The Diary of Aaliyah Anderson

By Randall Barnes

Meet Aaliyah Anderson, a beautiful, intelligent, ambitious thirteen-year-old young woman ready to take over the world. With her mom being a superstar broadcast journalist and her older brother Damon being an acclaimed writer and star sports player. Aaliyah lives a fantastic life. Aaliyah quickly learns that her good life, doesn't separate her from life's problems. She has to deal with tons of hardships and avoid many obstacles along her path to achieving her short term goal of finally making it to high school and what she feels will bring her closer to her dreams of being a CEO of a company. 

Aaliyah has to deal with overwhelming family issues such as the divorce of her parents and the result of her "father's" unfaithfulness, infidelity, and a family secret that turns her world upside down. As if her family wasn't messed up enough, her eleven-year old brother turns to the streets and joins the Eastside Rydahz, one of the most notorious gangs in the city. Her eldest brother Jeffery, or high-ranked Rydah 808, hates everything about Aaliyah and she doesn't understand it. All Aaliyah wants is to have the ideal loving, united family and it hurts her that their situation is seemingly fractured beyond repair. 

To make things even more pressing, she lives in the ruthless city of Willowsfield, statistically the #1 most dangerous city in America, where senseless community violence is the norm and life expectancy is low. With the pressure to succeed and make it out of the ditch that Aaliyah calls her hometown, she still has to deal with more problems that test her patience. 

With its realistic characters, life-like setting and dynamic message, The Diary of Aaliyah Anderson is entertaining and a sure fire conversation starter on what we need to do as a generation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: DC Bookdiva Publications
• Release date: Mar 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781507013779

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The Diary of Aaliyah Anderson/ Randall Barnes—1st ed.

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Aaliyah Anderson

August 14, 2012, 1st day of school, 5:35 a.m.

This is my first time really writing anything not school-related. My older brother Damon suggested I try journaling since I’ve been going through so much with the finalization of our parents’ divorce. It’s been a trying time for me. D said writing is a great way to let go of stress. To be honest, writing isn’t my thing, but since this is the first week of school, I’ll give it a try.

My name is Aaliyah Anderson. I’m thirteen and the only girl out of the four children my mother and father had together before they got divorced. I’m ambitious and have big dreams for myself. On the low, I really wanna be the head of a company, TV network, or something like that one day, maybe a college professor like my Aunt Vanessa or even an actress! Maybe all those combined together!

I have huge dreams for myself in the future, but I don’t let many people know because of all the negative attention you get if you’re trying to learn down here. If you’re not having sex, fighting, smoking or selling weed, you’re gonna have a hard time in the environment I’m in. If word even got out that I may want to be a college professor or business owner, people will start hating and may even try to fight me. That’s just how rough things are down here in Willowsfield, Georgia. It’s wasn’t named the single most dangerous city in America for nothing. The people in this city don’t play!

Man, Willowsfield is so crazy that people in Atlanta and Macon talk about how out of control we are! If you look at a map, we’re located directly in the middle of both of those cities. In the south, you have to deal with a good bit of ignorance every day. It’s almost no escaping it! But Willowsfield is truly on a totally different level when it comes to stupidity. Don’t believe me? Just look at my school! It’s a perfect example of what Willowsfield has to offer.

I go to Clarkson Middle School, the hoe capital of Willowsfield. Seriously, half of the girls in my 8th grade class are baby mamas and future prostitutes. For example, my former bestie, Jennifer Watson, got caught giving head to three different guys in the boys’ restroom during lunch last year. How stupid can you be to do something like that during school knowing you’re gonna get caught? Why would you do that anyway? I’d have to really be in love with a guy to even consider doing that! I especially wouldn’t do it in a public place.

Jenny got expelled about an hour after they caught her. The guys only got a two week suspension, which is really a vacation for them.

Don’t get it twisted; Jenny is a li’l freak and she was wrong for what she did. But the Willowsfield Board of Education went way too easy on the three guys she was getting freaky with. They should’ve gotten expelled too. They were the ones that actually snuck her in there and let her do it. But, of course, they get treated like victims.

It just isn’t fair how girls get treated differently than guys when it comes to sex. A guy can sleep with every girl in the school and get called a player. A girl can sleep with only a few boys and get called a hoe.

That’s why girls should keep their sexual lives private. There’s too many attention-seeking females around nowadays. Nobody, minus your family, should know what you do behind closed doors. Sometimes, you can’t even tell your family. That’s how private people should be.

As for my sex life, I’m a proud virgin. Trust me, if I didn’t wanna be I wouldn’t. I stay looking good! As an athlete, I strive to keep myself healthy. I have a slender, petite body frame with a li’l bit of thickness in the places that guys like the most. That, combined with my clothes game and how I carry myself makes them go crazy! Come to think about it, I’ve had a lot of fine boys wanting to get with me, but I’ve made my own decision to save myself for that special somebody in my future.

I’m not saying that I’ll stay celibate until marriage. That’s a long time and I can’t promise that. I know for sure that I’m not gonna be sleeping around though. I’m not desperate for anything. I want my first time to be with my Mr. Right, and that’s not changing any time soon.

♠♠♠♠

Family Life

I’m not gonna lie, I live a very privileged life. I pretty much get anything and everything I want. My mom is a syndicated daytime TV talk show host and radio personality who’s working on her first book and my dad is a successful local businessman and the head football/basketball coach at Howard-Jones High School. That’s a lot of money between them! I’m not taking anything for granted, but it’s true that material things don’t substitute for family love. When I see other people my age not valuing their parents or their family, it makes me extremely mad. I mean, just look at what I have to deal with on a daily basis!

My eldest brother Jeffery, better known as 808, is addicted to the street life. He’s fifteen and already a high rank member of the Rydahz, one of the oldest and most well-known gangs in Willowsfield. For some reason, he acts like he hates me. I haven’t done anything wrong to him. In spite of that, we’ve never even held a conversation with each other and he doesn’t even claim me as his sister in public. It hurts that I can’t have love from both of my older brothers, but I can’t make anybody love me.

Then there’s my li’l’ brother Elijah. He’s eleven years old and extremely impressionable. While I tend to hang around D more, he hangs around Jeff a lot. Honestly, I’m worried about him. He definitely isn’t making the right choices. I think he’s already a member of the Rydahz too. Even though Elijah is only a 6th grader, he smokes weed, drinks beer, and acts like a fool. I guess Jeff has already turned him into a mini version of him. Whenever I see Elijah, I feel like crying.

As his older sister, I should’ve kept him on the right path from the beginning. I mean, I’m closer to his age. I guess I can’t take blame because I can’t make anybody do what they don’t wanna do. Elijah wants to go down this road and I can’t change his mind. I guess that’s just another thing for me to beat myself up over.

After Elijah, there’s my triflin’, low-down disappointment of a father. Yeah, he’s a successful businessman and coach of the Howard-Jones Falcons, but he’s still a deadbeat. Our dad is a player. He knocked up my mom with Jeff when they were both twenty-one and attending college at Willowsfield University. A year later, after my second oldest brother Damon was born, they got married.

That was before he got drafted to the Atlanta Falcons right after he graduated from college. My mom had been there from the start. Even after his career-ending leg injury midway into his rookie year, my mom still was by his side. She was totally in love with him. Dad didn’t feel the same way though. He tried to get with every halfway decent-looking woman he happened to come across.

He had been cheating on mom with another woman that lived in Willowsfield. He even got that woman pregnant! When mom found out, she was heartbroken. He tried to make things better by saying that his mistress got an abortion. Momma wasn’t even trying to hear that, and they still got a divorce.

I hate my father so much! He’s the reason why this family is so messed up. If he just had a little self-control, they would still be together. So what if he lets us stay in his house? He’s made it loud and clear that he only cares about himself. Everybody tries to paint him as this wonderful, inspirational guy, but in actuality, he’s not.

It’s not like I don’t get love from my mom, though. She tries her best, but with her busy schedule it’s hard. That’s why she goes out of her way to shower me with gifts 24/7. I wanna live with her, but I doubt our father will go for that. He already found some way to not pay child support!

That’s my brother Damon so much, who’s known in the family and around the city as D, so much. He seems like the only immediate person that cares for me. Really, he’s more than my brother. He’s like a father figure! Yeah, we’re only a year and a half apart, but that’s just how I feel about him. D is so inspirational to me. He always looks out for me and gives me helpful advice. He’s the only person in my immediate circle that I can talk to about anything at any time, and I love him for that.

For example, a few minutes before I decided to write, I bumped into D. He wakes up every morning at four o’clock to get an hour workout in. Of course, I was up trying to find something to wear. I’d been up ever since three o’clock trying to pick out my outfit. I have to start the year off looking fly!

I looked in my full body mirror leaning up against the wall by my bed and smiled. My outfit was on point! I decided to wear a white Levi branded T-shirt up under a blue Levi jean vest with matching blue Levi jeans and some white Adidas Samoas. The clothes looked great on my slender, 5’3" body frame. The jeans hugged my curves perfectly. I know I’m gonna have the guys turning heads this year! 

I’m not being arrogant or boastful, but I’m beautiful. My skin is a flawless shade of mocha brown. There are no blemishes in sight. My teeth are perfectly straight and white. My hair is kinky and I love it! I don’t do perms, weaves, or wigs. I experiment with all the different natural hair styles all the time. Today, I have it styled in a cascading French roll. People say I favor Janelle Monae and Lauryn Hill because of my skin tone, sense of style, and height.

When I caught the smell of D making his fantastic-tasting blueberry pancakes, I ran down the stairs to the kitchen.

What’s going on, Aaliyah? What brings you down here so early? he asked from the stove.

It smelled like you started cooking your ‘world famous’ blueberry pancakes and I ran down to see for sure.

He smiled. Well, you’re right. Nice outfit! How long did it take you to pick it out?

I sat at the kitchen table and shook my head. I’ve been up ever since three o’clock.

D looked at me with a surprised expression on his face, Dang, ‘Liyah! You broke your own record! I don’t understand what’s up with you girls and getting dressed. It took you two hours to pick out a T-shirt, jeans, and some shoes?

I smacked my lips and grinned, And you never will understand, big head! It’s a girl thing.

He put his hands up and smiled. "Okay, I’ll stop trying to understand the complex relationship between females and clothes. But, for real, you look nice. I especially like your hair."

I smiled. Thanks, D. That really means a lot!

You came down just in time too. I just got finished preparing our breakfast.

I quickly went to the cabinet and got a glass plate and silver fork. I worked up an appetite putting together my outfit! When I got the pancakes and sat down at the table, I dug into them like I’d never eaten before. You’d never catch me acting like that over food in public. Only at home!

Calm down, ‘Liyah! I know my pancakes are good, but come on! There’s more in the microwave.

I rolled my eyes. Whatever, D!

He laughed. Anyway, have you spoken to Moms recently?

I shook my head, She hasn’t called me in a while but you know she’s busy taping the new season of her TV talk show. Then she’s juggling writing a book and keeping her radio show popular.

He nodded, That’s a good point. Moms is getting her grind on hard.

I sighed and said, You know something, D? You have no idea how much I want to move up to Brentwood with Momma. I feel miserable living down here!

I’d love to move in with Moms too, but you know Dad’s probably not going to go for that.

Why would he even care? He’s barely here. Too busy staying out at all times of the night with his different jump-offs.

He shrugged his shoulders. That is true.

I mean, we are such a dysfunctional family! Our ‘father’ is too busy creeping to worry about us, Elijah’s destroying his life running with the Rydahz, and Jeff acts like he hates me when I’ve never done anything wrong to him.

I feel what you’re saying, Aaliyah, but at least we aren’t living in Riverstone Creek anymore. Back then, we’d have to watch out for gunshots every time we walked down the street. Now we live in a much safer environment. You should be grateful for that.

I sighed. I guess.

So we’re the only ones here?

Yup, our ‘father’ still hasn’t come home from his date last night. Jeff and Elijah took off earlier, probably to go smoke or do something else stupid.

Well, we need to go on and get things moving. Do you still want me to walk you to school?

Why do you ask that?

Because, I thought you wouldn’t want me to since this is your last year of middle school and you’re all grown and everything.

I grinned. I got you! You’re trying to be funny. Of course I still want you to walk me to school. It definitely beats walking alone, especially in this crazy city.

He smiled. I’m just checking.

I said to him, I love you so much, D. It seems like you’re the only person I have in my life that truly understands me. I really appreciate you for that.

Thanks, ‘Liyah. I love you too and I’ll always be here for you. Remember that.

♠♠♠♠

School Year Expectations

As I said before, school starts today, and I’m really nervous. It’s amazing to me that I’m one year away from high school! Finally making it to high school is like my dream come true. To me, high school signifies independence and being one step closer to adulthood, one step closer to achieving my bigger dreams! Since this is my last year in junior high, I wanna make all A’s, have no drama and no problems.

That’s easier said than done though...

Clarkson isn’t only the hoe capital of Willowsfield. It’s also drama central too. We fight and argue over the stupidest stuff ever:  gangs, rumors, clothes, boys, girls, sports, money, drugs, lockers, even schoolwork!

Yeah, it’s gonna be really hard to focus on my education in this ratchet environment but hopefully I can pull something off so I can get away from this horrible, ghetto school.

I hope my first day back at school is as great as I want it to be. I have a feeling that this is gonna be a great year and I hope that feeling stays the same.

Sincerely,

Aaliyah Anderson

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

First Day Woes

Afterschool, 4:15 p.m.

Boy, I’m so glad this day is over! This had to be, by far, the craziest school day ever!

I don’t even know where to start!

Since Clarkson and Howard-Jones are both right down the street from our house, we walked without breaking a sweat. The walk didn’t feel all that long anyway. We talked, laughed, and D even gave me some advice about school.

Since D and I are only a year and a half apart in age, he sort of understands where I’m coming from. But Clarkson is different for him in a good way, so he’ll never understand fully what I have to endure daily.

See, back last year when he was in 8th grade, D was a mini-celebrity. He was Clarkson’s star football and basketball player and he still found time in between catching touchdown passes and shooting three-pointers to get his education. He had the highest GPA in his class and won almost every creative writing contest that came down to Willowsfield. My big bro has mad talent! He’s like the Michael Jordan of stories. Nobody can beat him!

D had a lot of people he was cool with, and I mean a lot. From girls to teachers, everybody loved him. He was a star athlete that got straight A’s and had a cool, calm attitude about everything. He definitely can dress too!

So what’s not to love?

Of course he had haters, one in particular named Tyrone, but they were way too irrelevant or too little to recognize. Before he left for Howard-Jones High, D left a mark on Clarkson that’ll never be forgotten.