Doing My Own Thing

by Nikki Carter

  “You won’t. I promise, you won’t.”

  26

  After a few hours at the reggae club we come back to the resort to turn in early. When Dreya and I get to my room, it suddenly dawns on me that Bethany is probably in here. Even though, this time, Bethany isn’t in the wrong, Dreya probably doesn’t want to deal with her tonight.

  Before I open the door, I turn to Dreya. “Is there anything you need from your other room?”

  “No . . . it should all be in your room. Zac said that Shelly was going to go in and pack it up for me.”

  Darn. I was trying to stall for time.

  “What is it? Do you not want to share with me, because I can go with Regina and Bethany if you want the room to yourself.”

  “So you would be cool sharing a room with Bethany?”

  Dreya laughs. “Of course not, but since these rooms are four hundred dollars a night, I’m sure not trying to spend my money.”

  “Oh, well then cool. Come on in. I think Bethany might be in here, so I just wanted to make sure you were okay with that.”

  Sure enough, Bethany is sprawled on the couch in my sitting room. She’s still fully dressed, so I pull the blanket from her feet to wake her up.

  She squints her eyes into tiny slits. “Sunday, is that you?”

  “Yeah, girl. We’re back from the club. You okay? You still have your clothes on.”

  She nods. “I’m cool. I found Dilly, and he doesn’t believe me.”

  “Don’t worry about that. Sam will talk to him tonight. It’ll be okay in the morning.”

  Bethany sits up on the couch. “Are you sure? Because I really like Dilly. I think I might even love him.”

  I can’t imagine anyone being in love with Dilly. Even though he’s nice and very cute, he’s ridiculously young and goofy. But to each her own, I guess.

  Dreya rolls her eyes at Bethany and goes into the bedroom. Bethany watches nervously as Dreya walks by. I don’t think she wants to tangle with Dreya tonight, but luckily for Bethany, Dreya doesn’t have a tangling bone left in her body. Not after her run-in with Truth.

  There’s a knock on my room door. It’s Dilly and he’s standing there, redder than a Macintosh apple in a bobbing barrel. His chest is heaving up and down and he looks ready to blow up.

  “What’s wrong, Dilly?”

  “My brother’s been shot. My sister just called me.”

  My eyes widen in feigned surprise. “Is he okay?”

  “Yes, the bullet just grazed his shoulder. He’s at home.”

  I nod. “That’s good. How are you? Are you cool?”

  He pushes past me and up to Bethany. “Sam told me you weren’t lying.”

  “I told you.”

  “But the fact that I didn’t believe you . . . well, it makes me think that I don’t trust you. And maybe I shouldn’t be with a girl I can’t trust.”

  Bethany looks down at her folded hands resting in her lap. This is a reaping-and-sowing kind of moment if you ask me. All the mess that Bethany has done. Hooking up with other people’s boyfriends, playing people behind their back . . . it was kind of inevitable that it was going to come back to bite her one day.

  I just didn’t think it would be tonight, in my hotel room, in Barbados! I mean, come on . . . can I please just enjoy paradise?

  Bethany says, “You’re probably right. I don’t deserve a nice guy like you anyway. Just go, if you’re going to keep saying mean stuff to me. I can’t take it.”

  “But,” Dilly says, “I really like you, Bethany. You’re funny, you can sing, you’re pretty, and your body is bangin’.”

  “So are you saying we’re still together?”

  Dilly nods. “If you want to be.”

  Bethany dang near knocks me over jumping up to hug Dilly. Is it just me or was Dilly’s whole speech kind of . . . well . . . twelfth grade? I mean, I know he’s about to be a senior in high school, but I wish a boy would tell me “your body is bangin”’ as a reason for us to get back together. Seriously?

  But like I said, to each her own. I just wish they would move their party outside of my sitting room. I’ve got two more days in Barbados, and I plan to enjoy them so I need my beauty rest! Ya dig?

  27

  Lena, the video director, has got the raw footage of the video, and she wants me to watch it in Zac’s villa. I invited the entire crew to come along so that they can tell me what they like the best, and give the BET camera guy some fun and positive stuff to tape. We’re all wearing swim apparel, because as soon as we get done here, we’re hitting the beach.

  Sam and I are gonna pass on the kayaking today, though.

  “So both versions of the video came out great,” Lena says as we all grab a seat on either the couch or floor. “I think Epsilon will love the idea of letting the fans pick the video that will run on BET. That was a great idea.”

  “Yes, Sunday,” Mystique says, “I agree. I called Mr. Toyomi at Epsilon and he was very excited about the idea.”

  Mr. Toyomi is one of the owners of Epsilon Records. The man is a billionaire. And the fact that Mystique has his number in her cell phone ought to tell Dreya who the big fish is in this little pond. And it isn’t a newbie pop upstart named Drama.

  Lena says, “I’m going to play the DVD, which has the two videos back to back, and then we’ll discuss.”

  Lena presses Play on her portable DVD player device, and the video begins.

  I’m always surprised to see how I look when I’m on TV. I seem shorter than I actually am, but at least I’m still cute. Also, it’s a good thing my lips are moving in time to the music. The whole lip-synching thing is harder than it looks.

  Then we get to the end of the first video, and Sam kisses me. Seeing it on the screen and remembering it happen at the same time totally takes my breath away. Sam’s got his chest stuck out and is grinning hard, like he is the man up in here. Dilly giving him a fist bump doesn’t help things either.

  The second video is a lot like the first one, but there are just different shots of me. It’s like Lena got the opportunity to use every shot she took. There is one shot I really like of me in the second video where I’m in the sand at the edge of the Caribbean Sea with my head back. It’s hotness indeed.

  When we’re done looking at both videos, Lena turns off the TV with a remote control.

  “Mystique, what do you think? Which do you choose?” Lena asks.

  Mystique twists her lips to one side and says, “It doesn’t really matter since we’re going to play both of them on BET, but if I have my choice it would be the first one, even if Sam did ruin it with his vacuum lips.”

  Sam touches his lips self-consciously and everyone bursts into laughter.

  “Hey! I’m sensitive about the soup coolers,” Sam says. “Don’t be calling my lips vacuum lips, Mystique.”

  “Sorry,” she says. “But that’s all I could think about when I saw that.”

  “She’s a hater, Sam!” I say. “She barely has lips! That’s why she’s got all that lip gloss on!”

  This makes everyone laugh even harder, even Mystique and Zac.

  “I can’t stand you insufferable teenagers!” Mystique says.

  Dilly says, “You say that like you’re old. You’re like five years older than us.”

  “That’s light years older in industry years,” Bethany says. “She’s like forty in the industry.”

  Mystique’s mouth drops open. “Um, no, ma’am. I’m not forty, no matter who’s doing the counting.”

  Dreya sits quietly while we clown about the video. I don’t know if she doesn’t have anything to say, or if she doesn’t want to participate in all the fun when she’s feeling so sad. There are bruises forming on her neck, where Truth choked her, and she’s not even attempting to cover them up. She’s acting like her wounds are some badge of honor or something. I think that it’s just putting everyone in her mix.

  Mystique asks, “Drama, which video do you like best?”

  “Since I’m not in
either of them, I don’t like either one. BUT, if I must pick one, I pick the first one. Sam and Sunday’s kiss is hot. I likes.”

  Dreya smiles at me as if something’s changed. I don’t know if it’s because Truth is gone back to the States or if she’s looking at me and Sam and likes what she sees. But this time, I think Dreya is really done. I think she’s ready to move on without Truth to see what that looks like.

  And that is definitely a good look.

  28

  When we get back to Atlanta from Barbados, the limo drops me and Sam off at my front door. He was going to go home, but I guess he’s not tired of my company yet. This is a good thing because I’m not tired of his either. After our four-day excitement-filled weekend, it’s good to be back home.

  “You just go in,” Sam says. “I’ll get all of your stuff.”

  “Thank you, Sam.”

  He kisses my cheek. “You’re welcome.”

  I feel warm on the inside as I float to my front door. Well, I’m not literally floating, but you know what I mean. I can barely feel my feet touch the ground. I’m glad Dreya went home in another limo, because I don’t need her raining on my crush parade right now.

  Before I get to the door, Manny throws it open. He has on Transformers pajamas although it’s early in the evening. I could almost bet money that he’s had them on all day.

  “Sunday’s home! Sunday’s home on Sunday!” Manny giggles. “I know my days of the week. I think Auntie Shawn should’ve named you Saturday, because that one has the most letters!”

  I grab him up and give him a hug. “Did Aunt Charlie teach you the days of the week?”

  “Naw. Dora and Diego taught me. I can say them in Spanish too.”

  I carry him into the house and stop dead in my tracks in the living room. It’s a disaster area in here. There are tubs and boxes everywhere. Packages of pillows, sheets, and blankets are stacked up against the wall, and storage containers are stacked on another one.

  “Mom!” I yell. “What’s going on in here? Is Aunt Charlie finally moving?”

  Aunt Charlie pops up from behind one of the stacks. “Ha ha, heifer. I ain’t going nowhere!”

  “Rats!” I say.

  Aunt Charlie throws a pillow at me. “Shawn, you better come get this girl before she gets hurt. Think she grown because she been to another country.”

  “I do not think I’m grown because I’ve been to another country. I think I’m grown because I’m eighteen!”

  “Ooh, you and Dreya sure are smelling yourselves. Where is she anyway? She said she was coming here after the trip.”

  “I think she went home.”

  I know she went home because she doesn’t want Aunt Charlie to see the handprints around her neck from where Truth choked her. She won’t be able to hide the fact that he was in Barbados, though, once the reality show comes on, but I’ll let her be the one to tell Aunt Charlie.

  My mom comes up from the back of the house and gives me a hug. “How was your trip? Did you take pictures?”

  “Yes, I have lots of pictures. I wish it never ended. I’ve never had so much fun in my life.”

  Sam opens the door with his foot and he’s got both hands and arms full of my stuff and his. “A little help?” he says.

  I rush to relieve him of some of the bags. Even Manny comes and takes something from Sam.

  “Thanks, Manny,” he says. “Us men have to stick together.”

  Manny looks Sam up and down. “You don’t know me like that. When are you going home? We up in here with our pajamas on.”

  My mom says, “Boy, go sit down somewhere. You are the only one in the house with pajamas on.”

  “My mommy ain’t give me no clothes today!”

  OMG! I knew it. Aunt Charlie is straight-up trifling when it comes to Manny. She cares more about what’s on TV than what is going on with her baby.

  “Oh hush, boy,” Aunt Charlie says.

  My mom says, “Sunday, I’m so glad you’re home. You can tell me if you like this stuff or if I need to take it back to the store.”

  “This stuff is for me?” I ask.

  She nods. “Aren’t you the one going away to Spelman in three weeks?”

  “It is only three weeks! Where in the heck did my summer go?”

  “Let’s see,” my mom says. “You’ve been on a tour, you’ve been in the studio and you’ve been to the Caribbean. You’ve been pretty busy.”

  “I know. And the week before school starts I have to fly out to New York to premiere my video on 106 & Park.”

  My mom says, “Well, that’s fine because I got everything you need for your dorm. I had to do something . . . to keep my mind occupied.”

  Anytime my mom gets super upset she has to do something to stay busy. Whether it’s cooking, cleaning, shopping, or whatever. I should be glad there’s not more stuff here! With Carlos going to jail I’m sure she was beyond super upset.

  “Well, I like it all fine enough, but I think BET has a sponsor that wants to decorate my dorm as part of the reality show. They hired an interior decorator and everything.”

  “Isn’t that just perfect!” my mom says. “I guess I better go looking for the receipts.”

  “No, wait! Don’t take it back. Sam is moving to New York City, so he could use all of this stuff . . . except maybe the purple comforter.”

  Sam says, “I like purple. Just kidding.”

  “Sam is moving to New York?” Aunt Charlie asks. “For what?”

  “He’s going to work at Epsilon Records as an in-house producer for Zillionaire’s record label.”

  My mom gives Sam a hug. “Congratulations, Sam! I know Sunday was looking forward to spending time with you on the Georgia Tech campus, but this is a great opportunity for you.”

  “I’m going to go to Fordham University part-time while I work for Epsilon, so I’m still doing the college thing.”

  “How did Dilly take the news about his brother?” my mom asks.

  “You know, he really didn’t seem too twisted.”

  My mom smiles. “Then I’m sure Dilly will be okay.”

  And if he’s not okay, Bethany will be there to help him get through it. She’s been stuck to him like glue ever since we left the island. I don’t even think she wanted to go home when we got back to ATL.

  “You and Dreya think y’all slick,” Aunt Charlie says.

  “What are you talking about?”

  She stands up and paces through the maze of boxes. “I’m sitting up here wondering when you were gonna tell me that Truth brought his trifling tail to Barbados.”

  “Wh-what?” How in the heck does she know?

  “I bet you’re guessing how I know. I gots me a snitch in your little crew and she tells me everything. Don’t worry about who it is, ’cause I ain’t telling you anyway. But she lets me know all the foolishness that happens with y’all.”

  I don’t know how much she knows, so I’m not giving her any extra information. “Okay, so your spy told you he was there. He was in Barbados, but not by my invitation. That had nothing to do with me.”

  “Didn’t Epsilon Records pay for that whole trip?”

  “They didn’t pay for Truth. He paid his own way. Got his own plane ticket and room.”

  Aunt Charlie looks me up and down. “You’re not gonna tell me the whole story, huh?”

  “I don’t exactly know what story you’re looking for. Maybe you should call Dreya,” I say. She’s not about to be interrogating me for Dreya’s stuff. I don’t have anything to do with any of that mess.

  Aunt Charlie says, “I don’t need to call Dreya because I already know.”

  “What exactly do you know?” I ask.

  “See, Shawn! That’s what I’m talking about. She and Dreya are sneaky as what! I know she and Truth got into a fight, and somebody beat him down and knocked him out. Was it you, Sam? I didn’t take you for much of a fighter, but I guess you could go if you had to.”

  I shake my head. “Don’t answer that. This is D
reya’s business, not ours. Come on, Sam, can you help me bring my bags to my room?”

  Manny’s eyes widen. “Um . . . wait, Sunday. . . . Before you go in there . . . what had happened was . . .”

  I don’t wait for Sam to bring the bags. I storm back to my room as if someone told me there was a sack of a million dollars waiting for me, but I had to get it in thirty seconds or less.

  The scene in my room is horrific. My jaw drops off the hinges when I see the inside of a teddy bear exploded all over my bed and carpet, hundreds of Happy Meal toys all over the floor, what can only be a jelly sandwich stuck to the ceiling, AND it smells like pee!

  I let loose a growl that sounds like a tiger who just stepped on a tack. “MOM!!!”

  29

  Tonight, since Manny jacked up my bedroom, I’m sleeping on the living room couch. I’m way too tired to clean my room tonight and Aunt Charlie is not going to do it, even though it’s her baby that made the mess. Just plain old triflin’.

  Sam and I cleared an area in all of the boxes and containers so that I can at least see the TV. He’s chilling like he doesn’t want to go home.

  “Doesn’t your mother want to see you since you’ve been gone for four days?” I ask. His car has been parked in our driveway the entire weekend, so it’s not like anyone has to take him home.

  “She does, and I want to see her, but I’m afraid.”

  “Of what? Your mama?”

  Sam chuckles. “No. I’m afraid of what my mama is gonna do when she finds out I’m going to move to New York. She’s gonna trip out.”

  “But why? You’re gonna go to school, so she should be okay with it.”

  Sam shakes his head. “Not my mother. I mean, you’ve met her. She thinks I’m a baby when it comes to living in another city. She was super happy when I said I was going to Georgia Tech.”

  “Do you want me to go with you when you tell her?” I ask, even though I’m not sure I want to be anywhere near that conversation.

  “Nah. I’ll do it on my own. “If I’m not man enough to face my mother, then I shouldn’t be moving out on my own, right?”

  “I guess.”