Decision Time

by Earl Sewell

  “I think he’s got a point there,” Maya chimed in.

  “What?” I said.

  “I’m serious. It would be incredibly hot if you guys actually kissed. I mean it doesn’t have to be anything serious. Just let your lips touch,” Maya said.

  “Yeah, go ahead and do that.” Misalo had a grin on his face like a cat who’d just saw a birdcage door snap open.

  “I’m willing to give it a try if you are,” Antonio said.

  “I can’t. My mom is in the other room. Are you guys crazy?” I said, scowling at them.

  “Oh, give it a try, Keysha. We’ll keep an eye out. Besides, the kiss is only going to be for a split second. But you’ve got to make it look real or it won’t work.” Maya rose to her feet, grabbed her purse and took out some breath mints.

  “Here. This way no one gets offended by bad breath,” Maya said as Antonio started laughing.

  “If I kiss Keysha for real, she might fall in love with me,” he said.

  “Don’t count on it,” I said in an attempt to crush his overinflated ego. However, I will admit the thought of his pillow-soft lips pressing against my own was rather appealing. I took the breath mint Maya had given me and sucked on it before splitting it into tiny pieces with my teeth while I chewed away the remaining particles. Antonio stood opposite me and did the same.

  “Are you ready?” I asked.

  “You’re positive you want to do this?” Antonio gave me one final warning.

  “You’re not getting cold feet, are you?” I challenged him. He smirked and then glanced down at his lines. When Maya gave us our cue, Antonio and I stepped into character and read our lines. Instantaneously, I transformed myself into the main character. I became the brokenhearted girl who was in anguish because her parents forbade her to see her boyfriend because he was of a different race. The character’s parents had finalized plans to send her to live with a relative on the other side of the country.

  “I won’t listen to them and I’m certainly not going to leave you, my love.” I frowned, fully submerged in the feelings of my character.

  “I hate people like your parents! They are evil and wicked and don’t understand that true love is colorblind.” Antonio also became his character.

  “No, they don’t.” I turned my back to Antonio and paused. “That is why I’ve decided to escape from my oppressive home to be with you.”

  “We can’t be with each other. You know as much as I do that I could never provide for you the way they can.” Antonio approached me from behind. He reached out and touched my shoulder. I turned to face him.

  “I don’t care about materialistic things. All I want is you. Don’t you know that?” Antonio looked down at me and I looked up at him. His lips were smooth and inviting.

  “And I want you as well, my love.” Our lips traveled slowly toward each other. I could feel the warmth of his breath heating my skin and it felt heavenly. Exotic butterflies began dancing around in my tummy as I surrendered to him. I wanted to be with Antonio the moment I saw him. In the privacy of my own mind I’d kissed him a thousand times. When his soft lips met mine, they tasted sweet, like ripe mangoes full of sweet juice. I inhaled the delicious scent of Antonio’s cologne as he embraced me tightly. His kiss became more passionate and our tongues did a circular waltz, which was so wonderful, I melted like ice cream sitting on a tabletop in the warm summer sun.

  That night, I lay in bed replaying the kiss Antonio and I had over and over again in my mind. I felt as if I had a videotape and kept rewinding it so that I could remember every hot and steamy detail. Antonio was a good kisser. No, he was better than a good kisser; he was a magnificent kisser.

  Still, I didn’t allow things to get too far out of hand. After all, Barbara was in the other room and I would’ve been completely horrified if she had walked in at the exact moment Antonio and I were kissing. I was also thankful Jordan wasn’t home. He’d gone into the office to work on some report and Mike had gone to see a movie with his girlfriend, Sabrina.

  On Sunday, while I was out shopping with Barbara, Jordan and Mike, I received several text messages from Antonio. He told me how much he enjoyed his visit, and how he looked forward to more and, of course, the mesmerizing kiss we shared. I was glad he was thinking about me and I honestly was looking forward to seeing him again at rehearsal. I couldn’t wait to kiss him again in front of Priscilla, so that she could turn green with envy.

  When Monday morning arrived, I was still buzzing from the kiss and began to think about what it would be like to be Antonio’s girlfriend. For starters, I knew right away I’d have to fend off all the sluts, tramps and hoochie mamas who’d try to steal him away from me. I began to wonder if I could handle throngs of girls crowding around him as if he were some celebrity.

  I walked to school with Mike, who was complaining about how much Sabrina was bossing him around and how annoying it was. I listened and offered him a little advice, which he considered to be helpful. As we walked across the school parking lot, Mike saw a friend and said he’d catch me later.

  When I entered the building and walked down the corridor past the library, I saw Wesley standing near my locker. His arm was in a sling, but he had a bushel of flowers in the other. My heart began racing; for starters I’d forgotten that I’d agreed to meet with him, and two, I suddenly felt a little sorry for him.

  “These are for you,” he said, handing me the flowers. They were multicolored carnations, the kind that are sold at the nearby grocery store.

  “Thank you. They’re pretty,” I said, taking them and smelling them. “How does your arm feel?” I asked.

  He raised his arm up and then put it back down. “It’s okay. It stiffens up a lot and it still hurts when I take it out of the sling. But overall, I can tell that it’s healing up. I only have to wear the sling for a few more weeks. I’ve set up some therapy appointments, which will help. So, how have you been?”

  I sighed and shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “Pretty good, considering all that I’ve gone through.” I coyly reminded him of the lengths I’d gone through to get to him.

  “What you’ve gone through? You have no idea of the hell I’ve had to endure.”

  “Well, you didn’t go through it alone. You had that Lori chick there to help you.”

  “Keysha, I’ve missed you. Lori is just a friend.”

  “You must think I’m a total fool, Wesley.” I scowled at him for insulting my intelligence.

  “No, I don’t. I’m telling you the truth. She was just a girl in the neighborhood.”

  “And a girl you took a bullet for. Let’s not forget that.”

  “I would’ve done the same for you, Keysha, and you know that.”

  “Whatever, Wesley. If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I could hear him getting angry.

  “It’s okay that you have another girlfriend, Wesley. I’m over it now. I’ve thought about it, cried about it and I’m over it.”

  “Keysha, I don’t even know where Lori is. You don’t understand the full story.”

  “I understand enough,” I countered.

  “Wait a minute. We’re starting off all wrong here. I want you to know that I love you, Keysha.”

  “Wesley, don’t say things that you don’t mean.”

  “I’m serious. I’ve missed you so much. Haven’t you been getting my phone calls?”

  I thought about it for a moment and I had to admit Wesley did call me an awful lot.

  “Yeah, I got your phone calls,” I confessed as I opened my locker and grabbed what I needed and then closed it.

  “Am I still your boyfriend?” Wesley asked. I stared into his pretty eyes for a second, searching for honesty and sincerity.

  “Can I have another chance?” he asked. I was about to say maybe when I heard some girl call out his name.

  “Wesley, is that you?” I turned in the direction of the voice and was flabbergasted when I saw Lori. She
came up to him, hugged him tightly and then gave him a quick peck on the lips.

  “I’m so sorry. I’ve missed you so much,” Lori continued. Wesley looked like a deer caught in headlights.

  “You’re such a liar and a jackass, Wesley!” I said as I tossed his crappy cheap flowers at him.

  eighteen

  WESLEY

  “Ouch!” Lori cried out when the flowers Keysha had tossed at me hit her as well. “Who tossed these?” Lori asked, playing dumb, as if she didn’t see me talking to Keysha before she walked up to me.

  “Didn’t you see me talking to Keysha when you walked up?” I growled at Lori.

  “No! The only person I saw was you.” Lori tried to convince me that she was totally focused on me. “I thought you’d be happy to see me,” Lori said, pouting because she wasn’t getting the reaction she’d hoped for.

  “Oh, why is my life so damn complicated?” I uttered and then repositioned my body to rest my back against the lockers. Lori looked down the crowded hallway for Keysha, but she was long gone.

  “So, were you trying to make up with her?” Lori asked, but seeing the flowers should’ve given her the answer to that question.

  “What do you think?” I snarled, displeased with the fact she’d interrupted what was supposed to be the perfect reunion of two lovers.

  “The next time she throws something at me she’d better be prepared for a fight. In fact, when I see her again I’m just going to walk up to her and knock her out.” Lori’s eyes were ablaze with anger and revenge.

  “Damn!” I barked as I began to think about how I was going to make this up to Keysha.

  “Well, Wesley?” Lori was still waiting for me to acknowledge her presence in a more satisfactory way. I glared at her for a moment, utterly puzzled.

  “I’m doing just fine. Thanks for asking,” Lori said, putting words in my mouth. I suppose she wanted me to ask how she was doing.

  “What are you doing here, Lori?” I finally snapped out of my daze and accepted the fact that she hadn’t disappeared off the face of the earth as her grandmother, Miss Winston, had led my dad and I to believe.

  “Yes, Wesley, I’m happy to see you as well. In fact I’ve been thinking about you constantly,” Lori answered, still asserting the notion that I was missing the romantic importance of our seeing each other again.

  “You know what? You’re too much for me. I’ll catch you later.” I’d finally had enough of her and walked away. Lori wasn’t about to let me turn my back on her so she followed me.

  “Where are you going?” she asked as she moved quicker to keep pace with my stride.

  “To the registration office. Today is my first day back and I need to get registered.”

  “Is your house all fixed now?” Lori continued to ask questions. She was like a fly at a picnic who didn’t realize she’d worn out her welcome.

  I stopped walking. “Why do you even care, Lori? You and your family ran out! Percy isn’t going to jail for shooting me because you, my star witness, skipped town. As far as I’m concerned, you and I don’t have a damn thing to discuss, so why don’t you just get lost?”

  She pointed her index finger at me and poked me on the chest. “You listen here, jerk-off! They shot up my grandmother’s house. My mother, grandmother and I were in the house watching television when all of a sudden glass began shattering. Neither my mother or grandmother knew what was happening and they were about to pull back the curtain to see who’d thrown an object at our window. I shouted at them to get on the floor before they got shot! My grandmother didn’t believe someone was shooting and thought it was just boys playing with fireworks. I had to rush over and push her to the floor before a bullet nailed her between the eyes. So spare me all of your self-righteous bull because you’re not the only victim here!”

  “Lori, you’re a tragedy and the more I hang around with you the more my life continues to spiral out of control. You’re like some bad rash or virus that keeps spreading.”

  “Screw you, Wesley!” she yelled out. Other students who were passing by stopped to watch the drama unfold.

  “Whatever! Just leave me alone,” I shouted and tried to put some more distance between us.

  Once I got registered, my counselor, Mr. Saunders, assigned me a locker and wrote down my classes for me. He used a special intercom system and called directly into my first period biology class to inform the teacher that I’d been assigned to her class. Mr. Saunders then gave me a hallway pass before sending me on my way. I picked up my backpack and tossed it over my good shoulder.

  “Do you need any help getting to class?” asked Mr. Saunders, clearly sympathetic to my injured shoulder.

  “No. I’ve got it,” I assured him before continuing on.

  As I walked through the hallway I noticed security guards patrolling the halls in greater numbers. I had to show each of them my pass as I traveled from one hallway to the next. When I entered biology class the teacher greeted me and told me to take a seat in the back row. As I walked toward my seat, I noticed that I’d been assigned to a seat next to Lori.

  “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered. Lori glanced at me. Her eyes were red and swollen and it was unmistakably clear she’d been crying. I quickly looked around to see if there was another seat, but there wasn’t. The classroom was full. I exhaled, took my seat and tried not to say a word.

  “Lori, until I’m able to get a book for Wesley would you mind sharing with him?” asked the biology teacher, Ms. Vogt. I thought for sure Lori was going to protest, but she didn’t. As quietly as she could, she scooted her chair next to mine, and pointed to the section we were reading.

  I didn’t say anything to Lori during the entire class. When the dismissal bell rang I gathered up my belongings and headed to my next class. I felt as if I was being punished for something I didn’t know about; I’d also been assigned a seat directly in front of Lori for English class. I tried to ignore her, but it was impossible. She kept sniffling, wiping her nose and drying her eyes.

  The English teacher, Mr. Abraham, asked everyone to pull out their journals and write what was written on the blackboard. I pulled out a spiral notebook from my backpack along with a pen, and as carefully as I could began the process of trying to write with my left hand. It was a frustrating struggle to say the least. By the time the dismissal bell rang, I hadn’t been able to copy down much. While everyone began to leave, I tried to memorize what was written on the blackboard.

  “Here. I’m not the evil bitch you think I am. I copied it all for you,” Lori said as she handed me two sheets of paper containing the information I needed. At that particular moment, my feelings went from somewhere between vexed and hateful to grateful and sympathetic.

  “What’s your next class?” Lori asked. I removed a crumpled piece of paper from my pocket and took a look. I hesitated before giving her an answer.

  “World history with Mr. Thomas.” I waggled in my stance as I jerked my duffel bag onto my shoulder.

  “It’s just like I said before—fate is bringing us together.”

  “Excuse me?” I couldn’t hear what she was mumbling about because I wasn’t paying close attention.

  “Magnets, Wesley. We are like magnets,” Lori concluded with confidence.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, trying to make sense of her babbling.

  “I have world history with Mr. Thomas as well.”

  “You’re kidding me, right?” I hoped she was lying.

  “No, I’m not,” Lori stammered before sharing how she believed destiny was uniting us. “All magnets have north-seeking and south-seeking poles. When magnets are placed near each other, opposite poles attract and like poles repel each other. When the north polarities of magnets are facing each other they repel away. But when a north and south polarity meet there is an instant attraction and a strong bond.”

  “So, what are you saying? We’re really attached to each other, but we’ve just gotten on each other’s bad side?” I t
ried to bring meaning and understanding to her scientific assessment of our complicated relationship.

  “Yes. I’m trying to say that is what I believe,” Lori humbly answered. I searched her eyes and knew she was being as truthful as she knew how.

  “So what now?” I wanted to be brazen and disrespectful toward her. After all she’d put me through she certainly had it coming. Yet, I felt compelled to at least hear her out and get her side of the story.

  “If you’d just give me fifteen minutes of your time to explain myself it would mean the world to me,” she said.

  “I can do that.”

  “Meet me after school at Mr. Submarine. We can talk there,” she suggested. I accepted her invitation.

  When school let out, I gathered up my belongings and headed across the campus toward Mr. Submarine. Just as she’d promised, Lori was already there and had taken the liberty of ordering us some food.

  “I saw you walking over here through the window so I ordered you something to eat. I figured that you might be hungry,” Lori said as I sat down and joined her. “I hope you like turkey.”

  “Yeah, I like it,” I admitted as I uncovered the sandwich before me. Needless to say I felt as if I was starving. My dad and grandmother hadn’t gotten a chance to stock up on groceries.

  “So, after the police did their investigation and everything, my mother flipped totally out. She didn’t want to have anything to do with you or the court case. She became paranoid and thought for sure the gangbangers would come back and break in to the house during the middle of the night and do all kinds of god-awful things. Her panicky attitude drove me crazy.”

  “I can understand how that could make her feel rather paranoid,” I said, biting into my sandwich.

  “You don’t understand. My mother can be a real basket case. She called up my father and pleaded with him to let us come stay with him. My father didn’t want to deal with my mom and her drama, but she wore him down. He finally consented to my mother, grandmother and me staying with him for a while. My mother is using it as an opportunity to get back into my father’s good graces, but…” Lori lowered her head, shut her eyes and remained silent. I could tell she was struggling with more than she was willing to share with me. “Anyway, I’m here now. I’m away from Percy and all of the drama I’d gotten tangled up in with him. No one really knows me here and I guess in some ways that’s a good thing, right?” Lori glanced at me for confirmation.