Name:

Type of Teacher:

Year Completed:

Assignment/Commentary:

Alix

Susan Campbel, English teacher

2001

A book review, written as a monologue, in collaboration with Peggy- Sue Batterton on the book "Local Girls"

" My mom first got sick with cancer when I was 17 years old," I started " I felt the need to release the anger from myself, as though I needed to hurt the fate that fell on us. I was stuck with havin' to take care of my sick mom with my sister Gretel who was 15. And havin' to keep my good grades up, plannin' to attend Harvard. There were too much sh*t on my back and I had to pull up the anchor. I felt like no one was payin' attention to me, that no one was appreciatin' all the work I did. They only appreciated Gretel because she wasn't on drugs. So what if I shot up every once and a while? You know what I'm sayin'? I deserved some sort of vacation where I could forget for a couple of moments. It was as simple as that. Sometimes I needed to take care of my own problems, not that anyone cared. And no one did, that's when I left my burdens behing, I wanted to be free. Of course I continued my work at the Food Star, so I could afford to buy my "vacation." That's where I met my true love who understood my pain. She would hold me after my "trips" pretendin' not to care. I knew deep down somewhere that I was puttin' my life in the hands of the creature, death. That flamin' creature became part of my life, part of me. When I was walkin' down the street, drivin' my care or shootin' up in the back of Food Star, he lit me on fire like a candle, he always liked to torture me, he made me fight, and I always won."

I could tell Big Bob wasn't listening because he was starring at the wall right through me, and I could feel his cold drool on my leg. I stood up and walked across the cement floor to my pad. I drifted back to my painting and drowned myself in the silent flowing river.

This is a continuation from Peggy's work.