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I was sitting at my desk in my room the night of Thanksgiving Day. So far, the day was going pretty well, I was getting along with my sisters and my parents, we were watching movies on the TV in the living room, and my mom was just about to put my 22-month-old baby sister to bed. I had just asked to do some biology school work, (my father said yes), which I was going to do, but I was also going to socialize online. My parents had said my sister and I weren’t allowed on our computers that day because it was a holiday. We’ve both been homeschooled since the virus, covid- 19, escalated quickly back in the year 2020. She and I didn’t want to get homeschooled, because we would be blinded from socializing with anyone, both of our parents are extremely overprotective, we aren’t allowed to have any guy friends, nor be friends with anyone three years older. The transition was especially difficult for me. I prefer real-life school mostly because I’m able to socialize and make friends with anyone I want. I don’t like to be told who I can and cannot make friends with. I know anyone that’s 4+ years older than me is unacceptable. We’re located in Miami, so there are a lot of social events for people around the age of 14, my age since Miami is known as a “party” city. Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to go to any parties, because I’m too “young” and it’s “dangerous”. That’s what my parents say because in their generation they had their own experiences, they don’t understand I take precautions, and I’m not living in their generation, I’m living in mine. So, there is no guarantee I will or will not have experiences myself. Back to the point, the day was going well, until I heard footsteps from outside my bedroom door, and boy, was my heart pounding.

I knew I was about to be in big trouble. I saw the hidden figure out of the corner of my eye, and as they walked closer, and closer, I could finally see who it was, and it was my dad. I tried to close the tab in time, but he would’ve seen me do it, it would have been too late.

" Nah nuh uh, go back to the tab, stop clicking stuff, go back to the tab I said!” exclaimed my dad.

" What tab, I didn’t press anything,” I said back.

" Go sit over there.” My dad said as he pointed to my mattress. “I’m going to show your computer to your mother, and we’re going to see what you closed before I could see.”

There’s no way they can see what I was doing...unless they look at my history...dammit. You never closed the conversation! You’re screwed! I sat on my bed praying that they wouldn’t find out. Begging that they don’t. I’ll consider that that was useless, looking back now...

“Naiomi. Come here.” My dad said as he called me from the kitchen counter. I walked slowly to the kitchen, I could feel my heart pounding, thumping, up and down and up and down, and every step I took, it only got louder.

ba bump.

One step.

ba bump.

Another.

BA Bump.

I was only a few feet away now.

BA BUMP.

BA BUMP.

BA BUMP.

“Who’s Beastyyy???” My dad declared.