It's All Good

by Nikki Carter

  Valerie scrunches her nose like she’s not feeling it. “Military? Boo, we are fabulous. We do fabulous routines.”

  No, she didn’t. Not after she just did a routine that looked like my three-year-old cousin’s ballet recital.

  “Valerie, we can do it in a totally fab way. Check this. The Spartans in Greece were warriors, so our Spartans, they’re like soldiers.”

  Valerie rolls her eyes. “Yeah, I get where you’re going with the military theme. Just hurry up and get there.”

  You cannot rush genius.

  “Anyway,” I continue, “we can get the Spartans pumped up with this.” I grab my book bag and take out a CD and a whistle. I look over at Candy, who’s waiting for my cue. She and I have been rehearsing this routine and it is fire, trust me.

  I pop my CD into the CD player.

  I say, “Kelani, when I point to you, press Play.”

  “What?” Valerie asks. “The music starts the routine.”

  “Not this one. It’s military style.”

  I blow the whistle that I hung around my neck, then Candy and I start the routine. The beginning is a series of claps, kicks, and stomps. When we’re done with this part, I point to Kelani and she presses Play.

  The music starts, and it’s two old school fight songs, handpicked by me. “We Will Rock You” and “Another One Bites the Dust.” Yeah, totally hot.

  The choreography is tight, too, but I must give props to Candy. Yes, she’s my completely annoying stepsister who constantly brings the drama, but she is sooo gifted when it comes to making up these step routines. When Valerie graduates at the end of the year, I’m suggesting that Candy take her place as co-captain of the Hi-Steppers squad.

  But keep that on the low. Valerie would be super twisted, and I can’t have Candy getting a big head or anything like that.

  Everyone claps when we finish ... even Valerie.

  “It’s not what I had in mind,” Valerie says, “but it’s caliente, chica. Does everyone want to do Gia’s step for the state championship game?”

  “Candy helped, so it’s not just my step,” I add.

  Candy looks really shocked. “Thanks, Gia.”

  Let me just say this. I’m really not this nice, especially to Candy. But she’s going through a pretty horrific punishment right now. A few weeks ago, she got caught shoplifting and her dad, LeRon, and Gwen took all her clothes! All of her Dolce, all of her Juicy Couture, all of her Baby Phat—gone!

  They left her with, like, five outfits that look like they came from Target. And that’s all she can wear until spring break. So she’s having the worst day ever, like every day.

  Not only did they take away her clothes, but she can’t participate in any Hi-Steppers events, except practice. She can’t step at the game or ride the school bus to Columbus, Ohio, which is two hours from our ’hood in Cleveland, where we’re spending the night after the championship game. She’s on complete and total lockdown.

  So let’s just say that she deserves something good.

  “Next practice,” Valerie says, “we’re going to start learning Gia and Candy’s step. Also, Ms. Vaughn says we need to pick roommates for our hotel rooms in Columbus. We have to be four to a room. Gia, Kelani, and Jewel, you’re with me.”

  “What if we don’t want to be with you?” Kelani asks.

  Jewel’s eyes get really big, like she’s about to leave her home girl hanging, and Jewel never leaves Kelani hanging.

  Jewel asks, “Why wouldn’t we want to room with Valerie?”

  “I don’t want to. She can room with the other seniors who don’t feel they have to come to the Hi-Steppers meetings.”

  Whispers ripple through the group. It’s true that the seniors don’t come to the team meetings. A couple of them play field hockey, though, and one of them runs cross-country. They do come to practice, though, and that’s the most important thing.

  With the Hi-Steppers, if you don’t come to practice, then you don’t get to step. That’s Ms. Vaughn’s rule, and nobody ever tries to overstep that.

  “Kelani, do you have a problem with me?” Valerie asks.

  “Why do you think that?” Kelani responds.

  Valerie gets right in Kelani’s face. “Because your attitude has been stank with me since the Homecoming game. What’s up with that?”

  Jewel looks at the floor. Obviously she knows what’s up. Somebody needs to tell the rest of us, so we can move on.

  Kelani doesn’t back down. “What’s up with you going to Homecoming with my dude?”

  Are you kidding me? Who knew Kelani was hollering at Chris, the drum major? He helped Valerie in her little scheme during the Homecoming game and she rewarded him with a date to the dance. Everyone thought it was funny—except Kelani, I guess.

  Valerie laughs out loud. “I’ve had enough drama over these lame high school boys! Chica, I do not want Chris. He’s served his purpose to me. Does anyone else have any real announcements?”

  Candy raises her hand. “Yes, I do. My stepmom and step-auntie are starting purity classes at our church. Everyone is invited to join us.”

  “Purity classes? What are those?” Jewel asks.

  I shake my head, because I know that now I have to answer this. Why did Candy open her big, fat mouth? That was soooo not a Hi-Steppers announcement.

  “Purity classes are for girls who plan to keep their virginity until marriage. I guess they’re gonna teach us about respecting ourselves and all that. I know it’s a little lame, but ...”

  “Sign me up,” Valerie says.

  I blink three times before answering. “Umm ... you have to be a virgin to be in the class.”

  “I am a virgin. Don’t believe everything you hear.”

  I’m going to go with this for a moment. It will be a quick moment, because Valerie’s reputation is pretty darn bad. But, for the sake of argument, let’s say that Valerie is a virgin.

  If that’s the case, there are a lot of lying boys in this school, because I’ve heard that she’s done everything under the sun. Things that I’m not even supposed to know are possible. Bad things that would result in Gwen ending my life.

  But, who am I to say that the boys aren’t lying? It wasn’t too long ago when Romeo lied on me to everybody. He had his entire little crew thinking I was out there all like that. And I totally was not!

  Here’s the thing, though. If they are lying on Valerie, she doesn’t seem to care one bit. I think she likes having a bad reputation.

  So, tell me why someone who enjoys having a bad name would join our little purity class?

  Methinks something is rotten in Denmark.

  Oh, come on, people ... Hamlet? Shakespeare? Required reading!

  Anyway, I don’t think Valerie will last very long in a class run by Gwen the punisher.

  “Okay, Valerie,” I reply, “you can come to the purity classes. They start on Wednesday evening at our church.”

  “Cool. Does anyone else have any announcements?” Valerie asks.

  Jewel raises her hand. “The rally girls are having a prestate party on Thursday night.”

  Valerie says, “Thanks for the reminder, Jewel. We’ll all be there.”

  Hold up. Wait a minute. Before Homecoming, Valerie tried to institute an all Hi-Steppers ban on the rally girls’ parties. Of course, I ignored the ban, because my cousin Hope is a former Hi-Stepper, current rally girl. Plus, they have slamming parties.

  “I thought we were reclaiming our title as spirit ambassadors,” Kelani says. “Can you make up your mind about what we’re doing?”

  Valerie gives Kelani some pretty evil side eye. Kelani is pushing it. I’ve only seen Valerie act civilized in very small doses. We’ve already been blessed with more than thirty minutes of sweet Valerie. In about five seconds she’s gonna start tripping.

  “Yes, we are the spirit ambassadors, but that doesn’t mean we won’t support other Longfellow groups. We’re all one school.”

  If you know Valerie, like I know Valerie (and som
e of you do), then you know something isn’t right. She has this look on her face that reminds me of Sylvester the cat, right before he tries to jump up and snatch Tweety out of his cage.

  Yes, Tweety is a boy.

  Like I was saying, Valerie has a devious expression on her face, like she knows something the rest of us don’t.

  Valerie says, “Everyone is dismissed from the meeting! Holla!”

  Before leaving the gym, Kelani and Jewel storm over toward me. They don’t look happy. I never thought I’d see this day, when Twiddledee and Twiddledum are not on the same page.

  “Gia!” Jewel says. “Are you gonna be in our hotel room?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  My hip buzzes. Well, not my hip, but my phone that’s on my hip. It’s a text.

  SAT prep class starts week after next. want me to sign you up? Kev.

  I reply. Absolutely.

  “Who was that?” Candy asks.

  “Nobody. Just Kevin.”

  “What did he want?”

  “He wanted me to tell you to mind your own business.”

  Sometimes it’s cool having a younger sister, although I’m still getting used to it. But other times, I just want to tell her to step. You know what I mean?

  Kevin and I are planning to get as close to perfect scores on our SAT exams as possible. We’re both trying to get full scholarships to college, because we’re not exactly from privileged families. Ricky will probably get an athletic scholarship, although he really wants to go to Morehouse to study medicine.

  I haven’t decided where I want to go yet. I might go the Ivy League route and take all this fabulousness up to Brown or Columbia. Or, I might do the whole historically-black-college thing. If I go to Spelman, Ricky and I can kick it like on that old-school television show A Different World. That would be the hotness.

  Candy and I walk out of the gym and Ricky is waiting outside for us. He’s posted up on his rusty Pontiac like he’s been waiting all day.

  I stop in front of him and say, “I didn’t know you were picking us up.”

  “I’m picking you up,” he says with a smile. “Candy’s going with Valerie.”

  “Wha ... ?”

  I turn around to see Candy jogging toward Valerie’s car. I know she thinks she’s doing me a favor and getting out of the way. Normally I would appreciate it, but with the way Ricky’s been acting, I don’t know.

  “Come on, Gi. We’re meeting Kevin up at the mall. He wants us to go shopping with him.”

  “Shopping? For what?”

  “Gear. He got his birthday money from his grandparents, and he’s trying to maintain his new look. He liked the attention he got at Homecoming.”

  Well, of course Kevin got attention at Homecoming. I totally dressed him. Kevin, Ricky, and I had a little color scheme going, because we had a dance step. Kevin didn’t actually dance, but he hyped everyone up. It was bananas.

  Ricky opens the car door for me. “Get in.”

  I stand here for a moment, trying to figure out if I appreciate this bossiness from Ricky.

  “Are you coming with me?” Ricky asks.

  “If you ask nicely.”

  A smile creeps up on Ricky’s lips. “Will you please get in the car, Gia? Kevin is waiting on us.”

  “Sure.”

  I climb into the car and allow Ricky to close the door. I have an inner chuckle when I see the little cherry air freshener hanging from Ricky’s rearview mirror. That’s the only thing in this car that’s new. Everything else is about twenty years old. I’m actually surprised that this hoopty even runs.

  “Gia, I need to ask you something,” Ricky says as he puts the car in drive.

  Is this it? Is this when he’s going to cut the games and ask me to be his girl?

  “Ask away.”

  “You’re not going to start acting all weird because of that bracelet, are you?”

  I swallow hard. This is so not what I was trying to hear. “What? No! Why would I act weird?”

  “I don’t know. The bracelet doesn’t mean that we’re kicking it or anything like that. I just thought you would like it.”

  I roll my eyes to the sky. Who knew that Ricky was a huge coward? He can lead the football team to the state championship, but can’t even admit he has a crush?

  “Yeah, cool, Ricky. I get it.”

  I blow air out of my cheeks and look out the window. I really want to throw something and spazz out, but I refuse to let Ricky see me sweat him.

  “Are we cool?” Ricky asks.

  “Yep, it’s all good.”

  “Great, because I have another question.”

  I roll my eyes. “Go ahead.”

  “Are you going to get a driver’s license anytime soon? You’ve wasted your entire sixteenth year!”

  So here’s the thing about the whole driver’s license debacle : I am afraid to drive. The thought of pressing the gas pedal and several tons of metal and rubber speeding down the street at my command is absolutely terrifying. I’m perfectly fine bumming rides from Kevin and Ricky. I don’t need my driver’s license.

  “I’ll get it sometime this year, I guess.”

  “Do you want me to teach you to drive?”

  “Um, no!”

  Ricky smiles. “Gia, it’s not hard! Let me just take you up to Easter Hill Park and you can get a feel for the car.”

  “Naw, I’m chill right now, Ricky. I’ll get it before I leave for college! Don’t sweat it.”

  Even if I did want Ricky to teach me to drive, I’m not agreeing to it right now! Not when he just burst my fragile little crush bubble. Asking me if I’m going to start acting weird!

  Wow! He gets the I-hate-you-so-much-right-now side eye. How could he?

  3

  “I don’t think so, Kevin. Step away from the overalls,” I say as I grab the stonewashed farmer pants out of Kevin’s hands.

  “What’s wrong with overalls?” Kevin asks. “I like them, because they’re kind of like shirt and pants at the same time.”

  Ricky laughs. “Kev, that’s exactly the problem. Listen to Gia on this one. Trust.”

  “How about these?”

  I hold up a dark pair of Sean John jeans. Not the baggy kind, because that’s so not Kevin. He was raised by old people, so he won’t wear a pair of pants that don’t sit on his waist. I’m surprised he doesn’t wear suspenders.

  Kevin takes the jeans from me and looks at them. “I guess these are okay,” he says.

  “You guess? Kevin, these jeans are hot to infinity. Go try them on.”

  Kevin smiles. “Wow, you’re bossy!”

  “And?”

  “Nothing. Boss me anytime.”

  “E www, Kevin. Just go try on the jeans!”

  Ricky and I stand near the fitting room while Kevin goes inside. I haven’t said a word to Ricky since we were in the car because I cannot believe the foolishness that was the conversation we just had. I want to take this nothing bracelet and throw it at Ricky.

  “Gia, are you mad at me?” Ricky asks.

  “Why would I be mad at you?”

  “I don’t know, but you seem angry.”

  I shrug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Are you sure you aren’t going to start acting weird?”

  Ricky sighs and looks at the floor. “Nah.”

  Kevin comes out of the fitting room wearing the jeans and they look really good on him.

  “Gia, would you holla at me if I was wearing these jeans?” Kevin asks.

  I laugh out loud. “Um ... the jeans don’t make the man.”

  “So that’s a no?”

  “It’s a no.”

  “Do you think Candy would holla at me?” Kevin asks, suddenly sounding quite serious.

  Why would he want to talk to Candy? First of all, she’s a freshman. Second of all, she’s got a little shoplifting habit. Third, and most importantly, she’s not me. How could Kevin go from loving me to crushing on Candy? That’s a significant downgrade, on the real.


  “Kevin, when did you get so girl crazy?” Ricky asks.

  Kevin replies, “Dude, you are cool enough to say that you don’t have a girlfriend because you don’t want one. But people think I don’t have a girl because I can’t get one.”

  Kevin is referring to Ricky’s declaration that he doesn’t want a girlfriend, because he doesn’t want to be pressured by fast girls. Yeah, I was down with his decision and all, when he was talking about Valerie, but there would be absolutely no pressure if he dated me!

  “Who cares what people think?” Ricky asks.

  “Only cool people don’t care what people think,” Kevin replies. “The little people care.”

  I hand Kevin a shirt to go with his jeans. “Oooh, that’s fiyah! You like?”

  “Yeah, that’s cool. I’m gonna wear this on the bus when we go to state.”

  The band is big enough that they get their own school bus when we go to the state championship. The Hi-Steppers, the band’s front line and Longfellow spirit ambassadors (cheerleaders hahaha), get to ride on the band bus.

  I say, “If you wear that, then I’ll sit next to you on the bus.”

  Kevin’s eyes light up. “Seriously? You’re not kidding, are you, Gia? Because if you were, that would be mean.”

  “I’m not kidding.”

  “Cool. Are we sitting up front or in the back? I like sitting in the front, because that is the safest, but if you want the back, I’d be totally cool with that, too. You know what? I’ll get there early to save us a seat.”

  “Kevin ...”

  “Yes, bus partner?”

  “Don’t make me change my mind.”

  4

  “He actually said that?”

  Hope is perched on the side of my bed listening to me rant about Ricky’s foolishness. I called her and she came over once I got back from the mall. All I want to do is take this Tweety bracelet off and throw it across the room. I mean, why shouldn’t I? It doesn’t mean anything.

  And it totally kicks rocks that I don’t have anyone but Hope to talk to about this. Just a few weeks ago, she was all up on Ricky, so any advice she might give is suspect, to say the least. But it’s either Hope, Candy, or Kevin.

  Candy is an absolute no, because she’s a freshman. What the heck does she know about complex relationship questions? And Kevin is just a no. There is no explanation needed.