That's What's Up!

by Paula Chase

  Mina shrugged.

  Brian sulked. He looked past Todd and Lizzie to the party.

  Finally clued in to their silence, Todd asked, “Did we interrupt something?”

  Brian snorted, “Naw, y’all cool.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket so hastily Mina was surprised he didn’t rip his pants. Glancingat the time, he announced snidely, “Your curfew ready to blow up, shorty.Y’all better head in.”

  Mina blanched, but Brian’s attitude stung her into action.

  “Liz, go ahead. I’ll catch up,” she said, her words rushed.

  “Okay.” Lizzie eyed Brian’s clenched jaw warily. “I guess Cinny and Kelly might be on their way in already. I’ll go meet them.” She tugged at Todd and headed down the pier.

  Before they were out of earshot, Mina pleaded, “Brian, look, I know you’re mad but ... I wasn’t trying to make you look soft or anything.” She pulled the cellie out just enough to see the time. Seven minutes. She rushed on. “I should have told you about it. I’m sorry. When it happened, I was surprised. But seriously he was just wildin’ out and it seemed stupid to make a big deal out of it.”

  Brian chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “Is that the story you sticking with, shorty?”

  Mina’s stomach plunged another inch.

  She’d never hated the word “shorty” as much as she did hearing it come from Brian’s mouth. She stammered, “It’s not a story. It’s the truth.”

  Brian’s gaze stayed on the party. When seconds passed without him saying anything, Mina finally turned and looked that way too.

  Craig stood on the edge of a cluster no more than thirty yards from them. She had no idea how she could see that it was him, it was so dark. But she did, and she was certain Brian did too. As wrong as it felt to ask, she did anyway. “Are you going to say something to Craig?”

  Brian laughed, loud and mean. “Why? You worried he might tell a different story?”

  Her heart was stricken instantly at the thought of what Craig might say if Brian confronted him publicly. Nothing good would come of the two of them posturing to be head stud.

  “No,” she said, and realized it wasn’t a lie. She wasn’t just worried,she was straight-up petrified.

  “You already made me look like Chauncy the Clown, Mina.” Brian pulled his eyes away from Craig and stared down at her. “Even if I did step to him, at this point I look like the chump since I’m finding out the same time as everybody else that he’s tippin’ with my girl.” He laughed again. “Naw, my bad. Everybody else already saw y’all together the other night.”

  “It’s not like that. We’re not creepin’,” Mina said. “It’s ...”

  Brian checked his phone again. “You better dip, shorty. The clock’s ticking and you’ve got like five minutes.”

  Mina’s heart did the fifty-yard dash, hurtling down the track at breakneck speed. Her brain raced along with it, fighting to find the right words to bring back the Brian that was reasonable.

  But the usual smile in his eyes was hard. It scared Mina because it didn’t look forced. Brian wasn’t just pretending to be mad. There wasn’t an ounce of forgiveness in his face.

  “Brian, don’t be like this,” Mina begged.

  Brian’s eyebrows came together in a furry knot. “Like what?”

  “I know what I did was wack but ...”

  “Naw, no but. What you did was wack. Period.”

  His eyes cut into her like glass, stopping Mina’s words before they could form coherently. He flipped his phone shut and started back toward the party. “Alright, later.”

  “Brian,” Mina called out, not sure what she was going to say.

  Tears trickled down her face. For a second she considered throwingherself down at his feet and begging him to understand, to hear her out. She didn’t care if she was late. She was already punished. What’s another charge on top of the ones she’d already stacked? She’d stay out here all night if that’s what it took.

  But Brian didn’t give her that choice. He stopped and waited a few seconds.

  Mina stared pitifully at him, sending a kinetic apology through the air.

  “What?” he barked.

  “I’m sorry,” Mina said, barely above a whisper.

  “Yup,” Brian said before strolling off.

  Endings

  “You’re not gettin’ till you’re gettin’ to me.”

  —Aly & AJ, “Potential Breakup Song”

  Racing down the pier, Mina ran straight to Lizzie, Jacinta and Kelly and they took up the marathon together to the room. Hearts racing from running up five flights of stairs, they flew clumsily through the door, arriving with one minute to spare to a dark, empty room and a note taped to the TV from Mina’s mother:

  You better had been on time. Call me after you read this.

  After checking in, they took their turns in the bathroom to wash off the beach’s scent and settled in for the night to catch up. Except for Lizzie, everyone was cocooned in their gloomy thoughts.

  Jacinta lay stretched across one bed on her stomach. Kelly sat besideher, cross-legged.

  Lizzie stood at the mirror, braiding her hair.

  Mina sat against the headboard on the other bed, her legs crossed at the ankles. Refusing to put her cellie down, she continued her ritualfrom the day before, double- and triple-checking the phone for a signal, willing Brian to call or text.

  Kelly finally broke the chain of self-pity. She made sympathetic eyes at Mina. “Mi, he just needs time to cool off. If he doesn’t call tonight it doesn’t mean you guys are through.”

  Mina’s throat itched at the word, “through.” She pushed it away by switching subjects. “So is that really it for you and Angel?”

  Kelly’s mouth was a tight line as she nodded.

  Jacinta and Mina exchanged a quick, “yeah right,” with their eyes.

  Famous last words, Mina thought. But wisely reserved comment, just in case it really wasn’t over.

  “Is this what I have to look forward to? All this back and forth, breaking up?” Lizzie asked, anxiously. Her fingers flew through her thick hair. She made eye contact with her friends in the mirror. Their long faces were all the answer she needed. “This sucks.” She hesitated, not wanting to bask while her friends waded in BF issues, but needing to all the same. “But I feel so ... everything is so good right now.What’s the point if this is part of the package?”

  Mina laughed in spite of the knot in her stomach. “I can’t see you and Todd having these issues.” She flashed a confident smile at Lizzie’s image in the mirror. “You’re all golly-gee-whiz and he’s all, aw-shucks.What are y’all gonna fight about, who’s the nicest?”

  Jacinta hopped up and put her arm around Kelly. She made her voice sound silly and jokey like Todd’s. “Lizzie, you’re the sweetest.”

  Kelly giggled, “No, you’re the sweetest, Todd.”

  “No, you,” Jacinta insisted.

  “No, you,” Kelly said back.

  They ducked, laughing, as Lizzie threw a headband at them.

  “We’re not that sweet,” Lizzie said. She laughed. “Are we?”

  “Shoot, so what if you are?” Mina said, her funk bubbling its way to the surface again. “Me, I’m a drama magnet.”

  “Yeah, you are,” Jacinta agreed.

  “Thanks a lot.” Mina rolled her eyes. She snapped to attention when Jacinta said, “I told you not to trust Jessica, Mina. Girl is off her rocker, for real.”

  “I don’t need you to point that out to me, Cinny,” she said.

  “Maybe you do, because look what happened.”

  Mina gazed down at her phone, checking for the signal as she answered,“I’m not going to go around not trusting people, making them prove themselves all the time.”

  Kelly shifted uncomfortably on the bed. She sat on the edge as if expecting a need to spring up any second. Her eyes darted to Lizzie, who put the finishing touches on her braid before joining Mina on the bed.

  Jacinta’s eyes bug
ged. “And she hasn’t given you enough reason to distrust her, yet?” She folded her arms. “Come on, Mina. The knife isn’t just in your back, it’s poking through to the other side as she twists it.”

  Mina faltered, but only a second, before she shot back. “I know you’re not talking about trusting the wrong person.”

  Lizzie groaned as Jacinta hopped off the bed and stood by the dresser, laser-beaming them with her scowl.

  “It’s been a long day. Don’t you guys think it’s a bad idea to talk about this now?” Lizzie asked, raising her voice to be heard over Jacinta’scry of, “I know you’re not comparing my relationship with Raheem, which was all good until I moved to The Woods, with your messed up love/hate, hate to love straight-up wack relationship with Jessica?”

  Lizzie tried again. “Seriously, we’re only going to ...”

  “I’m not,” Mina said matter-of-factly. She stopped at that, baiting Jacinta.

  Jacinta fell for it.

  “Then what are you saying?”

  Mina crossed her arms. Her head wagged as she talked, making her look like she was doing some new, crazy dance. “That you’re too smart to make such a dumb decision.”

  “Dumb?” Jacinta yelled. Her body snapped to attention as if she’d been struck.

  Kelly popped up off the bed, anticipating Jacinta’s outburst. She stood in the middle of the floor between the two beds and between the standing Jacinta and sitting Mina. Lizzie followed suit, nearly sliding off the bed as she scooted closer to the edge, blocking Mina from any sudden moves.

  “Cinny, she didn’t call you dumb.” Kelly looked from Mina to Jacinta, an uneasy referee between her friends. “Right, Mi? You’re not saying she’s dumb.”

  “No, I’m not saying that,” Mina said. “But going back with Raheemis a dumb thing to do.”

  “And trusting Jessica was a dumb thing to do,” Jacinta spat. “And honestly, Mina, when somebody keeps doing dumb things they start looking dumb.”

  Mina recoiled as if she’d been smacked. “Are you calling me dumb?”

  Jacinta smirked as she fed Mina’s own line back to her. “I’m not.”

  “Being punished is going to be ten times worse if we’re all mad at each other,” Kelly pointed out. She nodded at Mina, trying to convince her to agree. “Mina, you’re worried about Brian breaking up with you. That’s all.”

  At the mention of Brian, Mina’s eyes glossed over. She sagged like a rag doll then hugged her knees to her chest and retreated back into silence.

  Kelly touched Jacinta’s arm. “We know it wasn’t an easy decision to get back with Raheem ...”

  “So does everybody think I’m dumb for going back with him?” Jacinta asked. Her eyes blazed first at Kelly then at Lizzie.

  Lizzie’s mouth opened then closed, then opened once more beforeshe gave up and looked at Kelly.

  Kelly’s eyebrows hitched in a “thanks a lot” but she didn’t miss a beat in answering, “You know him better than we do. It’s your ...”

  “Kelly, either answer or I’m gonna take that bullshiggity as a yes,” Jacinta warned, her eyebrows arched.

  “Not dumb,” Lizzie said, her tongue finally loosening. “I don’t think you’re dumb. But you know, I thought you were happier apart.”

  “I don’t think you’re dumb, either,” Kelly said, offering no more. She shook her head. “That’s me for believing Angel.”

  The awkward silence hung in the air until Mina spoke up. “I alreadysaid I didn’t think you were dumb.” She shrugged. “But if a dude hits you ’cause he’s all pissed then you go back with him, what’s gonna stop him from doing it again?”

  Jacinta turned toward the mirror, as if rejecting Mina’s sentiments.She plucked with her hair, watching her friends in the mirror.They watched her watching them, the silence thickening once more.

  “Real talk ... y’all can be mad at me if you want.” Jacinta turned back around. She sat atop the dresser. Her voice had lost its angry edge. “But we’re friends, right?” She looked each one of the girls in the eye and waited for them to nod or say yes before continuing. “I respect that y’all watching out for me. But what goes down between me and Heem is our business.”

  Her eyes lingered on Mina. An understanding that they weren’t very different at all hung in the air between them. She stopped talkingand for a second the only sound was the hum of the heating unit. Right on cue, it hissed and cut itself off as Jacinta spoke again. “Mina, Jessica is two-faced. She always will be. She doesn’t like you.” Jacinta waited for Mina to look back at her. When she did, she continuedtenderly. “You my girl and I got your back. But I’m not gonna keep battling her for you.”

  “I didn’t ask you to,” Mina said, resigned.

  Jacinta’s eyes brightened with assurance as she said, “But you know if I had been there tonight I would have been down for what-ever.”

  Mina nodded.

  “Still, if you gonna put yourself out there to let her dog you ...” Jacinta shook her head, letting Mina fill in the blanks. A soft whoosh of air streamed from her nose, as if the effort to purge herself of her honest thoughts was a burden. She looked at Kelly and Mina and Lizzie’s eyes automatically shifted, too. “I was never really down for you and Angel.Y’all too different.”

  Kelly tucked at her hair, but held Jacinta’s gaze.

  “The bad part is, I think he really does like you.” Jacinta snorted.

  “But either you gonna like him the way he is or you gotta dip. And I’m cool with whatever.You know?”

  “Well, we’re done,” Kelly said. Seeing the doubt in her friends’ eyes, she added quickly. “No, seriously.”

  Jacinta looked at Lizzie and put up her hands as if to say, I don’t know about you. She chuckled. “Lizzie, I’m seriously thinking of tryingsome of that seventeeth century, taking it slow courting stuff. You’re the only sane one in our sad little bunch.”

  “You know, I was thinking the same thing,” Lizzie said. She fell to the floor giggling as Mina booted her off the bed.

  The uneasy shared chuckle grew to a more assured, genuine laugh. Soon the girls let their own troubles give way to Lizzie’s happiertale, content to listen to her talk about her and Todd’s long walk on the beach.

  They allowed her drowsy chatter about Todd’s easygoing humor to renew hope that their thorny run-ins with love were temporary. They wished upon her description of a tender kiss that tomorrow would put a brighter spin on their cracked, broken and bruised relationships.

  No one chastised Jacinta when Raheem eventually called and she slid into the bathroom for privacy.

  They all gave Kelly a silent “big ups” when she ignored Angel’s repeated calls and text messages.

  And they quickly let Mina off the hook, convincing her it totally wasn’t desperate when she sent Brian several text messages asking if they could talk. If they thought she was desperate, no one held it against her. And if they noticed that she fell asleep, cell phone to her chest in a prayer-like clutch, no one let on.

  Before they nodded out, piled haphazardly across one another in the same bed, they’d made up, the bickering behind them, their anger exhausted.

  The morning would bring reality back, swift and in their face.

  Having one another was good, because it would be all they’d have for at least four weeks. They were going to be punished for road tripping, for sure.

  That they knew.

  What they didn’t know was that by this time next year, from fresh fish to silly sophomores, one of them would battle a cloying desire and lose.

  And one would task herself with saving them all from themselves.

  A READING GROUP GUIDE

  THAT’S WHAT’S UP!

  A Del Rio Bay Novel

  PAULA CHASE

  ABOUT THIS GUIDE

  The following questions are intended to

  enhance your group’s reading of

  THAT’S WHAT’S UP!

  by Paula Chase

  DISCUSSION QUESTION
S

  1. Jessica openly dislikes Mina. Would you rather have someone be open about how they feel about you, like Jessica? Or have someonewho pretends to like you to your face, but does and says the opposite about you to others behind your back? Which one, and why?

  2. Do you think Jacinta sent Raheem mixed messages by still hooking up with him even though they were broken up? Do actions speak louder than words?

  3. If you were Jacinta, what would you do to move on with your life after a breakup, even if you still have to see the person regularly?

  4. Was it fair for Kelly to expect Angel to change for her? If he had changed, did Kelly “owe” him anything for him making such a significant change in his lifestyle?

  5. Mina is a self-proclaimed “drama magnet” but what, if anything, could she have done to avoid drama this go-round?

  6. The clique often draws strength from one another, which explainswhy Lizzie was talked into road tripping without permission.Is there a difference between peer pressure and feeling safety among your close circle of friends? If so, what is it?

  7. Do you think Mina and Brian broke up at the end? If a guy you were dating were caught in a compromising position, like Mina was in the picture kissing Craig, would you forgive him? Why or why not?

  8. Mina is angry that Jacinta forgives Raheem for slapping her. Role Play: With one person playing Mina’s part, talk to your friend about why being with someone who hits you is wrong. Another person play Jacinta and explain why you would give someone a second chance after such a foul act.

  9. Can you break up with a guy and still be friends? Why or why not?

  10. Should you try? Or should a breakup mean no contact, no friendship, no nothing?

  For more information about domestic abuse among teens, visit the Just About Teens section of www.loveisnotabuse.com.

  Stay tuned for the next book in this series:

  WHO YOU WIT’?

  Available in November 2008 wherever books are sold.