A Chance at Destiny

By Lilah K. London

Copyright © 2014 Lilah K. London

Copyright © 2014 LSO Publishing

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This book is a work of fiction. References may be made to locations and historical events; however, names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imaginations and/or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), businesses, events or locals is either used fictitiously or coincidental. All trademarks and registered service marks are the property or their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.

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Chapter One

Destiny Jenkins danced in the bathroom mirror. She listened as the base of the rap song washed over her. Her hips swayed back and forth. This was her escape. Escape from the life she was sentenced to live for a few more months. Her high school graduation just four weeks away, she would be rid of the East End Housing Projects. Just the thought made Destiny turned her mp3 player a little louder.

It was a typical Saturday morning. She spent this week like every other week of her senior year -going to school, studying, and babysitting her niece and nephew. As much as she protested, she loved them and would miss them when she went to away to college. Destiny applied to several colleges both near and far. She was in line for several scholarships. Despite her troubled living situation, Destiny stayed focused and determined to get a college degree.

On Saturdays, Destiny cleaned their two bedroom apartment unit. Destiny had known the last time mom went missing she couldn't survive another foster care facility. So she begged her sister Dasha to let her stay. But Destiny knew there was a price to pay.  That price? Indentured servitude. Destiny cooked, cleaned and babysat on demand. Dasha, only three years older than Destiny agreed to let her sister stay as a punishment to Destiny and their momma.

Dasha graduated from high school and found herself pregnant the summer before she was supposed to go to a prestigious historically black college. Having her daughter, Lilly, changed her life forever. Eighteen months later, Lyle, her son was born.

When Destiny had shown up begging to for a place to live to complete her senior year, Dasha was more than happy to have a live-in baby sitter, cook, and maid. This gave her more time to hang out with her newest boyfriend. Honestly, this was a way to make her sister miserable. Dasha always believed that Destiny thought she was smarter and better than Dasha and all her friends. Her mother, Dasha thought, encouraged this superior attitude. Dasha's goal was to make her sister pay.

On Saturday afternoons, Destiny cleaned up and washed her clothes as well as Lilly and Lyle's. She  swept and mopped each room. Then she cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms right after she put Lilly and Lyle down for a nap. At two and half and four, Lilly and Lyle were into everything. But she could get them to nap while she listened to music, danced and cleaned the bathroom.

Dancing to hip hop and rap made Destiny feel her age. As the song changed, she continued to spray the bathtub surfaces when she heard the knock on the bathroom door. Turning the volume down, she yelled, “what?” knowing it was Dasha. One of the kids must be awake, Destiny thought to herself. The knock was louder. She stood slowly and walked to the door. “Yes?”  She huffed looking at Dasha's motley form.

Dasha liked to party. She spent her nights hanging out late and drinking heavily. Although she had a small part time job at the grocery store, she used all her money drinking and partying. It was child support, state aid and food stamps that took care of the kids. Destiny still received child support from her father and used it wisely. She shopped at thrift stores and ate free lunch at school. True, she ate one meal per day on the weekend. She loved weekdays because she could eat breakfast and lunch for free and then she’d cook a meal at night for her and the kids. Destiny and Dasha had an agreement. She had to stick to it for a few more months.
Just get through the school year.
Destiny thought and then off to college.

Dasha huffed back, "Somebody’s at the door for you. Some little white boy."

“What?"  Destiny drew in her eyebrows. Pulling out her ear pieces, "A white boy?" Not many white people ventured into the East End Housing Projects. Most of the case workers and child welfare people were black that came to the area. There seemed to be an unwritten rule that only black people could come to the East End on official business.

“Mmmm hmmm” Dasha nodded her head with her lips pursed in an exaggerated expression.

“Okay,” Destiny nodded, “I'm coming. Let me wash this cleaner off my hands.”

Destiny walked to the closed front door. She looked around the apartment. No one. Walking into the kitchen, she looked at Dasha with a puzzled look. “Oh. I told him to wait outside.” Destiny looked at her very rude sister with her mouth gaping open.

“What?” Dasha had the nerve to look offended by Destiny’s questioning stare. “I don't know him.” Dasha said loudly making sure the
white boy
heard her.

Without looking back, Destiny opened the front door.

"Tyler? Tyler Duggan, what are you doing in the East End? "  Destiny looked at Tyler with his tattered and wrinkled cargo shorts. His shorts were slightly dingy from multiple days of wear, she was certain. But she understood. She only had a few items of clothes and had to wear Destiny found herself wearing her same clothes more than one day a week. His faded rock and roll band t-shirt was once black and now it was dark gray with a small hole in the hem. Tyler 's hair was long, too long in Destiny's opinion. It was golden blonde and hung to the middle of his back. It was often parted right up the middle and always a little greasy.   Today was no different accept he had a black wide billed hat on turned backwards with his customary pencil over his ear which he had done since elementary school. His white athletic shoes had seen better days as they were almost brown and he wore no socks. Now that she was looking at him, his features seemed washed out with his blonde hair, blonde eyebrows and even his eyelashes were blonde. The only thing that stood out was his ice blue eyes and the two black studs sparkling - one in each ear.

She watched Tyler walk in with his shoulders rocking from side to side. His hair swaying the opposite direction of his shoulders with each step. He turned to Destiny. "I tried to call you but your phone is off." He explained.  Why would Tyler Duggan be calling? Destiny thought to herself. They weren't friends. More like associates and sometimes enemies.  But she wasn't rude and wouldn’t make him stand outside so she invited him in with the wave of her wrist.

Tyler and Destiny had been in each other’s class since Kindergarten. In fifth grade, Tyler and Destiny both received an F on their math test for cheating. Tyler accused Destiny of copying his answers and Destiny accused Tyler of copying. Mrs. Mitchell gave the both a zero because their answers were the same on every problem. To this day, they have competed to outdo one another academically. There was no love lost between them. They didn't have mutual friends. They had a few classes together and avoided each other as much as possible.

“I know,” Destiny said “ It’s off. I ran out of minutes. But …why are you calling me? Better yet, how did you get my number?"  Destiny questioned.

"I wanted to know if you got your letter."  Tyler raised his eyebrows in irritation.

"What letter?"

“The Brantley award letter." He said even further irritated. Destiny looked at him and shook her head. "I heard back from them and I got a partial scholarship. I thought maybe you got the big one. I was just curious. I needed a full scholarship to go to school. So ..." he trailed off shrugging is wide shoulders.

“I haven't checked the mail but does that mean you can't go to school at all?" True, there was no love lost between these two. In this small town of haves and have nots Tyler and Destiny were at the top of academic scale on the have not side. Though they competed against each other, she knew he deserved a chance to make a better life for himself.  She’d heard about the rumors involving his living situation over the years but Destiny refused to judge Tyler. She slept on her sister’s threadbare secondhand sofa in a housing project.

“I can go check.”

“Nah...you don't  hafta for me. I  wanted to know if it was you who got it.”

The Brantley award promised a full tuition scholarship with living allowance for students who took challenging classes and had the GPA. Destiny could feel her excitement. The Brantley award was from a local bank and was for local kids only. Not many kids could apply because not many met all the requirements and standards but Destiny knew she he’d met the requirements. She worked to finish her essay and fine tune it for weeks before sending it off. Knowing that Tyler didn't get it meant her changes went up significantly. She was giddy with excitement. She couldn't help but smile. "I know you want it so go ahead and rub it my face because you probably got it." Tyler said as Destiny squealed with excitement.

"Okay," taking a deep breath to calm down. “Let’s go to my mail box and check." She said.  Destiny ran to put on her flip flops so her and Tyler headed out the door.

Tyler watched as Destiny Jenkins walked ahead of him across the parking lot. This wasn’t his first time in the East End area, but he'd never  been out of his car. He was surprised he found her. They walked past the guys at the basketball court. The guys slowed the game to watch Destiny walk by, eyeing Tyler. He recognized a few of the guys from school. When he’d walked onto the court earlier to ask where Destiny lived in the housing project, they all hesitated. Tyler assumed his reputation as an easy going fair person in school made one of his class mates finally speak up and point him in the direction of her unit.

Now he watched as most of the guys seemed to be watching them, him and Destiny walk towards the edge of the grounds to the mailboxes. After further inspection, Tyler realized they were mostly watching Destiny. Paying closer attention, he looked at her in a pair of cut off blue jean shorts that fit snugly around her thighs and a t-shirt from the Spanish club. Her hair was twisted in a bun on the top of her head.  He wasn't stupid enough to overlook her attractiveness. But this was Destiny. They'd known each other since Kindergarten and been competing since the first grade.  The town was so small; everyone in their graduating class had been in the same class at some point in elementary school through high school. But he'd never noticed her turning heads of guys like she did today. Truthfully, he'd never seen her dress this way. She always wore jeans and cardigans. She always looked too old to be in high school and dressed like an off duty CEO.

"Well, open it." Tyler said as she pulled the letter out of the mailbox.

“I can't. I'm scared.” Destiny admitted. Tyler sat in amazement. He'd seen her fiercely take on teachers and students in academia challenging ideas and arguments and now she was admitting she was scared.

"Come on.  You have to open it. You want me to do it?" Tyler arched his eyebrows knowing he would get a rise out of her.

"No!" With that, she ripped the letter open and began to read.

Tyler sat watching as Destiny's eye darted across the page scanning every word. Her Eyes were large and hazel with a hint of gold in them. Her eyelashes looked long as they began to flutter. Tyler sat and watched tears fill Destiny’s eyes. Anticipating her usual  know-it -all smile, he was shocked when she began to shake her head from side to side and cry.

"I didn't get it. I got a partial scholarship." Her tears flowing freely, Tyler stood in astonishment. "What am I gonna do? " she asked him.

They stood together quietly and Destiny turned her back to Tyler as he watched her shoulders shake as she was now sobbing. "I'm sorry Destiny. I just knew...."