by K'wan
“What’s the word?” Marisa asked, beating Pearl to the punch.
“Girls, let me tell y’all…,” Ruby began in her heavy New York accent. “I just heard from Carla, who heard from Jane, that Kate is talking shit about you,” she told Pearl.
Pearl rolled her eyes. “What else is new? These bitches hate me cuz they ain’t me!”
“They don’t wanna see us!” Marisa cosigned.
“I know they ain’t trying to do nothing. All mouth and no action, but you know I had to tell my girl what’s up,” Ruby said.
“And that’s why I fucks with you.” Pearl gave her dap. Pearl knew that Kate was all bark and no bite, and could’ve let it go, but she was feeling petty that day. “Still, these broads need to recognize who the real queen is. Let’s go down to the lunch room and see what’s good,” Pearl suggested.
“Pearl, don’t go down there starting no shit with that girl. Remember what Father Price said after the last incident you were involved in,” Marisa reminded Pearl, referring to the small riot she’d almost caused in the auditorium.
“Marisa, I ain’t stupid enough to get into a fight with my birthday coming,” Pearl assured her.
“Somebody is about to turn the big one-eight.” Marisa smiled broadly.
“Eighteen and finally grown.” Pearl rested her fists on her hips.
“So, what’s up? I haven’t heard any talk of a party yet. Aren’t you gonna have one this year? You know your dad throws you the best parties,” Marisa said.
“Oddly, he hasn’t mentioned a party to me, which leads me to believe he’s planning some type of surprise,” Pearl speculated. Every year since she could remember, her dad always threw her an epic birthday party, but that year the subject hadn’t come up, which was odd.
“I sure hope so, because I know it’s going to be popping!” Marisa exclaimed. “If it goes down, you know I’m in there. How about you, Ruby?”
“I wish. My grades weren’t so good last marking period, so they’ve been extra-strict on me. Besides, you know my mom and dad think everyone darker than a paper bag is trouble.” Ruby said it as a joke but couldn’t mask the hint of embarrassment in her voice.
“You’d think that after all these years, she’d be cool with you hanging out with the Blacks and Hispanics. I guess some people just can’t get with jungle fever,” Marisa joked.
Ruby rolled her eyes. “Judith gets on my nerves sometimes with her old-world mentality,” she said, referring to her mother. “And don’t even get me started on my father and his constant ranting about how a proper Jewish girl is supposed to behave.”
“That’s just code for ‘Stop fucking Black guys.’” Pearl snickered.
“Well, she can forget that. You know how I love my chocolate,” Ruby joked. She was making light of the whole thing, but it was only to hide her embarrassment over her parents’ views. Ruby’s parents were older, having had her late in their lives. They were Russian immigrants who had only come to the States shortly before Ruby was born, so they were behind the curve on a lot of things. They weren’t necessarily racists, but felt strongly about intermingling the gene pool.
“Don’t worry about it, ma. If it does happen and you can’t make it, you know you’ll be there with us in spirit,” Pearl said, trying to make her feel better.
“Spirit my ass. Pearl, you’ve known me long enough to know that what my parents expect and what I do are two different things. I’ll just wait until they go to sleep and sneak out. I’ll probably be grounded until I leave for college, but for one of your parties, it’d be worth it.” Ruby laughed.
CHAPTER SIX
St. Francis had two lunch rooms, the North and South. The North Side was supposed to be for the juniors and seniors while the South was designated for freshmen and sophomores, but what it really translated to was that the North was for the cool kids, and the South was for everyone else. One of the advantages of hanging in the North lunch room was that it had an exit in the back that opened up into the faculty parking lot—and freedom. If you had enough juice with security, you could slip on and off school grounds without worrying about being written up.
There were always two guards at that back door during lunch periods, Jones and Melrose. Melrose was an ugly, heavyweight wrestler–looking muthafucka who looked like he had been carved from a block of onyx. Jones was much easier on the eyes, short with wide hips and nice tits, with hair that was so rich and thick that it made her the envy of some women. Judging by looks, you’d have thought Melrose was the more vicious of the two, but it was Jones you had to watch out for. Unlike some of the staff, she treated all the girls in the school with equal respect, no matter what class of financial standing. All she asked in return was that you showed her the same. The smart ones did, but the ones who foolishly tested the waters learned the hard way that Security Officer Jones wasn’t to be fucked with. She had been written up on multiple occasions for laying hands on students. The only reason she hadn’t been fired is because her mother worked for the school superintendent. To her credit, Jones never whipped an ass in the school that didn’t deserve it.
“Little Stone, what the deal?” Melrose gave Pearl dap when she and her crew strolled into the North cafeteria.
“Little Stone is my brother; I’m just Pearl,” she corrected him.
“My bad, my bad,” Melrose said apologetically. “How’s Stoney doing anyhow? He managing to stay out of trouble?”
“Hell no.” Pearl rolled her eyes at the thought of her troublesome little brother. “He got written up in school again the other day for fighting.”
“A chip off the old block.” Jones laughed.
“Only blocks he’s gonna know are cellblocks if he doesn’t slow his ass down,” Pearl said.
“You’d think for as strict as Big Stone is, that boy wouldn’t be so wild,” Marisa chimed in.
“My father is only strict when it comes to me. He lets Stoney run wild.”
“Speaking of Big Stone, how is he?” Melrose asked. He’d worked for Pearl’s dad back in the day, and had even taken a drug charge for the crew. The whole three and a half years he’d sat in prison, he never once mentioned Big Stone or the organization. When he touched down, Stone blessed Melrose with a few dollars and plugged him in with the board of ed so he landed the security job.
“He’s good.”
“Tell him, Joey said what’s up.”
“I got you, Melrose,” Pearl promised before leading her crew deeper into the cafeteria.
Pearl’s whole demeanor seemed to change when they entered the lunch room proper. The smile faded from her face, and her eyes got hard and serious. She had slipped into what Ruby called boss mode. She strolled casually, her crew in tow, nodding and shaking hands with girls who’d break their necks to speak to her. Pearl was like a local celebrity, partially because of who her father was, but mostly because her name carried weight with staff and students alike. Her status gave her access to things most people couldn’t get within the walls of St. Francis, such as contraband. That was her side hustle. If you needed something, be it pot, school supplies, or treats they didn’t sell on school grounds, you went to see Pearl.
It took them nearly ten minutes to make it to what they dubbed as their section of the lunch room. It consisted of a long table near the back entrance that was always on reserve for Pearl and her team. This was where they ate, played cards, and brokered deals. It was an unspoken rule that you didn’t sit there if you weren’t part of that circle … a rule that if you broke, Pearl or one of her minions would make sure you didn’t break again. Standing around, waiting for them, were several underclassmen who Pearl liked to refer to as stragglers. They were her foot soldiers, girls who were vying for membership to her inner circle. Most of them would never make it, but a few showed promise.
Pearl’s ass had barely touched the seat before other girls started drifting over, inquiring about this or that. Depending on who they were and what they wanted, Pearl approved or denied their requests. Ruby co
llected the money while the stragglers were assigned to retrieve whatever was needed. She had learned from her father that bosses never touched product, so if the shit ever hit the fan, she and her inner circle’s hands were always clean.
Pearl was just about to send one of the stragglers to fill their lunch orders when she was approached by a girl named Drea. She and Drea weren’t necessarily friends, but they’d done business in the past. Drea was one of the smartest girls in the school, and for a few dollars, she would knock out class projects for you.
“Hey, Pearl.” Drea took a seat on the bench, which got her a stink look from Marisa, as she hadn’t been invited to sit.
“Sup, ma?” Pearl replied.
“So listen, I know it’s about that time of year again, so me and a few of my girls wanted to know what’s going on with your annual birthday party?” Drea asked.
“I don’t know if I’m having one this year,” Pearl told her.
Drea frowned. “C’mon, Pearl. Don’t be like that. Every year you have a dope party, and every year I get snubbed. I need to be in there this year.”
“Even if she does have one, it’ll be invite only,” Ruby said, adding her two cents.
“Hush, white girl. I wasn’t talking to you,” Drea told her. She meant it as a joke, trying to act like she belonged with their group, but it caused an awkward moment.
“Drea, I know I don’t have to tell you that dissing my homegirl is one of the quickest ways to get you touched. You don’t really know her to be playing like that,” Pearl said seriously.
“My bad, Pearl. I didn’t mean anything by it. So like I was saying, how can I go about getting an invitation for me and a few of my friends? We don’t mind paying if we have to,” Drea said, hoping to sweeten the pot.
“Drea, you know I ain’t pressed for no cash, but I respect the fact that you even offered. Most bitches want shit for free. Tell you what: I don’t know your friends to have them up in my shit, but since me and you got history, if I do happen to have a party, I’ll consider you for an invitation. But in exchange, I’m going to need you to knock out this class assignment for me. I’m supposed to do a report on To Kill a Mockingbird over spring break, but a bitch got better shit to do than to be all up in some book when I’m supposed to be chilling. Hook me up and you’re in, but I don’t know about your friends.”
“I don’t mind doing the project for you, Pearl, but I think it’d be kind of foul if I left my girls out. There’s only three of us. Don’t you think you could look out this one time?” Drea asked.
“Nope, take it or leave it,” Pearl said flatly.
Drea weighed it. “Damn, I really wanna come, but I can’t do them like that. Thanks anyway, Pearl.” She stood to leave, but Pearl motioned for her to stay.
“Loyalty is a rare trait in people these days, Drea, and I admire the fact that you ain’t willing to shit on your friends. If by chance I happen to have a party, you and your friends can come, but since it’s more than just you, I’m going to need more than one class assignment done. From now until the end of the year, you will be on retainer for me and my whole crew. Whenever we get an assignment we don’t wanna do, you’ll knock it out.”
Drea frowned. “Pearl, between my own schoolwork and what I take on from you guys, I won’t have any type of social life. Let’s be reasonable about this.”
“First of all, you don’t have a social life to begin with, so stop it, Drea. And second, I am being reasonable. It’s like you said: my parties are always over-the-top and you always get snubbed. This is your opportunity to stop being on the outside looking in. Think about how jealous the rest of the chicks in this school are gonna be when they find out that you got in and they didn’t. It’ll send your credibility through the roof.”
Drea knew Pearl was getting over on her, but she desperately wanted to go to the party and finally feel like one of the in crowd. “Deal.” She shook Pearl’s hand to seal it.
“You ain’t shit, Pearl,” Ruby said, and snickered when Drea had gone.
“You might be right about that, Ruby, but I just guaranteed your remedial ass will make it out of high school,” Pearl teased her.
The girls continued to chat and crack jokes while they waited on the stragglers to come back with their lunches.
“Peep game.” Marisa nudged Pearl under the table.
Three tables over, Kate sat with her ragtag bunch, who were all staring venomously at Pearl and her friends. Kate was a pretty blond white girl who came from a wealthy family and acted like she owned the world, much like Pearl did. The two had so much in common that some found it strange that they were bitter rivals instead of friends. Both Pearl and Kate believed there was only enough room in the pride for one lioness. Kate was so engrossed in the game of cards she was playing that she didn’t notice Pearl until one of her cronies nudged her and nodded in Pearl’s direction. Kate gave her a dirty look and then went back to her card game.
“Bitch,” Pearl mumbled, and gave Kate her back.
A few minutes into the period they were joined by their fourth member. Sheila was dark-skinned, with short hair, thick lips, and a button nose. She wasn’t an ugly girl, but hardly anything to write home about, especially when measured against Pearl. Whereas Pearl was naturally beautiful, Sheila needed a bit of help from time to time, which is why her gear was always on point and she had damn near professional skills at applying makeup. What Sheila lacked in looks she more than made up for in body. She was only slightly older than the other girls but already had the body of a woman in the full bloom of her life.
Like Ruby, Sheila was also the child of immigrant parents who had had to pull themselves up by their bootstraps to provide a better life for their family. They had come to the United States from Haiti, her father finding work as a janitor, her mother as a schoolteacher. They pumped every dime they made into providing their children with top-flight educations. Sheila was the oldest, so they were harder on her than her siblings. They heaped an almost unfair amount of pressure on her to excel in school and set what they thought was a proper example for her brothers and sister, but it had an adverse effect. Sheila coped with the strain of being the reluctant savior of her family by embracing her inner alcoholic. All the girls in the clique enjoyed an occasional sip to get a good buzz, but Sheila drank to get drunk. It wasn’t unusual to smell the faintest hints of vodka coming out of her pores in the middle of a school day.
“Why are those hos looking over here like they got problems or something?” Sheila asked once she was seated. Kate and her friends still were staring at Pearl and her crew, whispering and snickering.
Marisa sucked her teeth. “Them chicks is soft with a capital T.”
“Don’t pay them no mind.” Pearl waved them off. “Now that we’ve got a fourth, we can get a proper game of spades going. Ruby, did you bring the cards?”
“You know I did.” Ruby pulled out a fresh pack of Bicycle cards. She handed the cards to Pearl, who began to shuffle them. They were halfway into the second hand when Pearl felt someone lingering behind her. She peered over her shoulder to see Kate and a girl she only knew by face and not name hovering over her.
“I’ve got next,” Kate said. It was more of a statement than a request.
“Sorry, private game.” Pearl turned her attention back to the card game.
“How you gonna have a private game in a public cafeteria?” Kate challenged.
“What I think she meant is, no, you can’t play,” Ruby capped sarcastically.
“I wasn’t talking to you, Oreo,” Kate snapped. “Like I said”—she turned back to Pearl—“I got next.”
“Pwoblèm?” Sheila asked, reverting to her native tongue. She had worked for many years to drop her accent, but it tended to peek out when she was upset or drunk. Judging by the glassy look in her eyes, she was probably a bit of both.
“This is America, where we speak English.” Kate’s friend gave Sheila a disapproving look. She was a short, fat white girl who wore her hair in a
bob.
“Well, this is the North Cafeteria, where we whip bitches out for popping shit,” Marisa chimed in.
“What, am I supposed to be afraid of you because they say you cut a girl’s face in your last school?” The girl puffed up.
“No,” Sheila answered for her. She rose to her feet, cracking her knuckles. “You should be afraid of her because she has a best friend who will gladly smash you the fuck out if you keep wolfin’.” All the girls were capable of defending themselves, but Sheila was the resident bruiser. They’d seen her knock boys out with her powerful mitts.
Kate knew this about Sheila, but her friend didn’t, so Kate interceded before things got out of control. “No, Sheila, I don’t have a problem with you. What I do have a problem with is hood bitches walking through my lunch room, sending me dirty looks.” She looked at Pearl.
The gauntlet had been laid. The tensions that had been building between the two crews were finally coming to a head, and though no one in the cafeteria came over, all eyes turned to the confrontation.
Kate had been running the social circle in school since she was a sophomore, and if she’d had it her way, she’d have continued running it until she graduated. But Pearl’s ever-growing popularity had started to threaten her position during senior year. It was like a presidential race to see who could garner the most votes by June. Kate had worked too hard and her family’s money ran too deep for her to accept being prematurely unseated by a girl from the ghetto.
Pearl calmly placed her cards facedown on the table and stood. She was an inch or two taller than Kate, and could see the brown roots spilling out into bleached strands on the top of her head. “You might’ve happened to fall into my line of view, but as far as looking at you”—she gave her the once-over—“I seriously doubt it. You ain’t nowhere on my radar, ma.”