Crazy Love

by Amir Abrams

  “Yeah, a’ight. What is it about this dude? What does he have that I don’t?”

  I stare at him, then blink. I tilt my head. “Me,” I say, walking into homeroom just as the bell rings. Jarrell follows behind me. I glance over my shoulder, catching him staring at my butt. Ugh! He grins, licking his lips.

  He is sexy, though. I roll my eyes.

  “I’ma still wait on you,” he says, taking his usual seat in the back of the room.

  I laugh, waving him on. “Well, you let me know how that works out for you.”

  The rest of the school day flies by. At three o’clock—even though a) I’m not feeling it, b) I don’t appreciate how Zahara came at me earlier, and c) I feel like she’s trying to make me choose between them and my boo—I’m walking out to the parking lot with my phone pressed to my ear, talking to Sincere. And, yes, with an attitude.

  “You miss me?”

  “Yup, yup,” he says. “How was your day?”

  “It was good.” Yeah, ’cause I spent it thinking about you.

  “Kamiyah, girl, will you hurry the heck up,” Zahara says, placing a hand up on her hip.

  I put a finger up, signaling for her to give me a minute.

  “Trick, c’mon. We’re ready to go. You can talk to Sincere later. Dang.”

  “Yo, who’s that?”

  I suck my teeth. “Zahara. She’s rushing me off the phone, like she’s my mother or something.”

  He laughs. “Well, don’t let me hold you.”

  Boy, I want you to hold me. “Oh, you’re not holding me. They can wait. Talking to you is more important. The mall isn’t going anywhere.”

  “Aaah, that’s wassup. So y’all getting ready to hit the mall? Which one?” I tell him that we’re going to Short Hills. “Oh, that’s wassup.”

  I glance at my watch. “We’ll probably get something to eat at The Cheesecake Factory while we’re out there. But I’m only going to be out for a few hours, then I’m coming straight over to your house.”

  “Oh, damn,” he says, bursting my bubble. “I kinda made plans to hang out with my boys tonight since you said you were chillin’ with your girls.”

  “You did what?” I snap. “I told you I was coming over, so why would you go and do that?”

  “Look, you need to take all that loudness in my ear down a notch.”

  I frown. “I don’t have to take nothing down. You knew I wanted to see you.”

  “And I wanna see you, too, Miyah.”

  Yeah, right. I grunt. “Mmmph. Oh, really?”

  “Yeah, really. Didn’t you text me earlier and say you forgot you had made plans to hang with your girls after school?”

  “Yeah, and I also told you I was coming over right afterward. So why would you make plans to hang out?”

  “Because I figured I’d either see you later on tonight, or tomorrow. Relax. It’s not that serious.”

  Maybe not to you! “Mmmph. Yeah, you’re right. It really isn’t. So, do you.”

  “Oh, so now you got a attitude?”

  “Nope. Anywaaayz . . . what y’all gonna get into?” I ask, shifting my oversize handbag from one arm to the other. I let it hang in the crook of my arm.

  “I’m not sure yet.”

  “Well, what time you gonna be home?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Mmmph.”

  “What’s all that—”

  “Stop the press,” Zahara says, sneaking up on me and snatching my phone from out of my hand. She takes off with the phone pressed up to her ear, running around her car. “Listen up, boo-thang . . . no, it’s Zee . . . wassup . . .”

  “Zahara, give me my phone back!” I yell, chasing her.

  Ameerah and Brittani are laughing.

  “. . . Well, I don’t mean to bust y’all’s little lovefest up . . . oh, no problem . . . but we’re trying to get to the mall, so do you mind if—”

  “I’m not playing with you, tramp,” I say, taking off my heels and charging her. I feel like beating her down. “Give me my damn phone back, Zahara. Now!”

  “All right, all right,” she says, handing it back to me. “Don’t get your panties all knotted up. Geesh!”

  “Whatever,” I snap. “You lucky I don’t put a knot upside ya forehead. You play too much. I’m sorry about that,” I tell Sincere, trying to catch my breath.

  Sincere’s laughing. “It’s all good. Yo, your girl’s shot out, for real.”

  “She makes me sick. Anywaaayz, where are you and your friends going?” He tells me he’s not sure where they might end up. “How you gonna hang out with your boys and have no idea where you going?”

  “We’ll figure it out when we all meet up.”

  “So where y’all meeting up at?”

  “They’re coming here.”

  “They all have girls?”

  He sighs. “Listen. Wassup with the third degree all of a sudden?”

  I frown. “You know what, Sincere? Forget you.”

  “Forget what? Nah, don’t forget it. I wanna know wassup with all the questions.”

  Oh no, girl . . . he’s really tryna bring it to you. You better pump his brakes right now. And make it quick. He’s acting like you can’t check for him.

  Girl, stop tripping. He’s only hanging out with his boys.

  Mmmph. And he’s probably gonna have a buncha chicks all up in his face.

  I suck my teeth. “Well, I wanna know why you’re acting all secretive, like I can’t ask you any questions.”

  “I’m not being secretive. You can ask me anything you want. But I told you, I don’t know what we’re gonna do. And you’re still coming at me with a buncha questions like I’m on some interview. If I knew where we were going, I’d tell you.”

  I blink, blink again. Don’t trip, girl. Let him do his thing. “You’re right, Sincere,” I say all sweet and whatnot. “My bad. I was just looking forward to seeing you tonight, that’s all.”

  “I feel you. I wanna see you, too. And if it’s not too late, we can still chill.”

  “Yeah,” I say, walking toward my car. For some reason I’m pissed. Whatever. Go on and have your little fun. “Don’t be all up in no girls’ faces, either.”

  He laughs. “C’mon, Miyah. Don’t start that. You already know it’s me and you.”

  I smile. “It better be.”

  “I’ma make it up to you, a’ight?”

  “You better.” He tells me he’s gonna take me out to dinner tomorrow. That he’ll pick me up at seven. “But I still wanna see you tonight, too,” I say, turning my back on the staring eyes of my girls.

  “Hooker, hurry up! You can turn your back all you want. This don’t make any sense. You act like he’s going off to war or something. Geesh. Stop acting like you’re so pressed. Get off the phone and let’s roll.”

  “Ohmygod, Sincere. Let me get up off this phone before I have to beat this chick down. She’s out here talking real reckless.”

  “A’ight. Have fun.”

  “You too. Call or text me when you get home.”

  “I got you.” We say our good-byes, then disconnect.

  The three of them are staring me down. Zahara has her hand up on her hip. Ameerah’s arms are crossed. And Brittani is leaning up against my car, shaking her head. I give all three of ’em the finger. “Let’s go, tramps.”

  14

  Monitor in silence! And that’s exactly why I’m sitting across the street from Sincere’s house at nine o’clock at night, ducked down low waiting for him to get home. Okay, okay. . .I know I have no business being out here. But I am. And he’s lucky I don’t want his parents thinking I’m some kinda nut; otherwise I’d be sitting up on his porch step waiting for him. Never let ’em see you!

  I couldn’t wait to ditch Zahara and them. I mean, the mall was cute and all. I even bought Brittani’s birthday gift in Bloomingdale’s while I was there. She wanted a pair of Lucky Brand “Hibiscus” tall flat boots—they’re like motorcycle and riding boots in one—and they were o
n sale, so I bought them for her. OMG, they’re gonna be real fly with a pair of skinny jeans. Well, she doesn’t know exactly which ones I bought, since I had her try on four different types and styles of boots, then went back to get the ones she really wanted while Zahara and Ameerah dragged her over to Macy’s. But still, the whole time I was there I couldn’t think about anything other than Sincere. What is he doing? Where is he at? Who all is with him? I texted him a few times while we were eating, then called him, even though I knew he was leaving to go out with his friends. He picked up and spoke to me for a few minutes, then told me he’d call me later. Mmmph!

  Anywaaayz, here I sit. And I’m not leaving this spot until I see what time he pulls up in his driveway. And who he pulls up with. Well, okay, I’m not going anywhere for at least the next two hours, ’cause I need to be in the house by eleven if I want to maintain my freedom. Besides, I’m not allowed to drive past 11:01, thanks to the new corny driving rules. And if I’m one minute over, it’s a wrap. The Witch already forewarned me that if I don’t have this car up in the driveway by the designated time, I won’t be able to drive for a whole month. Mmmph. And I’m not tryna end up back on punishment, especially when I only have four weekends from tomorrow—which is Brittani’s birthday—before the Halloween party at the end of next month. So I’m gonna try and stay on her good side until then. Mmmph. For some reason, she was nice enough to let me stay out past my ten o’clock curfew tonight—on a school night, which is rare, no less. And yup, I’m spending it scoping out Sincere’s house. Even though my mom thinks I’m at the movies with Zahara and them.

  I text Sincere. HEY. U HOME YET?

  Of course I already know the answer, since I’m out here watching his house. But I wanna see what he says. So I wait and wait and wait for his reply. Tyga’s “Far Away” is playing, and I start singing along. Four songs later there is still no reply from Sincere! I pull out the Sightmark Ghost Hunter night vision binoculars I bought online, then scan the area. Oooh, these things see everything in the dark. Where are you, Sincere? I toss the binoculars over in the passenger seat the minute my phone chimes. It’s a text from Sincere, finally!

  Sincere: NAH, NOT YET. WHERE U?

  Me: K. I’M HOME. WHEN U GOIN HOME?

  Sincere: N A FEW

  Me: K. CALL ME WHEN U GET IN

  Sincere: I WILL

  I want so badly to ask him where he’s at and who he’s hanging with. But I don’t. I’m just going to sit here and wait to see what ‘in a few’ means. I text back. LUV U!

  The time on my phone reads 9:44 P.M. I get another text. Ugh! This time it’s my mother. WHAT TIME IS THE MOVIE OVER?

  Now I have to go online to check to see movie times. I suck my teeth. She makes me sick! I decide to ignore her text. I’ll tell her I had my phone turned off.

  It is now 9:56 P.M. Sincere finally texts back. LUV U 2

  At 10:37 P.M., still no sign of Sincere. I guess when he said he’d be home ‘in a few,’ he meant like in a few hours, ’cause ‘in a few’ to me means like within thirty minutes or so.

  At 10:39 P.M., I text him again. U STILL NOT HOME?

  This time he texts right back. NAH. STILL CHLLIN. GOIN HOME IN A MIN

  By ten forty-five I’m convinced Sincere’s ‘in a min’ isn’t going to be coming anytime soon, so I turn off my phone—pissed that I have to leave before I see him. I start my engine and drive off, determined to be home before my extended curfew. The last thing I wanna do is hear her mouth!

  As soon as I walk through the door, the Witch can’t wait to pounce on me.

  “Didn’t you get my text?” she asks, sitting on the sofa in the living room reading some kind of book, probably a romance novel.

  “Oh, shoot,” I say, pulling out my phone and looking at it. “I turned my phone off at the movies and forgot to turn it back on.”

  She eyes me. “Mmm . . . what movie did you all go see?” I tell her the new Disney movie that just came out. She frowns. “I thought that movie was already out. “

  “It did. But it came out on the seventeenth in three-D. Remember when I was talking about it?”

  “Maybe you did mention it. I don’t remember, though. Who all went?”

  “Me, Zahara, Ameerah, and Brittani.”

  “I know you didn’t have them all packed in your car.”

  I keep from sucking my teeth. Look her in the face. “No. I know the rule. Only one other passenger allowed in the car unless there’s a parent or guardian in the car with us.”

  She squints her eyes at me as if she’s trying to decide if she wants to believe me or not.

  “We drove in two separate cars,” I add. “Briana dropped Brittani and Zahara off. And Ameerah rode with me. But anyway, why you down here?”

  “What time was the movie over?” she asks, ignoring my question.

  “I don’t know. Like twenty-five minutes ago. I dropped Ameerah off, then drove straight home.” But what I really wanna ask is, Why you all up in mine? But I know if I do it’ll start an argument, so I keep it to myself.

  “Where’d y’all go eat?”

  I blink, blink again. Then it hits me. She’s not tryna get it crunked, she’s tryna make small talk. OMG, I wanna roll my eyes up in my head. Doesn’t she know all I want to do is go upstairs to my room, shut my door, and get on Facebook to check Sincere’s page and go through his wall posts? Geesh!

  “The Cheesecake Factory,” I state, sitting in a chair across from her. I decide to play nice with her since a) I wanna stay in her good graces long enough to go to the Halloween party, b) Daddy promised me a new Louis bag as long as I keep the peace between us, and c) it’s a rare occasion that she’s even nice to me. So here we are. Let the games begin!

  I think back, try to remember how long it’s been since we’ve actually sat and talked without it getting messy. I watch her watching me and realize we haven’t gotten along since I was twelve. Since Erika moved out.

  Of course, if you ask her when things turned sour between us, she’ll say once I started my period. Yup, she’ll blame it all on me and my monthly cycle. Go figure. Anywaaayz. . . I decide, since she seems to be in a friendly mood, to tell her that Sincere wants to take me out to eat tomorrow night after dance.

  “Is that okay?” I can tell she’s shocked. I tilt my head, wait for her answer. I’m sure she’ll have some excuse to say no, like the fact that it’s a school night. I decided to add, “I’ll be home way before curfew.”

  She just kinda stares at me. I can tell there’s something on her mind other than me wanting to be out with Sincere. Just by the way she’s eyeing me—no, studying me—I can tell that she’s been sitting down here on purpose, waiting for me.

  “Where’s he taking you?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know where exactly. I just know he’s going to pick me up tomorrow at six and take me out to eat somewhere.”

  “Well . . .” She pauses, glancing at her watch, then over at the door when she hears it open and shut. It’s Daddy. He comes in from the foyer and looks shocked to see the two of us sitting in a room and there’s no yelling and screaming.

  “Hi, Daddy,” I say, smiling.

  “Oh, hey. What’s going on in here?” he asks, looking over at me, then Mom. He leans in and kisses her on the lips.

  She looks up at him all googly-eyed and whatnot. “Kamiyah and I were sitting here talking about her night out with her friends.”

  “Is that so?” he says, walking over and kissing me on the forehead. He winks at me and whispers, “That’s my girl.”

  “Kamiyah was just telling me about her plans tomorrow night with Sincere.”

  “Oh yeah?” Daddy says, sitting down next to her, putting his arm around the back of the sofa. “What kind of plans?”

  “We’re gonna go out to eat. Is that okay? He’s gonna pick me up around six.”

  He looks over at Mom. “I don’t think it should be a problem.” She shakes her head, agreeing with him. “What time will you be home?” I tell him by
curfew.

  Mom’s eyes stretch open. “If you’re only going out to eat, why do you need to be out until ten?”

  “We’re probably going to hang out at his house afterward.”

  “And his parents will be home?” she wants to know.

  I shrug. “I guess.”

  “Well, I’d rather you not be there unless there’s a parent there. Understand?”

  “Kamiyah, your mother’s right. Anything can happen.”

  “But, Daddy, nothing can happen unless I want it to. Don’t you think I can handle myself?”

  “It’s not about whether or not you can handle yourself. I know we’ve raised you to be responsible. And part of being responsible is doing what’s right. And that’s not being in his house, or anyone else’s, unless there’s a responsible adult there.”

  “You’re right,” I say, not wanting to get into a big lecture. “Well,” I say, getting up. “I’m going to get ready for bed.”

  Okay, instead of her letting me go on my merry way, the Witch wants to keep yapping. “Kamiyah, Sincere seems like a very nice young man with a good head on his shoulders. I really hope the two of you aren’t rushing into anything. You really need to stay focused on graduating and getting into Juilliard next year.”

  I frown, but I’m mindful not to raise my voice. “I am focused.”

  She gives me a fake smile. “And I want you to stay that way.” Then she hops off her broom and swings the ax down on me. “I think you and Sincere shouldn’t spend so much time together. It’s not healthy.”

  “Oh, I get it,” I say, eyeing her. “You waited until Daddy was here to bring all this up instead of saying something to me yourself. Mmmph. That’s so typical.”

  “Excuse you, young lady?”

  OMG, I am so not tryna do this right now. “Okay, fine. Can I go now?”

  “No,” the Witch says. “We’re not done talking to you.”

  “Umm, you mean, you’re not done talking to me.”

  “No, I’m not. And I don’t like all those text messages and phone calls to Sincere. They seem obsessive to me.”

  “Ohmygod, are you serious? I have the second-highest GPA in a school of over two thousand students, I don’t drink or use drugs, or run the streets, and you’re worried about how many times I text or talk on the phone to my boyfriend? Maybe I should really give you something to worry about. Then maybe you’d get off—”