by Earl Sewell
I rudely tried to get rid of her. “Why don’t you just leave? I’ll take care of him.” I made certain that my tone of voice wasn’t a pleasant one.
Keysha ignored my suggestion, as if I were an unwelcome ant at a picnic.
“Carlo said the same thing. I never forwarded those photos!” Misalo said.
“Are you happy now? Just leave, Keysha, so I can help him!” I gave her a second warning.
Reaching into her small purse for her cell phone, Keysha said, “Yes, you did, Misalo, and here is proof. See, here is the text you sent, along with the date and time.”
“Why would you keep a photo of your girlfriend like that? Do you have a crush on Maya or something?” I interjected, trying to switch the focus of the conversation by suggesting that she and Maya were secret lovers.
“Maya is my best friend, which is something you lack,” Keysha retorted. “Besides, I did delete the photos. I didn’t realize that I still needed to delete them from the trash folder on my phone.” Keysha forced Misalo to focus on what she was showing him. “Look at the images and the date and time, Misalo.”
“Wait a minute. That was the day I broke up with Maya at the pool. I didn’t send these pictures. I never would have sent them,” he said.
“Look, chick. You’ve worn out your welcome,” I said, rising up and approaching Keysha. “Now leave!” I threatened her.
Keysha issued her own warning. “I don’t know who you think you’re talking to, but you’d better get out of my face!”
“Leave!” I shoved Keysha, who backed up a few steps. Keysha was not afraid of me at all. She quickly returned the favor and shoved me back.
“If you put your hands on me again, I’ll kill you!” Keysha looked me directly in the eyes.
“Would you two be quiet! I’m trying to think. Is this what Maya has been trying to talk to me about?”
“Duh! You’re just now figuring that one out?” Keysha asked, reaching into her purse. She removed some tissue and said, “Take care of that bloody nose.”
“I can take care of him!” I snapped at Keysha. I wanted her to leave.
“You can’t take care of a pile of crap sitting in fresh toilet water!” Keysha shouted, insulting me, and I didn’t like it one bit. My blood was starting to boil, and I was only a hair trigger away from beating Keysha down.
“How did these photos get forwarded?” Misalo was totally confused, and the last thing I needed or wanted him to do was figure out what happened.
“Forget it, baby. She’s talking crazy. Maya probably sent her over here to spy on us,” I said, not wanting Misalo to do something stupid, like actually think.
“Yeah, right. I’ve got better things to do,” Keysha said but didn’t stop asking questions. “Why didn’t you delete the photos like Maya had asked you to?”
“Because the pictures were so beautiful, I just couldn’t bring myself to delete them,” Misalo solemnly admitted.
“Oh, give me a break! Maya isn’t all that. I’m prettier than her, aren’t I?” I snapped at Misalo for being such a sap.
“You wish you were half as good-looking as Maya!” retorted Keysha, insulting me again, and I wasn’t going to take that from her.
“That’s it!” I said and shoved her. Keysha shoved me back and grabbed my hair, and I reached up and grabbed a handful of hers.
“Would you guys stop! Keysha. Let her hair go. You, too, Viviana. Let Keysha’s hair go.” Misalo immediately broke us apart.
“You’re not so tough!” Keysha said as she spat. I noticed that her saliva was red with blood. I figured she had accidentally bitten down too hard on her bottom lip.
“I’m not broken. You didn’t break me!” I snarled at her as I touched the area on my head where she’d grabbed my hair. It was very tender. When I looked at the pads of my fingers, I noticed blood.
“Yes, I did!” Keysha insisted. That was when I noticed her flicking a patch of my hair from her fingers. She’d actually ripped it from my skull.
“Why don’t you stay out of my damn business!” I screamed as I looked for another perfect opportunity to attack her. I wasn’t done with her just yet.
“It was you!” Misalo pointed his finger at me.
I took my focus off of Keysha and glared at him. I thought he’d at least be concerned about my missing hair, but he was too busy having an epiphany to notice.
“What are you talking about, Misalo?” Keysha asked, spitting on the ground once again.
“Viviana, you had my phone after you showed me the video clip of Maya slow dancing with Carlo at that party. Don’t you remember? I got so upset about the video clip that I rushed into the swimming pool and broke up with Maya. When I came out, you said that I dropped my phone, and returned it to me.” Misalo had a look of betrayal in his eyes. He’d finally put the pieces all together.
“You did that, Viviana? To your own cousin? What kind of sick heifer are you?” Keysha glared at me as if I were a pile of steaming horse manure.
“I don’t know what you guys are talking about!” I said, denying Misalo’s allegations. I was so focused on Misalo and the betrayal in his eyes that I didn’t notice Keysha, who’d heard more than enough of the allegations to make her own judgment.
“How could you do that to your own cousin?” Keysha asked again, searching for a reasonable explanation.
In my anger, I inadvertently admitted to something. I said, “Because she deserved it! That’s why!”
“Why?” Misalo hollered, so intensely that I flinched with fear. The roar of his emotional pain was unnerving. “You’re the cause of all of this? My breaking up with Maya, the fights with Carlo, everything! You set Maya up, didn’t you?”
“It’s not like that. You don’t understand everything she’s done to me. Don’t judge me until you know the full story. I don’t regret a damn thing!” I said unapologetically.
“I hope you rot in hell, Viviana!” Keysha said as she moved away from us.
Now that Keysha was gone, I could do damage control with Misalo. “Baby, just forget I said that. Let me help you.” I tried to tend to his injuries.
“Get away from me, Viviana. We’re through!” Misalo’s words cut me deeply.
“You don’t mean that. I know you don’t. You’re just angry right now, and I can understand that, but you shouldn’t be,” I said, then paused in thought as I tried to think of a reason for him to forget everything.
“Viviana, I don’t want to see you anymore,” he said and began hobbling back toward Veterans Park, to where he’d parked his car.
“How can you say that? How can you just turn your feelings for me off like that? I know you don’t mean it, baby. I know you love me, Misalo,” I screamed, but Misalo didn’t acknowledge me. He continued on his way. I stood still, trying to decide if I should follow him or leave him alone.
Then I heard someone shout out, “There she is!”
Twenty
MAYA
When I got home, I went directly into my bathroom and removed my wet clothes. I had to take my time and peel off my jeans, because I’d busted my left knee and the blood had soaked through the fabric, causing it to stick to my skin. I couldn’t believe I’d gotten pulled into a free-for-all. One minute I was pulling Carlo off of Misalo, and the next thing I knew, all hell had broken loose. People were pushing and punching each other for no reason.
Some strange girl, who I’d never met or seen before, slapped me and said, “That’s for sending those nasty photos of yourself to my boyfriend!” I’d had enough of people mortifying me about the photos. Why Misalo hadn’t heard about the photos and stood up for me, I didn’t know. All I did know at that moment was that I wasn’t taking it anymore. I shoved the girl so hard that she tumbled into another girl and fell to the ground. Figuring I’d made my point, I searched the cro
wd for Keysha, not knowing that a tidal wave of people, screaming and fighting, was about to swallow me whole.
Before I could move out of the path of the rowdy flash mob, I was pulled into it. I literally had to fight my way out of it. I was being kicked and punched from every direction. It was like being at a concert where a brawl had broken out, and there was no way I could get out of the path of danger. I scuffled my way through the mayhem and was shoved into a thicket of trees and bushes near the edge of the creek. I slipped on the muddy embankment and tumbled downward through undergrowth, which ripped and scraped my skin, before finally splashing into the creek and crashing my knee into a rock that was beneath the surface. I clawed my way up the muddy embankment and inadvertently sliced open the heel of my hand on a jagged tree branch. Once I made it onto the grass, I heard the wail of police sirens. I quickly searched for Keysha but didn’t see her. There was no way I was going to stick around to answer the questions the police would have, so I gathered myself as best I could and hobbled home.
Once my jeans were totally off, I cleaned my knee up, which had begun to swell. My knee was bruised pretty badly, and it was throbbing. I took a shower and washed my hair so that I’d no longer smell like swamp water. Afterward, I bandaged up my knee and my hand and went into my bedroom and found a pair of shorts and a clean T-shirt. I knew I needed to put ice on my knee to help the swelling go down. I hobbled down the stairs and over to the kitchen. I located the ice pack my mom kept in the freezer for my brother, Paul, who was always doing something stupid that required an ice pack. Once I had what I needed, I maneuvered my way down the few steps that led to the basement. I sat on the sofa, elevated my leg and rested the ice pack against my knee.
“Damn, that’s cold,” I complained as I leaned my head back and rested it against a sofa cushion. No sooner had I exhaled a sigh of relief and closed my eyes than my cell phone rang. I saw that it was Keysha calling me.
I quickly answered the phone. I was praying that Keysha was okay and hadn’t gotten hurt. “Hello?”
“Where are you at?” Keysha asked. I could tell by the edginess of her voice that something was wrong.
“I’m at home,” I said as I adjusted the ice pack. “You didn’t get caught up in that brawl, did you?” I asked.
“No, but I did get into a scuffle with Viviana,” Keysha admitted.
“With who?” I was uncertain if I’d heard her correctly.
“I’ll tell you later. Right now, I really need you to come over to my house,” Keysha said.
“I can’t. My leg is messed up,” I griped.
“Your leg is messed up? What happened to you?” Keysha asked.
“It’s nothing too serious. I just fell into the creek,” I explained.
“Can you walk? You didn’t break your leg again, did you?” I could tell that Keysha was legitimately concerned about me.
“I’m not hurt that badly,” I said.
“Maya, I really need you to come over. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t serious,” Keysha insisted.
“Why don’t you come over here?” I suggested.
“That isn’t a good idea right now, trust me,” Keysha said. After pausing for a brief moment to think about the quickest route to Keysha’s house, I said, “Okay. Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be there.”
“Great. I’ll be waiting,” Keysha said and hung up the phone.
* * *
I rode my bike over to Keysha’s house. I figured it would be easier than hobbling all the way over there on one leg. For the most part, it was easy, but for most of the way, I had to pedal with one leg while I dangled the injured one. Keysha’s brother, Mike, opened the door for me.
“Hey, Mike,” I greeted as I stepped inside.
“What’s up with you, girl? Why did you try to stop the fight when Misalo was getting his butt kicked?” he asked. Mike was wearing a pair of Levi’s jeans and a Ralph Lauren polo shirt.
“Because I’d seen enough,” I answered as I maneuvered around him.
“I don’t know if I would’ve protected him after what he did,” Mike said.
“Most people wouldn’t. In spite of everything, I still didn’t want to see him get hurt.” I paused for a moment. “How are you and Sabrina getting along?”
“We’d get along much better if she’d learn her position and stay in her lane.”
“What?” I looked at him as if he were stupid.
“Sabrina just needs to understand that girls other than her find me attractive. I can’t help the fact that I’m so fine and irresistible.” He laughed at his conceited comment. “I mean, why is it that girls freak out if they see their guy talking to another chick?” he asked, searching for a concrete answer to his question.
Shrugging my shoulders, I said, “It depends on the girl and how secure she feels.”
“What exactly does that mean?” he asked as I held on to the rail and hobbled up the stairs and into the family room.
“It means that you have to let her know constantly that she’s number one and that you’re not interested in other girls,” I said.
“I can tell her that all day long, but it doesn’t help. I just don’t get that. How could she possibly justify getting angry with me just because some other chick thinks I’m all that?”
“Women are complicated, Mike,” I said as I made my way toward Keysha’s room. Once I made it to the top landing, I saw Keysha standing in her bathroom. When she turned to face me, I saw her pressing a towel against her lip.
I hobbled over to her as quickly as I could. “What happened?” I asked.
“That’s what I’d like to know from you,” Keysha said.
“Me? What are you talking about?” I said as I sat down on the edge of her tub. “And is your mouth bleeding? Did you get into another fight?”
“I got into a fracas with Viviana over you and bit down on my tongue too hard,” Keysha said as she turned to face me. She reached over and closed the bathroom door so we’d have privacy.
“Viviana!” I said, utterly shocked.
“Yes,” Keysha answered.
“But why?” I asked.
“Because I was talking to Misalo and I asked him straight up why he’d sent photos of you to all his contacts.”
“Are you serious? What did he say?” I was on edge waiting for her next words.
“He denied it. He said that he never sent the photos,” Keysha said.
“How could he possibly deny doing that? He was the only person I sent the pictures to,” I said, getting angry.
“He acted as if it was the first time he’d ever heard of it,” Keysha said.
“Well, I don’t see how. All his friends should’ve gotten copies. Hell, they’ve been sending me all kinds of perverted emails, telling me how they’d love to do me.”
“Maybe no one told him because they liked the photos. Who knows?” Keysha said. “Are you still getting wild messages from guys?”
“Hell, yeah. I just don’t say anything. I feel like there’s this big sign on my forehead that says, ‘Maya is a total freak. Come give her a try.’” I released a depressing sigh. “Misalo was my soul mate. I just don’t understand what happened to us.”
“Viviana is what happened to you guys,” Keysha said as she closed the lid on the toilet and sat down.
“Yeah, I know that already,” I said, hoping that she had more current news.
“No, you don’t. There is more to it than her just stealing him away from you. She’s the one who caused the breakup to begin with,” Keysha explained.
I sat very still. “I’m listening.”
“Misalo blasted you out at the swimming pool that day because Viviana showed him a video clip of you dancing with Carlo the night she left you at that party.”
“What!” I shouted at Keysha.
&n
bsp; “You heard me,” Keysha said.
“That witch must have stood around long enough to take a video clip of me dancing with Carlo. Slow dancing with him was the only way I could get him to give me a ride home,” I explained.
“Well, when she showed it to Misalo, she must’ve made up some story about you guys being a hot item,” Keysha said.
“That’s what caused Misalo to go over the edge. Ooh, I’m going to kill her.” I was fuming and wanted revenge.
“Wait, that’s not everything,” Keysha replied.
“What else is there?” I asked.
“When Viviana had Misalo’s phone, she went through it and forwarded the pictures. Misalo never deleted them because, he said, you looked too beautiful.”
My mouth opened as wide as the horizon “He lied to me. He said that he deleted them.”
“Well, you already knew that he lied about that, but you should’ve never sent them to him to begin with.”
“What did you just say to me?” I was offended.
“I’m just saying. I’m your best friend, and I’m saying you should’ve never sent them.”
“Well, I had my reasons for doing it,” I said, not wanting to admit fault.
“I don’t need to hear about your reasons. That’s between you and Misalo. What I want to know is, why does Viviana hate you so much?”
I met Keysha’s gaze, and I supposed the look in my eyes told her that I was carrying a very big secret.
“Come on. I have a right to know. This is the second fray I’ve gotten into for you with Viviana.”
“It’s complicated, Keysha,” I said as I shifted my focus toward the ceiling.
“Yeah, I can see that,” Keysha said as she reached over and took my hands into her own. “I’m your best friend. You can tell me. Your secret is safe with me,” Keysha assured me.
I thought about whether or not I should tell her. Part of me wanted to, but another part was very hesitant.
“Come on. It’s okay,” Keysha said, trying to coax the truth out of me.
I finally gave in and told her what the deal was. “It’s about Viviana’s father. He was a hoodlum and a well-known gangbanger. He was the corona of the Latin Kings in Chicago back in the early nineties.”