Courtin' Jayd

by L. Divine

  “Who?” he says like he doesn’t know who I’m talking about.

  “Your baby’s mama, that’s who.” Rah looks serious as he contemplates my question. I curl up in my oversize knit sweater. The cold air has returned, putting an end to our long holiday weekend. Tomorrow it’s back to school and the regular grind.

  “Sandy’s got my seed, Jayd,” he says passionately. “You know how I feel about that. And I saw my daughter for the first time in a long time on Thanksgiving. Jayd, she’s beautiful and I can’t risk Sandy tripping and taking off like that again. I’m going for full custody, Jayd, and I’m going to need you here by my side because it’s not going to be pretty. Now, does that answer your question?”

  It does and then some. Like Mr. A, I’m going to have to be on my A game to weather the storm headed our way. Between my girls, Rah and Misty’s drama, my hustle’s going to have to be tighter than ever before. Thank God I’ve got Mama on my side to help me master this hectic game of life we’re constantly playing.

  A Reading Group Guide

  Drama High, Volume 6:

  COURTIN’ JAYD

  L. Divine

  ABOUT THIS GUIDE

  The following questions are intended to

  enhance your group’s reading of

  DRAMA HIGH: COURTIN’ JAYD

  by L. Divine

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  Make a list of all of the characters in the Drama High series thus far. How do the names fit their personalities?

  Do you think KJ handled Mickey’s revelation properly? Why or why not?

  If you could make your own charm, what would it be called? What would it be used for? In what form would you make it (tincture, tea, bag, etc.)? What ingredients would you include?

  Look at the song lyrics at the top of each chapter. What do they tell you about the chapter’s themes and titles?

  At the end of Chapter Twelve, is Nellie justified in her feelings about how she thinks Jayd and Mickey treat her? Explain why you agree or disagree with Nellie’s reaction.

  If you were Jayd and Rah spent the holiday with Trish and her family, how would you have reacted?

  In what ways is maintaining a friendship with Jeremy good for Jayd? What would be the benefit of their getting back together? Do you think she should give him another chance?

  Have you ever worked at a homeless shelter during the holidays like Mama does? If you have, what was the experience like for you? If you haven’t, is this something you’d consider doing? What would be your expectations?

  What’s a typical holiday like for your family? How is your culture similar/different from Jayd’s family traditions during the Thanksgiving holiday?

  How do you think Jayd and Netta will work together? Will this time be beneficial for both of them? In what ways?

  Is Rah right for not wanting Jeremy to play in the game against KJ? Explain your opinion.

  What do you think of KJ’s reaction to Mickey’s revelation that he and Misty have an STD? Is it fair the way Misty’s being treated?

  Do you think Jayd should stop trying to help Misty even though she feels sorry for her? Would you continue to try to help someone who’s a friend turned enemy?

  Should Jayd help Rah win custody of his daughter? What would you do if you were faced with the same dilemma?

  Stay tuned for the next book

  in the DRAMA HIGH series,

  HUSTLIN’.

  Satisfy your DRAMA HIGH craving

  with the following excerpt from

  the next exciting installment.

  ENJOY!

  Prologue

  After playing ball all day, I’d think Rah would be exhausted but he’s actually hyped from beating KJ and his boys in overtime. I enjoyed watching my boys stomp KJ’s ego. If I’m not mistaken, I think I saw KJ shed a tear he was so pissed. I can’t wait to see the look on his face at school tomorrow because me and my girls are letting everyone know KJ got his ass whipped. I know KJ thinks I had something to do with him losing and for once he’s right. But if Misty still thinks it’s my fault she and KJ have the clap, she’s crazier than I ever gave her credit for.

  I’m exhausted if for no other reason than I had to deal with Rah’s two crazy broads and Misty’s hating ass all weekend long. It’s one thing to have my school enemies at school and my home enemies at home, but when they come together, the outcome can only be negative for me. I’m going to need to give myself a cleansing after the long weekend we just had. My drama repellent also needs some tinkering and I hope Mama’s up for the task. I can handle Rah’s current leech Trish, and Misty always, but his baby mama being up in the picture is more than I can bear alone.

  Sandy remembers a little about how my grandmother and I get down but she and I weren’t friends long enough for her to get too close to me, unlike Misty. I befriended Sandy on her first day at my old school, Family Christian. Even though she’s a year ahead of Rah and me in school and two years ahead of us in age, she jumped Rah the first chance she got and made me her enemy soon after. I didn’t know as much about my gifts as I do now and I’ll be damned if Sandy’s going to wreak havoc in my life again like she did two years ago.

  Rah and I haven’t spoken a word since he told me about his plan to sue Sandy for sole custody of their little girl because I don’t know what else to say. What he doesn’t know is that I had a dream about Sandy leaving two years ago but I never told him or Mama about it because honestly I didn’t want her to stay. This has been the longest ten minutes of my life and there’s so much traffic on Crenshaw from the Sunday night cruising that we’re stuck with each other for longer than usual.

  On one hand, I’m glad Rah’s ready to take full responsibility for his daughter. Sandy did keep her away from him for almost two years without so much as a phone call and she’s not the most stable person in the world. But Rah has enough on his plate as it is. He’s only a junior and he already takes care of his little brother and holds down the household while his mom strips all day and night. Raising a toddler will be more than he can handle and I’m afraid of him doing whatever he deems necessary to hold it together, including more shit that could land his ass on lockdown with his father.

  “What are you thinking about over there?” Rah says, turning down the smooth oldies he’s playing. Before I can answer, Rah’s phone vibrates again and this time he answers. He better not be talking to either one of his broads in front of me right now because I’m not in a very friendly mood. Rah’s really got me worried about his next move and he seems too in control of everything, especially when it comes to Sandy and his baby girl.

  “Who’s that?” I say softly, not wanting to be too rude but letting him know I won’t be ignored. Rah looks at me out the corner of his eye and then back at the bumper-to-bumper traffic facing us. We haven’t moved more than three feet in the last five minutes and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better anytime soon. Whoever’s on the phone is making him smile, so I know it can’t be one of his other girls.

  “Yeah Nigel, we’re right around the corner from your spot, man. We’ll be there in five minutes.” Rah hangs up his cell and throws it in my lap before giving me a sarcastic grin. “Here. Now you can monitor all my calls.” He smiles at me and puts his blinker on, ready to cross traffic. But because he’s not in a classic pimped-out ride, no one takes him seriously.

  “Very funny,” I say, tossing the phone into his lap. I’m glad he’s got jokes because I need a good laugh. Rah and I have been way too serious lately. I’m glad I have him to talk to about both the good and bad in our lives but what happened to my cool, kicking-it companion? Good kissing messes everything up. I should have learned that lesson by now.

  “Is it cool if we roll by Nigel’s spot? They’re having a little session to continue the celebration.” After we left Pann’s stuffed like a holiday turkey, we went back to my mom’s and grabbed my stuff so I could get back to Compton earlier than usual. My mom hasn’t made it back from Lake Tahoe yet and I still
have much work to do. But kicking it with my friends is always a priority, even if my girls still aren’t currently speaking to each other. Maybe a session is just what we need to chill us out.

  “You know I’ve got to get back to Mama’s soon,” I say looking at the clock on the dashboard. “It’s already after five.” I usually get home around seven on Sundays and I don’t want to give Mama any reason to be irritated with me. If I come home smelling like weed, she’ll grill me like I was the one smoking even though she knows me better than that.

  “Yeah, I know. And I still have to pick up Kamal from my grandmother’s house so we’ll just kick it for a minute, cool?” I nod my head in agreement as he turns down Slauson Avenue headed toward Nigel’s pad.

  I can’t help but wonder how my girls are getting along and whether or not Nellie’s in a forgiving mood. They ignored each other during the game and at lunch but she kept her mouth shut about Mickey’s baby-daddy decision. I hope it stays that way until things cool down a bit because I’d hate to see what would happen if Nellie wanted to give Mickey a taste of her own bitchy medicine. That’s a gift no one should have to accept.

  1

  Misgiving

  “Can’t you tell, the way they have to mention/ How they helped you out, you’re such a hopeless victim.”

  —LAURYN HILL

  When we get to Nigel’s house I can see Chance’s Nova and Nigel’s Impala in the driveway. As nice as their classic cars are, they should’ve been the ones cruising down Crenshaw this evening. I guess his parents are out for the night, leaving us to chill alone in his beautiful home. Nigel lives in a huge old house that his parents recently had renovated when they relocated from Compton two years ago. His older sister is away at Spelman so it’s just him and his parents, and they give Nigel all the freedom he could ever ask for.

  When we walk into the foyer, the bright chandelier hanging from the ceiling sparkles, sending rainbow rays from the setting sun across the white walls. We step down the few steps to the main room, which serves as a living room and entertainment area, with a minibar set in the back corner.

  “Come on in and make yourselves at home. We’re up in my room,” Nigel says closing the door behind us as I follow Rah up the stairs. Nigel runs past us up the wide staircase into the grand hallway. The houses on this side of Los Angeles have been here forever and the white folks are moving back in and attempting to buy them up even if they are only a stone’s throw away from the hood. As I step up the last step I feel like I’m in an ancient southern mansion, slaves and all. It must be strange living in a house this big that possesses so many ancestral spirits. I can hear them all over the place.

  “Where are the folks?” Rah asks as Nigel swoops past us to open his bedroom door, letting us into his private fortress away from the rest of the house. From the looks of it, the other three rooms on this floor are still in the process of being remodeled. I know I’m the only one who can hear what others may refer to as ghosts speaking through the dilapidated walls, but it’s all good. I’m getting used to the surprises of my powers. I can see why my mother began to reject our gift when she was my age. It can freak a sistah out if she’s not open to receiving.

  When we walk into Nigel’s room, the pungent aroma of incense mixed with tobacco and other smoke hits me in the face and travels up my nose. Damn, now the shit’s going to be all in my hair too. I may have to sport my do wet all week if the smell’s too much for me to take.

  “Oh, they had some sort of fundraiser at the community center off Vernon. You know my dad can’t resist getting a pat on the back for writing a check, even if he wouldn’t normally be caught dead on that side of the hood.” Nigel’s dad used to play professional basketball but retired after a knee injury. Now he’s a top executive at a sports gear company and his mom is a not-so-happy housewife. With their daughter at an elite black college, they make the perfect black American dream family.

  “What’s up y’all?” I say through the cloud of smoke in the large room. Nigel’s room is off the chain. Even Jeremy would be envious of his sports-themed room that is at least the size of the living room downstairs. Nigel’s an obvious Laker’s fan, with purple and gold making up the color scheme. Vintage Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and A.C. Green posters hang on the wall. The best part of the room is the wall of mirrors where a basketball hoop also hangs. “Like to watch yourself hoop, I see?”

  “Perfection is an art that should be admired,” Nigel says, slipping between Mickey’s legs in complete comfort.

  “For sure, baby,” Mickey says, kissing the top of Nigel’s blue wave cap. I’ve noticed the hood coming back out in my boy since he got with my girl. Nigel’s pretty boy was starting to get out of control at Westingle. But between the laid-back atmosphere at South Bay High and hanging with Mickey, he’s starting to relax a little and his environment says the same thing. There’s an aquarium like the one at Rah’s house, a king-sized bed in the center of the room, and two futons on opposite walls, now occupied by Nellie and Chance in one and Nigel and Mickey spread out across the other. Rah and I take a seat at the card table opposite the entertainment center, ready for a quick chill.

  “That was a good game, man. Thanks for letting my boy play,” Chance says in between puffs. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Nellie has been smoking, but I’m sure it’s just a contact high.

  “Yeah, y’all did play well together,” I say, looking at both of my girls, who haven’t said a word or moved an inch since I walked in. I guess dudes aren’t sensitive to the tension between girls but I can cut it with a butter knife it’s so thick. What did I miss in the hour we’ve been apart?

  “What’s up with you, Jayd?” Nigel says, smiling as he grabs the remote from the side table next to his futon, flipping the television stations while Digable Planets plays in the background. Blow It Out is an all-time favorite album of our crew and would be the perfect mellow music if the tension wasn’t so hot in this spot.

  “Nothing much. Just ready to get back on my grind.” I can only relax so much when I know I have mad work waiting on me at home. This is why I must get my own ride and soon. I hate being at the mercy of other folks, even when we are chilling. When I’m ready to roll, I don’t want to have to ask anyone. And by the looks of it, we may be here longer than I want to. It’s only a matter of time before one of my girls sets the other one off.

  “How’s your leg?” I ask Chance as he passes the blunt to Nigel. Rah’s looking down at his vibrating phone. The way his jawbone just tightened I’d say it was probably Sandy. As long as he doesn’t answer it in front of me, we’re good. “It was cool but I think I may have made it worse during the stampede at the beach yesterday.”

  “Yeah, that tends to happen after a shooting,” I say as Rah looks at me seriously. I know he worries about me but not as much as I do him.

  “You should’ve seen Nellie’s prissy ass trying to get out of the way without messing up her hair. It was hilarious,” Mickey says, making us all laugh. But Nellie doesn’t find it amusing at all. Here we go. All it takes is one off-the-wall comment to get these two going when there’s already beef between them.

  “At least I take my health and well-being seriously, unlike you, mommy-to-be. You only care about yourself, just like when you called Misty out in front of everyone at school. That was stupid, Mickey.” There was more venom in that comment than in snakebite. The two of them have been hating on each other more and more lately and I’m sick of it. I wish Mickey would just come clean so we could move on from being full-time secret keepers and back to being best friends chilling.

  “Taking care of myself means getting out of dangerous situations I may find myself in, and calling bitches out like I see them is part of that process,” Mickey says, adjusting Nigel’s head in her lap. “It’s called street smarts, baby girl. And no, there’s no book you can buy to teach them to you. You’ve got to live it to be it.” Nellie looks like she’s about to burst with anger. It’s been an extra long day and I can’t deal wit
h another fight. I’m ready to go now and I think Rah just got my drift.

  “Okay ladies, that’s enough,” Chance says, feeling my pain. “Where’s the blunt? Let’s get this vibe mellowed out. It’s been a good day and you two are bringing me down.”

  “Y’all can’t smoke around Mickey. She’s expecting,” Nellie says, taking the blunt away from a now very annoyed Chance. I knew Nellie would be Mickey’s nightmare of an auntie but I didn’t think it would start this soon. Nigel gets up from his comfy spot and walks across the room, snatching the blunt from a stunned Nellie. Nellie gets up to follow him but he’s back in Mickey’s clutches before she can get to him.

  “Nellie, sit down and shut up,” Mickey says, taking the blunt from Nigel and licking it, irritating Nellie even more. “Every pregnant chick I know is around weed twenty-four/seven and their babies come out just fine.” Mickey hits the blunt and passes it back to her man. Nellie looks like she’s going to charge our girl and there’s nothing I can do but sit and watch it all go down.

  “Are you going to let her do that? She’s carrying your baby.” Nigel looks across the room at Nellie and exhales the thick smoke. His deep laugh turns into a cough and Mickey laughs at Nellie’s concern too. I know Nellie means well but I told her this would happen. If she were really exposing Mickey’s foul behavior for our girl’s sake, that would be one thing. But Nellie’s intentions are purely selfish, which won’t benefit anyone, least of all herself.

  “Mind your business, Nellie,” Mickey says, sitting up in her seat to look more closely at Nellie. The room is dimly lit but it’s enough to see the hate radars glaring across the room.