by J. Nichole
Tanya scrunches her nose. “Whoever Courtney is, he must be sexy as hell for you to run that red light like you did.”
Looking down I whisper, “She.”
Tanya screeches. “How could I forget her?” She laughs. “The stalker chick.”
I nod my head. Last time I saw her, my hand was going across her face before she was dragged out of Chris’ apartment.
"Wait. Didn't Courtney move?"
“She did. That probably wasn't her.” After stalking me all semester she was finally booted out of school.
Tanya walks up to the counter and orders a meal. She turns to look at me, “Whatcha want? I’m treating.” She smiles.
Laughing uncontrollably I say, “If I knew you were treating I would have stopped at an actual restaurant.” The lady at the counter rolls her eyes then smacks her lips. “I’ll take whatever you ordered.”
Tanya looks at the lady, “That’ll be two Snak Meals.” Tanya cocks her head, observing the lady’s attitude. “When I show up at my job, I smile. It could be better, but it could be a helluva lot worse.” Before the lady can open her mouth Tanya turns away.
I shake my head. Ironically, Tanya didn’t start working until a few months ago. If it weren’t for baby Ava I think she would have gone without a job for as long as her parent’s supported her. We post up against the napkin counter. “We should keep an eye on our food.”
Tanya arches her eyebrows, “She wouldn’t dare do anything to my food.”
Without taking my eyes off the kitchen I speak through tight lips. “As long as she doesn’t add extra spit to both I’m good.”
Tanya shrugs her shoulders. “Always so negative. She may throw in extra fries. I was only speaking the truth.” She nods towards the counter where the girl is holding both of our bags with a smug look on her face.
We grab our food and head to the parking lot.
Standing in front of the mirror, I slide myself into a sweater dress. Unlike last year, I’m not worried about having my legs exposed. As I bend down to step into my booties I laugh as I remember Chris climbing my leg like a tree last year.
“What are you laughing at?” Tanya walks out of the bathroom and tugs at my dress. “Snug. Is Chris going to be okay with that?”
“I was just laughing about how we met last year.”
“You should change. You caught one already. Leave the rest to us… or me.”
“You don’t have plans to meet up with Randy this weekend?”
“Girl, whatever. He isn’t worried about me.”
Tanya scoots me away from the mirror while she adjusts her skirt. There’s a knock at the door and I yell, “Come in!”
Nicole walks through the door carrying two shots. She smiles, handing each of us a glass. "Bottoms up, bitches!" Tanya downs her shot without question. I hesitate before scrunching my nose and taking the shot.
Nicole takes the glasses back. “Now which one of you is driving? I plan on having a few more before we leave.”
Tanya raises her hand, “I can drive.”
“Good.” Nicole dances out of the room.
We all pile out of the house an hour later and climb into Tanya’s car. Jennifer and Monica bicker back and forth over their lack of space in the back seat. Nicole leans forward, “Can we turn up the music. Act like it’s homecoming!”
Tanya obliges and Jennifer’s voice rises over the music telling Nicole to scoot over. When we arrive at the club we see very few cars.
Tanya pulls into a parking space. “Are you sure this is the place?” Tanya looks at me with her eyebrows raised.
I turn to Jennifer, who nods her head. “It is. Maybe we are early.”
Nicole groans. “That’s what we get for trying to be all…” She waves her hands in the air. “Sophisticated and shit. We should have just gone with the masses back to the convention center.”
Monica opens the door. “While y’all figure it out I need space to breathe.” She steps out and shuts the door.
Tanya tries to strategize. “How far is the convention center from here? Can’t we get tickets at the door?”
Jennifer points across the parking lot. “Look there’s a bus.” As the bus parks near the curb she continues, “And a line.”
Nicole leaps and grabs her purse. “What you waiting for, let’s go!”
Jennifer passes out our invites as we walk towards the bus.
Monica taps a girl on the shoulder and asks, “Is this the bus for the Invite Only party?”
The girl looks at Monica from head to toe before responding. “Yes.”
Monica chuckles. “What? You don’t think I could have an invite?” She waves her invite in the air.
We walk to the end of the line and wait for everyone to get on the bus.
Jennifer stares at the bus. "What kind of invite-only party brings people to the location?"
Nicole smirks. “You said it, not us. Who the hell invited us anyway?”
The line starts to move. “I got the invites from a kid in one of my classes, but the person throwing the party is a secret.”
We all stop moving, "Oh hell naw." Nicole reaches into her purse and pulls out her phone. "Let me find someone who can get us tickets to the convention center."
“Yo, y’all getting on the bus or what?” Nobody moves.
“Hey.” The guy tries again to move us forward.
I turn to look at the short, light-skinned guy with a bald head. "Go ahead and get on. We haven't decided yet."
“Wait.” Jennifer puts her hand up. “I’m not trying to pay for tickets now. They will be sky high. Let’s just get on the bus.”
Tanya whispers. “There goes my chance of finding a man tonight.” She looks at the short guy and shakes her head.
Chapter Twelve
Tiki lights line the path as we pull into the woods. The bus stops and nobody moves. “This looks like a scene from The Blair Witch Project.” I reach for my purse, then glance out the window. I can hardly see my reflection because of the darkness.
Two guys run up the stairs of the bus and a girl in front of us screams.
“Dammit, Jennifer, this shit is not cool. It’s Homecoming, not Halloween.” Nicole stares with her eyes wide open.
“Welcome to Invite Only. When you get off the bus, walk through the path and you’ll see the party hopping on the left.”
Monica turns to the guys sitting behind us. “How about y’all go first, then send someone back to tell us what’s going on?”
One of the guys laughs nervously. “How about we all go together.” He looks at his friend. “You know splitting up in the movies never works out.”
People in front of us start getting out of their seats and leaving out of the bus. “Alright, we either shit or get off the pot.” Jennifer stands up. “Let’s go.”
Tanya looks at me with a frown on her face. “I better find a man after all this nonsense.”
We walk blindly towards the blaring music. As soon as we round the corner our vision is restored. The lights from the building illuminate all those gathered around.
Jennifer starts swaying to the music, and says, “Now this is a party!”
The guys that followed us closely from the bus start yelling, “Hey, it’s a party, it’s a party!”
The crowd is no indication of an exclusive, ‘invite only' event. The building pumping the music is filled and the people pouring out are reaching far into the woods. I can only imagine the sexual escapades happening beyond our sight.
Monica grabs my arm, and looking down, says, “Bad decision on the dresses.”
Lifting my foot in the air I say, “Not worse than the shoes.” My heel has already collected a stack of grass.
A guy carrying plastic cups passes in front of us, and Tanya perks up. “Are those drinks for someone else?”
Monica laughs then says, “Guess we need to designate a different driver.”
The guy stares Tanya down before handing her a cup. "Not anymore." He nods towards the rest of us.
"Y'all want a cup too?" His features contrast with the darkness of the night. I glance at Jennifer because he is her type… light skin, tall and lanky, but she is caught up in the music and doesn't notice him.
“I’ll take one,” I say, and reaching my hand out I grab a cup from his grip.
Monica shakes her head. He looks at Nicole with his hand extended with the last cup. “Might as well take it.” Nicole smiles, reaching for the cup. I can’t tell if she is more excited about the attention or the drink. Without another word the guy turns away and walks back towards the building.
We continue walking towards the music, and Jennifer joins the crowd doing a line dance to Before I Let Go. The rest of us stumble through to catch onto the steps. As soon as we get into a good groove the DJ switches the song, and the crowd is swaying left to right. The concrete slab that is acting as a dance floor is overcrowded.
Monica moves closer to the building and I follow her. The look of boredom is plastered on her face as she scans the crowd. “Not having fun?”
She pokes her lips out. “Not really.” She fidgets with her hair. “I’m just not in the party mood tonight.”
Glancing at her sideways I say, “I can tell. I could tell before we even left the house.”
She smirks. “That obvious, huh?”
Tanya steps beside me. "Where are all the sexy men at?" She stands on her tippy toes looking out over the crowd. "I haven't seen a single dude that I'd consider cute."
Between Tanya and Monica, my excitement has dwindled to almost non-existent. This time last year I was publicly seduced by Chris and loving every moment of it.
I look between the two of them and say, “Think we should try again tomorrow?”
Monica shifts her weight and scrunches her nose. “I don’t want to be the Debbie Downer. But…”
“Alright, let’s see what Jennifer and Nicole want to do.” Neither is nearby. “I’ll go find them.”
“Wait. I don’t want to leave. Not much more to do at the apartment.” Tanya follows behind me. “If they are staying, I’ll stick behind with them. You can drive my car if you come back to pick us up when we get back from the bus.”
Looking through the crowd I still can’t find Jennifer or Nicole. “You’ll be okay without me?”
“Yeah, I’ll be good.”
I finally see Nicole near the dance floor chatting up the guy from earlier. I navigate through the crowd and speak over the music, “Monica wants to get out of here, and I’m going to leave with her.” Nodding my head towards Tanya I say, “She wants to stay and I’m sure Jennifer wants to stay too. I’ll pick you guys up when you’re ready.”
Nicole makes eye contact with her new friend then looks back to me. “Works for me.” She links arms with Tanya and says, “I’ll take care of her. Don’t worry.”
I walk away, laughing. On my way back to Monica I spot Jennifer in a corner with a few other girls. Jennifer whispers, “She’s cool.”
My eyebrows arch, “What does that mean?”
Jennifer shakes her head. “What’s up?”
“I’m about to take Monica back to the apartment. Tanya and Nicole are sticking around. I’ll pick you guys up later.”
“Okay.” She looks at the other girls. “Maybe I should leave too?”
One girl shakes her head. “No, we should all stay.”
Before Jennifer can decide what she needs to do I turn and walk away.
My heels are just about ruined and pieces of grass are stuck to my skirt. A nice warm shower will be welcomed. Monica is standing exactly where I left her, with less enthusiasm. “Alright let’s go.”
We trek blindly back through the path, but we don’t enter into light as we exit. We stand in the place where a bus should be parked, ready to take us back to the car, but there is nothing.
Monica groans. “You have to be kidding me. Could this night get any worse?” Pacing, Monica looks through the darkness, as if a bus will appear.
“Alright, who can we call?”
“Should we walk back in and find someone who can call the bus back?”
Looking back towards the path, I hunch my shoulders. “I think our chances of finding someone are slim to none.” I pull my phone from my purse. “Maybe Chris will answer his phone.”
Monica smiles. “Your knight, always coming to save us.”
“Let’s not speak too soon.” I click Chris’ name on my phone. “Still ringing.”
Monica stands beside me. “Leave a message?”
I hang up. “I’ll send a text instead.”
Laila: Hey babe. Stuck at this party. Call me if you can.
Monica looks at me as she massages her shoulders. “I need a boo on reserve. One who can be my knight when I need him.”
I laugh. “He could come in handy right about now.” The leaves behind us rattle. We both turn around and see a few guys walking out of the dark path.
Monica whispers, “Do you think we should ask them for a ride?”
I slap Monica's arm. "And where do you think they are hiding their car? Clearly, it's not out here." My phone vibrates and I answer before even looking at the screen. "Hello."
“Babe, you stuck? Where are you?”
"Yes, this damn bus dropped us off in the woods, and we want to leave but can't find the bus or anyone who knows how to get us out of here."
Chris chuckles. “Y’all went to that weak ass Invite Only party?”
“Hey, don’t judge us. Can you get us?”
“Yeah. It’ll take a minute though. I have to get back to my car.”
“Alright, guess we’ll just sit around and wait.”
“I’ll call you when I get close.”
Monica stares at the guys standing around looking just as lost. “Might as well make friends.”
“Right. We need as many friends as possible come next semester.”
“Yup, more friends equal more votes.” She saunters her wide hips over to the guys and waves. I follow closely behind her. “Trying to get out of here too?”
They look up as if they didn’t see us standing around. “How the hell do we get to the bus?” He squints his already small beady eyes. “I thought it dropped us off right here.”
“We haven’t seen it. We asked someone to come pick us up.” Monica looks at me before she proceeds. “What year are y’all?”
The other guy awakens from his haze. “Juniors.” He rubs his hands across his short hair. “Think your ride will mind dropping us back off at the parking lot?”
Monica shrugs her shoulders. “You’ll have to ask her.” Pointing her finger in my direction.
Before he has a chance to ask I respond, “If he has enough room I’m sure he won’t mind.”
The trees rustle again and more people appear from the dark path. A girl wobbles from side to side while another girl holds her around the waist. When they are near us the girl plops herself on the ground and looks up and slurs, “Hey.” She leans over then pukes and we all jump back to avoid being hit by the remnants of her stomach.
My phone dings with a message.
Chris: Just got to my car. Be there in about 15.
I nod my head towards Monica and we walk away from the drunk girl on the ground. The guys yell at us, "Hey! Don't forget about us."
“I still would like to know who is throwing this party.” Monica looks back at the dark path and smirks. “And why the hell did they choose this far off building in the middle of the woods?”
My phone rings as I see car lights coming up the street. “Hey.”
“I’m pulling up now. Where are you?”
“I see your lights. We are standing in the open space to the right.”
“Alright.” Chris pulls up in front of us but before I can climb in the car the guys are standing behind me.
I open the door and lean in to say, “Do you mind giving these dudes a ride back to the parking lot?”
Chris shifts in his seat then looks past me. “No. Get in.”
As we climb in t
he car Chris shakes his head. “I can’t believe these dance troupes have y’all stranded out here.”
My head snaps around. “Dance troupes?”
Monica squeals. “Now it all makes sense. Jennifer’s dancing ass is probably trying to be in a dance troupe. Dragging us to this whack ass party because she had to be here.”
Chapter Thirteen
After a weekend with Tanya we are all sad to see her leave Sunday evening. Tanya is packed and ready to get back to Ava, but on her way out the door she promises she will be back soon.
In front of her car, we embrace and laugh at how we are both shedding a few tears. "Aw, we are so emotional." Tanya pulls away and wipes her face. "I better get out of here before you start your ugly cry."
On my way back up the stairs I stop when I hear someone yell my name. Turning around, I expect to see Tanya but instead I see Courtney standing near her car. The same car that passed me a couple of days ago.
“What do you want, Courtney?” I shift my stance to look up to the apartment. Of course I didn’t bring my cell phone down with me. If she tries anything crazy I need to be able to run up the stairs.
“Just thought you should know I’m back, and I plan on getting Chris to fall back in love with me.”
The smirk on my face should tell it all, but I confirm what I’m thinking and say, “Welcome back and good luck with that.” As I turn to walk away, I mumble, “Crazy bitch.”
Courtney yells at me, "He didn't think I was a crazy bitch when I saw him yesterday."
Without missing a step, I continue to the apartment. After all Chris' mother did to get Courtney out of L.U., and after Courtney proved she was crazy by stalking him and me if he decides to get back with her, then more power to the both of them.
Monica looks up from her books and her mouth drops. “Are you that sad that Tanya is leaving?” She shakes her head. “I wish I had a best friend like that from back home.” I plop down on the couch while Monica continues her monologue. “Chicks from my high school were always hating on me being younger than them.” She finally stops talking and looks at me with her brows scrunched. “That’s not it?”