"Jen! You get yo butt outta dat room and get sumtin to eat!" came the voice of her mom. Jen cringed severely, hearing her talking just like Britt and the other white kids at school. But, wait ... her mom wasn't talking like that earlier. She suddenly stopped breathing for a second, realizing that this had something to do with what that boy on the phone was talking about. "Jen, don't make me come in dere and pull yo ass outta dat room!" her mother yelled again. "I ain't got no time for dis shit."
Realizing Jen better comply to her changed mother's demands, she left her ridiculously small bedroom and made her way to the ridiculously small kitchen, where her mother was waiting for her, looking ticked off. Jen's breath caught in her throat again, seeing her mom. Earlier, her clothing had already looked cheap, like something bought from Wal-Mart or Target. Now it looked absolutely tacky. And she was wearing more make-up too. It was like her mom was trying to look like a slut. Jen shuddered, realizing how much her mother had lost, due to this messed-up reversed reality.
"Bout time," her mom said, her hands on her hips.
Jen looked at the table and saw a fast-food bag sitting there. "What da hell is dat?" Jen asked, pointing at the bag with her finger, now tipped with a dazzling pink acrylic nail. Her eyes went wide. What did she just say? And what happened to her nails? Slowly looking down at herself, her eyes widened further with panic. Her mother wasn't the only one to change. She changed too! She was now dressed in a sports bra and tacky stretch pants. How did she not notice this before?
"Dats dinner," her mom said, getting ticked off again.
"You said you was makin' dinner," Jen said. She really tried to speak normally, but something was making her talk like ghetto trash instead. Why was that boy doing this to her? What did she ever do to him to make him do something so horrible to not just her, but also her mom?
"Me? Make dinner?" her mom asked. "Shit, you know I ain't no cook. Now sit yo ass down and eat up. I gotta go ta work early tonight."
Her mom worked at night? Where? Her mom was about to leave the room, but Jen stopped her. "Mama, wait ..."