It's All Good

by Nikki Carter

  “I assume you’re about to tell me about it, or are we playing twenty questions?”

  Candy rolls her eyes. “Halt on the sarcasm, okay? This is serious.”

  “Okay, then spill it.”

  “I saw Chase hit Sascha in the Voc-Ed building tunnel.”

  The tunnel is what connects the Vocational Education building to the main campus. The Voc-Ed building is new and was built way after everything else. All types of stuff pops off in the tunnels. I’ve heard about people making out, hooking up, and fighting down there. I try to stay out of the tunnels, myself.

  “What do you mean, hit?”

  “I mean, smacked her hard on her head. She stumbled and almost fell.”

  My face scrunches into an involuntary frown. “What did she do?”

  “She cried hard. And then—here’s the tripped out part—he started hugging on her and she hugged him back!”

  I sit up in the bed, chillaxation completely ruined. “She hugged him after he hit her? She wasn’t running to the principal’s office? She was hugging him?”

  “Yeah, it completely weirded me out.”

  “Candy, you know we gotta tell someone.”

  “Unh-uh! That’s their business. And don’t you start with all that diarrhea of the mouth you’ve got, either, Gia.”

  I fold my arms angrily. “Well, I’m at least saying something to her. Maybe she’s just waiting for someone to tell her it’s okay to walk away from that jerk.”

  “Maybe she’s provoking him.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” I ask.

  “Well, he did mention that she would tease him and promise to hook up, but then never follow through. He said he was frustrated.”

  I close my eyes and shake my head. I try to remember that I’m dealing with a freshman, but there shouldn’t be any way she might justify Chase’s hitting.

  “No one gets to hit you and take their frustration out on you. That’s just wrong on every level.”

  “Are you telling Mama Gwen?”

  “I’m gonna talk to Sascha first,” I reply. “She’s got to know better than to let a boy beat her up.”

  Doesn’t every girl’s mother tell her that? Hmmm ... maybe she doesn’t know better.

  13

  “So, you can tell me, Kelani. We’re cool. Did you post those pictures of Susan on Facebook?”

  Since they’re crowding around my locker first thing in the morning, they must want to talk about something!

  Kelani rolls her eyes at me, and her giggle-twin Jewel cracks up. Jewel says, “They already busted Valerie for that. It was pretty easy since she used her own Facebook page.”

  “Everybody keeps saying that,” I say, “but I don’t think Valerie’s that stupid. I think someone wants us to believe it was Valerie.”

  Kelani says, “You sound like Valerie’s mother. She’s talking about someone must’ve hacked into their computer and done it. I’m like, who would go to all that trouble?”

  “Someone who really hates Valerie or Susan and doesn’t care about hurting the other girl.”

  “Who hates Susan other than Valerie?” Jewel asks.

  “My point, exactly,” I say. “That’s why I think the intended target was Valerie.”

  “Whoever the intended target, it’s jacked up for Valerie,” Kelani says. “They told her she couldn’t go to the prom or even cross the stage at graduation. They said they’d mail her a diploma. Not only that, she can’t participate in any dances or fun stuff for the rest of the year.”

  “Wow! All that over some pictures that Susan says are fake?” I ask.

  “Susan says they’re fake, but they look real to me,” Jewel replies.

  “So answer my question, Kelani. Did you do it?”

  “No, Gia. I didn’t do it, but if I had done it, what makes you think I’d just confess to you?”

  “Because we’re girls, and you know I wouldn’t play you.”

  Jewel says, “I don’t know, Gia. You’ve got a reputation for snitching.”

  “Whatever! I do not!”

  “That’s not what your sister says,” Kelani says.

  “Y’all are tripping! I’m crossing you off my suspect list for now, Kelani, but if I get any evidence that leads to you, I’ll be back.”

  “All right, sheriff,” Jewel says.

  They both burst into laughter that’s too spontaneous to be covering any guilt. I think Kelani may not be the culprit. She’s definitely not sad about Valerie’s situation; in fact, she seems a little happy about it. But that doesn’t make her the villain.

  “I’ll see y’all later,” I say. “I’ve got English this period and Ms. Beckman don’t play.”

  “Bye, Detective Gia!”

  They are the opposite of funny. “Y’all keep it up and I’m uninviting you from my birthday party!”

  “No, you aren’t!” Jewel says.

  “Okay, you’re right, but chill on the detective stuff. I’m just trying to help out a fellow Hi-Stepper.”

  Kelani replies, “That’s real noble of you, Gia, but trust and believe she wouldn’t do the same thing for you!”

  “That doesn’t matter. It’s about right and wrong.”

  Jewel sucks her teeth. “You’re such a goody-goody, Gia. It’s sickening. Get some grime about yourself.”

  Um, hello! Does anyone remember last school year when I snuck out on an unauthorized date with Romeo? That was grimy and the opposite of goody-goody. I’ve never been more grimy.

  I dismiss Stupid Is and Stupid Does and go on to my English class. Ricky and Kevin are already there and so is my other suspect—Romeo.

  “Hey, Gia, almost everybody in the junior class is coming to your par-tay!” Kevin announces.

  “What part of the game is this? Did you not hear me when I said small get-together?”

  Ricky replies, “Yes, we heard you, but word of mouth is a monster.”

  “Is Valerie coming?”

  Kevin and Ricky look at each other and shrug.

  “Did y’all invite her?”

  They look at each other and shrug again.

  “I didn’t realize y’all was that tight,” Ricky says. “I’ll invite her if you want.”

  “Thank you.”

  Ms. Beckman starts an extra dry lecture on essay writing and how important it is for our future and blahgity, blah, blah. I can’t wait for this day to be over.

  When Ms. Beckman isn’t looking, Ricky whispers, “You wanna go to the mall later and hang?”

  “Just the two of us?”

  Ricky shrugs. “I guess, unless you want to invite Kevin.”

  Way to put the ball in my court, Ricky! He is sooo not slick. He knows he’s missing Gia quality time.

  “Why don’t we ask Kev and Hope? That way we can talk more about my party.”

  Ricky smiles as if he’s relieved. “Okay, cool.”

  He’s not going to get off easy like that. If he wants to man up and ask me out on a date, he’s going to have to do just that. Of course, with my mom’s anti-dating stance, it’s not like I can say yes, but all this maybe-I’m-asking, maybe-I’m-not is not the bidness.

  After school, Hope and Candy are waiting at my locker as usual. “What’s up, y’all?” I ask.

  “Are we going to the mall? That’s what Kevin said,” Candy replies.

  “Yeah, you can go, too,” I say with a smile, “although you weren’t invited.”

  Sascha joins our little group. “Hey! What’s up, PGP?”

  Candy and I exchange glances. She seems awful jolly for someone who caught a beatdown from her boyfriend.

  “Look at this!” Sascha squeals.

  She holds her hand out for us to look at a ring. It looks exactly like the kind of ring a high school boy buys for his crush—cheap.

  Hope says, “Wow, Sascha! Chase gave you a promise ring?”

  “Yep. We got into a small argument and he just apologized and told me that he wants us to be together forever!”

  Candy says, “T
hat’s really sweet, Sascha. I’m happy for you.”

  “You are? I’m surprised, because a friend of mine told me you were all hugged up on Chase during Singers rehearsal.”

  “Wh-what?”

  Sascha smiles. “It’s all good, though. I trust Chase and he told me that you were just a freshman crushing on him. A lot of girls are feeling Chase.”

  Candy opens her mouth to speak and I elbow her in the ribs. I say, “So I guess he’s gonna be your escort to the PGP cotillion, huh?”

  “Oh, for sure. That is, if I don’t drop out of PGP.”

  Hope gasps. “Why would you drop out? Are you thinking of giving up the goodies?”

  “I don’t know,” Sascha replies. “I know that I love him, and I know we’re going to be together forever, so I don’t see why not.”

  “Are you kidding me?” I ask. “What do you mean, you can’t see why not? Two words: teenage pregnancy. Hello!”

  Hope pleads, “At least wait until after the cotillion. It won’t be the same without you there.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Sascha says. “There’s Chase now. Gotta go, see y’all!”

  Hope and I look at Candy and crack up. “Dang! You got busted macking somebody’s boyfriend,” I say.

  Hope adds, “You better be careful with that, Candy! I know some girls that wouldn’t just let that fly.”

  “Whatever! Sascha has got the story wrong,” Candy replies. “I wasn’t hugged up on Chase, he was hugged up on me. He asked me out, not the other way around. I wasn’t macking on anybody. Didn’t have to.”

  “I guess you just got it like that, huh?” I ask.

  “Actually, I do have it like that. I don’t have to steal anyone’s boyfriend.”

  I roll my eyes at the sheer diva of it all. “All right then, fly girl. Ricky’s probably waiting outside for us now, so let’s roll.”

  “Are you sure you want to let her near Ricky?” Hope asks with glee in her eyes. “He might start uncontrollably macking on her or something.”

  Gotta love Hope and her random nukes! We give each other a high five and all three of us jog down the hall.

  Oh, and yeah, I’m totally not worried at all about Candy sticking her claws into Ricky. That would sooo never happen.

  14

  “Can I have one of your fries, Gia?” Ricky asks.

  I roll my eyes and throw a fry at him. We’re at the mall food court and I’m trying to enjoy my favorite junk food dinner, a Philly cheese steak and fries with cheese sauce. Normally, I would not mind sharing, but Ricky already inhaled all of his food and now he’s working on mine too.

  Maybe that would be acceptable behavior if he was my boo, but in BFF world, a girl’s gotta eat.

  “Dang, Gia. Don’t be so stingy,” Ricky says with a laugh. “One day you’re gonna be fat.”

  I laugh out loud. “I’m about a gazillion fries away from obesity, my dude.”

  He reaches for another fry and I slap his hand. “Can someone loan Ricky three dollars so he can get some more fries for his greedy self?” I ask.

  “I just want one of yours, not a whole thing of them.”

  “But since you aren’t getting any more of mine you need to hustle yourself on up to the line and place your order.”

  Hope giggles. “Y’all fight like two married people.”

  “My dad and Mama Gwen don’t fight like this,” Candy says.

  Ricky narrows his eyes at me. “All right then, Gia. Be like that. The girl at the counter is a hottie anyway. Maybe I’ll get her number.”

  “Knock yourself out, boo! Maybe she’ll give you some free fries!”

  Ricky swaggers himself over to the counter and the rest of my friends stare me down. Did I mention how cute Ricky is looking today? His haircut is fresh, sweater is fitted, and the faded brown jeans are off the chain. That girl most probably will give him her number. And I’ll most probably be mad, but I won’t admit it to anyone but you, so keep your trap shut!

  “Dang, will y’all just go together for heaven’s sake?” Kevin asks. “I’m sick of the suspense.”

  “What kind of suspense?” Candy asks.

  “All while we’re planning Gia’s party, he’s asking me if I think Gia likes him for real. I’m like, dude! She likes you, man. Why wouldn’t she like you?”

  I lean forward in my chair and drop my fry. “He asked you that for real?”

  “Yeah, and I know I’m breaking all kind of man law and friendship codes telling you this, but I’m sick of you two.”

  Hope grins. “So, Gia, what are you gonna do about it?”

  “I’m not doing anything! My mom told me that the boy is supposed to make the first move.”

  “Technically, he made the first move when he bought you that bracelet,” Candy says.

  “Nah, because he said that he and his mother picked it out. Even if she did help him, it would only be a first move if he claimed he chose it all by himself.”

  Hope shakes her head with frustration. “There she goes, making up random rules.”

  “I know, right!” Candy exclaims. “That was totally random. And this is about to be, too: Kevin, will you be my escort for the cotillion?”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah, seriously. You’re kinda cute, and this is a church thing and all, so yeah.”

  Kevin’s smile touches both of his ears. Oh, brother. “Thank you, Candy! Of course, I’ll be your escort. What color are we wearing?”

  Candy laughs. “Dang, Kevin, it’s not the prom. All of the ladies are wearing white dresses, and Mama Gwen says you’ll need a tux.”

  “You already told my mom you were asking Kevin?” I ask.

  “Yep. She was cool with it. Who are you asking, Hope?”

  “Brother Bryan.”

  “Brother Bryan, the choir director?” I ask, a little bit salty I didn’t think of him first. He’s super duper fine.

  “Yes,” Hope replies. “My mom says it doesn’t have to be a boy, but it could be a man that we admire, like an uncle or cousin. I really admire Brother Bryan and he mentors us.”

  Candy and I give Hope the serious blank stare. “All right!” she says. “He’s ridiculously cute, too!”

  “The real reason comes out!” I say.

  Ricky drops his tray on the table and plops into his seat. “The real reason for what?”

  “For why Hope asked Brother Bryan to be her escort to the PGP cotillion.”

  Ricky scrunches up his nose. “I don’t think Brother Bryan is gonna go on a date with a little girl, much less the pastor’s daughter.”

  “First of all, I’m not a little girl! Second, it’s not a date! He’s just escorting me. Anyway, who are you asking, Gia?”

  I shrug, even though everybody at the table knows that I want Ricky to be my escort. I hate being set up like this. I’ll ask him when I get ready, if I get ready.

  “Gia, you want me to take you?” Ricky asks.

  Or, I’ll wait until he asks me!

  “That would be cool, I guess.”

  Hope rolls her eyes, and gets up from the table to send a text message. An uncomfortable silence settles on the table, as if Candy and Kevin are expecting something more. But Ricky and I just play it cool and keep munching on our fries.

  That’s how we do.

  “Seriously?” Candy asks. “Y’all get on my nerves.”

  Candy gets up from the table and marches toward Hope.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Ricky asks.

  I give the clueless shrug. “I have no clue.”

  My phone buzzes in my purse. “Someone’s texting me.”

  The message on my screen says, Heard you’re looking for who really posted Susan’s pictures online. It wasn’t Valerie, but just drop it. If you know what’s good for you.

  What in the world? Is someone trying to threaten me? I don’t roll like that. First of all, how you gonna threaten somebody and you don’t even leave your name on the text?

  “Who is it?” Ricky asks.
<
br />   “Somebody tripping. Hold up and let me see whose number it is. Y’all know somebody at 216-447-5511?”

  Ricky shakes his head. “No. Call them back.”

  I press Send on my phone to dial the number. Of course the voice mail comes on, with no greeting, and the box is full so I can’t leave a message. Hmmm ... sounds like I need to revisit the suspect list.

  “Somebody just sent me a text saying that Valerie didn’t post those pictures,” I say. I leave out the part about me leaving it alone, because holla ... I’m not leaving anything alone!

  “Ha! It’s probably Valerie trying to get Gia all pumped up to investigate,” Kevin says.

  “I don’t know where to go with my investigation,” I say. “Kelani doesn’t give me any guilty vibes and my gut tells me that Romeo isn’t smart enough to navigate Facebook without a tutor, much less post some pictures.”

  Kevin laughs. “For someone who used to be completely gone over Romeo, you sure can clown him!”

  “I was blinded by the beauty. But nonetheless! I have no suspects! This might end up being an unsolved mystery.”

  Ricky laughs. “You watch too much TV, Gia!”

  How about if someone would man up and be my boo, maybe I’d spend less time watching TV and more time convincing Gwen to let me go out on a date.

  How ’bout that?

  15

  So it’s Wednesday—three nights before my birthday party—and I’m wondering how much of Longfellow High is actually going to attend. Because it would be straight catastrophic to throw a party and only five people show up. That’s why I was leaning more toward having a get-together. Then, if only my bestie circle was in attendance, it would be all good.

  I flag down a lonely looking Valerie in the hallway. She’s on straight pariah status right about now. The entire senior class is getting underway with planning the second half of their final year of high school. After winter break (which starts on Friday at 3:00 p.m.—woo hoo!) the seniors will start picking prom dates and all that.

  I so cannot wait until senior year.

  But Valerie is not joining in on all the fun, because she’s been banished from it all. Susan has pretty much recovered. In fact, the boys are chasing her right now because of her “fake” pictures. She’s probably got a long list of prom date choices.