The Perfect Present

by Rochelle Alers

  Kayla looked back at DeShawn as a security guard slapped handcuffs on him.

  * * *

  Once Davida and Kayla got outside of the ballroom, Kayla paced back and forth.

  “Calm down,” Davida said as she reached into her purse and pulled out a stick of gum. “DeShawn should’ve knocked him out.”

  “This is all my fault.” Kayla ran her hand across her face. “I should . . .”

  “Tell DeShawn that you’re in love with him. That you came to the prom to be with him and ride off into the sunset.”

  She grabbed Davida’s arm. “You weren’t supposed to let those words leave your mouth, ever!”

  “This is our senior year, and I’ve watched you be his friend for the last four years. You gave him advice on dating girls who you knew were no good for him and . . .”

  “DeShawn!” Kayla said, praying he hadn’t heard anything Davida said. “Are you all right?”

  He crossed over to Kayla, rubbing his jaw. “I’m good. I just have to get out of here or I’ll be subject to arrest. How did you get here?”

  “I rode the bus.”

  Davida looked at her watch. “You know what, I’m not ready to go, and since he has to leave, then you can go with him.”

  Kayla rolled her eyes. “All right,” she said, then turned to DeShawn. “You’re ready?”

  “I don’t want to ruin your night,” he said. “If you want to stay and hang out with . . .”

  “I’m ready to go,” Kayla said, then smiled at him. DeShawn draped his arm across her shoulder.

  “You’re my best friend, Kayla. You never let me down.”

  Davida gave her girl a thumbs-up signal before she returned to the ballroom. DeShawn and Kayla walked to his car in silence. She looked at his jaw and saw the beginning of a nasty bruise.

  “Well, your modeling career is going to have to be put on hold,” she said as she stroked his cheek.

  DeShawn grabbed her hand and they stood nose to nose. “I told you not to go out with Ramon. You deserve so much better.”

  “I know, but I didn’t want to come to the prom alone. It was just one night.”

  “Kayla, you know you’re too good for him. You deserve the best, and that’s all I want for you.”

  She nodded as her knees trembled. Kayla wanted to tell him that what she wanted was him. But she didn’t want to lose her friend. DeShawn took her hand. “Just think, we’re going to be out of here in a few more weeks,” he said with a smile.

  “Yeah. I’m just waiting for the right acceptance letter, and I’ll be so excited.”

  He nodded. “UCLA. Ever thought about Chapel Hill?”

  “Not at all. I’ve been wanting to leave North Carolina for years.” She smiled. “And I didn’t get a full ride to UNC.”

  DeShawn shrugged. “You also can’t run the ball like I do.”

  “Please, had I not helped you with algebra, running the ball would’ve been the least of your worries, because your mama said she was not raising a dumb jock.”

  DeShawn laughed as he unlocked the door of his 1996 Ford Mustang and opened the door for Kayla. She gave him a curtsy before she got into the car. When she looked back at him and saw his smile, her heart melted.

  DeShawn hopped in the car and turned to his friend. “Want to get something to eat? I’m starving.”

  She glanced at her watch. “As long as I’m home by my twelve-thirty curfew. I don’t want to hear my mama’s mouth or spend the rest of my senior year on punishment.”

  “Come on, as long as she knows you’re with me, she’ll be fine.” He winked at her.

  “All right fine, as long as we go to IHOP,” she said. “I want some pancakes.”

  * * *

  DeShawn wanted something. Kayla. He didn’t know when she stopped just being his friend Kayla, and became the star of his dreams Kayla. The girl had always been fine, and every time one of his football friends asked him to hook him up with her, they nearly got into a fight. Going to the prom with Daphne the sex fiend, he’d only done it to get Kayla’s attention. But it hadn’t seemed to work when she happily announced that she was going to the prom with punk-ass Ramon.

  “Why did you want to go to the prom with Ramon?” he asked after they’d ridden for a few miles in silence.

  “Seriously? Why did you take Daphne the sex fiend?”

  “Well, why do most people go out with her?” He chuckled.

  “So disgusting! That girl probably has a petri dish of STDs.”

  “Some people might call you a hater.”

  Kayla rolled her eyes. “Might say the same thing about you, if that jerk hadn’t stood me up. I’m sorry you got kicked out of the prom for fighting him.”

  “You know I would never let anyone disrespect you.” He placed his hand on her knee. “You’re my people.”

  She turned toward the window. “DeShawn. I lo . . . I’m going to miss you next year.”

  “Me too.”

  He stopped at a red light and they faced each other. He leaned in to her and just as their lips were about to touch, a horn blared.

  “What are we doing?” Kayla eased back into her seat. “I think you should just take me home. I’m not hungry.”

  He nodded as the car behind them pressed on the horn. Speeding off, DeShawn took Kayla home, and she bolted out of the car as if she was on fire. He didn’t have a chance to walk her to the door and apologize for the almost kiss in the car. She glanced over her shoulder and then rushed inside.

  “Damn it,” he muttered. “I messed everything up.”

  Chapter 1

  Kayla Matthews was not looking forward to Christmas, especially not this year. Sighing, she looked at her boarding pass. Charlotte, North Carolina, here I come.

  Kayla hadn’t been home in more than a decade. It wasn’t that she hated going home, it was just that being in Los Angeles gave her the excuse she needed to stay away.

  For a while, she’d been happy on the West Coast—working as an education consultant for Long Beach Community College. Five years ago, the grant had run out and she took a pay cut to keep the job she loved.

  Things had been fine for a while, then her ex-husband, Raul, took care of the household bills. All of a sudden, overdue notices began coming in daily. Kayla was beyond pissed off. Even with her pay cut, their bills should’ve been paid on time.

  Kayla closed her eyes and went back to six months ago when everything went to hell.

  “Babe,” Raul said as he burst through the door. “We’re going to be rich.”

  Kayla looked up from her laptop and raised her right eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

  “The next Hamilton. I just made an investment with Julia Potter, the creator of The Obama Years. The music is great, the settings are going to be realistic, and . . .”

  “Raul, really ?”

  He nodded excitedly. “It was only ten thousand dollars.”

  “Where in the hell did we get ten thousand dollars?”

  “Borrowed it from your savings and mine.”

  Kayla stood still and took a deep breath. “Raul, that was all of our money!” she shrieked. “Have you lost your mind?”

  Raul folded his arms across his chest. “That is that bullshit I’ve been talking about.”

  “We’re about to get evicted. I just negotiated with the power company to keep our lights on for one more week.” Kayla picked up her plastic cup and tossed it at Raul’s head. “An investment means stocks—not some crazy-ass musical.”

  Raul shook his head as he wiped the water from his face. “You’re a dream killer.”

  “And you’re an idiot.”

  “I’m so sick of this shit.”

  “Really ? You know what I’m sick of ? Not knowing what utility is going to get cut off this week. I’m sick of not knowing when my husband is going to get a job and try to help me keep this family afloat.”

  Raul scoffed. “Family? Really ?”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re such a ba
stard sometimes.”

  Raul stomped out of the living room. Kayla closed her eyes and counted to ten. They were about to be homeless because she had been going to use some of their savings to pay the rent. Though jail would keep a roof over her head, she couldn’t kill her husband and drop his body in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. However, she could sell everything that he held dear, especially that 1965 Mustang that he’d sunk more money into than they had available.

  Kayla opened her eyes and slowly rose to her feet. When she walked into the bedroom, she was happy to see Raul packing.

  “Are you at least going to leave your half of the rent?” Leaning against the door, she decided that she was done fighting for this marriage, and with a man who obviously wanted to be someplace else.

  “All I’m leaving is you.” Raul zipped his suitcase and shook his head.

  Kayla folded her arms across her chest. “You’ve been planning this for a while, huh ? Had you told me sooner, I would’ve gladly helped you pack.”

  “Platinum, World, and Emerald passengers are welcome to board at this time.”

  Kayla snapped to attention. She’d used the couple’s travel credit card, since it was still in both of their names, and upgraded her seat. If she had to leave Los Angeles, at least she’d do it in comfort. Besides, after what she’d seen in the LA Weekly, she’d end up paying off the credit card anyway. Raul’s great investment was a complete mess. She’d never see that money that Raul sank into that pile of steaming crap. Kayla deserved this luxury flight.

  Chapter 2

  DeShawn Carter was about to shut his computer down when the door to his office swung open.

  “Mr. Carter, there’s a fight in the gym!” a frantic student exclaimed. DeShawn leapt to his feet and darted downstairs to the gym. It was too close to Christmas break to have to deal with this foolishness. Especially when he had to find at least one hundred thousand dollars to cover the school’s budget shortfall. When he arrived at the gym, DeShawn didn’t find a fight but rather balloons, streamers, and the band playing “Happy Birthday.”

  He dropped his head and laughed. “Y ’all got me out of breath. There better be some chocolate cake.”

  Taylor Parker, DeShawn’s girlfriend, walked out to the center of the court holding a chocolate sheet cake with a sparkling candle in the center. “Happy birthday, darling.”

  DeShawn smiled for the crowd, but kept his comments to himself. He and Taylor hadn’t called each other sweet names in months. As a matter of fact, she hadn’t spoken to him all week. Not that he’d minded. His relationship with Taylor, who was one of the board members of the school, was starting to feel like it was a business transaction. Over the past three months, they were no longer talking about their future together as a couple but about how his job was in jeopardy because of the school’s finances. And when he’d let her know that it was the board’s fault for their inaction on finding new donors and applying for new grants, Taylor would accuse him of being against her. Or when she was feeling especially petty, she’d tell him that their relationship made it hard for her to fight for his ideas if she wanted to be taken seriously. All he really wanted to know some days was why were they still together?

  DeShawn crossed over to her and kissed her cheek, then blew out the candle. “Thank you.”

  The band started playing again and DeShawn turned to his students, accepting the hugs and cards. He glanced over at Taylor, who was deep in conversation with the chairman of the board. The way she touched his arm and smiled at him, DeShawn knew she was flirting. He didn’t even care.

  “Mr. Carter, is it true you turned down the NFL to be our principal?” Harris James, a sophomore football player, asked.

  DeShawn nodded at the school’s star running back. “First, I gave up the NFL to be a teacher.”

  “Why?” The boy held up his smartphone, showing a photo of DeShawn catching a pass during his rookie season with the Dallas Cowboys. “You were awesome, man! You could’ve been better than Mo Goings.”

  “Then who would’ve been here to keep you knuckleheads in line?”

  Harris shook his head. “You gave up the NFL for us?”

  DeShawn shrugged. “Why not? Somebody had to give up something for me in order for me to be successful. How could I not pay it forward?” It also didn’t hurt that DeShawn suffered a shoulder injury in his second year in the league, which he didn’t recover fully from. So, instead of risking his health further, DeShawn took the money and ran. Since he had a degree in education, he’d gone back to UNC–Chapel Hill to get his master’s degree, and decided to teach in his hometown. After three years of working in some of Charlotte’s underperforming schools, DeShawn was tapped to lead Millwood Academy.

  “But what about the money?” Robert Martin, the quarterback, asked. “You could’ve made millions.”

  “Sometimes, there are more important things in life than money. For me, it’s you guys and this school.”

  “Man, Mr. Carter, you’re something else.” Harris smiled at DeShawn.

  “Crazy is what he is. I want that NFL money.”

  “Get those grades first, then I will introduce the team to Mo Goings.”

  The football players gasped. “For real?”

  DeShawn nodded. “Whole team average needs to be at least a three-point-two.”

  “Aww, man!” they cried.

  “How are we going to do that?” Harris asked as he slapped his hands against his thighs.

  “Back in my day, the kicker was always the smartest man on the team. Start a study group.”

  “We ain’t never going to meet Mo,” Harris said.

  “Never say never. What’s the motto?” DeShawn folded his arms across his chest.

  “I can. I will. I can and I will achieve,” the boys barked. DeShawn gave them all a fist bump before moving over to another group of students. By the time he made it around the gym and shook hands with all the kids, DeShawn actually felt good about his birthday and the upcoming holiday break. But what he was most thankful for was it being the end of the day!

  Being that his birthday was so close to Christmas, DeShawn never made a big deal about it. As a kid, he received combo gifts. However, having so many people around always made him feel good. He loved Christmas, normally. But this year, he was stressing more than celebrating because the school he loved was in trouble.

  He was about to head out the door when Taylor stopped him. “You’re not going to have any cake?”

  “I have a few reports to finish up. Why don’t you take my cake to Lucas?”

  She folded her arms across her chest and cocked her head to the side. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I have eyes, Tae.”

  “Then you should get them checked. He’s the chairman of the board, and though you keep acting otherwise, the school is in trouble. I’m trying to intercede on your behalf. I can stop if you’d like. But wouldn’t you like to ring in the New Year employed?”

  DeShawn knew she was right, but he wasn’t ready to admit that. As a private charter school, they depended on donations and a small amount of state funding. Donations had been down 20 percent this year.

  “And what did you and Lucas come up with? You know, since you’re working so hard for me over there feeding him cake and shit.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m going shopping, because you’re acting like a child.”

  DeShawn watched her walk away and shook his head. Why do I even put myself through this bullshit? Heading back to his office, DeShawn decided that he wasn’t going to worry about Taylor and Lucas. All he needed to do was focus on getting more money for his students.

  As he read through his emails, DeShawn smiled when he saw an email about the West Charlotte Christmas social. It had been ten years since he’d graduated from high school. He wondered how some of his friends and former teammates were doing these days, and what they looked like. Chasing after students and having access to the school’s gym allowed him to stay in good shape. Not as tigh
t as he was when he was in the league, but he still had his six-pack and strong arms. Thinking of his high school days when he ran track, his best friend, Kayla Matthews, popped into his mind.

  He’d always regretted that they lost contact when she’d gone to Los Angeles. More than anything else, he regretted never telling Kayla the truth about his feelings for her. How could he have asked her to stay in North Carolina when she’d been happy about getting a full ride to UCLA? And he’d known that her family couldn’t afford to send her to Chapel Hill without a full scholarship.

  DeShawn remembered that day. They’d just grabbed lunch from their favorite sandwich shop and were trading chips when Kayla hit him with her killer smile.

  Lately her dimples had been popping—just like her smooth, caramel skin.

  “What’s up?”

  “This girl is going to Cali!”

  “Really?”

  She reached into her backpack and pulled out her letter from UCLA. “I got accepted! Can you believe it? I thought I was going to be stuck at Chapel Hill working in the cafeteria trying to pay for the other half of my tuition.”

  DeShawn took the letter and read over it. He wanted to be as happy as she was, but LA was so far away. “Wow, you’re going to be in Hollywood.”

  “I know.” She popped a chip in her mouth and DeShawn couldn’t take his eyes off her sexy lips. Cherry red looked so good on them.

  “What?” she asked, locking eyes with him.

  “I’m so proud of you. And I’m going to miss you.”

  “Maybe when Carolina plays the Bruins we can hang out.”

  “Don’t think they’re on the schedule this year, but there’s no bad reason not to come to LA.”

  She smiled again and his heart melted. He started to open his mouth and tell her to stay and go with him to Chapel Hill. But he knew Los Angeles was her dream. Of course she wanted to get away from North Carolina, and as much as he wanted her to stay, he couldn’t ask her to give up her dream.