So Done

by Paula Chase

Tai’s eyes rolled. “So I was supposed to sit in the house by myself all day?”

  “You coulda called me and asked was it all right,” her father said. His elbow nudged just enough to scoot Simp back a step. “’Scuse me, partner. Do you mind? I’m trying talk to my daughter.”

  “Mr. Bryant, we was just chilling,” Roland said. He extended his right hand. “I’m Roland Matthews from third court.”

  Mr. Bryant looked at the hand like it was a piece of rotten meat. “Cool, you got manners. Then that means you know how it look when two hardheads up in here with two young girls. I don’t care what y’all thought you were doing. But don’t be up in my crib chilling when no adults here. Everybody hear that?”

  He gave Simp and Roland steely looks until they nodded obediently. He looked over at Mila, as if just realizing she was there.

  Her breath caught in her throat.

  “Bean, I’m surprised at you. I always expect you to be the one that keep Tai from doing stupid stuff,” he scolded.

  Her mouth popped open as she considered apologizing, then closed just as fast. She unplugged her player from the speakers. It took her trembling fingers three tries.

  Mr. Bryant looked back at Tai. “Wait till I tell Mama. We see how chill you be then.”

  Tai was up in a flash. Steam was practically coming out of her ears. “How it sound that you my father and you gon’ tell on me? You be so pathetic it’s not even funny.”

  Mr. Bryant swayed again like the gale of words had blown into him. This time his right foot stepped out to catch himself before he leaned into the door.

  Mila inhaled silently. Her limbs shook at the thought of him running up on Tai and smacking her. After all, he was her father. He could do that.

  Would the guys jump in and help?

  Would she?

  She didn’t want to find out. She was torn between trying to protect Tai and getting as far away as soon as possible. Tai saved her from having to make a decision.

  “Let me know when you tell Nona so I can be sure to be right there and make it clear to her that if you had been home when I got back from Jamila’s, there would have been an ‘adult’ here.” She stormed down the hall.

  While he eyeballed her retreat, Mila darted to the door and squeezed by. She squished herself against the doorframe hard, to avoid touching him. A hint of acrid smoke trailed up her nose as she passed him. Mr. Bryant tilted out of the way as Roland and Simp silently followed. Thankfully, he’d lost interest in all three of them.

  “Stay your butt up there, too,” he yelled up the stairs, slamming the screen door closed behind them.

  Nobody said a word until they were safely across the street and on the sidewalk in front of Mila’s.

  “Man, he a straight a-hole,” Simp said.

  “He high,” Roland said simply. But he looked as shook as the rest of them.

  Simp glanced back at Tai’s front door. “Maybe we shouldn’t leave her in there with him.”

  “What we gon’ do, man?” Roland said, his voice cracking. “That’s her father.”

  Still, he looked back at the door, too.

  “Tai knows how he is,” Mila said with more confidence than she felt. “He gonna end up laying on the couch and falling asleep.” She added bitterly, “I doubt he’ll even remember all this when he gets up.”

  Simp’s eyes raised. “I didn’t know he still got faded like that, ’cause—”

  “Come on, son, let it go,” Roland interrupted.

  Simp shut right up. They all just stared over at Tai’s house.

  Regret sat on Mila’s shoulder like a gorilla. She should have gone to the mall. Or made up a reason to stay home. Or left Tai’s house an hour earlier. She hadn’t done anything right. Just went along like always. She just wanted to be home. “I’ll talk to y’all later.”

  Roland’s hand grasped her arm. “Hold up a second.” He put his hand out and gave Simp a pound, dismissing him. “Ay, I catch up with you in a minute.”

  “Yeah, all right,” Simp said. He stared up at Tai’s window as he walked off.

  “What’s up?” Mila asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Roland folded his arms across his chest then unfolded them. “You mad at me or something?”

  She blinked nonstop as she forced herself to look him in the face. “Why would you think that?”

  “’Cause you stopped answering my messages,” he said.

  She silently let go of the breath she’d been holding. “Oh. I thought maybe somebody had started some nonsense about me.” She laughed, the relief real. Cove rumors could start years-long beefs with people.

  He did the choppy laugh. “Naw, nothing like that.”

  Her relief was quickly replaced with dread at Tai knowing about their summer chats. “I know you know that Tai likes you, right?” She met his gaze. It was almost like they were back in the Woods again. He was that easy to talk to when it was just the two of them.

  “I might know something about that.” A tiny smile spread across his face. Then he got serious. “But what that got do with me and you talking?”

  “Everything,” Mila said, dead serious. “She’s my best friend. I don’t want her thinking me and you are scheming behind her back.”

  His eyes rolled. “I known you just as long as I’ve known Tai, Bean.”

  “Yeah, but Tai wouldn’t see it that way,” Mila said, desperate to make him understand. “Just being honest, but I didn’t want it getting back to her that I was talking to you all summer and not texting her, Mo, and Sheeda.”

  He grinned. “Oh, I was the only one you kept up with while you was gone?”

  Mila inhaled sharply. “Roland, for real, don’t ever tell Tai that. I mean—” She looked up at Tai’s window. “I didn’t want you to think I was igging your messages. But I really wasn’t talking to anybody this summer because I was spending time with my sister.”

  “Yeah, when I saw your FriendMe page wasn’t being updated, I was like Oh true, Bean for real for real off the grid.”

  “We’re good, though. I’m not mad,” she insisted, twirling a braid around her finger.

  “Good.” He started to settle into a conversation when the door to Tai’s house slammed shut. They both watched as Mr. Bryant came onto the front stoop. He lit a cigarette, blowing the smoke in their direction. He stared squarely at Roland, but to Mila his eyes were hooks digging into her. She backed slowly toward her door.

  “All right, Roland, I’ll see you later,” she said.

  Roland stood on the sidewalk for a few more seconds, staring confused at Tai’s father. Even through the door Mila could feel Mr. Bryant’s gaze. She turned on every light in the house and waited in her room, as far away from the front of the house as possible, for her dad and the boys to return.

  It turned out, sometimes even a few days or months didn’t make a difference.

  Chapter

  10

  Regrets was for suckers.

  Tai didn’t regret the ugly fight she’d had with her father in front of everybody. He was a butt, plain and simple.

  The second Nona walked in, Tai had raced to the door bawling that he’d embarrassed her in front of her friends. She played it up with dripping snot from her nose, twitchy eyes, and pretending to be afraid to look at her father.

  Nona had gotten hot when she realized he hadn’t been home already. She’d lectured him so hard he finally stormed out. He never got the chance to snitch about Simp and Rollie being there.

  That’s what you get, Tai thought with stubborn satisfaction.

  It was two days later and she was basically the winner, but the whole scene still hurt. Of all people for him to act like a tail in front of, it had to be Rollie.

  But nope, she didn’t regret it because Rollie had checked in on her the rest of the night, low-key asking was everything cool. Him caring if she was cool made the whole stupid thing worth it. Now they were on Skyvo making moves for the day.

  They weren’t even talking about an
ything, for real. She didn’t care as long as he didn’t log off, but she moved her face up to the camera and put on a pretend pouty voice. “Hello? Why you ain’t saying nothing?” then went right back to texting Bean so she wouldn’t just be staring at the screen while he played whatever video game he was into. His fingers clicked and clacked on the controller, working it hard while she tried to get Bean to hit center court.

  JahMeeLah: I don’t feel like it.

  Tai’s fingers slid across the screen, swiping her message into existence: OMG so whut u gon sit in the house every day til school?!!! Cmon. Rollie coming if I can get him off Skyvo. Lolz

  JahMeeLah: It’s hot Tai!!

  DatGirlTai: So!!! Cmon

  Tai paused for a second then texted: Please

  She hated begging. Why did Bean always have to make hanging out so hard?

  “Like, just come on, girl,” Tai muttered to herself.

  Any other time she would have said that to Bean, but things were different lately. A few times she’d caught Bean frowning like Tai was getting on her nerves even when Tai couldn’t think of anything she’d said wrong.

  All these years she’d been the mouthpiece and Bean her quiet backup. Now she didn’t know what her friend was thinking anymore. Both of them couldn’t be the lead, snapping on people and setting them straight. Not that Bean was even capable of that.

  She mock-complained to Rollie, hoping for sympathy. “Bean be so irky sometimes. She never want be out in the cut.”

  Rollie eyed the screen over his shoulder. It was only the second time he’d looked away from his game. Tai lifted up her chin, lowered her eyes, and gave him a pout for good measure. She hoped her lips looked kissable.

  “For her being your girl, you mad hard on her.” He snorted. “That wouldn’t be me.”

  “Like you don’t be dogging Simp. And that’s supposed to be your boy.” She palmed the camera, giving it a smush. “Whatever, boy. Bye.”

  “Please, I don’t do Simp like that,” Rollie said. “If he not down to hang, that’s on him. I don’t trip over it.”

  He reared back in his chair, arms tight, fingers tapping furiously. When he accomplished whatever had set him off, he talked easily like he’d never stopped. “Just saying, everybody know you and Mila tight. But you always coming for her. Seem messed up to me.”

  Tai wasn’t trying to get into it with him even though she hated being talked to like that with a passion. If it had been anybody else, she would have gone off. She couldn’t help that Bean was the quiet one, as everybody loved to say. Like being quiet won you money or something. Hello, quiet didn’t get Rollie hitting you up on Skyvo, did it?

  Everybody had a job to do in a friendship, just like it was Simp’s to jibber jabber away so Rollie could play that quiet, intelligent thing he was always doing. There was something about Rollie. She didn’t think he was as quiet as he came off. There was a wild boy in there somewhere and she was determined to get closer and find out for herself. The thought made her tingle inside. She put the whole matter to rest. She didn’t want to argue with Rollie.

  “Look, ain’t nobody coming for Bean,” she said, meaning it. “But we only have three weeks left of summer. I’m ready get out and chill.” She pulled herself from the screen and went about picking an outfit. “She did what she wanted this summer. Can’t I have these last few days? I mean, dang.” Her exasperation was real.

  Hearing Rollie laugh broke up her bitterness. His laugh was so cute, all low and raspy.

  She walked away from the screen so Rollie wouldn’t see her grinning. It would blow her whole playing-it-cool vibe.

  He teased her, talking about how she knew she was wrong. Ignoring him, she picked through potential camisoles to wear. But her eyes narrowed in concentration when Rollie’s voice, floating through the tiny speaker holes right in her direction, said, “Shoot, from what I know, she loved it over there. When I saw her that night, for real she looked like a different person . . . acted like it, too.”

  Tai’s hand dropped to her waist, like the cami weighed a hundred pounds.

  When he saw who? They’d been talking about Bean. Had he jumped conversations on her? She stayed mute and off to the side so he couldn’t see her confusion. She grabbed a pair of jean shorts to ride with the cami.

  “I ain’t never really seen Bean smile that much.” He paused, then added quickly, “No shade, though. It was good to see her laugh. She be so serious, always.”

  Tai slipped out of her pajamas, tempted to flash Rollie a taste, then decided against it. Just her luck, Nona would roll in. Staying well away from the bubble of the camera lens, she dropped the cami over her head and was still buttoning her shorts, her game face back on, when she plopped down in front of the screen.

  “Oh, you saw her this summer? When?” she asked, using all her will to keep her right eyebrow from arching, a telltale sign she was mad.

  Rollie’s eyes widened. “Snap, you was getting dressed?”

  Her need for information too deep to flirt back, Tai only nodded.

  “Oh, so you were naked while I’m sitting right here?” A smirk lifted the corner of his mouth, followed by a grin that warmed Tai, even almost threw her off course. But the anger bubbling in her chest wouldn’t let it.

  “Um-hm,” she said, at least remembering to smile back. “So when you see Bean, though?”

  He frowned. His finger tapped firmly, once, and the noise from the game silenced. Finally he shrugged as he gave up searching for the answer.

  “I forget when, for real. It was twice, though.” His head went off screen as he bent down. When he appeared again he was standing. Tai had to lean in to hear because his mic wasn’t getting his voice as good. “The first time I was over my cousin Michael’s house. He live with his grandmother over there in the Woods.” He walked away from the screen. His voice came back even more distant, but Tai heard him. She was nearly glued to the screen. “Then I ran into her at the Garret Carnival. . . .”

  Everything after that was sounds and fuzziness.

  With questions and voices banging in her head she got through another few seconds, making him promise to head to the court, before logging off in a flurry. She texted Bean and promised that they would only stay at the court for a little bit and to just “COME ON.” The demand did the trick. Bean agreed to hang.

  Questions rolled in Tai’s head like scattering bowling pins. Before she could answer one, another landed. One came over and over . . .

  Bean had kept this from her. Why?

  Chapter

  11

  Mila knew something was up the second Tai stepped out of the house. Her round face was serious and unsmiling. She didn’t look like somebody who had just been talking to a dude she’d been crushing on forever. They walked in silence.

  The sun was so blazing even the birds were too hot to chirp. Like it always was midday, the hood was quiet. Mila wondered why she agreed to come out. August was confusing. Mornings were cool enough to fool you into wanting a jacket. But by noon the late summer sun was back. Over in the Woods the shade from thick trees made the heat bearable. If she’d still been there, she would have spent the day out back reading with only the crickets for company. There was nowhere to hide from the sun in the Cove. She wiped at the sweat trickling down her neck. Summer heat and Tai had a ’tude. Great.

  They passed four houses, five, then six before Mila asked, “You all right?”

  No answer. It was so quiet, Mila could hear their footsteps. She counted to fifteen in her head and was up to twenty-five before Tai’s high-pitched laugh broke the silence.

  “Yeah, girl, I’m good.” Her eyes disappeared into slits as she smiled big. “I was ready lay you out for not wanting to hit the court, but whatever. Same ol’ Bean never want roll through the hood.” She put her hand up. “My bad, same old Jamila.”

  Mila was so relieved that she ignored the sarcastic way Tai said her name, drawing out the “meel” like if she said it the right way she might turn into dust a
nd blow away.

  They walked in sync as Tai gave every detail of her Skyvo with Roland. Before long Mila tuned out, dropping in only to agree that it definitely seemed like he was feeling Tai.

  When they arrived at center court, Mo and Sheeda were two lonely specks on the long rows of silver bleachers. Sheeda sat between Mo’s legs, her head bent and face hidden by her thick Senegalese twists. Mo’s hands pulled and twisted the hair into a complicated updo. Every now and then she looked away to watch the boys hustle up and down the hot court.

  As Mila’s and Tai’s feet banged hollow on the bleachers, Sheeda peeped up from beneath the curtain of hair. “What’s up, girlies?”

  Mo pushed at her neck. “Keep your head down.”

  Tai frowned down at Sheeda’s mop of hair. “I know those gotta be hella hot.” She flicked at the space where her hair used to be. “I’m loving my short hair.”

  Mo’s face contorted as a disobedient twist slid out of her hands. “That’s why I’m trying help her put it up. She was making me hot just looking at it.”

  Mila felt Sheeda’s pain. Mo and Tai never wore braids or fake hair. Sheeda and Mila never wore anything but. Mila wanted to wear her hair flat-ironed or curled but once Cinny had moved, it was easier for her dad to send her to get the hair redone every six weeks. She was old enough to take care of it herself, but he kept making the appointments and she was reluctant to tell him she was tired of the style and of sitting in the braiding salon for eight hours every seventh Saturday.

  She envied Mo’s messy bun. Easy, cool, and cute. She sometimes imitated the style with her own horde of braids. But the hair was too heavy. Instead, her micro braids were wrapped several times and twined with three headbands to keep any of the hot fake hair from making her neck sweat worse. She came to Sheeda’s defense.

  “All of us don’t have the slick and wavy like Tai or the creamy cracked-out perm like you, Mo.”

  Mo whooped laughter. “Not the creamy cracked-out perm, though.”

  They joked back and forth as Mila and Tai watched Sheeda’s hair transform into a series of thick brown ropes. She looked like she was wearing a hat. Once Mo was done, they watched the boys more closely. Even in the heat they were balling hard like someone was scouting them.