Free Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

are fair game.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â â€œSo is Liberty allowed
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â to come back?”
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Gennifer asks.
    â€œIf she apologizes to
    the other kids at the center, yeah,”
    I tell her.
    Gennifer sets a little fan
    to blow on my right hand,
    goes to work on my left.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â â€œThat all she has to do?”
    â€œIt’s a lot when you
    think about it,” I say.
    Liberty got caught
    stealing from Willows
    and Lordy, I’m mad with her—
    and sorry for her
    at the same time.
    It was a blue envelope
    like the one showed up last week.
    Twenty-five bucks, anonymous donater.
    Feels good to know
    there’s beautiful people out there
    balancing the ugly.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â I pointed that out to
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Jason and Daniella,
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â â€™cause, of all the kids,
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â they were the most
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â shook up by the broken window.
    Mailman brought in the mail
    and I put the envelope
    on the side desk for Dr. Martina
    but by the time she came in
    it was gone      daddy          gone.
    I asked around—Daniella
    said she saw Liberty take it.
    Dr. M took kids
    into her office
    one    by      one.
    Told me later Liberty
    broke down, cried, confessed
    and now she has to apologize
    to “the community”
    if she wants to come back.
    I don’t know how Liberty
    knew there was money inside
    but I know what she wanted it for.

Hormones
    cost money
    they mean
    the difference
    between
    coarse hair,
    man-bodies
    and
    smooth skin,
    girl-curves.
    The girls I know
    who take ’em illegally
    can’t count
    on a steady supply
    of this remedy
    that reveals
    their true
    selves
    and they live
    with the fear
    of running out.
    Me, too, once upon a time.

Roger Was Man of the House
    and he let us know it
    soon as he moved in.
    I’d been living on her
    couch a couple months
    doing what I could
    but Tía Rosa was grateful
    having another “adult” there
    helping with bills, kids.
    He worked under the table—
    construction for a
    septic tank company
    and she didn’t seem to care
    he smelled bad, like sweat
    and dirt and cigarette smoke
    didn’t care he was rude
    never said please or thank you
    like she made sure me and my cousins did
    didn’t care he said
    I’d have to dress like a guy
    if I wanted to live there.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â â€œIt just makes him uncomfortable,
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  mijo ,” she told me. She wouldn’t
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â call me mija anymore either.
    So I did what any
    self-respecting girl would do.
    Carried my clothes in a bag,
    changed when I left the house.
    I didn’t like it but all shoulda been fine.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Of course it wasn’t.
    The last straw came
    when Rosa was at work.
    Roger in the bathroom doorway
    beefy arms folded, laughing
    to watch me scrabble around looking for
    the medicine I hid under the sink.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  “I flushed it all.”
    And, Girl,
    I wanted to kill him.
    Didn’t know how
    I was going to get money
    for more or whether
    Lupe, with her pills
    and injectables from Tijuana,
    was even around.
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  “Didn’t look like
    Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â  no aspirin to me.”
    Before I could stand
    he was across the bathroom
    grabbing me, pulling
    my arm up
    behind my back.
    I