Doing My Own Thing

by Nikki Carter

  A loud pounding on the door scares the daylights out of me. Sam and I jump up at the same time. I hope it’s not some thugs trying to get revenge for what Carlos did to Bryce.

  “Mama!”

  That wail belongs to only one person. Dreya.

  I run to the door and open it. Dreya’s entire mouth is bloodied! She grabs hold of me and melts into my arms.

  “Who did this?” I ask.

  “Some girls . . .”

  Why do I not believe this? “Aunt Charlie!” I yell.

  Aunt Charlie and my mom come up from their bedrooms. When Aunt Charlie sees Dreya, she screams. She runs to me and takes Dreya into her own arms like we’re passing a newborn baby.

  “That punk did this to you, didn’t he?” Aunt Charlie asks.

  Dreya shakes her head. “The . . . the limo took me home, and I got unpacked. Then, I wanted a Sl-slush from Sonic, and I was leaving my apartment. And s-some hoodrat girls jumped on me.”

  “Oh my goodness,” my mother says. “I’m calling the police. This is assault.”

  Aunt Charlie looks at Dreya’s neck. “Well, where did these bruises come from? They aren’t fresh!”

  Dang . . . all those episodes of Law & Order and CSI got Aunt Charlie sleuthing like some kind of forensic blood-splatter analyst.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Some girls just jumped me,” Dreya says.

  Aunt Charlie ignores Dreya’s weak explanation and looks at me. “Sunday . . .”

  “Why y’all always got to bring me in it? She told you what she wanted you to know.”

  My mother says, “Dreya and Sunday. Y’all better stop playing games. This is serious, now.”

  Sam stands up. “I don’t know why y’all are protecting that fool. Ms. Charlie, Truth choked your daughter when we were in Barbados. Zac handled him, but it happened too quickly to keep him from putting his hands on Dreya.”

  Aunt Charlie removes her arms from Dreya and waves her fist at the sky. “That . . .”

  The rest of her monologue is full of bad language. I mean . . . Auntie Charlie is mad!

  My mom says, “Charlie, calm down. Dreya, are you sure Truth didn’t do this to your face?”

  “He didn’t, Auntie Shawn. I wouldn’t lie about this.”

  My mother frowns. “At this point, I don’t know what you would lie about. Come on. We’re going to the police station.”

  Dreya howls at the top of her lungs. “I can’t go to the police station with my face looking like this!”

  “So you’re not reporting it?” Aunt Charlie asks. “I know that Truth had something to do with this.”

  “Me too!” I say. “You’re stupid if you keep letting him do this to you. How many injuries do you need to get?”

  “Sunday, can you just call Big D?” Dreya asks.

  “He’s not the police.”

  Aunt Charlie says, “Dreya, I’m not playing with you. You obviously came here because you didn’t know what to do with yourself, so we’re going to help you. You’re going to press charges and you’re going to get a restraining order on Truth. Period. No more discussion.”

  Rarely does Aunt Charlie put her foot down about anything, but this time, I can tell she’s serious.

  “Well, I don’t want them to come with me,” Dreya says, pointing at me and Sam.

  “Okay!” I say. “I don’t have to come with you. I don’t know why you’re trying to dog me. I’m not the one who delivered you a beatdown.”

  My mom says, “Sunday, that’s enough. Dreya is stressed out right now. Me and Charlie are taking her in. Just stay here and take care of Manny, okay?”

  I nod. Of course, I’ll take care of my cousin. I’m the one always trying to do the right thing.

  I watch as my mother and Aunt Charlie take Dreya by each of her arms and lead her out of the house. I feel so torn, because part of me is angry that Truth would go this far to get back at Dreya, and the other part of me is done caring about Dreya’s mess when she doesn’t want my concern.

  “You do know that Truth might not have anything to do with this latest beatdown, right?” Sam asks after they leave. “He’s probably too worried about his music career to still try and get at Dreya.”

  “Who else would do that to Dreya?”

  “As foul as she is, she’s got to have some other enemies.”

  I think of the other person who is Dreya’s archenemy. “Bethany . . . but I don’t think it could’ve been her. She’s happy that she and Dilly are back together.”

  “Well, whoever it was, it looks like Truth is going to get blamed.”

  I try to make myself feel sorry for Truth that he might be getting blamed for a crime that he didn’t commit. Then I think about his hands wrapped around Dreya’s neck in that limo, trying to hurt her, and I just can’t make myself feel any sympathy.

  Imagine that.

  30

  Sam and I are at Big D’s studio to have a meeting about my record release. It’s pretty tense in the room, because Sam’s chilling at the boards adjusting and readjusting the equipment like this is the last time he’s gonna touch it. Big D has this big old sad face looking like somebody stole his puppy.

  And we’re supposed to be celebrating! My record is coming out in a week! Somebody ought to be pumped up in here besides me.

  I squeal as I see my album cover on Amazon.com. “It’s here, Big D! Epsilon put it up today like they said they would. The cover art is slamming! It looks so much better than the mock-ups they sent us by e-mail.”

  Sam leaves the instruments and looks over my shoulder. “What’s your Amazon rank?” he asks.

  “I don’t know! Where do I see that?”

  “Scroll down,” Sam says.

  “Oh . . . it’s four hundred. That’s bad, huh?” I look at Big D, hoping he has something assuring to say.

  “Actually, since they just put the album up less than an hour ago, that’s good. You need to go on your Twitter page and let your fans know it’s there.”

  I open another Internet tab, go to Twitter.com, and post, My record is on Amazon.com!! Woo-hoo. Please help me get my rank up into the top ten!

  “Now we wait,” Big D says. “But you’ve got a good number of followers.”

  “Mystique has like five million.”

  “You will too,” Sam says. “Just wait and see.”

  Big D pats me on the shoulder. “Mystique didn’t start off on top, baby. You’ve got to crawl before you walk.”

  I love Big D’s pep talks. He keeps it all-the-way real. “You’re right, Big D. I know I’ve still got a lot of work to do to reach her status. I’m gonna work it out though.”

  “I know you are, baby girl. Now go ahead and refresh that browser.”

  I click the F5 button on my laptop to refresh the screen. I look down at my status again, and I’ve moved from four hundred on my Amazon rank to nineteen. In minutes I shot all the way up.

  “Does this mean I’ve sold a lot of records already?” I ask.

  “It means that people are placing pre-orders, because the music isn’t available yet,” Big D says. “They’re on your tip, baby girl. You should be happy!”

  “I’m amazed, actually,” I say.

  This entire journey with recording my first record feels completely like a dream sequence. Having a record deal seemed to be the most impossible thing that could ever happen to me, then going on tour was impossible! Then, filming a video in Barbados, of all places. Impossible!

  “Don’t be amazed,” Sam says. “You’re amazing.”

  “I’ve got a surprise for you, Sunday. I was gonna wait until everyone was here later, but I think this is a perfect time for it.”

  Big D reaches into a cardboard box under his keyboard, and pulls out a CD. I see the pink and immediately start screaming! It’s my CD! I’m wearing pink and khaki on the cover (like Dreya complained about), and my hair is in big loose waves framing my face. I’ve got on my bracelet with the S charm that Sam bought me months ago. In big bri
ght letters it says Sunday. A self-titled record! That’s what’s up!

  Epsilon Records was a little on the fence about calling the album Sunday, but Mystique convinced them that it would help with my brand recognition to come out the gate with a self-titled CD. Yeah, I don’t know exactly what that means, but I trust Mystique when it comes to brand recognition. The entire world knows who she is!

  “Look Sam! Look!”

  Sam chuckles and takes another CD from Big D. “You look hot on here, Sunday. Just like a diva. I’m glad I got you before you blew up. I probably would’ve had to wait in line behind all the other dudes tryna holla.”

  “Can I take one to my mom?” I ask.

  “The whole box is yours,” Big D says. “They’re your free copies.”

  Sam pulls the insert out of the CD cover and unfolds it. “Let’s see who she thanks.”

  “Everybody!” I say with a laugh.

  Sam reads, “First, I want to thank God, who is the head of my life. I would like to thank Big D for discovering my talents and Mystique for putting me on the map. I couldn’t do any of this without my mother, Shawn Tolliver. She holds it down for me at all times. Speaking of family, Aunt Charlie, Manny, and Dreya, much love forever! To my boo and bestie, Sam.”

  He stops reading.

  And laughs.

  “Boo and bestie?” he asks.

  “Hey, Big D had me writing that at like the last minute or something. I couldn’t think of anything else!”

  Sam continues, “To my boo and bestie, Sam, you rock. Your talent inspires me. You are my muse. I would also like to thank Mystical Sounds and Epsilon Records for doing the do, and pulling out all the stops. Appreciate y’all. Last but not least, I want to thank my fans! Can’t do this without you. Come ride with me all the way to the top of the Billboard charts! Much love, Sunday xoxo!”

  “Aw, Sunday,” Sam says, “that was cute. I’m so happy to be your boo and your bestie.”

  “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

  Sam looks at the ceiling and then back at me. “Um . . . no.”

  Big D says, “Congratulations, Sunday. You deserve it.”

  Sam grabs a Sharpie off the counter and holds out the CD. “I want the first autographed copy of your CD!”

  I can’t help but smile as I take the CD from Sam’s hand. “Okay . . . let’s see. . . . What do I want to write. To my boo and my bestie . . . Sam. . . . Do you, and continue to reach for the stars, so you can pluck down one for me. Much love, Sunday.”

  “Much love?” Big D chuckles as he asks his question. “You two are funny. Both too proud to admit that you’re totally gone for each other. I’m going to enjoy dancing at your wedding.”

  Wedding? Okay, Big D has seriously hit the fast-forward button. I am not marrying anybody until I finish college, make a million, pass the bar. . . . Oh dang, I’ve got a lot of stuff I’m trying to do before I walk down anybody’s aisle.

  Sam’s in for a loooonnnnng wait! I hope he’s up for it.

  “Why don’t you hit refresh again!” Sam says. “Let’s see where you are now.”

  I click the F5 button once more and guess what? I’m number eight.

  Big D sits on his keyboard stool, and grabs his head. “You went into the Amazon.com top ten in the first hour of posting on Amazon.com, and you’re not even released yet.”

  “That’s really good, right?” I ask.

  “Sunday, that’s beyond good. That’s incredible! You need to go home and celebrate with your mother,” Big D says. “Ms. Tolliver is going to be so happy.”

  “She is, Big D. She’s going to be ridiculously happy.”

  No one will be more thrilled ’bout this CD than my mother. Her losing my college fund was the catalyst to this entire journey. Like, I probably wouldn’t have even stepped out and wrote that one hook for Truth if I hadn’t been thinking of a way to raise money for my tuition.

  It was a tragic situation turned into something good. Funny how things can happen that way. I wonder what good will come of the tragedy between Dreya and Truth. Maybe the good won’t happen right away, but I think that eventually it will. Only time will tell.

  Wait. Is that the title to a song?

  31

  When I get home, my mom is dressed to go out. She’s got on a tiny black mini dress and some heels, and her hair is in a pretty, feminine roller set. My mom is flyer than the average mom!

  “Where are you going?” I ask.

  She laughs. “I don’t have to tell you, do I?”

  “No, but if you don’t want me to have some of Big D’s associates stalk you, then you better ’fess up!”

  “Girl, please. I’m going on a date. With my coworker, Jimmy.”

  Oh! So Jimmy moved up from first-date to second-and third-date status. Okay then, Mr. Jimmy. I see you!

  “Where are y’all going?” I ask.

  “Nosy!”

  I stand there with eyebrows raised, waiting for my answer! I’m not playing on this.

  My mother laughs again. “If you must know, with your nosy behind, we’re going to the Luckie Lounge.”

  What? People that I know go to the Luckie Lounge. There are some folk there my mama’s age, but there’s a lot of young people too. I can’t have any of my friends seeing my mama drop it like it’s hot in the club! No way!

  “Umm . . . I would appreciate it if y’all would select another venue. A more mature venue!”

  “Sunday, you better go on somewhere with that! Jimmy’s cousin is one of the bouncers there so we can get in for free. And they play my kind of music in there.”

  “Yeah, they play a lot of old-school rappers like Biggie and Tupac.”

  My mother tosses her head back and laughs hard, making her pretty curls shimmy like a waterfall. “Biggie and Tupac are not old school! Y’all kids are funny.”

  I shrug. They’re old school to me. I was a little kid when they were on the charts. I can’t even say I remember any of their songs.

  “Are you gonna start kicking it hard, now that I’m moving out and going to college?” I ask.

  I cannot imagine my mom, who has always been a homebody, suddenly hitting the club circuit. I mean she’s fly enough to fit in just fine, but I don’t know if I want that. Especially with me becoming a celebrity and everything. I don’t want any guys trying to hit on my mama, so they can get at my money! Or worse, people coming up to my mama in the club, and giving her demos of them singing and rapping. All bad!

  “I’m going to kick it if I want to, Sunday. You, Dreya, and Charlie do exactly what you want to do, so I’m going to do me. Who’s gonna check me, boo?”

  OMG. She really needs to stop watching Real Housewives of Atlanta. For real. Wait! What if they ask my mom to be on that show? Her and Aunt Charlie’s adventures are not ready for prime time. No thank you and no, ma’am.

  I hand my mother a CD. “Well, this is what I wanted to show you before you go out kicking it!”

  My mother takes the CD and turns it over in her hands. Tears spring to her eyes as she jumps up and down. “Oh my goodness! I mean, oh God’s goodness! God is so good, Sunday. This is unbelievable!”

  She wraps her arms around me and hugs me tight. I can barely breathe in her death grip, but it makes me feel happy nonetheless.

  “When is the release date?” she asks.

  “In seven days. The day after I go on 106 & Park, to present my video.”

  “Sunday, you don’t know how much I prayed and prayed when Carlos lost your college-tuition money. I asked God to make up the difference for my mistakes. And He’s answered my prayer more than I could’ve ever hoped for.”

  “I know, Mom.”

  “I want you to remember that when things get rough,” my mom says. “Because this is just the beginning, and it’s gonna get rough. People are gonna be jealous of you, they’re going to lie on you, and it’s not always going to be fun.”

  I nod with understanding. I’ve already experienced some of this, mostly at the hands
of my own cousin. But I know, the closer I get to the top, the hotter it’s going to get. I think I’m ready. I hope I’m ready.

  “I know, Mommy. But you’re going to be praying for me, right? So, I don’t have to worry too much.”

  My mother smiles and hugs me again. “Of course I’m going to pray for you, but you need to pray too. And keep people around you who you trust. Like Big D, Sam, and Mystique. They’re all in your corner. I feel that about them.”

  “Well, what about Dreya? Shouldn’t I keep her close too? You’ve always told me that family comes first. You always have Auntie Charlie’s back.”

  The smile leaves my mother’s face and she releases a long sigh. “I don’t know what is going on with your cousin. She’s not in a good place right now. As much as I tell you to have her back because she’s family, I don’t want you to get hurt in the process.”

  “I just think that if it really comes down to it, Dreya wouldn’t do me harm. I have to believe that or I don’t know how I could deal with all the crazy stuff that she does. I mean, like she’s the closest thing I have to a sister.”

  “What I want you to do is pray for Dreya. I’m praying for her too, because as much as Truth has hurt her, I think she’s still going to go back to him. I can tell that she’s still not done with him.”

  “Why would she go back to someone who choked her?” I ask. “That’s just crazy.”

  My mother says, “Yes, it is, but she refused to tell the police officer that it was him. And the only way she could get a restraining order is if she presses charges.”

  “What makes her like that, Mom? Why is she holding on to him when he cheats and he’s mean?”

  “I don’t know, but until she starts to value herself, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

  The doorbell rings, and my mother’s smile returns. “That’s my date! You see how he doesn’t just honk the horn? He’s got some sense unlike some other people I know.”

  Those other people she’s talking about are probably my dad and Carlos. I watch my mom get her pretty-girl swag on as she answers the door. Jimmy cheeses hard when he sees her, because like I said, my mother is fly!

  “All right, Sunday. We’ll celebrate your CD release in the morning with a pancake breakfast! Don’t wait up for me.”