by L. Divine
“What’s on your mind, Lady J?” Nigel says. He knows me well enough to know when I’m not going away. Mickey just looks annoyed, like she already knows what I’m going to say.
“I need your help with Nellie,” I say, setting Mickey off. There she goes, rolling her eyes again.
“What the hell, Jayd? Why do you care so much?” she yells.
“Because she’s our friend and we know how friends can be sometimes,” I say, directing my intention toward Nigel, who seems to be listening. “If you started tripping on Rah, would he just let you go off into the enemies’ hands, or would he fight you because y’all are down like that?” I know how strong his loyalty is to our boy.
“She does have a good point, Mickey,” he says, twirling her Korean hair around his finger. Mickey’s the expert when it comes to hair pieces. “I don’t know y’all like that,” Nigel says. It seems like he’s been here forever when it’s only been a few weeks. “But if she’s really your girl, you can’t just let her go like that. You gotta knock sense into your homies sometimes; that’s what we’re here for, right, Jayd?” Oh, I know he’s not using this as a platform to dis Jeremy. He’s been rooting for Jeremy and I to break up from jump and for Rah and I to get back together. But he’s losing focus from the mission at hand.
“Yes, you’re right. We need to get Nellie away from those fake-ass people and knock some sense into her big head,” I say, ready for the throw down. I feel very optimistic about the outcome of a confrontation; must be a side effect of my new scent.
“Whatever. I say leave the wannabe White girl to her new crowd. She’s obviously made her choice. Now let her live with it.” Damn, I didn’t know my girl was so cold.
“Mickey, you don’t mean that,” Nigel says, kissing the back of her neck. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think they were really falling in love.
“Yes, I do. But if ya’ll are so serious about saving the wench, I guess I’ll be down, too, because I am a good friend, no matter what y’all think,” Mickey says, slightly melting.
“I knew you’d give in,” I say, giving her and Nigel a big hug. “Now I’ll leave y’all two alone. I’m going to find my man,” I say, looking at my cell, which reveals ten more minutes left in the lunch period. Jeremy has a meeting after school, so if I want to see him, now’s my only chance.
“He’s not here,” Nigel says, cutting me a smile. “Can’t no White man ever love all of you, girl. That’s like saying those folks will actually accept Nellie into their clique. It just ain’t gonna happen.” I hate to admit it, but Nigel’s right; I’ve got to give him this one. But I’m still going to give my man the benefit of the doubt, no matter what the haters say.
8
Oreos
“And this is for all the Oreos/
Here’s what they really think of you.”
—ICE CUBE
Mama always looks so calm when she’s cooking in the kitchen. I could smell the fried chicken, steamed cabbage and hot-water cornbread all the way from the bus stop. I’m still feeling optimistic about Nellie’s intervention, but the whole Jeremy and Tania thing’s going to require me to be a little savvier. Maybe I’ve been approaching this whole situation from the wrong angle. In my initial dream, it was Tania and I who talked; Jeremy was nowhere around. I wonder how open she would be if I questioned her about the baby and her intentions with Jeremy. She’s probably dying to rub it in my face.
“Hey, baby. How was your day at school?” Mama says, dusting the cornmeal and flour from her freshly polished nails. She must’ve gotten them done today. Mama always looks fly.
“It was cool,” I say, plopping down in a kitchen chair with my backpack still on. I’m exhausted, and I have a lot of homework to do, not to mention I need to return Rah’s phone calls from earlier.
“Uh-oh, I know that voice,” she says, sitting opposite across the kitchen table. Lexi’s napping under Mama’s chair, her heavy breathing providing a soothing soundtrack to our tête-à-tête. My uncles and Jay are in the backyard playing spades, and Daddy’s at church, leaving me and Mama alone to chat. “What’s on your mind, little Jayd?”
“Well, I read about Maman Marie using the sweet-essence perfume to make her enemies more agreeable, but it didn’t work like I expected it to,” I say.
Mama looks both amused and disappointed. “What happened?” She crosses one of her legs over the other, revealing her immaculately pedicured toes. I don’t understand why Daddy would want to be with another woman when he has a queen like my mother at home. But who knows what men really want.
“Instead of working on my friends, it seemed to have more of an impact on me. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I still accomplished a lot, but it wasn’t as easy as it should’ve been. I did make a substitution, using your perfume instead of mine. Could that be the reason why it wasn’t as powerful?”
“Jayd, you sound like a five-year-old upset because she broke the knobs on her Etch A Sketch, and now she’s wondering why it doesn’t work anymore.” Damn, Mama can be brutal sometimes. “I told you it’s not magic, little girl. All these recipes are tools to help us, not potions to trick people into doing what you want them to do.”
“Mama, I know that,” I say, ready to defend myself. Maybe Jeremy was onto something when he said I was defensive. But I’ll never admit that to him, no matter how good I smell. “But I just want my friends to be more pliable.”
“Jayd, if you’d read the entire story, you would have known that Maman’s sweet-essence perfume works because it makes the user feel more confident in what she expects, not because it tricks people into following her way.” Well, that explains a lot. “You have to stop trying to control every outcome with a formula.” Did she talk to Jeremy today? What the hell is up with them being in agreement about my control issues? “Again, Jayd, concentrate on the outcome you want and watch it unfold. If you are ever going to master your powers, you have to trust in your ability to change your environment without trying to manipulate others. That’s where the real magic lies.”
“But what’s the use of knowing all this if I can’t use it on others?” I say.
“Jayd, these lessons are for us and to help others through our gifts, not just manifest our personal wills.” And with that last comment, Mama leaves me alone to indulge myself in her wholesome dinner and residual wisdom. I have to concentrate more on changing myself than others. And by focusing on how I want things to be, I just might be able to get the hang of that trick before I talk with Tania. It’ll have to wait until Friday because I’ve got three tests and a paper to hand in before then. And schoolwork definitely comes before all the drama.
After Wednesday’s semisuccessful attempt to get Mickey to act right, she quickly retreated from her commitment later that night on the phone when Nigel wasn’t around and dodged me all day yesterday with much success. Jeremy and I made a date at break for after school, so I need to take advantage of having Mickey’s ear now that it’s lunch. Today I’m confident I’ll get her on my side once and for all, even if I don’t smell as sweet without my scented potion.
“Y’all should come to the game tonight,” Nigel says, forgetting Mickey and I don’t attend Westingle. It’s Friday, and Jeremy’s taking me to my mom’s after school, as usual. “You two should come see how we get down on the west side.”
“Whatever,” Mickey says, rolling her eyes at the thought of venturing down the 105. Compton and Inglewood don’t mix. It’s only about a thirty-minute drive, but they seem worlds away. “You don’t even play for them anymore,” Mickey says, proving my case without me having to say a word.
“Come on. It’ll be fun, I promise,” he says, pulling Mickey closer into his lap. If they were sitting any closer on that bench they’d be Siamese twins.
“Well, y’all, have fun. I’ve got better things to do than go to a football game at somebody else’s school,” I say, squatting on the grass next to their bench. It’s a warm, breezy day, and everyone’s in the Main Quad. The athletes and cheerl
eaders and ASB, including the homecoming court, just announced the theme for this year’s ball: the 1970s. Every year it’s something different. Last year it was the American Renaissance. I started to go as a slave but opted out of showing up at all. I’d just returned from my breast surgery and didn’t want to cause any more gossip than my extended absence already had. This year I might consider going, just to protect Nellie. I know something’s going to go down; I can feel it in my bones.
“You have to come, too,” Nigel says, smiling at me. “You know your boy’s going to be there and has requested you keep your girl here company. You can’t let her be the only representative of your crew.” What crew? I feel more solo than ever at this school. First I befriended Misty, who turned on me, and now this madness with Nellie. And Mickey kicking it with my ex-boyfriend’s best friend is just a little too much for me right now. This bull needs to end, and me going to a Westingle game where more hating broads are bound to be is out of the question.
“Nope, sorry. I already have plans,” I say. I’m looking forward to hanging out at the mall with Jeremy later. My gold bangle slips down my arm, reminding me of how much I’ve missed spending time with Jeremy.
“With the White boy,” Nigel says. He and Mickey both laugh at the fact that I have a date with my man.
“Why is it so funny that I’m going out with my boyfriend? You two aren’t even together and you make more plans than any couple I know,” I say, telling the truth.
“That’s Black love, baby girl,” Nigel says, giving Mickey a kiss while everyone in South Central stares at them. I know they’re talking shit. But because it’s the new quarterback and the Black girl equal only to Shae in fierceness, nobody’s going to say too much about them. I think Nellie has something she wants to say; she’s eyeing the lovebirds from across the yard. Rising from her seat at the ASB table, she heads our way. Perfect. Now we can get down to the business at hand: snapping Nellie back to Black and fast.
“So, you two are still just friends, right?” Nellie says, with her entourage right behind her. Tania and Laura look like they love this. Chance, Matt and Jeremy, walking across the yard to go to their cars, notice the impending drama and turn around to head our way. Damn, I don’t need Jeremy thinking I’m causing more shit. He’s just got to recognize there’s drama in this Black girl’s life and the lives of her homies.
“Nellie,” Mickey asks, looking around as if she hears a voice but sees no one. “Is that you?”
Nigel laughs a little but stops when he sees my hard look. This isn’t the time for jokes. Nellie has never fronted Mickey like this before, and she must be a damned fool if she thinks her new friends have got her back against Mickey. Ain’t no way in hell Tania or Laura would take Mickey on. Reid doesn’t even want a piece of her, not to mention her man. Just because Mickey and Nigel have sidekicks doesn’t mean they aren’t still loyal to each other when it comes down to business. Every time her man’s on lockdown, Mickey’s right there. And when her mouth gets her into trouble, he’s always got her back. That ain’t the case with Nellie and her new crew.
“Don’t play coy with me, Mickey,” Nellie says, sounding more like a White girl than our bougie Compton sistah. What the hell have they done to her? “You’re such a little liar,” she adds, giving Mickey, Nigel and the rest of South Central a good laugh. Jeremy, Matt and Chance are standing behind the onlookers, patiently waiting to see what happens.
“You’re such a little liar—oh, my God,” Mickey says, mimicking Nellie’s beach-girl accent with perfect pitch and a lot of venom. “Shut the hell up talking to me you little Oreo,” Mickey says, turning her attention back to Nigel’s lips. Chick drama doesn’t faze him at all. Like KJ, he’s used to it because it comes with the territory of being an athlete. I wonder if Nigel still gets this kind of love at Westingle?
“You were never my friend,” Nellie says, egged on by the eyes of her puppet master; Tania looks like she’s enjoying watching the Black girls tear at each other. Makes her job as a hater much easier, I assume. But she’s not going to get away with this—not on my watch.
“Okay, Nellie, that’s enough,” I say, rising from my comfy spot on the grass to check my girl. “Mickey’s always had your back even when you show your ass, just like now.”
“This doesn’t concern you, Jayd, and I didn’t ask for your help,” Nellie says. “You need to learn to mind your own business.” Oh, no, this trick didn’t just try to check me, and I’m attempting to save her narrow behind. Maybe I should let Mickey have a go at her. I’m sure Nellie would come around after a couple of slaps from Mickey’s acrylic claws.
“What did you just say to her?” Mickey says, rising from Nigel’s lap and stepping into Nellie’s face. “You need to get over yourself, because Jayd’s the only reason I haven’t checked your ass properly until now.” Oh, shit. All any of us needs is another detention on our records. And with all of Mickey’s recent absences, I’m sure she’ll be expelled after one more incident. I can’t let my girls go down like this. But I’ve got to be smart so I don’t get pulled down with them.
“God, Mickey, you’re just so ghetto. How could anyone with good taste ever choose you over me?” Nellie says, rolling her eyes and turning her head away in disgust. Oh, this girl’s just too much. Tania has completely changed my girl from a quasi-princess to a full-on bitch in a matter of weeks. Now, that’s magic.
“Now just a minute,” Nigel says, standing up to grab Mickey’s charging body and stepping in front of her, confronting Nellie himself. “I think Mickey’s the finest girl up here, and I have damned good taste, if I do say so myself.” KJ, Misty, Del and Shae laugh. Tony and C Money look too faded to even know what’s really going on. Chance, on the other hand, looks like he wants to come to Nellie’s defense. But after catching my eye, he knows better than to intervene. Nellie’s way off, and she deserves to get roasted; even Jeremy looks like he agrees with me for once.
“Whatever,” Nellie says, turning away from the teasing crowd. “ Nigel, you don’t know what you’re getting into with her. You’re both trifling cheaters, and I hope you get caught.” This gives me chills. Mama says wishing things on people with full intention can actually manifest. I think Nellie’s done just that.
“You better not be threatening me,” Mickey says, stepping around Nigel, only to be stopped again by his muscular arm. Luckily Nigel’s a big dude, weighing at least two hundred pounds with his six-foot frame, and can easily keep Mickey from attacking Nellie, who looks completely unfazed by Mickey’s anger, which proves this girl’s completely lost her mind. She, better than anyone, knows what Mickey’s capable of, having been her road dog for the past two years. As best friends, they know all of each other’s business, which is also why best friends make the worst enemies. But even as an enemy, Nellie should know better than to push Mickey. What’s gotten into this girl?
“And what if I am?” Nellie says, and Nigel can’t hold her back any longer. Pushing me out of her way with one hand and reaching around Nigel with the other, Mickey starts swinging, and it’s on.
“Fight! Fight!” Shae yells, causing the multiple people and seagulls around the quad to head toward the scene. As Mickey throws the first blow, Chance swoops in and grabs Nellie, taking the hit for her.
“Damn,” KJ says, expressing everyone’s sentiment. Mickey wears hella gold jewelry, big rings included, and cut the side of Chance’s eye with one of her blinging diamonds. “That’s going to leave a scar.” KJ would be concerned with vanity. I’m glad I’m not with that fool anymore. I see what he’s done to Misty’s spirit. He would’ve never had that kind of control over me.
“Oh, shit,” Mickey says, holding her hands over her mouth, truly sorry about hitting Chance, who’s still in shock. “Why did you get in my way?” Mickey seems more upset that she missed Nellie’s face than about catching Chance’s eye. What can I say? That’s my girl, and Chance is my boy. They both are being true to themselves right now. It’s Nellie’s who’s out of order. Jere
my, sensing my need for support, comes over and grabs my backpack from the ground next to where we’re all standing. Tania and her crew look bored, now that the blood has shed and it wasn’t the right face.
“Nellie, you’ve gone too far with your little melodrama,” I say, ready to leave the scene and tend to my boy’s head. Chance’s blood has dripped all over his white Ecko shirt, and I know that pisses him off. He spends more on his gear than the average person spends on a new car, I’m sure. Stan and Dan have arrived at the scene but too late to help. The final bell is ringing, and the crowd is dispersing. I guess the first bell rang some time ago, but no one heard it due to all the hissing going on.
“Chance didn’t have anything to do with this, and you see how he got hurt?” I say, still not getting through to Nellie.
“I didn’t hit him—she did,” Nellie says, pointing at a still fuming Mickey, who looks like she wants to charge again. Stan and Dan look confused; then, seeing the situation, they walk away. They won’t get involved if it’s a girl hitting a guy.
“Watch your back, Nellie!” Mickey yells from across the yard as Nigel practically drags her away against her will. “I’m not through with you. Remember, I know shit, too, Nellie.” Mickey’s ready to divulge some not-so-friendly secrets of her own. “Two can play this game, Nellie, but only one of us will win.” Finally Nellie’s fear is sinking into her big-ass head. She’s just made an enemy out of the best friend she had on this campus—probably in her entire world, other than me. But Mickey’s more dangerous because she can be ruthless and cold—two streaks I don’t have in blood.
“Don’t listen to her,” Tania says, reassuring Nellie that she did the right thing, which is the stupidest thing I’ve heard all day.
“Nellie, I know you still don’t think they have your back, do you? They didn’t say a word the whole time,” I say. I can’t help myself. I have to say something. Jeremy looks like he’s again disappointed in my choice to speak up. Oh, well. He should’ve checked this broad before I was forced to handle Tania. I have visualized very clearly the end result I want to see happen—as far as Tania’s concerned. According to my dream, she’s supposed to be moving. Now it’s up to me to make sure the elimination process takes place as quickly as possible.
