Who You Wit'?

by Paula Chase

  “Dag, she called you out,” Jacinta said. She shook her head.

  “Okay, well, the first time I even saw Kelly was on our way home,” Mina said. Her head swiveled from Kelly to Lizzie. “Nobody said a word in the car. How am I supposed to know…”

  “You didn’t ask,” Lizzie said.

  “I didn’t ask what?” Mina sputtered, growing defensive.

  “You didn’t ask Kelly how it went when we got in the car.”

  Mina frowned. “I figured she was going to dish when we got back here.”

  “Yeah, okay.” Lizzie’s jaw clenched. She folded her arms. “Mina, you’re my best friend. But I’m tired of waiting for you to care about me or what’s going on in my life. We all are.”

  “Woah. Hold up, Lizzie,” Jacinta said. “Don’t speak for all of us.”

  “Oh, my bad. Of course.” She thrust her chin in the air. She clenched two fingers together. “You guys are likethis.”

  Mina’s head shook from side to side slowly. She eyed Lizzie wearily. “Why are you so mad with me? Are you blaming me for you and Todd breaking up?”

  Lizzie threw her head back and sighed explosively. “God. No, Mina. This isn’t about Todd or Brian or Raheem or whoever,” she shouted, arms flailing. “Everything is not about the guys. Look, never mind.”

  “Lizzie, I’m trying to understand,” Mina said. Her chest tightened. She wanted to lash out at Lizzie, but didn’t dare.

  “So now you’re trying to understand?” Lizzie spat.

  “Kelly, do you agree with Liz?” Mina asked. Her eyes laser-beamed through Kelly. “I never care about what’s going on with you guys?” Unable to help herself, she added, with emphasis, “Ever?”

  “I…” Kelly looked from Lizzie to Mina. Her eyes were deer-in-the-headlight large as she shook her head from side to side. “I’m not…taking sides. I just…you guys need to talk.”

  “Kelly, it’s cool if you don’t want to take sides,” Lizzie said. She fixed Mina with a look. “But I’m not scared to say it. I didn’t say never. But lately, yeah, you don’t seem to care about anything else but Brian.”

  “Fine.” Mina sat back against the sofa with a thump. “Fine. I’m the world’s worst best friend then. I can’t believe you’re giving me grief. In a few months, he’ll be gone and…”

  “Yes, we know, Mina. Like you’d ever let us forget,” Lizzie snapped.

  “Just be real about it, Lizzie,” Mina said. Anger trembled in her throat. “What are you really pissed about? Because it’s one thing if I’m your punching bag ’cause Todd’s not around. If that’s it, cool, I’ll take it.” Her shoulders hitched. “You know, that’s what girls are for. But you’re bringing up stuff like this has been on your chest for a minute. So be real.”

  “Kelly and Greg broke up before they could ever get together because Angel showed up tonight,” Lizzie said. A sneer crossed her face at the look of surprise on Mina’s face. “Oh, but see, Angel showed up because he asked Kelly to the prom, but she said no.” Lizzie’s voice was sarcastic and cutting. “So Kelly’s date didn’t go real well tonight. You didn’t know that because it just happened. But you didn’t know about the prom thing, either, and that’s old news.” She snorted. “By the looks on Jacinta’s face, she knew. So you’re the only one, Mina. How come you didn’t know?”

  Mina’s eyes welled. “Kelly didn’t tell me.”

  “Not like you asked,” Lizzie said.

  “How can I ask about something I didn’t know about?” Mina said, tears falling. The smothering feeling from the weekend before wrapped itself around her neck.

  “You don’t ask about anything anymore,” Lizzie said softly.

  “That’s not true,” Mina said weakly. She turned to Jacinta for some sort of confirmation or denial that she was as bad as Lizzie said, but Jacinta’s face was as perplexed as Mina felt. “Is this because of Todd? Or because I didn’t take the pact?”

  Lizzie chuckled bitterly. “Even though you didn’t have my back with it, the pact is so…whatever.”

  Mina’s eyebrows caterpillared into a unibrow. “Didn’t have your back?”

  “Uh-oh,” Jacinta said. She slid back an inch.

  “Come on, you guys already settled that,” Kelly said, forcing brightness into her voice. “I’m down with you on the pact, Lizzie.”

  “Thanks,” Lizzie said.

  Mina winced at the small, but genuine smile Lizzie flashed at Kelly.

  “If you had told me sooner…” Mina started.

  “What? You would have taken it with us?” Lizzie said, a look of total disbelief in her eyes. She and Mina stared at one another until finally, Mina looked down. Lizzie snorted. “Yup, exactly.”

  Guy Time

  “Ha haaa…I’m a G! I’m a G!”

  —N.O.R.E., “I’m a G!”

  “Man for real? You broke up with her?” JZ stopped midroll. The wall he was painting was massive. They’d been there all morning and were still only on the first coat of paint.

  Paint dripped down his roller onto the wall in thin, blobby peach streaks.

  “Son, come on. My aunt gonna kill me if this room looks all streaky,” Brian hollered over.

  JZ rolled it down, absorbing the drips. He talked over his shoulder to Todd, whose face was now a dark crimson. “T, son, that’s…man, that’s not right. Even I’m not that cold.”

  “I didn’t break up because of the pact,” Todd said.

  “Yeah, you did,” Brian said, laughing.

  JZ laughed, too. But he turned serious again. “Then why did you?”

  “Dude, ’cause she played me,” Todd said.

  JZ’s eyes popped. “Lizzie? Come on, T. You know Lizzie’s not like that.”

  “Alright, check this.” Todd stopped painting. He put his roll down into the pan and looked from JZ to Brian. His voice echoed in the big, empty room. “If you were me, you’re saying you wouldn’t have broken it off? She said she’s taking the pact for a year.”

  JZ smirked. “Man, ain’t no girl gonna take that kind of pact when she’s with the kid.”

  Todd’s eyes rolled. Secretly, he admired how smooth JZ was with girls. But he didn’t harbor any delusions that he would ever have that same ease. Humor was his thing, and he was comfortable in his own awkward, comedic way. But everybody acted as if nice guys like him were also suckers. That’s how Lizzie making the pact made him feel, and he admitted it. “Whatever, Jay, dude. It’s like Lizzie thought I was such a sucker that she figured it didn’t matter how she came at me with this whole pact thing.” He turned back to his roller, letting it glide through the thick peach paint until it was sopping. He placed it on the wall with a thump and let the paint drip before outracing it with the roller to soak it back up. “I’m a nice guy, but I’m not a sucker.”

  JZ shook his head. “But you like her, right?”

  “Yeah, I like her. Lizzie is chill.”

  “Shoot, then find a couple of…” JZ faked clearing his throat. “…chicks who down with being the jump off.” He shrugged. “Then keep Lizzie as your main girl.”

  “Man, come on. That’s wack, too,” Brian said.

  “What? You’re not going to do that when you leave for school?” Todd asked. He squinted over at Brian.

  Brian put his free hand up as if he was taking an oath. “I plead the Fifth.”

  “I’m gonna make pretend I didn’t hear that,” JZ said.

  “Me, too,” Todd said.

  “Naw, I’m joking. I don’t know what’s gonna happen when I leave.” Brian’s shoulders shrugged. “I’m just going to cross that bridge when—”

  “Until you see how fine the dimes are at Duke?” JZ asked. His eyebrows stretched knowingly. “Righ’, righ’. I hear that.”

  “It’s not even like that,” Brian said. He pointed his roller at Todd. “I thought we were talking about dude and Lizzie?”

  “Alright, T, I’m just saying,” JZ said. “If Lizzie not down, some other girl might be without wanting to be all
girlfriend with you.”

  Todd’s head shook no. He cracked a smile. “That sounds like your style, playa. Not the T-man.”

  “Well, if the T-man trying to be all hemmed up with one girl, he needs to go ahead and get with her,” JZ said. He stopped painting and turned around. “T, for real, man, if you really don’t care about getting the goodies, just tell her you were rummin’ and want to get back.” He jabbed his paint roller toward Brian, spilling paint on the sheet covering the floors. “Everybody can’t be as lucky as this fool. Got his girl just down the street, on tap and whatnot.” JZ took his empty hand and tapped it to his own beat against the palm of the hand holding the roller. He sang out. “Smack that…all on the floor.”

  Brian laughed. “Go ’head with that, man.”

  JZ chuckled. “I’m just joking. That’s my girl.”

  They grew silent until JZ muttered. “Y’all can have that relationship stuff. I do enough work in class; brother don’t need to work at pleasure, too.”

  They shared a boyish chuckle before going back to slathering the walls in peach passion paint.

  Real Talk

  “I’m the only one that looks out for me, can be me,…”

  —Emily King, “Walk in My Shoes”

  Who cares more than me? Mina thought, frowning down at the piece of paper she held.

  In her hand, was her last Pop Life column for the year, due by the end of the period. She’d been proofing it. But her mind kept drifting back to the disastrous weekend.

  Lizzie and Kelly leaving early on Saturday.

  Mina trying to play referee by calling Todd and getting blown off.

  The weekend had been a roller coaster of drama.

  For a second, the words on the paper were nothing more than a blur as she stared so hard her eyes went out of focus. She shook off the haze and thoughts of the weekend, bringing herself back to the column.

  It was a tribute to some of the seniors going off, doing big things. Of course, her baby boo was one of the people mentioned. But no matter how badly she wanted to throw in smiley faces and hearts after his name, she’d made sure to keep her journalistic integrity in check by sticking to the facts: Brian James’s impact on the DRB Blue Devils basketball team will be sorely missed. But he’ll be taking his twenty-five points and fifteen assists per game to another famed Blue Devil team— the Duke University Blue Devils. We know Brian will keep things poppin’ as a freshman starter in Durham.

  The End.

  She smiled down at the paragraph, letting the silence of the empty journalism classroom float around her. She was the sole Bugle staffer in the last period class today. Ms. Dunkirk, their advisor, had gone with several staff members to the Principal’s office; the photographers were off in the darkroom; and the other three writers had gone on a print check, code word for legal pass to cut class. It was the generic term all staff members used when they were on official school paper business.

  James, Erica, and Beth were probably sitting at McDonald’s, Starbucks, or somewhere at the mall under the guise that they were talking with businesses that had taken an ad out in the paper.

  As this could be done over the phone or via email, Mina wondered why Ms. Dunkirk still allowed print checks. But it was one of the most popular privileges of being on the paper, and since print checks had to be done within the journalism class period, it wasn’t like the students ever had time to go too far.

  Mina had gone on a few print checks. Though, now that she thought about it, a lot of her print checks were actually real work—interviewing some student or faculty member during her class period. But she’d had her fair share of goofing off. Once she’d ended up at the Blarney Bean gossiping with Erica, and another time, she and Beth had gone to the mall for some window shopping at Forever 21.

  She’d passed on today’s because school work had been the last thing on her mind lately. Her column had been among the neglected victims. The quiet classroom had cleared her mind and allowed her to zip off the article in no time.

  She sat back in the seat, luxuriating in the silence. The only other classroom nearby was the music room, and it was soundproofed. Some days being here alone or with only one other person was eerie. But not today.

  Mina’s eyes were drawn to Brian’s name in the article.

  What was life going to be like dating a Duke baller? How weird was it going to be to watch Brian playing on television?

  Her arm broke out in chills.

  Then, images of Brian’s popularity at DRB High multiplied times twenty flashed in front of her: girls from Duke knowing him, hanging out in his dorm room, chilling on the quad with him. Girls from all over the country saying, “Oooh, girl, look at number 20. He’s cute.”

  Blasting the images, she forced happier pictures into her mind.

  Prom night, they were riding in a Hummer limo with several other couples, including JZ and his date. For some reason Mina refused to understand, the older girls could not get enough of JZ. This was his second year going to prom.

  It was going to be a crazy night.

  Yeah, let’s think about that, Mina said to herself, the tension ebbing. She circled Brian’s name on the draft and made a tiny heart next to it.

  “What’s up, girl?” Brian’s voice whispered from the entrance of the classroom.

  Mina jumped up, leaving the paper behind, and trotted over. He was looking senior casual in a blue DRB senior class shirt, jeans, and a fresh pair of Jordans.

  She answered his silent question as his eyes scanned the room. “I’m here by myself. Well, the paparazzi are in the darkroom. They won’t be out ’til the bell rings.”

  Brian’s brown eyes smiled at her.

  Mina could stare into his big brown eyes with those long, curly lashes all day. Standing on her toes, she pushed her face toward his. He brought his face closer, and they kissed, a peck at first, then more. She pulled away, her chest rising softly, excited at being so bold in school. She leaned against the entryway.

  “What are you doing out of class?”

  “It’s not like we’re really doing anything until exams,” Brian said. “But officially, I’m running an errand for Ms. McCord.”

  Mina’s phone vibrated in her pocket, and she jumped. She flipped it open and read the text from Jacinta.

  “Cinny said, can you stop her to the store on the way home?” Mina asked.

  Brian pursed his lips. “There y’all go, wanting me to chauffeur.”

  Mina put her hand on her hip. “Okay, it’s not like you’re not already giving her a ride home.”

  “How are y’all gonna get around next year?” He folded his arms, eyebrows arched.

  “JZ, Michael, Lizzie…shoot, even I’ll be driving by then.” Mina laughed.

  “Oh, so that’s all I’m good for, and I’m that easily replaced?” Brian pretended to walk off.

  Mina pulled his arm, easily dragging him back into the classroom.

  “Just jokes, baby boy.”

  Their hands fell into a light clasp.

  “What store?” Brian asked.

  Mina deftly typed out the message with only one hand. The phone buzzed back almost immediately.

  “A Rite Aid or something,” Mina reported. She typed back yes, without waiting for Brian’s official answer.

  “Alright. So what’s that you owe me now? Five favors?” He cut his eyes at her. His fingers ticked off the list as he called it aloud. “Michael using my truck. Taking Cinny to the store. Me taking the blame for that party…”

  Mina played along. “I may need reinforcements to help me pay back all that. Maybe you should call Golden Girl.”

  Brian snorted. “Oh, I can call her if you want.”

  Mina pouted. She tried to let her hand fall from his. But Brian chuckled and held on.

  “Now see, how come you can say it and be joking? But I can’t?” he asked.

  “Um-eh, date rule, I guess. I can joke about your ex, but you can’t,” Mina said with a straight face. She walked to a nea
rby desk and sat atop it. Brian sat in the desk’s chair.

  “And does the rule roll both ways?” His eyebrows arched. “Can I talk about your ex?”

  “Nope,” Mina said, keeping a smile at bay.

  “Man, who made up that wack rule?” Brian grumbled playfully as Mina raised her hand. “Figures.”

  They sat in silence for a few seconds, Mina’s legs dangling, kicking softly at the air, Brian’s tall frame upright at the smallish desk. He batted at her swinging feet. Mina cocked her head to the side, breathed in and out through her nose deeply once, and opened her mouth to speak when Brian said, “Uh-oh.”

  “What?” Her eyebrows furrowed.

  “That’s your ‘I was thinking’ intro.”

  “My what?”

  “Whenever you’re ready to talk about something that’s been on your mind for a minute, you do that.” Brian pointed at her face. “You turn your head a certain way. Breathe in and out just one time, like you sucking in the air you need to say what it is, and then you say, ‘I was thinking.’”

  “I do not,” Mina said. “And for the record, your imitation of me sucks.”

  Brian leaned back in the chair, lifting the front legs off the floor. “Oh, my bad.” He raised his eyebrows, openly sarcastic. “What were you gonna say then?”

  Mina hesitated for a beat, grinned, and said, “I was wondering…”

  Brian laughed. “Okay, this time you’re wondering. Usually you’re thinking.”

  “Point is, you were wrong.”

  Brian rested the chair back on the floor. “What’s up, toughie?” His toffee face grinned up at her. He tugged on her leg, and Mina turned so her feet were on his lap, enjoying the calf massage. “What are you wondering? Whose house we should dip to after school today?”

  “Actually, I was wondering whose house you dipped to before…you know, last Friday.” She scratched her head, then smoothed the hair down, trying to keep her voice casual and unsqueaky. “Before last Friday, when was the last time you…you know?”