Chasing Romeo

by A. J. Byrd

  She rolls her eyes up at me and crosses her arms. “Don’t even play that. You know that you’re the only one I’ve ever been with.”

  “I don’t know no such thing. You’re always rubbing up and flirting with some damn body.”

  “That was always just to make you jealous—keep you interested. You are the only person I’ve ever slept with.”

  I step away from the door and her. “Naw. Naw,” I say. “This is just another one of your games. You’re lying.”

  “I’m not lying, Romeo. I’ve had morning sickness since school started. It was so bad yesterday that I stayed home. I’m pregnant.” She opens the small purse that was resting on her shoulder and hands me some kind of stick.

  “What the hell is that?”

  “It’s a pregnancy test. Read it.”

  I don’t take the stick, but I glance down and see the word pregnant on a digital screen. “What? That’s supposed to be proof? That just means you got a pregnant girl to piss on that thing. I didn’t see you take the test.”

  She goes back into her purse and removes a slim object wrapped in foil. “Would you like for me to pee on it right now?”

  I swallow, but nod my head. This bedroom has an adjoining bathroom. I follow her to it and watch her do the test. Less than three minutes later, I’m looking at a duplicate stick with the word pregnant printed on it.

  “Oh, shit.”

  Phoenix flushes the toilet and washes her hands. “Satisfied?”

  “Oh, shit,” I say again.

  “We’re going to have a baby,” she says, stating the obvious.

  “Oh, shit.”

  “Now do you understand why I came here tonight? We have to get back together. I’m not raising this baby alone.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  “Will you please stop saying that?”

  “I can’t!” I pace the floor and then stop. “We can’t have a baby.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  “We’re fifteen!” I shout.

  “That didn’t stop us from having sex, now did it?”

  “Why weren’t you on the pill?”

  “Why didn’t you use a condom?” she yells back.

  My mind draws a blank as I plop down on the corner of the bed. My entire short life flashes before my eyes. “My father is going to kill me when he finds out.” And that’s if I’m lucky. My father’s dreams for me are high, and he doesn’t take to disappointment well.

  “Don’t look like that,” Phoenix says. “It’s not like we’ll be broke and living off welfare. Our parents will help us.”

  I glance up at her and try to imagine being tied to her for God knows how many years while raising a baby. “I don’t know what to do.”

  Phoenix walks over to the bed and sits down next to me. “The first thing you need to do is break it off with your new girlfriend. Now.”

  chapter 38

  Kierra—I’m Not Ready

  “C’mon. I’ll lock the door. Nobody is gonna come back here,” Chris promises.

  I swat at Chris’s octopus arms that seem to be everywhere at the same time. “I said no.” I don’t know why I let him talk me into coming back into this room.

  “Why are you so scared?” he asks. “I know you’ve done this before, right?”

  I don’t answer. What will he think or do if I tell him that I’m a virgin? Will he suddenly lose interest in me? His hands fall onto my jeans and then fumble with the button.

  “C’mon. Stop.” I finally pull away and flip on the light switch. “There’re people right outside the door.”

  Chris drops his head back and rolls his eyes. “So?”

  So?

  “Look,” I try to reason with him. “I hardly know you.”

  He chuckles and moves toward me. Before I know it, his arms loop back around my waist, and his hands slip down my ass. “Stop teasin’, l’il ma. You know you want to do this.” He leans down and nuzzles my ear. It sends a delicious shiver down my spine. “If it’s your first time, I promise I’ll be gentle.”

  I close my eyes, not believing how good it feels to be in his arms. Am I really going to do this?

  Just then, the DJ outside puts on a slow jam, and before I know it, our bodies begin to sway.

  “Have I told you how good you smell?” His lips move from my ear to nip along my jaw. “Hmm?”

  Slowly, I shake my head, and then in one magic moment, his lips land on mine. Oh my God, he tastes soo good. The way his tongue moves inside my mouth, I swear I can’t think straight.

  The kiss deepens. His hands return to the button on my jeans.

  Stop him.

  I hear a snap and then hear my zipper sliding down.

  Stop him.

  But I don’t stop him, and the next thing I know, he eases me back toward the bed. I enjoy the kissing so maybe the rest won’t be so bad. I quickly find out I’m wrong.

  There’s pain…and then I find myself too embarrassed to tell him to stop. The only good part is that it’s over pretty quickly.

  “Why are you crying?” he asks.

  I didn’t even know I was crying.

  “I didn’t do anything wrong,” Chris says, jumping up from the bed and pulling up his pants.

  “I didn’t say you did.” I ease up and keep my eyes averted. When I look down, I notice blood on the sheets.

  We’re both quiet for a moment.

  “Then you’re all right?”

  I nod. “I better just clean up.”

  “All right. Umm. You want something to drink? I can go get you something.”

  I’m nodding again and still can’t bring myself to look at him.

  “Okay, then. I’ll be right back.” He runs out the door like his shoes are on fire, and to be honest, I don’t think he’s coming back.

  chapter 39

  Anjenai—The Beginning of the End

  I should have known this was going to happen. Everything was just too perfect. From everyone knowing that I am Romeo’s new girl to watching him on the football field and then coming to this incredible party. It’s been like a dream.

  Until she showed up. Why can’t Phoenix Wilder just let him go? Can’t she see that he doesn’t love her anymore? I draw a deep breath and try to ignore the open curious gazes of the party crowd. They’d all wanted a fight, and for a few minutes there I was willing to give them one heck of a show. Thank heaven Romeo and Shadiq squashed that bullshit. I’m glad Kierra still has my back. Her and Nicole.

  I glance around. “Where did Kierra go?”

  “To the cottage,” Nicole says. “I saw Chris dragging her in there a few minutes ago.”

  “Are you all right?” Nicole asks, handing me a cup of punch.

  “Yeah. Thanks.” I take the cup.

  “I would apologize for my sister—well, half sister—but what can I say? She’s a bitch.”

  We share a laugh. “Thanks for being there,” I tell her. “Couldn’t have been easy with you guys being sisters and all.”

  “It was easier than you think. I’m surprised Tyler didn’t pop up.”

  “Well apparently Kierra wasn’t able to convince her to come.”

  Nicole frowns. “Tyler’s here at the party.”

  I stop drinking, but stare at her over the rim of my cup.

  “I was talking to her earlier,” Nicole says, glancing around as if she was trying to spot Tyler in the crowd.

  I try to act as if she hadn’t just planted a new knife in the center of my back. “Oh,” is all I can say. I glance at my watch. “It’s been fifteen minutes. What the hell are they doing in there?”

  “Knowing Phoenix,” Nicole says, “she’s probably wrapping some kind of new mind game around his head. She’s good at that.”

  That’s encouraging. “Maybe I should go in there. You know, to be the voice of reason.”

  Nicole shrugs.

  “You don’t think that she could really convince him to go back with her, do you?”

  Nicole glances toward the cottage.
“Well, they have been together for a long time.”

  She’s right about that. Another five minutes go by, and then I force myself to take action. “Here goes nothing.” I stalk toward the cottage. It’s not an easy task trying to get from point A to point B with so many people streaming in and out. When I finally make it inside, I’m stunned to see Romeo sitting in one of the high chairs by the breakfast bar with a drink in one hand and Phoenix in the other.

  My heart bottoms out. What the hell?

  I maneuver my way through a throng of people with blood rushing to my head. “What the hell is going on, Romeo?”

  He tosses back a shot of something. He’s drinking hard liquor? I thought he said he didn’t like drinking.

  “Romeo?” I ask again.

  He doesn’t look at me. “Yeah?”

  Yeah? “What the hell are you doing?”

  Phoenix turns toward me with a smug smile. “What does it look like? He’s enjoying the party with his real girlfriend.”

  People are watching us again.

  I stand there, pretty sure I look like a fool. “Romeo, what the hell is she talking about?”

  He doesn’t answer, but I see his Adam’s apple bob up and down.

  My sudden rush of tears burn like acid.

  “Look,” Phoenix says. “It’s over. Romeo loves me. You had your fun. Now run along back to the hood and play with your pet rats or whatever the hell it is you poor people do.”

  “Romeo,” I snap. “What is this bitch talking about?” I switch from one foot to the other, feeling my anger boil in my veins. I’m ready to whip both their asses. “What, you’re going to let this bitch speak for you? You ain’t going to man up and tell me the deal?”

  Slowly, he turns his head, his eyelids lifting lazily. “I’m sorry.”

  My head nearly swivels off my neck. “You’re sorry? Damn right you’re sorry. A sorry piece of shit, if you ask me.” I shove his arm hard, and he nearly topples off the stool.

  Phoenix jumps her skinny ass in front of me. “Leave him alone. And clean the wax out of your ears. It’s OVER!”

  “I oughtta…” I launch straight at her ass and grab two handfuls of her blond extensions.

  She screams.

  Romeo finally comes out his semi-coma and peels me off her. “Anjenai, stop. Let her go. She’s pregnant!”

  What? He finally extracts me off her, but I fall back into the crowd, lose my footing and somehow hit my head on the edge of a table.

  “Oh hell, naw!” To my surprise, Tyler jumps into the mix, swinging at Romeo’s head. He goes down, and Phoenix jumps on top of her.

  Then Kierra springs from nowhere.

  Then Raven.

  Then Bianca.

  Then Nicole.

  And then me.

  It feels oddly like old times.

  chapter 40

  Tyler—Back to Normal

  “How come we’re the only ones kicked out of the party and not them?” Kierra asks indignantly, stomping down the estate’s curvy driveway. I watch her for a few minutes, thinking that there’s something different about her.

  “Because we didn’t belong there,” I say, huffing and rolling my eyes. “We were probably their pet projects for the week,” I grumble. “In the end, they stick with their own.”

  “Well, I’m not all that surprised,” Nicole says, flanking my side. “I told you those people were shady as hell.”

  “Yeah,” I say, “but your own sister refused to stick up for you?”

  “Well, my date did the same thing,” Kierra grumbles. “He just walked away like he hadn’t spent half the night mopping my neck and…” She never finishes the sentence.

  Anjenai says nothing. The pain is evident on her face, and it tugs at my heart.

  “Are you all right?” I ask.

  Anjenai nods and wipes her eyes, but she hardly looks at me.

  For a while, everyone falls silent as our long strides glide us away from our first high school party. When we reach the bottom of the hill at the estate’s entrance, we glance around the dark road.

  “So what the hell?” Kierra says. “It’s late, we’re nowhere near a bus stop and I doubt if I have two nickels to rub together. How are we going to get all the way back to Oak Hill?”

  “We’re going to have to call somebody,” I say.

  “What—you have physic powers or something?”

  Nicole perks up. “I have a cell phone,” she suggests.

  “Thank you, sweet Jesus,” Kierra says and waits for Nicole to hand it over. “Now who are we going to call? My sister is working, and she’ll tell us to hoof it.”

  Nicole bites her lip. “My dad will pick me up, but I don’t how he’ll feel about driving you guys back to Oak Hill. He tends to avoid that side of town.” She shrugs. “Sorry.”

  We roll our eyes at that nonsense.

  “My granny is out of the question,” Anjenai says. “Even if her legs were feeling up to it, she would have to bring my four brothers, and all of us can’t fit into the car, too.”

  I sigh. “I guess that leaves my father.”

  “You think he’ll come?” Kierra asks.

  “I guess there’s only one way to find out.” I take the phone and dial home. My father picks up on the second ring. “Hello, Dad? I need your help.”

  chapter 41

  The BFFs—Together Again

  Tyler’s dad arrives at the estate twenty minutes later, looking mad as hell. “What the hell happened?” he asks jumping out the car to check the girls over. “Did some boy do something to you?”

  “No, Dad. We just need a ride home,” Tyler says, getting in the backseat of the car.

  Her father doesn’t let the matter drop. “I’m driving up to that party,” he announces.

  “No!” the girls shout at him.

  “We’ve made big enough fools of ourselves,” Tyler informs him. “Can we please just go home?”

  He stares at them as they pile into the backseat.

  “And can we drop off our friend Nicole? She’s staying not too far from here.” Tyler shuts the door, and they all wait for Mr. Jamison to climb back into the driver’s seat. When he does, he looks back at them in the rearview mirror and meets his daughter’s gaze. “We’re going to talk about this when we get home.”

  Tyler folds her arms and looks away.

  Anjenai is still sniffing silently to herself.

  “Hey,” Tyler says. “I’m sorry about what happened back there.”

  Anjenai gives a half laugh. “No, you’re not. You didn’t want me to be with him any more than Phoenix did.”

  That was true.

  Anjenai wipes another tear from her eye. “But I appreciate you jumping in when you did. It means a lot.”

  Tyler lowers her gaze. “I know I’ve been a lousy friend lately,” she whispers. “I’m truly sorry about trippin’ like that. But it just took seeing Romeo push you into the crowd like that for me to snap out of it. I was being a bitch.”

  “Yeah.” Anjenai finally looks at Tyler and knows that a lifetime of friendship is on the line. “But I always knew that.”

  They laugh, but then slowly sober up.

  “I love you, Anje. You’re my best friend.”

  Anje smiles. “I love you, too. You’re still my girl…and I’m sorry about what I said. You know…about—”

  “Forget it. We both said some things we didn’t mean.”

  With that, Anje threw her arms around Tyler. And for the first time in a long time, Tyler didn’t mind being touched.

  “Does this mean we’re all friends again?” Kierra asks.

  Tyler pulls back. “Damn right we are.” She reaches into her jeans pocket and pulls out the broken B gold chain. “I believe this belongs to you.”

  Anje smiles and takes the chain back. “Thanks. The BFFs are back together again.”

  They turn and look at Nicole. “All four of us.”

  Nicole beams. “You mean it?”

  They nod. “Absolutely
.”

  “Thanks, girls.” They give each other a group hug in the back of the car.

  Leon looks back at them through the rearview mirror and smiles.

  When they pull away, Anje voices her fears. “You know it’s going to be hell when we go back to school Monday.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” Tyler says. “But I think we can handle anything that comes our way.”

  Kierra turns and looks out the side window. “I hope you’re right.”

  Discussion Questions for Chasing Romeo

  Anjenai, Kierra and Tyler have been best friends since they were babies. How important is it to you to have friends you depend on to stick by you through thick and thin?

  From the moment the BFFs enter Maynard Jackson High, they learn the hierarchy of the Haves and Have Nots. Does your school suffer from the same social politics? If so how do you deal with it?

  The Red Bones represent a unique problem in African-American culture: the belief that lighter skin blacks are better than darker skin blacks. How do you feel about this issue? Do you see this situation playing out in your own life, your school or your neighborhood?

  For the first time in their lives, the BFFs are confronted with the problem of liking the same guy. Has a boy ever come between you and your friends? If so, how did you deal with it? Did it damage the relationship?

  Despite agreeing that none of them would pursue Romeo, Anjenai followed her heart. Was she wrong to do so? Did she deserve what happened in the end?

  Kierra likes to pretend that nothing ever gets to her. But in truth, her home life is in total disarray. Is it common for teens to hide their home life if they come from a dysfunctional family?

  Tyler has an explosive temper. She reacts before thinking. Have you ever dealt with someone with anger issues? Do you think her friends are helping or hurting her by always letting her pop off?

  Nicole desperately wants to belong and suffers from an eating disorder. Eating is a very common way to deal with emotions like stress and peer pressure. What are some better ways to deal with those feelings?

  CHASING ROMEO

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-3099-0