Blackbird Fly (Part Two): Little Angel
The Tears in Angelita's Eyes

If you haven't read Part One Yet you can read it here:
Running Late for School
We Love You Blondie/Debbie Harry
"Jack, Jack Amsbury, do you know why I did that?"
Jack answered, "Yes, so we could get funky wit' it." The class laughed with Jack's comment.
While the students wrote their poems Mr. Sjoberg sat at his desk eating a celery stick.
After the minute ended, he asked Pandy to stand up and read her poem
Pandy's Poem
Pandy stood up and looked at her paper then began reading:
I have their cassette in my hand
(She raised her hand up to show the room her cassette)
So, when I came to class today
Kyle Borne: "You Won't Like My Poem"
Next Mr. Sjoberg called on Kyle Borne, a skinny blonde-haired kid with long stringy hair.
Kyle stood up and let the class know they probably wouldn't like his poem.
If I hear that high pitched voice once again
I just may smash up all the records
Maybe next time you can play the Dead Kennedys"
A few people gasped as he read his poem and a few others laughed.
Mr. Sjoberg clapped for Kyle but only four or five students joined in.
Angelita Cortes' Poem gets a standing ovation!
Mr. Sjoberg said, "Yes, that is fine."
My favorite is "The Tide is High"
I love your hair it is so pretty
It's no wonder why they call you Blondie
I was so happy to hear your voice today
It made my day feel bright and Sunny"
Angelita sat in her chair with a closed mouth Mona Lisa smile.
Jack Confesses to Estrella
After class Jack went to talk with Estrella.
"Hi Estrella, my name is Jack Amsbury."
She laughed and said, "I know your name. I hear the teacher call you during roll call every day."
Jack was embarrassed, "Oh yeah, I guess so."
Estrella just laughed, "That's okay."
Estrella explained, "Don't take it personal. She's very shy and she's afraid of boys."
"Afraid of boys?" Jack questioned, "Why is she afraid of boys?"
That day after school Estrella walked over to Angelita's house to let her know what Jack said.
"There's a boy at school who is interested in you," Estrella excitedly told Angelita.
Angelita's expression remained unchanged. She sat there without a response.
Estrella continued talking, "He's Jack Amsbury, the bl…"
Angelita cut her off, "Yes, I know who he is. I'm not interested in him or any other boy right now."
"I know what Angelita?" Estrella forcefully asked, "What are you hiding?"
"Nothing," Angelita reluctantly answered.
The Little Angel in the Back of the Room
Teams and Partners
Angelita pleaded, "Oh, come on." Estrella remained firm and nodded no.
A Confrontation with Emily
"My friend is a he," Emily stated wryly.
"Even better," Jack said in a mocking voice.
Emily ran back up to her room and slammed the door behind her.
The Five-Minute Play
Jack walks in front of the class and starts speaking.
Jack: What's wrong Angel? Why is she crying so much?
Jack: Well, that's something. I've never seen her cry like this before.
Angelita: I know. It's been going on for almost an hour and I'm becoming stressed out.
Jack: Here, (Jack holds his hands out) give her to me.
Angelita hands the baby over to Jack.
Jack: My sweet baby, you are so beautiful, and daddy loves you. I love you more than anything.
(Jack spoke his lines with a true tender passion)
Jack: I love you baby. I honestly love you.
When the class ended Angelita had Estrella walk her over to Jack.
Jack kept bobbing around trying to get a glimpse of Angelita as she hid behind Estrella.
"She wants you to walk her home," Estrella said.
"Of course. Of course, I will walk her home," Jack said, trying to temper his excitement.
The Walk Home
"I won't," Jack said, "I promise."
"I know you won't," Angelita said, "But I just have to make sure."
Then, Angelita cut in and said, "I'm afraid, Jack."
"Why are you afraid?" Jack asked.
"I don't know," She answered, "I'm afraid of people."
"Why?" Jack asked, confused by her fear.
"Because I'm just afraid of them," Angelita said.
"There's gotta be a reason," Jack commented.
"Because some of them are really bad and they do bad things," she responded.
This made Angelita feel calm and secure. "I know," she said.
The Football Field
After fourth period the two had lunch together sitting in the school cafeteria.
"How's your ravioli?" Jack asked Angelita.
"It's not bad," she answered, "considering it is probably frozen."
There was a quiet for about a minute then Jack decided to tread into highly personal territory.
"My Little Angel," he called her, "You always look sad. Are you happy Angel?"
"Yes, I am," she answered quickly.
"Then why do you always look so sad?"
"Angelita," Jack softly said, "I want to help you. I'm here to help, not hurt."
"You stop it Jack," Angelita snapped back, "Just leave it alone."
"But I can't sweetie. This affects me too and I want to help you with this."
"Well, you can't help me," she threw her fork down and got up and left the cafeteria.
Jack followed her to the football field. When he caught up to her, she was crying.
Jack grabbed her and held her in his arms tightly.
"Angelita baby," he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."
Then Angelita asked Jack, in a shaky, almost demanding voice, "Hand, where's your hand Jack?"
She looked at Jack and said, "I hope so."
"Oh, you're good," Angelita said, "You're good and I feel safe with you."
It was there in the football field they had their first kiss.
Part Three: https://shopping-feedback.today/chapters/blackbird-fly-part-three%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3Cstyle data-emotion-css="14azzlx-P">.css-14azzlx-P{font-family:Droid Serif,Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:1.1875rem;-webkit-letter-spacing:0.01em;-moz-letter-spacing:0.01em;-ms-letter-spacing:0.01em;letter-spacing:0.01em;line-height:1.6;color:#1A1A1A;margin-top:32px;}
About the Creator
Rick Henry Christopher
Writing fulfills my need for intellectual stimulus, emotional release, and soothing the bruises of the day.
I’m an open book. I’m not afraid to show my face or speak my mind
Visit on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vocalplusassist
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
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Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
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Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
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Comments (24)
Hi Rick ‘Will this story ever end?’ as I just saw in Vocal+ Assist re part 12! As I said I didn’t know it was as series!! As I had only read part 1. The story continues!! I was captivated, spellbound. For me it feels very real. The authenticity and commitment to character development. A philosophy of living. The perspective of life seen through eyes of the baby once left at the fire station. “Have faith, Angel. Faith is believing that everything will be okay. Faith is knowing that there is good." Now I see the sensitive transition to be birthed in the next chapter. Can’t wait to read Pauline ❤️
This is quite engrossing. The only problem is that some of the writing style feels like it removes the reader from the setting rather than drawing them in. Her dark brown eyes shine with a sparkling innocence. This is an example. Some of it is written like a screenplay where direction is being given to actors on setting a scene rather than a story ongoing. Regardless, I like the story and will read more.
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Poor Angelita. She suffers so
Yes, I'm binge reading. The characters are so sweet. All of them except Emily. Screw Emily.
Simple, sensitive, caring. I'm loving this, Rick!
❤️❤️❤️❤️
This was nicely handled. I loved the slow pace...the character development was first-class. I am about to start reading part 3 and looking forward to it. I really felt for Angelita and her mental health. Great story Rick!
Nicely done. heading into part 3 now.
Very interesting 👍
NICE
grt narration.........
How did I miss these? Great story and characters, a nice defining image throughout.
Great story of pain, love and hope. Well defined characters give the story a life of it's own. Very interesting theme.
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I like the update to the setting to let us know this is high school. The first time I wasn't totally sure since the opening was a dream about aviation and graduation, and the focus on a creative writing class (which isn't always offered in high school) made me wonder.
There's a lot of complexity to your story. And it's nice that you have poetry and drama within a short story. The ending certainly makes the reader want to see how the love story develops and her mental illness is uncovered.
I enjoyed how you took this slow and allowed the characters to have time to develop so we could truly care about them. There was a nice flow to the story that kept me interested the whole way through to the end. Looking forward to Part 3! Nicely done :)
Rick, I found myself wanting to read Part 3 immediately! You have written a very intriguing story...there is mystery, and innocence, and a growing personal interest between Jack and Angelita. I am curious to read more to find out why she is so afraid, especially of men. Did something physical happen? Did she imagine an incident? And how can Jack help her? Structurally, I like the ease in which I could follow the story. The dialogue maintains a nice momentum, and the character developments of both Jack and Angelita keep the story interesting. Nicely done, Rick!! Bring on Chapter 3 soon!!
Very well written.
This is a wonderful story - I'm so curious to follow the trajectory of it. :)
Wow, an amazing story. I love how you handle the mental healthy issue . I enjoyed the story from beginning to end .
Excellent story and I loved the conversations in here, gave it an added personal dimension and drew you further into the story
Wow! I really enjoyed this, Rick! I will definitely need to go back and read Part I. There is a ton of depth to this story. I’m enjoying Jack and Angelita.
I was so immersed in the story that it caught me off guard when it ended. Thank you for providing the correct pronunciation of Mr. Sjoberg, Angelita and Estrella. Else I would have been pronouncing them wrongly for the whole story, lol! I found this to be very relatable: She wanted to fall in love with him. But she couldn't. She knew that if she let him in, he would hurt her as did the others. He would be rough and spit at her and call her names. He'd treat her like she was dirt. Then Jack's face looked mean and brutal to her, and she began to shiver, and she became scared. She couldn't help it. She burst into tears. I loved this story so much! Can't wait for Part 3!