by L. Divine
“Check this shit out. It looks like an episode of Fast Inc.,” Rah says, responding to the parade of classic cars entering the football field, driving toward the stage, just like in my dream. Chance’s Nova, carrying the junior class candidates, is second in line. “These White boys know how to do it up here.”
“OK folks, settle down,” Reid says, trying to calm down the crowd. “Here’s how it works. I’ll announce the winners and only they will step onto the stage to receive their crowns. The other nominees will step out of and stand next to their cars so we can give them a big round of applause for being such good sports,” he says, eliciting shouts from the crowd.
As the cars pull up, parallel to the stage, nominees can be seen through the rolled-down windows, ready to burst with excitement. And, Nellie’s no exception.
“The homecoming court results are ... drumroll please,” Reid says, stirring the crowd. Raheem and I are scouting in opposite directions, waiting for the shooters to show.
“For freshman princess, the winner is Candice Sheryl.” The young White girl screams at the top of her lungs, and the crowd is right along with her. She steps out of her car and walks up the five steps to accept her crown. The other candidates line the vehicle with sad faces, but still clap as their new princess is crowned.
“Your sophomore princess is, drumroll please,” Reid stalls. “Mary Brillstein, come get this crown, girl,” Reid says as yet another White girl claims her crown. Rah and I look at each other, still on the mission. It’s Nellie’s turn and according to my dream, this is when it’s supposed to go down. I feel the same chill as I did in my dream. It’s happening now. I can feel it.
“Junior class homecoming princess is,” Reid says, taking his time to open the envelope, and looking around as if he’s expecting something to happen. I follow Reid’s nervous glances around the field, hoping to see what he does. But, I can’t. I look at Raheem, who’s now scouting from across the field. I reflexively touch the bangles on my arm and remember all of the qualities of the jade bracelets. I have to trust in my ability to interpret my dreams, no matter how things in reality may appear.
I send the text to Nellie, warning her to be aware of her surroundings, no matter whose name gets called. Laura, one of Nellie’s competitors, is seated behind her in Chance’s car.
“Your princess is, Nellie Smith.” Nellie, completely absorbed in her excitement, steps out of the car behind Laura, who’s visibly upset, waving like she’s Mariah Carey. Nellie looks gorgeous in a cream, off-the-shoulder silk gown. I follow Laura’s eyes toward Rah’s spot in front of the bleachers across the field from where I’m standing. Catching my eyes, Rah follows my gaze and runs toward the spot.
Oblivious of the drama going on around her, Nellie proceeds up the steps to receive her crown. Reid nervously reaches for her crown on the pillow on the podium in front of him. Laura steps out of the line of fire, but not before Rah rushes the hooded perpetrators and inadvertently turns the aim in Laura’s direction.
“Oh, shit,” Reid says, dropping Nellie’s crown to rush over to his girlfriend, who’s now covered in blue paint. Nellie, shocked, looks right at me and gives me a look of recognition, letting me know she’s sorry for doubting me. Tania and the rest of the crowd laugh at Laura as she wipes the paint out of her eyes, completely humiliated. The crowd is in an uproar. And Nellie, having picked up her crown from the podium herself, claims her title like the diva she is, with Chance right by her side.
Wrestling away from Rah, the gunmen escape off the field, followed by our handy security guards, Dan and Stan. Although we don’t know exactly who tried to blast Nellie, our mission was still accomplished and my girl saved.
17
Social Session
“From the pen he would scribe On how to survive.”
—THE COUP
After Reid and Laura recover off stage, he reclaims the microphone and announces Tania as homecoming queen. Nellie, caught up in the drama, went with the rest of the homecoming groupies to take pictures with the photographer waiting off stage. I’m sure she’ll spring for the most expensive package available.
Raheem and I get out of Dodge, not wanting to be in the dance pictures and school crowd, since it isn’t his school and we’re not really on a date, no matter how good we look together. I decide to show him around my school a little bit before the dance is over. With all of its faults, South Bay High has some of the best architecture and landscaping of any school I’ve ever been to. At night, it’s a serene place to be.
“So, how did you know something was going down with your girl?” he says, casually grasping my hand as we walk up the hill to campus. Releasing my hand from his, I answer his question.
“I had a dream about it,” I say, glad to share my secret with a friend. I’ve always been able to talk to Rah and Nigel about my gift, even though I didn’t know what it was back in junior high. I just thought they were nightmares and I never told Mama or my mom about them. But, I could always tell Rah more about myself than anyone else, although not the complete details of my legacy. Our phone conversations were more stimulating than kissing sometimes. I miss vibing with him.
“You still having nightmares, girl?” he says, attempting to reclaim my hand. I’m flattered by his sweet gesture, but he knows I have a man and we can’t be holding hands.
“They’re more than that, and what are you doing?” I ask, snatching my hand away from his as he laughs, making me giggle too. “You know I have a man,” I say, stepping a few feet away from him and turning back toward the gym.
“Yeah, that’s true. And, I’m dating someone too.” As always, he’s honest about his shit, unlike KJ. Rah believes in soul mates and chicks on the side. As long as he’s upfront about his, he feels he’s doing the honorable thing. Dudes have some twisted logic sometimes.
“What the hell then? Stop trying to hold my hand and let’s just enjoy the rest of the evening,” I say, falling back into step with him. “I miss you too, Rah,” I say, referring to his brief letter. “But we can only be friends, precisely because of your desire to have more than one woman. Is that a creed for all Muslim males?”
“No, smart ass,” he says, shoving me with his shoulder. “But, I happen to be a young male, Muslim or not. And, you’re a young female. I think we should be free to date other people, but still be in love with each other.” Taking my hand into his, he lifts it to his lips and kisses my fingertips. His lips are so sweet they make me quiver. The jade bracelets fall down my arm, breaking the silence and forcing my dream of us kissing into my view. I pull my hand from his lips and look up at him, scared of his next move.
“We’re not in love, Rah. We love each other, but we can’t be in love,” I say, envisioning us kissing. “It’s been too long and I’m with Jeremy,” I say, subconsciously touching the gold bangle on my other arm. “Let’s go.” As I lead the way back toward the dance, Raheem trails behind me without saying a word. Just what I need: another man giving me the silent treatment.
The line to take pictures is getting shorter and people are starting to leave. I’m sure there are plenty of after parties to go to, but I’m exhausted and still have to work in the morning. Ready to go, I walk Raheem to his car in the parking lot, running into Mickey and Nigel on the way out.
“Hey girl, what happened to y’all?” I ask, noticing they’ve missed damn near the entire dance.
“Oh, you know, lost track of time,” Mickey says, smiling like Ms. Celie in The Color Purple. “Did Nellie win?”
“Yes, she did, and you would know that if you’d been there,” I say, but Mickey’s unscathed by my snide remark. Nigel takes Mickey by the waist and pulls her into him. If I didn’t know better, I’d say the two of them are the ones in love.
“So, what’s up with y’all?” Nigel asks. Raheem looks at me like he wants to say something smart, but doesn’t. Jeremy should be here soon and I’m not sure how their first encounter’s going to be. Jeremy will be cool, I know. But, Raheem’s liable to do somet
hing stupid to assert his friendship with me.
“Beware of dudes who buy you a lot of shit, Jayd,” he says, flicking the gold bangle hanging from my wrist and looking me up and down. His look makes me feel cheap.
“You bought me jewelry before,” I say, recalling the gold nugget matching ring and pendant he bought me one Valentine’s Day. Mickey and Nigel look at us, as well as other people walking around the lively parking lot. Some students are hanging out of their Escalades and Coopers, playing their music and drinking.
“Yeah, but at the right time. I didn’t buy you outfits for homecoming because that wasn’t my responsibility. As your man, I was supposed to take you to the dance, which I did, always,” he says. “I can’t believe you’re settling for some White dude who won’t even take your fly ass to homecoming,” he says, grabbing me around my waist and pulling me into his chest.
“Jayd, there’s Jeremy’s car,” Mickey says, noticing the Mustang coming down the hill into the parking lot. Raheem holds me tighter while I try to wrestle myself out of his grasp, which just allows me to feel his chiseled body even more. There’s electricity between us I can’t explain. I knew he was going to start some shit.
“Rah, don’t make a scene,” I plead, unsure if he’s hearing me or not. This man does what he wants and doesn’t let anyone get in his way. But, he hasn’t met Jeremy, who is also used to getting what he wants.
“This is the Raheem and Jayd I remember,” Nigel says, laughing. “Where the hell y’all been?” he says, obviously amusing Mickey. Raheem and I aren’t laughing.
“And, we were doing so well. I thought you wanted to be my friend,” I say, hoping to get Raheem to see the situation my way.
“Jayd, we’ll always be friends. But I love you too much to front, girl. These niggas up here and your White dude are some punks. And, you’re much better than any of these fools. You need to check yourself,” he says, touching the lower back of my dress as Jeremy pulls up to us.
“Hey, Jeremy,” I say, stepping away from Rah and walking up to the car, ready to go. Raheem’s got me all riled up and now I’m feeling confused again. All I can think about is my other dream of him kissing me. I’m glad Jeremy’s here to stop it from coming true.
“Hey, baby,” he says, getting out of the still-running car to open my door. “Hey, Mickey. How was the dance?” he asks, giving me a hug and kiss.
“It was OK. I’ll fill you in on the details later,” I say, not wanting to get him and Raheem any reason to talk for long. “These are my friends Raheem and Nigel,” I say, awkwardly introducing them.
“Peace, man,” Nigel says, not letting go of Mickey for a second.
“What’s up, man,” Raheem says, offering his hand to Jeremy, who shakes it firmly. “Jayd was telling me you like hip hop,” he says, lying. I never told him that. This is so typical of Rah. He’s such a hater.
“Yeah, I do. I actually like a lot of different styles of music. But, hip hop is definitely one of my favorites,” Jeremy says, leaning up against the car. Where is Rah going with this?
“Has Jayd invited you to the studio yet?” Raheem says, smiling at me slyly. I was going to invite Jeremy myself, but he beat me to the punch. This can’t be good. What’s he up to now?
“No, she hasn’t,” Jeremy looks at me, trying to gauge my response. Before I can say anything, Raheem continues setting his trap.
“You two should come by tomorrow night. We’re having a social session, where we listen to what we’ve got recorded for the demo so far,” Raheem says.
“I was going to tell you about it on the way home,” I say, feeling the need to explain myself. Nigel and Mickey look at me, shaking their heads as Raheem enjoys watching me squirm.
“Thanks, man. We will,” Jeremy says, answering for us. I don’t know who Raheem’s trying to fool with the friend act. He’s up to something and I know it. Speaking of acting, Nellie and Chance finally join the rest of us, showing off her new crown.
“Hey, princess,” Jeremy says.
“Hey, Jeremy.” Nellie stands next to Mickey and Nigel with Chance close by. “You missed it. This must’ve been the most exciting homecoming yet,” she says, checking her head to make sure the petite rhinestone headdress is on straight. I’m sure she won’t be seen without that thing for at least a week.
“Oh, yeah, why is that?” Jeremy says, hitting Chance on the arm.
“If you would’ve been here, you’d know,” Nellie says. Even though it’s her night, she’s still concerned about me in her own way. Hopefully, this is the beginning of her coming down off that high horse she’s been on lately.
“Hey, do we have to get into this again? It’s over now and you won your crown,” Jeremy says, tired of talking about homecoming. Raheem looks bored with the scene as well, or disgusted. Whatever the case, he gestures toward his red Acura Legend coupe, disarming the alarm. I remember when his mom first got that car. Even though it was used, the car was the shit then and still looks good now.
“I’m out. Congrats on the game, man,” Raheem says, giving his boy a half hug, the kind brothas give one another, and says his good-byes to the rest of us. “Everyone’s invited to the studio tomorrow night. We can consider it a mini celebration for my boy Nigel and you too, Princess Nellie,” Raheem says, giving me a sneaky look.
“Later, man,” Nigel says, ready to walk Mickey to her car. But, not before Nellie can lay into her.
“Weren’t you coming with your man?” Nellie asks Mickey as she and Nigel head toward her car.
“He couldn’t make it,” Mickey says, giving Nellie an ugly look. I’m glad they’re back to normal. Keeping Mickey’s secrets is a full-time job.
“So, why are you all hugged up on Nigel?” Nellie says, finally noticing the vibe between Mickey and Nigel. “And what’s this about going to the studio? We aren’t a bunch of groupies,” Nellie says, settling back into herself. Thank God. I can’t take the princess act much longer. She’s already enough of a diva as it is.
“We’re friends,” Mickey says. What is it with her and Rah becoming friends with potential lovers? Not that me and Rah are going to be lovers. But, I used to dream about our first time making love back in the day. I had it all planned out, right down to the crushed rose petals on the bed. That’s why I know I can’t be friends with someone I like. I just don’t get it. And neither does Jeremy, I’m sure.
“I hope you have some fun,” I say, glad Jeremy decided to come to tonight’s session. After running into Raheem last night in the parking lot, I wasn’t sure if he really wanted to come. I want to prove to Raheem once and for all that me and Jeremy are the real deal. Maybe then he’ll stop trying to hold my hand. I get chills just thinking about his hands touching me and that has got to stop.
“Of course. I need to get to know some of your not school friends, right?” Jeremy says, smiling at me as we head toward Raheem’s house. But, something in his smile tells me he knows this is more than a casual session. Mickey’s supposed to meet us there. Although she and Nigel are playing it safe by not going out together, I’m still worried about them fooling around. I just don’t think it’s a good idea. Not only because Mickey’s already got a hardcore gangsta as a boyfriend. But also, because knowing about them when Nellie has a crush on Nigel puts me in a difficult position as a friend to them all. I’m just glad Nellie didn’t want to come tonight. There’s a party at Tania’s celebrating her being crowned queen. And, as a princess, Nellie was invited, so you know she ain’t missing her chance to be in the popular crowd. Chance accompanied her, even though it isn’t really his scene.
When we pull up to the house, Mickey’s pink Regal is already parked out front, right behind Nigel’s green Impala. Jeremy pulls up behind Nigel’s car, commenting on the classic vehicle.
“That’s one of the cleanest Impala’s I’ve ever seen,” he says, walking over to my side to help me out. “Whose ride is this?” Jeremy says, almost breaking his neck he’s looking so hard at the ride.
“Nigel’
s,” I say, leading the way up the sidewalk toward Raheem’s house. I didn’t want to dress up too much since I’m out with Jeremy, who is always underdressed for my crowd. But, I didn’t want to under dress either. Thank God a long skirt, tight T-shirt, and sandals work well for any occasion.
“At least your friends have good taste in cars,” he says, eyeing Mickey’s car too.
“We may not be able to ball like your friends. But, we can still floss,” I say. When we walk up the porch steps toward the already-opened front door, I notice a female I’ve never seen before in the kitchen playing with Kamal. Who the hell is this?
“Jayd!” Kamal screams, running up to me with a bowl in his hand, giving me my customary hug. “Trish was just giving me some ice cream. Want some?” he asks, offering me a spoonful of his rocky road.
“Nah, ’lil man. I’m cool. And, why are you always trying to feed me?” I say, playing with his mini afro and following him into the kitchen with Jeremy on my tail.
“Maybe he thinks you need to eat,” Raheem says, coming in from the studio. As soon as he steps into the kitchen, I feel like the wind’s been knocked out of me he looks so good. “What’s up, Jeremy,” Rah says, walking over and greeting us both. “This is my girl, Trish,” he says, gesturing toward her and looking at me sideways. I knew he had something up his sleeve when he invited us over here tonight. “Trish, this is Jeremy and Jayd.” Trish doesn’t say anything to us. Instead, she nods her head “what’s up” and walks to the studio. Cute and mute, just like he likes his hos.
“What’s up, man. Nice place,” Jeremy, says, looking around at the Black art on the walls, the flat, screen television and aquarium in the living room. “Nice fish.”
“Ah, yeah, man. You know, they soothe me when shit gets rough,” Rah says, rubbing his stomach like he’s full. “Nigel and Mickey are in the back watching Scarface,” he says. “If y’all want something to eat we got chicken and waffles from Pann’s, peach cobbler, and some drinks in the back,” he says as he leads Kamal into the living room to watch a video while Jeremy and I leave the kitchen and enter the studio.
