she turned and met his eyes; looking like she hadn’t slept in days.
This rumor was really getting to her. “Alyssa!” All of his sisters rushed over to her; smiling brightly at their older sibling. They did exactly what they had done to Jo-Jo. They begged her to play with them or do something to entertain them, but Alyssa simply shook her head and continued her way back up the stairs and into her room once again. Her actions confused everyone. “Hey kids, what are we looking at?” the Mayor asked as he entered the room and followed his daughters’ eyes to the top of the stairs.
Alyssa had long since disappeared around the corner so he saw nothing, but they didn’t spare a detail in their explanation. All at once they tried to explain what had happened and the Mayor staggered backward in surprise. “Woah woah woah! One person please,” he said with a chuckle. Ester was the one to respond first.
“Alyssa hasn’t been downstairs all day and she just came down but when we asked her to play she said no and went back to her room and we’re bored!” As always her explanation was said with one breath and in one long run-on sentence. How his dad understood it, Jo-Jo would never know. The Mayor’s gaze returned to the stairs and, without responding, he began to climb up to Alyssa’s room. He knocked quietly and received a quiet “Come in” before entering and looking at the figure of his new child sitting in the middle of her room.
Her hair was uncombed and hidden under a baseball cap and sat among piles of papers, text books, and photos. He had never seen Alyssa’s room in such a state which was the first sign that he should worry. The second sign was the fact that she appeared to be doing homework which would have normally been done a long time ago. Something had to be wrong. “Alyssa, is there something you want to talk about?”
She looked up at him blankly for a moment and then went back to her work in silence. No witty remark? No reassuring smile? The Mayor wasn’t sure if this was the same girl. He took a seat on the edge of her bed and look down at her work. She seemed to be doing some form of math homework but by the looks of her constant erasing, it wasn’t going well. “Are you sure?” Alyssa nodded quickly like she didn’t have time to actually talk and the Mayor sighed.
Maybe he shouldn’t have put her back in school.
Sally entered a few minutes later and looked at the two quietly. She seemed to be asking herself all the same questions the Mayor had been asking himself and look to him for an answer; getting only a shrug in response. He had no idea what could be the problem. “Sweetie? Are you alright?” Sally asked in the same fashion the Mayor had just minutes ago. Alyssa stood up and walked right past them both; eyes full of exhaustion and her feet dragging with every step. The parents exchanged concerned glances and followed her to the stairs where the witnessed the length of her problem. In her dazed state, Alyssa missed the first step and was sent tumbling down the two flights of stairs without so much as an attempt to stop himself. Everyone rushed to her aid, but to their amazement, she got up, brushed herself off, and continued on her way.
Jo-Jo knew this had gone far enough. Mandy was going to have to be put in her place. |
Part 5The next morning, Alyssa was kept home from school. Both Sally and the Mayor agreed that they had sent her back into the world a bit to soon and that she was going to need a little more time to get used to things. Jo-Jo eyed her at breakfast; examining her every move and he had to admit that she did look rather sick. Alyssa slouched in her chair, face pale and eyes half closed in a sleepy fashion. She hadn’t eaten since the previous morning, but simply stared at her oatmeal and toast as if waiting for it to get up and walk away. She must have been starving but the stress pulsing through her was to much for her to handle. It forced all other thoughts and feelings from her mind.
Alyssa had never been disliked. She’d never faced the troubles that came with life at a real school and she had never been one to hold her emotions inside. Everything had turned upside down for her in a matter of hours and left her as a shell of her former self. It was amazing what such simple things could do to someone.
“Alyssa sweetie? Aren’t you going to eat?” Sally asked as Alyssa finished her third glass of milk. That was all she would do was drink; secretly hoping it might drown her troubles. She held out her glass for more and mumbled about having to do her homework again. She’d done her homework almost 5 times and still wouldn’t stop until it was what she thought as perfect. Nothing was ever perfect though. The writing was to small, the pen had died and had to be switched, the numbers were off; everything that could go wrong for her did and she didn’t seem the least bit aggravated.
In fact, she often seemed to do the homework for fun; sitting in the middle of any random room and trying it once more. Everyone had learned to leave her alone when she did this because once she’d locked herself into that state of mind, there was no talking to her. “No Alyssa. You’re not going to do your homework again. You’re going to do something different, ok?” Even though Alyssa nodded , her ramblings were the same.
“Can’t fail class….gotta do the homework.” Jo-Jo just hoped that talking to Mandy would help.
He arrived at school around 20 minutes later; thinking about Alyssa and what he had to do to make things right. He would confront Mandy at lunch and make her set things straight. She wouldn’t let her refuse because right now he wasn’t just defending a friend, he was defending his sister.
When Mandy sat down for lunch, Jo-Jo was waiting for her. He stared her down and Mandy instantly knew what was about to happen. She hung her head; avoiding his eyes, but she knew she couldn’t do so for long. “Fix it Mandy,” was all he said in a stern voice. Mandy acted as though she hadn’t heard him but Jo-Jo wasn’t going to let her off just like that. “I said, fix it,” he commanded once again.
“Why should I? You’re my friend not Alyssa’s! Why should she get to be with you and not me?”
That was when Jo-Jo figured it out. Mandy was jealous. Not just jealous like the normally kind but she thought Jo-Jo was in love with Alyssa. “She’s not just my friend, she’s my sister! If you had taken the time to get to know her, you would have known that!” he snapped at her.
Mandy’s face fell when he said that. His sister? But she’d seen Alyssa’s dad before and it hadn’t been the Mayor. How could she possibly be his sister? Picking up on the questions Mandy was asking herself, Jo-Jo sighed. “My dad adopted Alyssa. She’s my sister and I want you to set this right before you drive her insane. She’s already going out of her mind with stress and guilt and….Just fix it.” His tone changed from being one of pure anger to his usual quiet and reserved voice.
Very slowly, Mandy agreed. She would return what she took and explain to Alyssa what she had done. That was all there was to it. Or at least, that’s what they hoped.
Part 6When Jo-Jo and Mandy arrived home, they practically tripped over Alyssa who was seated in front of the door with a puzzle. She was completing it without the slightest hesitation and seemed to be deeply enchanted by the challenge of the tiny cardboard pieces. Mandy looked at the girl she knew as Alyssa with confusion. She was a mess. For a moment, she considered just leaving right then and there and forgetting the entire thing. Alyssa looked like she might be rabid or diseased and Mandy felt the need to get as far away as possible.
Jo-Jo wouldn’t let her though. He motioned for her to do what she had come here to do; standing back against the doorframe to prevent her from leaving. Mandy approached her slowly and kneeled down across from her in a cautious manner. She took in a deep breath. What if it didn’t work? What if she’d actually permanently damaged Alyssa’s mind and she would never be the same? There was only one way to find out and that was to get this over with.
“Alyssa? I’m sorry I started that rumor…I was jealous. I made people believe you were a bad person because I thought it would make me feel better. Please forgive me.” She didn’t say anything for a moment. The little Who placed the last piece in the puzzle before looking Mandy straight in the eye and smiling. Wait, smiling? Jo-Jo hadn’t seen Alyssa smile since this whole mess had started. “I know you are Mandy…Don’t worry.”
All seemed to have been set right. Alyssa was back to her old self despite her sudden obsession with puzzles, Mandy was no longer consumed by guilt, and Jo-Jo was free to relax knowing things had been set back into place.
“Jo-Jo, have you seen Alyssa? She didn’t come down for dinner…” Sally stated later that night. Jo-Jo hadn’t seen the slightest hint of Alyssa since sunset and figured he knew exactly where she was. Climbing out the window of Alyssa’s room, he spotted her standing on the edge of the building with her eyes toward the sky. “You really like the sky, don’t you?” Jo-Jo asked as he came to a stop beside her. Alyssa nodded before pointing upward as a bright light shot across the velvet night. “Make a wish….”
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