Bell Bottom High: Book 1: Freshman Fears

by B. J. Williams

  I reached up from my twin-sized bed and clicked off my clown-shaped lamp that Mama and Daddy gave me for my twelfth birthday. The angry tone in Mama’s voice told me that she meant business. For a petite woman, her voice was powerful enough to scare a grown man. And Mama didn’t play when it was time for bed. The lights were out at ten o’clock on weeknights unless we were late getting home from one of my brothers’ basketball games.

  I held my breath and listened for Mama’s soft footsteps to retreat down the hallway. After the lock clicked on my parents’ bedroom door, I sighed with relief. Then, I reached under my pillow and pulled out my trusted friend.

  Carefully, I slid the covers over my head, switched on my mini flashlight, and pulled out the latest edition of Right On! Magazine featuring Michael Jackson on the cover. The pretty white teeth on his handsome face made my heart beat faster, and my head rushed with happiness. After the long day I’d had, I needed Michael to take me away.

  I’d been trying to find the time to read it all day. Now that everyone was in their respective rooms and the house was all quiet, I wanted to enjoy reading the teen magazine I’d been buying at the Piggly Wiggly since it was first published two years ago. It had taken most of my weekly allowance, but it had been worth every hard earned penny. I would have washed dishes eight days a week to be able to buy that magazine every month. I loved reading about the young stars, especially Michael, and he’d been in there for every single issue since I’d started buying it.

  Finally, I had quality time to spend alone with my precious crush. If I could just meet him one day, I’d truly be in heaven. I cheesed and held the magazine firmly to my warm chest.

  Right then, I was only concerned about what was going on with Michael and his new solo album release, “Music and Me.” According to the interview, the young lovable megastar was one of the hottest performers on the Motown label for 1973. He was floating high on the success of his single titled, “Happy,” which was the love theme song from Lady Sings the Blues featuring his idol, Diana Ross. I loved his huge, round afro, bushy eyebrows, and full lips. Michael was every teenage girl’s fantasy date, and my future husband. At fifteen, he was only a year older than me, and I had my very own collection of Jackson Five music including Michael’s solo releases.

  Filled with excitement as silence clothed the room, I jumped at the sound of a thump against my bedroom door. “Reecy, are you still up?” Joshua, my sixteen-year-old brother, asked just loud enough for me to hear. “I need to ask you something.”

  I was going to give Josh a good piece of my mind for disturbing my quiet reading session. I tumbled out of bed wearing my cotton rose-printed pajamas. My toes tingled against the cool linoleum floor as I tiptoed across the room. I had to be careful not to awaken my parents who insisted that the gas heaters be turned off at night to save on the bill. We had to rely on the comfort of homemade quilts and dollar store blankets to keep us warm at night. I didn’t mind, because I hardly ever got up during the night to use the bathroom. Besides, Daddy got up before daylight every morning to make sure the house was warm before everybody else got up.

  My trusted flashlight guided me to the door; I asked, “What do you want, Josh?”

  I cracked the door, still holding the magazine in one hand. I peeped out my head and shined the flashlight in my brother’s round face. I frowned up at Joshua with my bottom lip poked out. “I was just getting to the good part of the story.”

  “Excuse me, Ms. Bookworm, but I need your advice about something,” he began. Josh turned his head and checked the hallway for eavesdroppers. “I don’t want to wake up Mom and Dad. Can we go in the living room and talk for a minute?”

  “What, are you jiving me?” I asked, staring at him like he had antennas coming out of his ears. Sometimes I swore he was an alien. “I’ve been dying to read this article all day. You need to go back to bed, Josh.”

  “Look, I wouldn’t be bothering you if it wasn’t important. I promise to make it quick,” Josh said, rubbing a hand down his cotton pajama top.

  “You better make it quick, mister,” I replied with much attitude and followed behind Joshua. I loved my brother, but he was always interrupting my late night reading sessions seeking advice. If I hadn’t known any better, I would honestly have believed I was the older sibling. I wondered what he wanted this time. I would have bet money that it had something to do with some chick at school.

  Passing our two-year-old family portrait hanging on the wall, we tipped down the long hallway past the kitchen. We could still smell the fried chicken and fresh apple pie Mom had made for dinner. It had been so good that my mouth still watered at the thought of the delicious food. If it hadn’t been so late, I would have sneaked into the kitchen for seconds.

  Once we made it to the living room, I turned on the small lamp stationed at the far end of the room and flicked off my flashlight. We were both seated on the burgundy cloth sofa and waited a second to make sure we were alone. I broke the silence first. “Well, what’s going on now?”

  “Keep your voice down, will you?” Joshua asked.

  “Okay, okay,” I whispered, leaning an ear in his direction. “Just tell me what’s going on so I can get back to my room.”

  “All right. You know this chick at school named Lena, right?” he asked.

  I simply nodded my head. I already knew this had something to do with a girl. But my eyes were bulging, because I never in a million years expected him to ask me about Lena Turnipseed. Not after the discussion I’d had with her earlier today. So, I struggled to keep my mouth shut and tried to anticipate what he was going to say next.

  “Well, I dig her, you know what I mean, but she won’t give me the time of day. And with you being a girl, I figure you know what girls like. So I need you to help me come up with a plan to get her attention.”

  I sighed heavily and rolled my eyes over the dimly lit room. What was I going to say to that? He didn’t have a clue that the girl he was digging was already digging on somebody else. I had to think of something quick, something that would take the pressure off of me for real. “If you want advice about a girl, why don’t you ask Tyrone? He has lots of girlfriends.”

  “Yeah, he’s very popular and most of the girls like him anyway. I need help getting a special girl’s attention so I’m coming to you. Are you going to help me or not, Peanut Butter Cup?” he asked, using his nickname for me, probably hoping it would soften me up.

  “Look, Josh, why the sudden interest in Lena? I’ve never heard you even mention her name before, and you’ve been friends with her brother for years.”

  “I know. It seems weird to me, too, but every time I’m over there visiting Henry, she seems so nice. And she’s really grown up in the last year, if you know what I mean,” he said, smiling and giving me a funny look.

  I had a good idea what he was talking about. Lena and I both had recently grown breasts. Boys that had never spoken to me before in my life were suddenly speaking to me in the hallways or waving at me as I walked down the streets.

  “Anyways, I’m thinking about asking her to the school dance next Friday. What do you think about that?” he asked, crossing his legs.

  I was thinking how I really hated to burst his bubble, especially since I’d been sworn to secrecy, but I had to find a way to get his mind off of Lena. “Why don’t you wait and…”

  “What are you two doing up this time of night? Didn’t your Mama tell you to go to bed an hour ago?”

  That interruption almost frightened me to death; my heart jumped straight into my mouth. I swallowed it whole and dropped the magazine I’d been holding on to like a hot sweet potato. Both of us looked up into the seventy-five-year-old face of our Grandma Gladys. Grandma’s long gray hair was hanging down her back in two braids and her tattered white housecoat tied at the side was drooping off of her bony shoulders. Grandma was petite like our mom and just as stern. She held a white candle in her hand as she glared at us through the flame. Since Grandma was about as old-fashione
d as they came, she believed in burning candles at night to help save on electricity.

  “Yes, ma’am,” we replied, scrambling off the sofa. I retrieved my magazine before heading to my room with Grandma following closely behind. I was fidgeting, trying to hide my miniature flashlight in my pajama sleeve. I loved Grandma to death, I really did, but she got on my last nerve walking around there with a candle at night like an overseer on a plantation.

  “Thanks for getting me in trouble,” I whispered, turning the doorknob to my bedroom. Joshua shrugged his shoulders, turned left, and entered the sparsely decorated room he shared with our older brother, Tyrone, who was sleeping soundly. I could tell that from the snoring sound coming out of the room the second Josh cracked the door.

  “And don’t you dare turn on that flashlight. You hear me, young lady?” Grandma commanded, setting her jaw like steel. She stood at her bedroom door, which was right next to my room, and waited for me to enter.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I replied, looking down at the linoleum floor while easing my bedroom door closed. I climbed back into bed, pulled the covers over my head, pulled out the magazine, and flicked on the flashlight. As much as I wanted to read the story about Michael, I couldn’t concentrate to save my life. I just hoped that my brother really wasn’t serious about Lena Turnipseed, because he was the last boy on earth that she was thinking about. And I knew that for a fact.

  *

  The following day at school, I had a plan for my study period at the library. Although I still wasn’t a hundred percent sure that I was doing the right thing by helping Lena, I spent the hour searching through magazines and newspapers. I reviewed several articles relating to temporary shelters for unwed teenage mothers. The process probably would have gone easier if I’d asked Ms. Phillips for help. But since I didn’t want anyone to know what I was doing, I had to continue searching solo.

  By the time my search was completed, I had located Mary’s Shelter in Shreveport, Louisiana. Good. Hopefully, these articles would give me some detailed information to share with Lena.

  Before the bell sounded ending the sixth period, I walked to the front desk and checked out two newspapers. I figured that I’d finish reading through them when I got home and call Lena later on that night.

  I entered the house, dropped my textbooks on my bed, and headed straight to Grandma Gladys’ bedroom like I did every day. As usual, I was greeted with the rose water scent. Grandma was cleaning her face with a cotton ball soaked with Oil of Olay and sitting beside her bed in the rocker listening to Dark Shadows again. The black and white television screen was blank, but the sound was normal.

  I stared at the screen for a second and then looked over at Grandma before asking, “Grandma, do you know that your TV is out? There’s nothing on the screen.”

  “That’s okay, baby,” Grandma said, rocking in her chair and looking at the TV monitor like it was showing a clear picture. “This ole TV works when it wants to. I can’t half see the picture no how, so it doesn’t really matter.”

  “Okay, I guess it doesn’t.”

  She threw the used cotton ball in the trash can beside her rocker. “I’m having eye surgery next week. I’ll have your daddy put it in the shop while I’m away.”

  “I’ll be sure to remind him of that, Grandma. Are you ready for your medicine and a snack?”

  “Yes, sweetie. Do we have any cheese and crackers left?”

  “I think so. I’ll be right back.”

  In a matter of minutes, I returned to Grandma’s side carrying a tray with sharp cheddar cheese, Saltine crackers, iced water, and an Insulin needle. I placed the tray on the nightstand and helped Grandma to the bed.

  I was eager for Grandma to take her shot so I could get out of her room and call Lena later. Maybe it wasn’t too late to talk her out of running away from home.

  “Grandma, do you need anything else?” I asked upon my return to her room.

  “No, baby, I’m fine. You’re such a sweet granddaughter and so mature for your age. You’ve got the head of a thirty-year-old woman,” Grandma stated proudly.

  I didn’t know if it was a blessing or a curse to be considered wise beyond my years, but I was happy knowing that my only living grandparent was proud of me.

  “Did you have company yesterday afternoon?” Grandma asked, interrupting my thoughts.

  “Ah, yes, ma’am. Lena Turnipseed came by to visit with me.”

  “I thought I heard you talking to someone. What did she want? She’s never been here before, has she?”

  “No, ma’am, she’s never been here before,” I replied, trying to think of a quick answer to the first part of her question. “You know, we’re in the same class, and she just needed a little help with one of our assignments. It wasn’t a big deal.” I shrugged.

  “Well, were you able to help her?”

  “Yes, ma’am, I think so.”

  “That’s good, baby. It’s always a blessing to be a help to someone in need. When I first heard her voice, I thought it was your friend, Joyce. I swear you and that girl are so close y’all remind me of my sister, Maggie, and me when we were young. Maggie was just like my best friend, I tell you.” Grandma got that far off look in her eyes that she always got whenever she mentioned her only sibling. Nobody ever told me what happened to Grandma’s sister, I just know she died when she was around my age.

  I handed Grandma a Kleenex from the box on her nightstand to wipe the mist forming in the corner of her eyes. Usually, I’d hang around and try to cheer her up a little bit. Only today, I decided to make a speedy exit out of the room before Grandma asked any more probing questions about Lena. I wasn’t a good liar and didn’t know how many questions I could answer without giving everything away.

  *

  After returning a few minutes later, I stared at Grandma’s blank TV screen again and shook my head. I didn’t know how she could do it.

  I picked up the red plastic tray with only a few cracker crumbles left on it, and said, “All right, Grandma, please let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be in my room doing my homework.”

  “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. Just go ahead and get your school work,” Grandma replied.

  She looked fine to me, so I scurried out of her room and walked next door to mine. I pulled out the newspapers from school to finish reading the two articles regarding Mary’s Shelter for unwed teenage mothers.

  Once I had zipped through the content of the articles, I reached for the telephone in the hallway to call Lena when it started ringing. I answered it expecting to hear Lena’s voice, but Joyce was on the other end asking me about what I was doing this evening.

  “Hi, Joyce, I’m just trying to get caught up on my homework. What about you?”

  “Oh, I was just calling to see if you wanted to hang out for a while after your parents get home today.”

  “I wish I could, but I can’t. I’ve got a lot of reading to do, and then I still have to start dinner.”

  “Are you all right? I mean, you sound like something is bothering you.”

  “No, no, I’m fine,” I replied, trying to sound normal. Just the idea of lying was making me a nervous fool.

  “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” Joyce asked.

  “Yeah, sure, I’ll call you later,” I replied, shortening our conversation. It was already hard enough on me keeping this secret from Joyce. If she started asking questions, I’d feel really bad about lying to my best friend.

  I hung up the telephone, took a deep breath, and dialed Lena’s place. Lena picked up on the second ring.

  “Hi, Lena, it’s Reecy. How’re you doing?”

  “Hey, Reecy, I’m doing okay. Did you get a chance to work on that research for me today?” she asked, getting straight to the point like she’d been waiting on the call. She probably had. I’d been on pins and needles all day myself. We didn’t even dare look at one another on the school bus. Neither one of us wanted anyone to know about our budding friendship and ce
rtainly not the reason why.

  “Yes, I have the information right here in front of me. But you can read them for yourself. Can you come over here and pick them up before six o’clock?” I asked, glancing up at the wall clock in my room.

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m working on something for my mom. I’ll be there in about thirty minutes. Thank you so much, Reecy. I knew you’d come through for me.”

  I hung up the telephone thinking about Lena’s predicament and how I was going to help her out of it. I was beginning to wonder what I’d gotten myself into and if I would really be able to help Lena. I had daydreamed about several boys at school, but I’d never imagined doing it with any of them. And right now, I was very glad I hadn’t crossed that line. This whole situation was starting to frighten me more and more.

  Glancing at my watch, I decided to pull out my homework. I wanted to get most of it done before Lena arrived. I was responsible for making dinner tonight, and it had to be on the table by the time my parents arrived home. Both of my brothers stayed after school on most days for basketball practice. But it didn’t matter, because they never cooked dinner anyway. They just ravished whatever was left whenever they got home.

  Just as I was finishing up my homework, and reaching for the copy of Right On! that I still hadn’t had a chance to finish reading, Lena tapped on the back door. I leaped from my bed and went to close the door next to mine. I definitely didn’t want Grandma to hear this conversation.

  I showed Lena to my bedroom, turned on the radio, and tuned into a popular AM station, making doubly sure no one overheard our conversation. The Isley Brothers singing “That Lady” blasted from the small speakers as we sat down on the side of the narrow bed.

  “Okay, where is it?” Lena asked, ignoring the posters of Michael Jackson covering the room like wallpaper. “I can’t believe you found something that fast.”

  “Well, somehow I remembered seeing an article in the newspaper several months ago. I remembered my mom talking about it with one of her friends. So it wasn’t too hard to locate in the library.”