by Earl Sewell
“You’ve finally come to your senses and decided to come see me?” he asked with a lustful grin.
“No, Hector. I’m not here to hook up with you. Besides, what kind of friend are you to Misalo if you got with his ex-girlfriend?” I asked.
“Hey, it’s about equal opportunity. There is no shame in that,” he said as he picked up a slice of pizza. The other guys he was with chuckled.
“Have you seen my cousin, Viviana?” I asked, not wanting to prolong my conversation with him.
“Your cousin? What does she look like?”
“She’s about my height, wears her hair in a braided ponytail, has thick eyebrows,” I explained. Hector popped his fingers.
“Isn’t that the chick that Misalo hooked up with after he dumped you?” Hector asked. I felt the sting of humiliation.
“Yes,” I answered quickly.
“Are you looking for her so that you can fight her? If so, can I watch?” Hector smiled, showing all his teeth. If I had the courage, I swear I would have dropkicked him to the ground.
“No. My mom and I are searching for her.” I pivoted and pointed to my mom who was sitting in the car behind me. Hector stopped goofing around at that moment.
“Oh. No. I haven’t seen her. Have any of you guys seen her?” Hector asked the rest of his friends. They said no.
I went back to the car and told my mother that she had not been there.
“Go by the school, Mom. Maybe she’s still there testing,” Anna said.
“The school is closed, honey,” my mother said.
“Actually, Mom, it’s probably still open. The fall sports teams are probably just finishing up practice. Maybe she decided to hang around to get to know the school,” said Anna.
“Okay,” my mother said and we headed off toward the school. When we pulled into the school parking lot, I saw Miss Bingham, the school librarian, walking to her car.
“Pull over there beside Miss Bingham, Mom. We can ask her, although she probably has no clue who Viviana is.” I opened the car door and stepped out. I approached Miss Bingham and offered her a pleasant smile.
“Hey, Miss Bingham,” I greeted her.
“Hey, Maya,” she said and offered me a hug. I stepped into her embrace momentarily. “Are you ready for another school year?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said, looking at the school and wondering if I’d ever leave the place.
“Come on now, you have to have a better attitude than that,” she said with a smile.
“I guess.” I shrugged my shoulders.
“Have you been reading over the summer?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Keysha has, too. We spent most of the summer at the pool, which is where we did some reading.”
“When school starts, make sure you and Keysha come see me. I have a bunch of new Kimani TRU books in that I know you’ll like,” she said.
“Okay. I will. Uhm. I have a question for you,” I said, reluctant to ask.
“What is it?” She gave me her full attention.
“This is a real long shot, but I’m trying to find my cousin, Viviana. She was supposed to be up here earlier today taking some placement tests,” I explained.
“What does she look like? The placement tests were held in the library earlier today. I saw everyone who came in.”
I described Viviana to her.
“Oh, yes. I remember her. She was here earlier today with another girl.”
“Yeah, she brought the girl you’re speaking about back to our house. Do you know if they returned to the school? When they left the house later, they didn’t say where they were going but I did hear that they had gone downtown.”
“No, sweetie. I did not see them around the school. Once the testing was done, they left, but you know this is a big campus so they could have come back and I didn’t see them. Maybe she’s still downtown. Have you thought about that?”
“That could be,” I said, not giving more mental energy into finding Viviana than necessary. “Okay.” I turned to head toward the car.
“Hey, Maya. That girl your cousin was with. I don’t know about her. She worries me.”
“She can’t be any worse than Viviana. Trust me on that one,” I said. I got back in the car with my mother and sister.
“Miss Bingham doesn’t know where Viviana went. She said that she saw her earlier when she came to take her placement test,” I said as my mother continued on our mindless witch hunt for Viviana. We had been driving around aimlessly for what seemed like a hour but it was only for a few minutes. There was only a sliver of daylight left and my mother was debating on whether or not to get the police involved.
“Mom, I did hear that Viviana...”
My mother cut me off and answered her cell phone. “Hello... When did she get there?” I heard her ask. Although I couldn’t hear her words very clearly, I could tell that my mother was talking to Grandmother Esmeralda and she was very upset. I heard something about the police, but I wasn’t sure what that meant.
“Does she know we’ve been driving around looking for her?” I could tell she was upset by the way she slowed the car down and made an illegal U-turn.
“Where was she?” my mother asked. I heard my mother mumble something about Viviana being at a friend’s house. I assumed she meant the girl she had brought over earlier.
“Well, I’m on my way back. Viviana and I are going to have a talk about her disappearing act when I get there,” my mother said then hung up the phone.
* * *
By the time we got home, my food had gotten cold. I placed my plate in the microwave and heated it up. My mother joined Grandmother Esmeralda and Viviana in the basement for privacy. I didn’t envy Viviana at that moment, but at the same time, I got twisted satisfaction knowing that she was in big trouble.
“Why can’t you just leave me alone!” I heard Viviana shout out. I thought she was being overly dramatic.
“When I stop worrying about you, that’s when you know that I have given up!” I heard Grandmother Esmeralda raise her voice, which was something she rarely did. The microwave chimed, so I took out my food and sat down at the kitchen table. Paul had just come into the kitchen.
“Sounds like Viviana is in a boatload of trouble,” he said as he pulled back the top on a can of soda.
“Yep. She got busted. She was downtown earlier today, but that part has not come out yet,” I said, unsympathetic to her crisis. There was more yelling, and this time my mother raised her voice.
“Man. What do you think they’re going to do to her?” Paul asked as he sat next to me and gulped his drink.
“Hopefully, everything she has got coming to her. I should go and tell them that Keysha saw her downtown.”
“You really don’t like her, do you?” Paul’s question surprised me. I had no idea that he had noticed the tension between me and Viviana. I always thought he was too busy with other things that thirteen-year-old boys did to notice.
“No comment,” I said as I stabbed my food with my fork.
“Well, if you do tell on her, keep in mind that Mom is going to ask why you didn’t mention that to her earlier and that means you’ll get busted for not telling everything.”
“Good point,” I said.
Later that evening I was in my room on a Skype call with Keysha. She had on a pink V-neck top with short sleeves. Her hair was pulled back from her face, and I noticed a lump on her forehead above her right eye. She swiveled back and forth unconsciously in her seat, which caused the video feed to pause intermittently.
“Stop moving,” I said.
“Sorry. I’m still a little shaken up,” she said as she repositioned herself and brought her knees up to her chest.
“Now tell me what happened again?” I said.
“It was horrible, Maya. I was standing near Buckingham Fountain waiting for Wesley to come back with some bottled water. The next thing I knew, Toya Taylor and some other people I have never met appeared out of nowhere. Toya was looking for a fight. I knew she was a rough girl when I hung out with her, but the version of her that I saw today was grittier.”
“You couldn’t talk her out of a fight?” I asked.
“No. Her mind was set on beating me up. When Toya and her friends attacked me, I was shocked that no one offered to help. There were thousands of people wandering around and not a single person offered to help me.”
“Except for Wesley,” I reminded her.
“Yes. Wesley had my back.” Keysha paused and wiped tears from the corners of her eyes.
“Are you okay?” I was concerned.
“I keep getting the flashback of Wesley’s skull being smashed into the ground. It’s an image and a sound I’ll never forget.” Keysha massaged her temples with the pads of her fingers.
“So what’s the deal with Wesley?” I asked.
“They actually kept him overnight for observation. The doctors just want to make sure that he is truly okay.” Keysha extended her arms above her head and stretched.
“So he’ll be absent tomorrow, on the first day of school?” I asked.
“Yes,” Keysha answered. “His father was kind enough to drop me at home once we picked up the car. He even came in and helped me explain what happened so my folks wouldn’t freak out too badly. Then he went back to the hospital to sit with Wesley for the night. Wesley has such a cool dad. I told him that I would come over and cook for him and Wesley once he was at home.”
“Wait, you’re going to cook for Wesley and his father? Seriously? I never knew you could cook.” I chuckled.
“I can read and follow directions. I’ll figure something out.” Keysha smirked.
“What are you wearing to school tomorrow?” I asked.
“I’m not sure. I just got home not too long ago. I still have to match up an outfit. What about you?” Keysha asked.
“I’m not sure, either. I had to go out on a search-and-rescue mission to help find Viviana,” I explained.
“Search and rescue?” A frown formed on her face.
“Yeah, Viviana had not...” At that moment I saw Keysha’s father, Jordan, come into her bedroom.
“Hang on a second, Maya,” Keysha said. I watched as she spoke to her father, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. Shortly thereafter, Keysha turned her attention back to me.
“Maya, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. The Chicago police are on the phone. Apparently they have more questions.”
“Okay. I’ll just see you at the corner in the morning at seven forty-five,” I said.
“Fine. I’ll see you then,” she said before she terminated the chat session.
* * *
The following morning, Paul, Anna, Viviana and I were sitting at our kitchen table. We were eating waffles and bacon for breakfast before we headed out for school. My mother was really big on making sure that we ate before leaving the house. Viviana was quiet and was moving as if she were an old lady. Very slowly as if every movement caused her pain.
“What’s wrong with you?” My words were sharp and cold.
Viviana paused, glared at me and said, “What do you care?”
My mother slapped her hand against the countertop. “I am sick and tired of you two bickering with each other. It’s going to stop and I mean right now!” my mom snapped. She was edgier than usual and that sort of alarmed me.
“Don’t make her angry, guys,” said my father as he entered the kitchen and sat down. He had just come inside from picking up the newspaper off the front lawn. He was drinking coffee from his favorite cup while reading the front page.
“Daddy, why do you still have the newspaper coming to the house? By the time it arrives the news is already old,” said Anna.
“I’m old-fashioned. I like holding the paper in my hands,” he answered.
“Viviana, you are to come directly home after school. You’re grounded for a while,” my mother reminded my cousin.
“Okay,” Viviana whispered.
“What did you say?” my mother barked at her. This time my heart began to race because Mom had clearly grown very impatient with Viviana. Perhaps my mother was finally starting to see how much of a troublemaker she was, I thought.
“I said fine,” Viviana reluctantly spoke loud enough to be heard. Then it happened.
“Augh! This bra is killing me,” she said and began scratching her boobs.
“Ewww,” echoed Paul as he watched her.
A sinful smile spread across my face. The itching powder I had placed in her bras had finally kicked in. I wanted to ask Viviana something really stupid like, “Do you have cooties?” but, given the mood of my mother, I knew not to push my luck.
“Viviana, stop that. Young ladies don’t do things like that at the breakfast table. What’s gotten into you?” my mother scolded.
“I just have an itch, that’s all. Is it a crime to scratch myself?” Viviana’s mouth was about to land her in hot water once again with my mother.
“No, but trying to break into the house is,” my mother snapped.
I didn’t fully understand that comment, but judging by the pathetic look that blanketed Viviana’s face, I knew she had understood the comment.
“Man, you’re making me feel itchy,” said Paul as he began scratching his arm.
“I’m not hungry,” Vivian said as she pushed herself away from the table. She walked over to the door where she’d sat the book bag filled with school supplies that my mother had gotten for her.
“Viviana, you have to eat,” my mother insisted.
“It’s cool, Aunt Raven. I’m not all that hungry,” Viviana said.
“Well, at least wait for Maya. She can probably help you find your way around the school.”
My mother volunteered my services, which made my skin crawl.
“That’s okay. I can find my own way around. Once I pick up my class schedule from the office, I’ll go directly to my first class,” she said as she opened the door.
“Don’t forget what I said about coming home. I’m going to call to check, and you had better be here,” said my mother.
“Got it,” Viviana answered and walked out.
fourteen
VIVIANA
I couldn’t wait to get out of the house. I didn’t want to endure another lecture from Aunt Raven. I walked away as quickly as my feet would carry me without having to run. Somewhere, a voice in my head whispered. Don’t you wish you could run away so you’d never have to deal with them again? That would teach them a lesson about being mean to you.
As I was crossing the railroad tracks, I felt my phone vibrate. I had just received a text from LaShaunda.
Where U at?
On my way 2 skool.
Come 2 da cafeteria when U get here.
Okay.
When I arrived at school, I walked past a row of school buses. Students had arrived and were filing into the building. It was noisy from the chatter of numerous conversations happening simultaneously. As I followed two girls into the school building, I overheard them talking about another girl named Priscilla, who was pregnant and had been forced to attend an alternative school for teen girls who were expecting. I needed to stop by the office first, but I wasn’t sure how to get there from my current location.
“Excuse me,” I said to a tall, skinny guy. He was sucking on a red lollipop and removed it from his mouth when he answered.
“Oh, sorry,” he said, believing that he was blocking my path.
“You’re not in my way,” I explained. He then thought I was flirting with him. I could tell by the way his
eyes traveled over my body. He was clearly trying to determine if I was worth the effort.
“What’s up, Mamí?” he asked, trying to speak Spanish. I wasn’t interested in him at all. Although Misalo was sort of off my radar now, I was still missing him and didn’t want to start any kind of new relationship on the off chance that he might come back to me.
“I’m looking for the school office. Can you point me in the right direction?”
Pausing before he answered, he said, “I can do better than that. I’ll walk you over there.”
“Thanks.”
“What’s your name?” he asked, striking up a conversation.
“Viviana,” I answered as we walked through the gymnasium hallway. There were framed photos of past graduates who were student athletes, along with several trophy-filled cases.
“Pretty name. My name is Mickey, but everyone calls me Red,” he said.
“Why do people call you Red?” I asked, prying for more information.
“It’s because of my very light skin complexion, my brown freckles and sandy-colored hair.” He explained this as if it were common knowledge that all people who had similar features were nicknamed Red.
“Oh,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound stupid.
“What’s wrong with your chest and neck?” He motioned toward my hand. I had been unconsciously scratching myself and I couldn’t figure out why.
“My skin just itches, that’s all.”
“Maybe you should get some lotion for that. Your neck is starting to turn red,” he said.
“I’ll do that,” I answered. We arrived at a hallway intersection and Red told me the office was down to my left.
“Nice meeting you, Viviana,” he said.
“You, too, Red.” I began walking away, scratching my boobs vigorously.
* * *