On Your Knees

by Stephanie Perry Moore

  “Hey, Pia. What’s wrong?” Sanaa asked as they walked into school.

  Shaking her head and frowning, Pia gasped, “It’s just been a crazy weekend. That’s all. I’m not a scholar, but I’m happy to be in school today, that’s for sure.”

  Concerned, Sanaa replied, “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t want you to judge me. No point in even talking about it.”

  “Why would I judge you? It ain’t like my life is all perfect.”

  Pia stopped walking and asked, “Sanaa, are you still hiding out from your best friend, not wanting to tell her that the guy she wanted to be her man was yours?”

  “You aren’t judging me, are you?” Sanaa said, feeling that Pia had her number.

  “No, I’m not. I’m being real. Tell the girl and move on.”

  “One day, but right now I’m trying to see what’s up with you.” Sanaa placed her hand on Pia’s shoulder and asked, “You still dealing with the abortion?”

  “Just hearing you saying it like that is hard.”

  “I know, girl. But I’m here for you. Talk to me.”

  “This time it’s not the whole baby thing. This sleaze my mom was with ... ”

  “What?” Sanaa uttered, cutting off Pia. “I know he didn’t come on to you?”

  “It’s my clothes, right?” Pia asked, clearly feeling like the dirty encounter was her fault. “I wear stuff a little too tight. I was asking for it, right? My mom sure took his side.”

  “No. Don’t own any of this. He’s just an old fart who needs to get a life. And I’m not trying to talk about your mom, but if she can’t understand that, she’s the one with the problem.”

  Sanaa was overwhelmed when Pia reached out and hugged her tight. Pia said, “You just don’t know how much I needed that.”

  When Olive and Octavia walked up together, laughing, Pia pulled apart from Sanaa and tried to get herself together. She didn’t want to go into her family drama any more. Trying to be chipper, Pia said, “Look at us. If we go work it out with Willow, the swoop list girls would be friends again.”

  “Where is Willow?” Olive said. “I’m tired of her being mad at us. She needs to loosen up a bit and understand who are her friends.”

  “It’s obviously not you guys,” Willow said, coming from behind them as she sashayed her way on to class.

  “Oh no!” Olive said, and she grabbed the back of Willow’s shirt. “You coming back here, missy. We’re going to talk this thing out.”

  Willow tugged away. “What’s there to talk about? You guys betrayed me. I’m done with kissing behinds.”

  “You just misunderstood,” Sanaa said.

  “And you guys are some of the best friends I’ve ever had,” Octavia boldly said. “You included, Willow.”

  “Please, we’re the only friends your redheaded self has ever had,” Willow said, getting in a jab on Octavia.

  Octavia looked down. Olive looked pissed. Pia looked at them all like Please settle the heck down.

  Tired of the mounting drama, Sanaa said, “You guys, we can fix this. Willow, just give us a chance. Let us explain why we didn’t tell you about the petition to get you kicked off the dance team.”

  Rolling her eyes, Willow said, “Well, you guys wouldn’t understand because you’ve only been on the swoop list. No one told me about the petition. I could not stop what I didn’t know about.”

  “So, don’t let them kick you out of dance,” Sanaa said.

  “They had over two hundred signatures. I had no choice. My mom and my coach said it was best for me to bow out. I’m not on the dance team anymore.”

  Sanaa stood beside Willow. She rubbed her back. Willow bluntly pushed by her.

  Angry, Willow blurted out, “Don’t try to act like you care!”

  Getting an attitude back, Sanaa said, “I don’t need to try and act like anything. I’m not fake, and I’m not phony.”

  “You’re just keeping a secret from your so-called best friend, but you’re not fake or phony? Okay.” Willow laughed dead in Sanaa’s face.

  “You didn’t have to say that, Willow. You know the circumstances as to why I’m not dealing with that.”

  “That doesn’t excuse it. If you treating her like that and she’s your best friend, how do you think I think you’d treat me? I just don’t have no expectations. Get out of my way, y’all!” Willow screamed out as a crowd started staring.

  “Just let the evil witch go,” Olive said.

  Willow turned around and rushed up to Olive, saying, “Heifer, I got your witch.”

  Unshaken, Olive said, “You the one actin’ evil and crazy. What you gon’ do?”

  Everybody was looking at the five of them fussing at each other. People started shouting, “Zoo animals! Look at the freaks!” or “They’re more than just sluts, they’re frenemies.”

  Sanaa was tugged away. When she looked over, it was Miles.

  “What are you doing?” Sanaa demanded.

  “Wondering what you’re doing. Why you still hang out with them? You still want to keep everything quiet from Toni, but it’s okay for you to be with these loud girls? The association ain’t cool. Obviously they don’t want to be with you.”

  “It was just one girl upset, and she misunder-stood some things. It will be alright. Girls do that.”

  Miles said, “No, it was a big scene of more than one girl upset. Yet you don’t want to fuss with Toni and tell her about me? I got to play by your rules, but you can’t play by mine? If you want to be with me, we can’t do this anymore.”

  “What? You’re giving me an ultimatum that I can’t hang out with the swoop list girls?”

  Sanaa was pretty pissed at Miles. But maybe he had a point about her still keeping things from Toni. Obviously their friendship had waned. Sanaa didn’t want to hurt Toni.

  But now Miles wanted her to give up her new friends in order to be with him. As much as Sanaa had been committed to Miles, it was at that moment that she realized he seriously wanted her to dump her new friends.

  Sanaa looked at him and said, “I’m sorry. Those girls are my friends.”

  “But I’m your man,” he boldly said.

  “Because I gave you another chance.”

  “Another chance? I told you what you saw wasn’t what you thought.”

  “You keep saying that, but nobody knows that we’ve been together except you and me, and all of a sudden I show up on the swoop list as some girl who freely gives it up—the first girl on the list.”

  “You trying to say I put you on the list?”

  “Can you honestly say you didn’t?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Well, I don’t know if I believe you. But I do know that you’re not going to tell me who I can and can’t be friends with,” Sanaa told him.

  “So what are you saying?”

  “I’m not giving up my friends. Whatever that means for us, it’s what it means,” Sanaa boldly stated before walking off. She was tired of Miles looking at her so judgmentally.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Naturally (Willow’s Ending)

  “Okay, so why are you actin’ all stank?” Sanaa caught up to Willow and asked.

  “Excuse me?” Willow turned and abruptly said, rolling her eyes and neck in Sanaa’s direction.

  “I’m not trying to argue with you or fuss with you anymore, Willow, but I just wanna let you know for real, for real, there’s no need to cut out the people who really care. I didn’t, and I’m not gonna let you either.”

  “What are you talking about? I just ended our friendship, in case you don’t remember,” Willow said.

  “Nah, I saw you walk away, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t friends now.”

  Willow gave Sanaa a glare, but deep down inside she appreciated the fact that this chick wasn’t letting her off the hook. Willow had always been so brash and bold that she never really let her vulnerable side show. But something inside her heart was changing, so she listened intently.

  Sanaa
shared, “Miles just gave me a crazy ultimatum to drop my friends. But I’m not gonna let Miles tell me who I can and can’t be friends with.”

  “He’s got a problem with the swoop list girls because he thinks we’re a bunch of suckas bringing his girl down,” Willow said, still trying to put on a tough-girl act.

  However, Sanaa saw right through the pose and said, “Who cares what he or anybody else thinks? As long as we keep our friendship tight, we’ll be fine.” She grabbed Willow and hugged her tight. “You are my friend, and if I can prevent something from hurting you, then that’s what I’m gonna do. Don’t crucify us because we thought we were doing the right thing. Have a little faith in us.”

  The old Willow wanted to go off on Sanaa and keep her far away. She wanted to say things that would make her never want to be friends. But the new Willow couldn’t deny that she appreciated Sanaa going the extra mile.

  Willow let go of her pride and spoke from the bottom of her heart. “I thank you.”

  “That’s better,” Sanaa joked with her. “Now I can let you go, see, because I was gonna keep you in a headlock until you stopped tripping.”

  The two girls started laughing. Willow smiled. “I guess I was being stupid, thinking that y’all hated me and was in a coup with everybody else around here. It’s like I lost everything.”

  “I don’t think you lost everything. Look over there in that corner. There’s a gentleman who’s been checking you out.”

  “It’s just my neighbor, Dawson.”

  “I know of Dawson Evans. But I also know I’ve never seen him check out a girl the way he’s looking at you.”

  As Sanaa walked away, Dawson walked over, and Willow’s heart started beating a little faster.

  “So, you haven’t returned my calls,” Dawson said to her.

  “I haven’t really been talking to anybody,” Willow uttered, trying to remain unaffected by his attention.

  “Why you pulling away?”

  “Because you’re too good of a guy to mess around with somebody like me.”

  Dawson replied, “If I cared about what people thought ... ”

  “What? You would have never liked me in the first place?”

  “Something like that.” He shrugged. “But it’s not just you. Remember, I’m being raised by a single mom. When I was younger, I got called by a bunch of names. My mom used to always tell me I can’t let what people say break me, and so over the years, the more I was put down, the stronger I became. When you go on, live your life, hold your head up high, start believing in yourself, and believe in those who truly care about you, your life can turn around. All I’m saying is, give a brother a chance. I seen the swoop girls, and they seem to be good for you. I wanna be good for you too.”

  “Oh, you do, huh?” Willow asked in a flirtatious tone before becoming serious. “Even with all my baggage?”

  Peering deeply into her eyes, Dawson said, “Let me carry them for you. I can lighten your load, baby.”

  At that moment, Willow took a real deep breath. She couldn’t believe the dude who lived next door, the guy she’d looked past so many years, was now making her heart skip a beat. Dawson had been showing her interest for years, but she was so backwards she never paid attention. Now his strong presence was demanding an audience. He was in her face, straightforward and to the point. He wanted to be her man.

  Brushing his lips from her cheek to her ear, he said, “There is a Valentine’s Day dance coming up Friday. Go with me?”

  “Yes,” Willow uttered naturally.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Kindly (Olive’s Ending)

  With the guys dressed in nice suits and the ladies in adorable, short dresses, Olive smiled as she sat at a table, watching Octavia and Shawn cuddle together, Willow and Dawson laugh at each other, and Sanaa stare at Miles from across the room. Olive wasn’t going to let Charles get her down. He was there standing beside her, looking all dapper, but he had an attitude. The Valentine’s Day dance was the last place he wanted to be, and he had no problem expressing that she’d basically forced him to be there. When a slow jam came on, couples got up to head to the floor.

  Olive leaned in to Sanaa and baited, “Go on, girl, and dance with Miles. Forget Toni. He wants to be with you.”

  “He drove me here, so that’s enough. I’m still letting him stew for trying to make me choose between him and my swoop list girls. But he does look fine, doesn’t he? I’ma go stand close to him.”

  The girls giggled. Before Sanaa walked away, she motioned for Olive to ask Charles. But when Olive saw the mean glare on his face, she just sat there.

  Charles looked at Shawn, who was struggling to move, and said, “Bro, you need to sit down somewhere before those stitches pop.”

  “It’s just a slow jam, man. You need to get up and relax a little bit. Get yourself some business and stay out of mine,” Shawn jokingly replied as he took Octavia’s hand and headed to get his slow groove on.

  Charles jerked his shoulders upward in a noncaring way and did not ask Olive to dance. Instead, he sat back with his lips pouted and his arms folded. Even with all that, Olive wasn’t going to let Charles spoil her mood. She knew even though he didn’t want to be there, he wanted to be with her and that meant so much. It wasn’t just what he said, but also what he did that showed his loyalty. He took her to the dance, and even if they sat there all night, she was with a guy who cared about her.

  Olive had never had girlfriends to sit with, laugh with, go to the bathroom with, or just do whatever fun, silly stuff that girls did. Now she enjoyed her new friends at the big dance. She had a life and felt so blessed. She just wished Pia was there to share it with them. She wasn’t the only one thinking about Pia. All of a sudden, a Hispanic guy tapped her on the shoulder, and Charles rose to his feet. It was Stephen.

  “She’s with me, man,” Charles uttered, having no problem being territorial.

  “Naw, man, I’m not trying to cut in. I just wanted to talk to her for a second about one of her friends. I thought since you all weren’t dancing, you wouldn’t mind if I sat down. For real, I ain’t trying to take your girl, man.”

  “You couldn’t,” Charles said, feeling the guy out. Satisfied, he calmed his tone. “Alright, cool.”

  Stephen sat and looked at Olive. “Hey.”

  “Hey, what’s up? You wanted to talk to me?” Olive asked, unsure what he wanted.

  “Yeah. I know you’ve been hanging out with Pia, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m Stephen Garcia.”

  “I know who you are. The only good point guard on our basketball team.”

  Hearing that, Charles perked up. “Yeah, that’s right. You shoot hoops for Jackson. Man, I hate y’all didn’t keep on doing well for State.”

  Olive lightly jabbed him in the arm and said, “You had some good shots though.”

  Charles nodded and said, “You just need some other good jokers around you.”

  Stephen squinted as he tried to remember Charles. “You’re the guy I’ve seen ballin’ in PE. We need to get you out there on the court.”

  Charles appreciated that Stephen recognized his skills. “If I wasn’t a senior, I might just do that.”

  “We’ve got some rec and AAU leagues that play this spring.”

  “Let’s hook up then,” Charles said as the two hit fists.

  “What can I do for you?” Olive cut in.

  “Yeah, um, Pia, do you know where she is? Is she here tonight? Did she come with somebody?”

  “Actually, she didn’t come. We’ve been calling her. She hasn’t returned anybody’s calls.”

  “Mine either. You think she’s alright?”

  “I don’t know. I’m a little worried about her. Seems like you are too.”

  “I am,” Stephen said with true concern on his face.

  Unclear, Olive asked, “Were y’all supposed to come together or something?”

  “No, no. I mean, I would have brought her if she would have wa
nted to, but, um ... ”

  Still unclear, Olive pried, “So you didn’t even ask her?”

  “She didn’t return my calls.”

  Getting a tough look from Charles over grilling the guy too much, Olive eased up, “Yeah, okay, you said that. Well, if I hear from her, want me to tell her to call you?”

  “I’m thinking about dropping by her place. I’m not a stalker or anything ... ” Stephen said when he noticed Olive was a little leery at his declaration. “You don’t think that would be a good idea?”

  Olive threw her hands in the air. “Who am I to say? But I will tell you, if you’re feeling you need to reach out, then step out and go by there. I might tell my girls we need to do the same right after the dance. I am a little worried about her.”

  “Alright, well, thanks,” Stephen said as he and Olive stood up and said good-bye.

  Olive felt hands around her waist. “Oh, I know you glad I’m at the dance,” a voice said.

  When she turned around, she jumped back, seeing it was Tiger. She screamed, “Get your hands off of me!”

  “I put my hands anywhere I want!” Tiger said as he put both of his hands back around her waist and pulled her close, humping his hips like he was trying to get busy or something.

  “You’re hurting me! Ouch! Let me go, Tiger!” Olive screamed out.

  The next thing she knew, Tiger let go. She turned quickly and was shocked to see Charles with one hand really tight around Tiger’s neck. In his other hand was a knife to the side of Tiger’s throat.

  Charles boldly stated, “You going to disrespect my girl all up in here like this?”

  “Your girl?” Tiger teased back. “Please, you can’t have what’s been and is mine.”

  Charles tightened the grip and smiled as if he was digging the control. After a few long seconds, Tiger’s smirk started fading from his cocky face. The redbone was turning purple.

  “You got to let him go, Charles,” Olive pleaded.

  Before she could get through to him, administrators and the cops on duty pulled Charles off of Tiger. Immediately, they put him on the floor and put him in handcuffs. Olive became hysterical as they carried Charles towards the exit. Sanaa noticed what was going on and wrapped her arms around Olive, trying to comfort her.