No Boyz Allowed

by Ni-Ni Simone

  Toi and I slid off the bed and she sorted through the mountain of clothes.

  She picked up a pair of True Religion skinny jeans, a slouchy beige shirt with a black sequin cross going down the middle, and a black camisole.

  Oh, that’s cute.

  “Here, try this on,” Toi said.

  I quickly changed into the outfit, turned toward Toi and she said, “Let’s find something else.”

  “Yeah.” I frowned. “Told you, nothing to wear.”

  She sorted through my clothes and picked out a pair of black leggings and a sleeveless top that stopped midway down my thighs. I changed and walked over to my full-length mirror. I looked at Toi whose reflection was behind mine and we said simultaneously, “Not.”

  “I give up.” I threw my hands in the air.

  “Don’t. Try this.” She handed me a pair of black Forever 21 destroyed skinny jeans, a white mid-drift top with a hood and the words “Live in the Now” written in sparkling black letters, and a black camisole to wear beneath the mid-drift. I slipped the clothes on and as I walked toward the mirror she said, “Umm, wait. Don’t look in the mirror yet, stand there.” She ran into her room and came back with a handful of jewelry, a comb, brush, and make-up. “Sit down.” She pointed to my computer chair.

  I sat down and said, “I wanna see how I look.”

  “Just wait. Let me finish hooking this up. I think this may be the one.” She handed me a pair of large silver hoops, matching chunky bangles, and then she proceeded to pull my hair into a side ponytail that dangled over my right shoulder. She put a little make-up on me: eye shadow, liner, and gloss. “Wait, the shoes!” she said. Toi chose my four-inch black peep toe platforms. She placed her hands on her hips and stood back. “There it is, fly girl. Now check it out!”

  I walked over to the mirror not knowing what to expect, but the moment my reflection lit up the glass I knew this was it. “This is fly!” I turned around and gave her a high five. “Yeah, you did this!” I turned back toward the mirror, puckered my lips, and blew myself a kiss.

  I’m not sure what came over me, all I knew is that I was poppin’ it in my too cute outfit and Toi was like, “Go, Gem! It’s ya birthday! You gon’ get your date on like it’s ya birthday!”

  “Oh hell nawl, Broke Down!” Cousin Shake barged into my room. “Toi, I told your mama you hadn’t changed and couldn’t be trusted! Oh Lord!” he shouted.

  “What?” She looked at him like he was even crazier than usual. “What are you talking about?”

  “Broke Down, why you trying to turn out Lil Project?”

  Did he just call me a project? Cousin Shake must’ve read my mind because he looked at me and said, “Yeah, I called you a project. ’Cause somebody need to fix you. Your mouth’s nasty, your eyes stay rollin’, and your teeth stay smackin’. So yeah, I said it. Lil Project. Under Con-struc-tion.” He bucked his chest up. “And what!”

  I didn’t even respond to him and all Toi did was roll her eyes toward the ceiling. “Cousin Shake!” Malik ran into my room. “I just told him to assume position. His nose and his palms should be touching the wall!”

  “Who?” Toi frowned.

  “The guy who just showed up for Gem, Ny’eem!” Malik laughed and in between thoughts of wanting to fly kick him all over the room all I saw when I stared at him was a mini Cousin Shake.

  Not wanting to stand here a moment longer Toi and I hurried out of the room and once I stood in the middle of the staircase I was able to see that Ny’eem wasn’t in position, instead he looked up the stairs and smiled at me.

  My heart thundered.

  He was so fine that I lost control of my lips and smiled from ear to ear. Cousin Shake walked past me and said, “Close your mouth.”

  Grrrrr...

  Cousin Shake walked over to Ny’eem and said, “Wassup, son?”

  “You got it, sir,” Ny’eem said. “How are you this evening?”

  “How I am depends on how you bringin’ it?”

  Ny’eem chuckled. “I’m good, Cousin Shake.”

  “My name was Cousin Shake when you were coming over here kicking it with the G-beg.”

  “It’s G-Bread,” Malik corrected Cousin Shake.

  “Whatever,” Cousin Shake snorted and continued, “But now that you’re here to see one of my girls my name has changed and you need to call me Mr. M.C. Ole G and Chocolate.”

  “What?” Me and Toi said simultaneously.

  Where was Ms. Grier when I needed her?

  Cousin continued, “So let me put you up on how I get down.”

  “Break it down, Big Homie.” Malik cracked his fat knuckles.

  “Would you two stop it?” Toi said.

  “Seriously,” I said with my lips tight.

  Cousin Shake ignored us and carried on, “Now check it, do you know how special it is and what it means to take one of my girls out the house?”

  I could tell Ny’eem wanted to laugh but he didn’t, and instead he said, “It means I have to take care of her and show her a nice time.”

  “Hell nawl!” Cousin Shake snapped. “It means is that she ain’t no hoochie—’cause we don’t come from that. So don’t have her out there grindin’ and poppin’ it. ’Cause her name ain’t Dollar Bill, Peaches, Don’t-Stop-Get-it-Get-it, or Cookie, smell me?”

  “Yes, sir,” Ny’eem said, still doing his best not to laugh.

  “We cool then, Bruh.” Cousin Shake shook Ny’eem’s hand and then patted him on the back. Afterward he walked up to me and whispered, “Gem, I want you to make sure you keep a watch on him. Now take this money and keep it in your pocket just in case you need anything.” He handed me a dollar bill. “Use it wisely.”

  All I could do was shake my head. Cousin Shake was nutz. Completely delusional.

  “Next time,” I whispered to Ny’eem, “wait outside, I’ll jump out the window.”

  “What you say, Lil Project?” Cousin Shake snorted.

  My name was not Lil Project. “All I said was...” I paused and quickly decided against spewing the sarcastic remark I was about to say. Hmph, I was almost out the door and there was no need in pushing Cousin Shake into completely flipping out. The last thing I wanted to see was his Running Man and cat daddy routine. So I swallowed my smart remark and said, “I’m just sooo happy that you came inside to meet my family.”

  “Yeah.” Ny’eem smiled. “They’re cool people.” He reached for my hand and instantly chills ran through me. Ny’eem looked me over. “You look fly, Pretty Girl.”

  I blushed. “Thank you.”

  “So are you ready?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I’m ready.”

  Ny’eem walked toward the front door and I walked behind him. I waved and smiled at Toi, slyly pumped my fist at Malik, and I started to roll my eyes at Cousin Shake, but quickly changed my mind. I gave him a small wave instead and then I walked out behind my baby.

  16

  The carousel Ny’eem and I rode on had spinning lights that flashed through the night’s sky like a colorful burst of Heaven. We sat on a crisp white, high-back bench, in between the porcelain unicorns and horses, eating cotton candy from the same stick. He was so cute as I took pieces of the soft pink candy and slipped them into his mouth, purposely letting my index finger stroke the center of his tongue.

  “Yo,” he said as the carousel spun softly. “Don’t tell anybody that you were feeding me cotton candy, a’ight?”

  “Why?” I blushed, as I snuggled against his chest and he clasped his hands around my waist. “It’s romantic.”

  “Being here with you is romantic. You feeding me cotton candy—pink cotton candy—is a little you know . . .”

  “No, what?”

  “A little,” he hesitated. “You know—”

  “Anti-swag?” I volunteered.

  “There it is.”

  I laughed as I ran my thumb across his full lips and swept away a few specks of sugar. “Ooooh, sooo, you have to keep your thuggism in check at all times. Got it.�
�

  “Don’t be extra.” He smiled at me and I wanted to melt.

  “I’m not being extra. I gottchu, boo. I. Gottchu.”

  He laughed and leaned in for a kiss. I gave him a soft peck on the lips and he said, “Yeah, if I’m riding a merry-go-round and you’re feeding me cotton candy, you got me for sure.”

  My heart skipped not one but three beats and I settled even deeper into his chest. He caressed the side of my hair and all I could do was close my eyes and get lost in the soft feel of his hands.

  I felt like I was riding on a cloud and I never wanted to get off. Ever.

  Who knew that being at the Meadowlands Fair would feel like this? Like the best thing I’d ever experienced. And maybe that’s why I felt a little weird—just a little—because I had no idea how I’d ever come off of a high like this. This had to be what the best movie scenes were made of; and what walking heartbeats felt like.

  Mesmerized.

  Hypnotized.

  Awestruck.

  Beaming from the right side of Cupid.

  This was the bomb.com and I was basking in the explosion of it all.

  After our carousel ride we strolled through the fair hand in hand. There were people everywhere. The concession stands were packed and the lines that led to the rides were wrapped around corners. There were a ton of booths all with carnival games and plush prizes of stuffed animals that dangled from the booths’ ceilings. And just when I thought that the evening couldn’t possibly be any more romantic, Ny’eem pointed to the house of mirrors and said, “Let’s go in here.”

  And we did.

  And we got lost in a sea of our reflections.

  It was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen. Ny’eem was everywhere all at once and for the first time in my life I knew that I wanted things to stay this way.

  Once we found our way out of the maze of mirrors we resumed our stroll and talked about everything—school, movies, friends, family, relationships, basketball. I told Ny’eem how much I loved ball, but all the reasons I gave up on it. And I told him that I’d never really kicked it with a boo like this, because I’d always had too many other things going on—but that for the first time ever, I felt like I could take a deep breath and exhale. Really, really, let it all go.

  And I guess Ny’eem felt pretty comfortable with me too because he also confided things in me. Like, although he was seventeen, he had his own spot because his family moved out to L.A. so that his sister could pursue her singing career, but that he stayed behind in their old place. He told me that he missed them, but that he couldn’t follow his sister’s dreams, because he had to follow his own, which were here in Brick City.

  And not only did we share serious things, but we were silly, too. And not a nervous silly. But the kind of silly that made each other’s faces light up when we laughed.

  This was perfect.

  Flawless.

  “Hold up,” I said to Ny’eem, stopping us dead in our tracks. I pointed to a booth with two basketball hoops and stuffed animals hanging from the ceiling. “We’re at a fair, so—”

  “So what?” he gloated. “You want me to win you a prize?”

  Oh, no he didn’t.

  His cockiness continued. “What you want, the biggest bear up there?”

  I laughed. “Lil Shaq, puhlease. You do know those are free throws and not layups, right?”

  “Oh, you tryna play me, Pretty Girl?” He chuckled.

  “Oh no, baby. I’m just keeping it real. You couldn’t win me a prize from there, but I most certainly could win you one. Matter of fact, I could win you two.” I stroked his chin. “Now which bears do you want, the lil yellow ones? Oh wait, you have to keep your thug-thizzle straight so I’m sure you want the blue ones.”

  “Funny. And you’re talking an awful lot of smack, but I don’t see you stepping over there to bring it. Oh wait, I forgot,” he smirked. “You gave up on ball.”

  “Oh, you really went there?”

  “It is what it is, Baby Girl,” he continued. “I’m still feeling you though, even if you are scared.”

  “Scared. Boy please, I can bring it.”

  “Bring what, my towel to the locker room?” he laughed.

  I playfully mushed him in the center of his chest. “Five dollars says I can bring it all day.” I stepped over to the booth and took position behind the basket to the right.

  “Yeah, a’ight, and ten dollars says you can’t.” He took position behind the basket to the left.

  The guy running the game booth said, “You two up?”

  “Yup,” I said, filled with confidence, while reaching in my purse for money. “And this game’s on me.”

  “Nah,” Ny’eem said, “I got it.” He placed two dollars on the counter.

  “Oh, you’re just gon’ give away all ya lil money, huh?”

  He chuckled. “Nah, I’m just trying to make sure you’ll have the money you’re about to owe me.”

  “Whatever.” I picked up one of the balls and aimed it toward the basket.

  “Let’s get it,” Ny’eem said.

  The game booth worker nodded his head and said, “One, two, three, go!”

  “Yo, Pretty Girl, I think you cheated,” Ny’eem said, handing me the ten dollars he’d lost.

  I chuckled. “Yeah, you and Man-Man are definitely friends, because he said the same thing when I beat him. Now, boo-boo, which bear do you want?” I pointed toward the assortment of bears in the booth.

  “Let’s see here,” the game booth worker said. “We have, ahh, a nice sunshine yellow one here, a lil rainbow-colored bear—”

  “Yo,” Ny’eem said. “What I look like, picking out a stuffed bear? You got a toy gun?”

  “A toy gun?!” I laughed so hard I cried. “You have lost your mind. They don’t have any toy guns.” I looked at the game booth worker—who, judging by the look on his face, thought we were both crazy. “I’ll take the pink one,” I said.

  “Yeah, you do that,” Ny’eem said as the guy handed me the bear and I laughed for at least ten more minutes.

  “You finished with the joke?” Ny’eem asked, which caused me to laugh even more. He looked down at me and he was trying his best to hold a serious face. It didn’t work, and he ended up with a wide smile across his lips.

  “Don’t be mad,” I said. “Gimme kiss.” And he did.

  For the next hour we walked around the fair, rode the Ferris wheel, ate hotdogs, funnel cakes, and freshly fried donuts. By the time we were leaving I knew for sure that I’d had the best time of my life.

  We held hands as Ny’eem drove me home and by the time he pulled up and parked in front of the house, I closed my eyes and wished that we could rewind time and relive tonight all over again.

  Ny’eem softly turned my face toward him. “Let me rap to you real quick.”

  I squeezed his hand and said, “Wassup?”

  He stroked his goatee and said, “Yo, tonight was cool.”

  “Really?” I blushed.

  “Yeah, Pretty Girl. I enjoyed it, ma.”

  “I enjoyed tonight too, poo.”

  He gave me half a smile. “So then maybe we’re thinking the same thing, ’cause I’m thinking that I’d like to do more than kick it.”

  Is he about to ask me to move in with him? If so I’ll go and pack my clothes right now. “What are you thinking?” I asked him.

  “I’m thinking I want you to be my girl. How do you feel about that? Is that a’ight with you?”

  I didn’t open my mouth. I couldn’t. Because I knew if I did I’d either ask him to marry me or I’d be stuttering all over myself.

  “Talk to me,” he said, flicking my chin.

  “Umm . . .” I paused. “Are you serious?”

  “Always.”

  Again, I hesitated, but this time I did it intentionally. This way he would think there was a possibility I would say no. Not that I would. But he didn’t need to know that.

  Seems my hesitation worked because he said, “Whatever yo
u decide is cool. If the answer is no I’ll understand.”

  Boy, I could never tell you no. “It’s not that the answer is no,” I said. “It’s just that I’ve been single for soooo long . . .” I got that line from a movie and I stopped myself mid-sentence because I couldn’t remember the rest of it. “And umm . . .” Dang, what is the rest of that line? I guess I better freestyle. “And umm, I had a really good time with you tonight.”

  “And?” he pressed.

  “And umm...” I paused again. Just say yes. No, I can’t, ’cause then I’ll sound desperate. Should I put a spin on it? Yeah. Spin it.

  I turned and looked Ny’eem directly in his eyes and just as I opened my mouth to spin my version of yes I quickly changed my mind and decided to drop the game. “I’d love to be your girl,” I said.

  “Once you’re my girl, you know I’ma keep you forever . . .”

  I giggled. “Forever-ever.”

  “Yeah.” Ny’eem smiled and moved in for a kiss. “Forever-ever.”

  “I think I should get going,” I said, ending our kiss.

  “Yeah, maybe so.”

  I gave him one last peck before walking up the stairs and putting a little extra bounce in my runway strut. Once I had my key in the door, I turned around and he was still standing there—leaning against the passenger door and watching me. I blew him a kiss and he gave me a soft wink.

  My heart clapped in my chest, making me giggle nervously as I opened the door and stepped inside.

  “Ah ha!”

  I dropped my purse to the floor and practically fainted.

  It was Malik. He’d sprung out of nowhere and scared the heck outta me!

  “Are you crazy!” I snapped, storming past him and up the stairs to my room. “Why would you scare me like that?!” I walked into my room and kicked my shoes off.

  Malik stood in the doorway and said, “You know Baby-Tot-Tot is about to turn you in, right?”

  “What. Are. You. Talking. About?”

  “Cousin Shake made me the house police!” he said proudly.

  “So?”

  “So, I’ma tell that you were bustin’ out a lip-lock in front of the house with ole boy.”