Eye Candy

by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

  “Okay, and?” I said.

  “But there’s one person we like even less than you,” Shay said. “And that’s that Pop-Tart Nelly.”

  Evian stepped up. “Do you know she called Bali a freak?”

  That got him riled up all over again. “And you know if my dad hadn’t threatened to deport me if I got into any more trouble, I would’ve stomped that heffa down,” Bali said, his neck wiggling like crazy.

  “Okay, but what does any of this have to do with me?”

  “Well, we know you looked out for Evian,” Shay continued, “so we wanted to look out for you, give you a piece of information.”

  Bali clicked his teeth. “Watch your back, diva, because Nelly is not only out to be a cohost. She’s out to take the job completely and get you fired.”

  “How do you know that?” I asked. As if she even could.

  “I heard her telling that little jackrabbit sidekick of hers how she’d told Tamara people were talking about you like a dog because of Alvin. She also said she got someone she knows to write a story blasting you at US Weekly.”

  I was speechless. Oh, she was playing dirty for real? “Why are you guys telling me this?” I said, still trying to understand their motive.

  Shay looked me dead in the eye. “There’s a part of me that said, ‘Let her get fired, it would serve her right,’ because you did us real dirty.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said for the thousandth time.

  Shay continued, “But Sheridan got us to see that any one of us would’ve done the same thing if we’d been the ones they offered the job to.”

  I couldn’t believe after all this time, they were finally cutting me some slack.

  “Wow. Well, thanks for the info.”

  Bali gave me a once-over. “You going a little soft, diva. You best to get it together, before that trick has your job and your man. She looks innocent, but it’s those that you have to watch the most.”

  The bell rang, letting us know we were late for our seventh-period class. “Thanks, guys. I’ll keep you posted.”

  We all walked off at the same time. Had I been underestimating Nelly? Whatever, I thought. She might try to get dirty, but she was no match for me in that department.

  Chapter 24

  June 6 couldn’t get here fast enough. That was graduation and I was so ready to bid farewell to Miami High. I was so tired of the hate from these busters at my school. Like now, I was minding my business, trying to piece together my behind that had just been chewed out by my world history teacher. As if her grueling exam wasn’t enough, she had to make me stay after class and hear her lecture about not living up to my potential, riding my fame. Whatever.

  Add to that the ugly fight I’d had with Alvin two days ago (and the fact that we hadn’t talked since then) and my annoyance meter was off the scale.

  “May I help you?” I snapped, looking at two girls who kept staring at me as I made my way into the lunchroom. I wasn’t in the mood, and if they said the wrong thing to me, they were about to feel my wrath. Luckily, they quickly darted off in the opposite direction.

  “Hi, Maya.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as Nelly and Karrington came bouncing over to me.

  “Hi, Maya,” Karrington echoed.

  I didn’t speak as I kept moving through the line. I thought about what Bali, Shay, and Evian said. Nah, they were reading too much into things. This girl was so ditzy. She might be able to sing, but that was about all she had going for herself. I wasn’t going to worry about her at all.

  “Maybe she’s mad about the picture in the magazine?” Karrington said. I know she wanted me to ask what picture. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

  “Good-bye, Nelly and no-name,” I said.

  “Oooh, somebody didn’t take their happy pill today,” Nelly sang.

  “Maybe she can take some personality lessons from you,” Karrington chimed in.

  “Maybe you can get your nose up out of her behind and get your own life. Jerk,” I told her.

  “Maya, was that really necessary?” Nelly asked. She looked ridiculous, in a ballerina tutu and a one-shoulder spandex top. I know she was trying to go for the whole unique pop star look, but she just looked like she was trying way too hard.

  “Nelly, is it really necessary for you to talk to me at all?” I snapped as I snatched up my tray and walked away. These people were so working my nerves.

  I scanned the cafeteria for Sheridan and Kennedi. I spotted them in the back in our usual spot and I made my way over.

  “Hey,” I said, sliding into the seat across from them.

  “Hey,” they both replied as they exchanged uneasy glances.

  “What’s up with you guys?” It was then that I noticed several other people staring at me as well. “What’s up with everybody?”

  “You okay?” Sheridan asked.

  “Umm, yeah. This stupid world history exam just kicked my butt. As if I need to know what the capital of Turkey is. When will I ever use that information again?”

  They just stared at each other, then me.

  “Okay,” I said, setting my water bottle down. “Somebody needs to tell me what’s up.”

  “You obviously hadn’t seen today’s Miami Hot Gossip magazine.”

  “No. Why?” I rolled my eyes. “Oh, let me guess. They have pictures of me and J. Love? Yeah, someone posted them to Instagram, now Alvin is trippin’.”

  Neither of them said anything as Kennedi slid the magazine across the table. “Umm, you might want to see for yourself.”

  I groaned as I flipped the magazine open. “What page is it on?”

  “Page sixteen,” Sheridan whispered.

  I side-eyed her. “It ain’t that serious. It’s just a stupid picture of me and J. Love.”

  “It isn’t J. Love,” Kennedi mumbled just as I got to page sixteen. My heart fell into the pit of my stomach as I read the headline: CAUGHT CREEPING. And right underneath it was a picture of my boyfriend, Alvin, kissing Marisol. The kiss itself cut me to the core, but knowing he’d kissed her after she’d tried to kill me made me sick to my stomach.

  I looked up to see both Sheridan and Kennedi staring at me like they were scared that I was going to go postal.

  “Th-there has to be some kind of explanation. Maybe this was taken back when they were together.”

  “That’s what I thought at first when I saw it,” Sheridan replied. “But it’s at that new yogurt shop on Biscayne. The one that just opened last week.”

  I hadn’t thought my stomach could drop any further, but it did. That place had just opened up, which meant my boyfriend was cheating on me.

  “I’m sure there’s a reason,” Sheridan said. Even as the words came out, it didn’t sound like she believed them.

  “Girl, don’t try to sugarcoat that,” Kennedi said. “There is no reason for your guy to be kissing all up on his ex-girlfriend.”

  Kennedi was right. There was nothing that could explain this.

  “You dang near throwing your career away for this dude and this is how he repays you?” Kennedi snapped.

  I felt tears welling up, which was not good because Maya Morgan didn’t cry over a guy.

  “I’m gonna go,” I said, standing.

  “You need to eat,” Sheridan said.

  “I’m suddenly not hungry.” I had to hold it together because several eyes were still looking in my direction. Nosey folks.

  “Are you okay?” Sheridan asked.

  I nodded. I was going to call Alvin because he was going to tell me something. He was going to explain this to me. I had no idea what he could possibly say, but he had to tell me something.

  I left the lunchroom and headed to my car because I didn’t want any of these nosey people eavesdropping on me.

  As soon as I sat in my driver’s seat, I called Alvin. I wanted to scream when it went straight to voice mail. I hung up and texted him.

  Call me. Asap.

  I noticed the date and remembered that he had some meeting t
his morning, but he’d better call me right away. I was about to call him again when my cell phone rang.

  I looked at the caller ID and groaned.

  I answered the phone and asked, “What do you want, J?”

  “Well, hello to you, too,” he said.

  “Sorry. I’m just not in a good mood.”

  “Yeah, I kinda figured that. I saw the magazine and well, I’m shocked. I mean, you trying to do right by him and this is how he repays you?”

  “So, you’re calling me to gloat?”

  “Come on, baby girl, you know me better than that. I was just calling to check on you and see if you need me to take ol’ boy out or something.”

  That made me smile. J. Love acted tough, but he really was a suburban kid from Jacksonville, Florida. There was nothing hard about him. “No, I don’t want you to take him out,” I replied. “Besides, you’re not really a thug. You just play one on TV.”

  “Yeah, you right about that. I’m a lover, not a fighter. But I know people who know people.”

  I tried to laugh, but I choked up. I caught myself, inhaled, then said, “I can’t believe this, but I’ll handle it.”

  “What did he say?”

  “What can he say?”

  “Well, just know if you need anything, I got you,” J. Love replied.

  I wanted to tell him that I might need him to keep his calendar clear because if this turned out to be true, and not some sick Photoshop job, Alvin was as good as gone.

  Chapter 25

  I had snatched up my phone so quickly when I saw Alvin’s number, I didn’t even get a chance to say hello.

  “Okay, who died?”

  “You’re about to,” I replied.

  “Seriously, Maya?” Alvin said, exasperated. “I’m in the middle of this important meeting and you’re blowing up my phone, having the secretary come and get me, and nobody’s dead for real?”

  “Not yet anyway.”

  He had the nerve to act irritated. “Maya, what are you talking about? I really don’t have time for this.”

  “Oh, but you have time to be sitting up kissing on your ex-girlfriend?”

  Silence filled the phone. Then, he said, “What in the world are you talking about?”

  “Hold on a minute.”

  “Maya, I don’t . . .”

  I couldn’t even hear the rest of his sentence because I pulled the phone away from my ear. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this in the first place. I opened the magazine up, snapped a picture of the page and texted it to him. “Check your phone,” I told him.

  “I’m on my phone. Why can’t you tell me what this is about?”

  “Because I can show you better than I can tell you. Check your phone,” I repeated.

  “Hold on,” he huffed. I could hear him fumbling around and then silence again.

  “Hello?” I said.

  “Maya, it’s not even what it looks like.” Oh, his entire tone changed now.

  “Don’t tell me it’s not what it looks like, because it looks like you’re kissing on your ex-girlfriend. But I know better than that. Is it Photoshopped? It better be Photoshopped,” I said, before he had a chance to answer.

  “I wasn’t kissing her. She kissed me and it caught me off guard,” he replied.

  “Whatever, Alvin,” I yelled. “This doesn’t look like you were caught off guard.”

  “Can we talk about this when I get home?”

  “No, we can’t! We’re gonna talk about this right now!”

  He let out a heavy sigh. “Maya, I don’t want Marisol.”

  “I can’t tell.”

  “Regardless of what it looks like, it was nothing.”

  “You are so full of it, you liar!” It was taking everything in my power not to cry. Out of every guy I had ever dated, Alvin was the last one I ever thought would cheat on me. “How could you do this to me? And with her, of all people? She’s about to go on trial for trying to kill me. You freakin’ turned her in. And now, you’re out playing kissy-face with her?” I screamed.

  “Maya, I have to go back in this meeting. I’ll be there to meet you after school so we can go somewhere and talk.”

  “Alvin!” But before I could say another word he hung the phone up. I wanted to scream. Oh, he could try and meet me all he wanted, but I wouldn’t be going anywhere with him. Ever again. If I didn’t have a presentation in my last class, I’d leave right now.

  I don’t know how I made it through the rest of the day, but I did and as soon as that seventh-period bell rang, I hightailed it out of there. I wanted to be gone before Alvin got here, but of course he was leaned up against my car.

  “Move,” I said.

  “No. Not until you hear me out.”

  I folded my arms across my chest. “You know, Alvin, there’s nothing else to hear. Miami Hot Gossip heard it all.”

  “No, they didn’t, because if they did, they would’ve seen me afterward, pushing her away and asking her what in the world was wrong with her.”

  “Tell that to somebody else. You must think I’m boo-boo the fool.”

  Just then two girls passed by me snickering. “Dang, she took him back already,” one of them said.

  “Why don’t you mind your own business?” I shot them an evil glare.

  “Oh yeah, look who’s talking about minding their own business?” the girl said, rolling her eyes.

  “Whatever.” I turned my attention back to Alvin. “Do you know what kind of fool you’ve made me look like?”

  He just stared at me like he was trying to see through me. “Yeah, the same kind of way that you made me look.”

  “Oh, don’t even try to compare the two. I wasn’t locking lips with my ex. You can try to dress it up however you want, but everyone at school was looking at me like I was some poor desperate chick who was done wrong by her man.”

  “So that’s what this is about? How you look?”

  “You’re doggone straight that’s what this is about!”

  “So it’s cool with you if I was kissing her as long as no one saw it and made you look bad?”

  I was about to go off, but I saw a few other people looking my way, so I just stepped closer to him and lowered my voice. “Oh, don’t you dare try to turn this around on me. I’m the freaking laughingstock of the school!”

  “And of course we can’t have that,” he said, his voice full of sarcasm.

  “No, we can’t!” If he was trying to make me feel bad, it wasn’t going to happen. “I have a brand.”

  He threw his hands up. “Oh yeah, your brand. That Maya Morgan brand. The brand is why you had to go to the Grammys with another guy. The brand is why you had to play me in order to go because you weren’t woman enough to come right out and tell me how bad you wanted to go.”

  “What are you talking about?” Could he have known I sent the text on purpose?

  “Whatever, Maya. You’re trying to play innocent, but you’re not.”

  “So that’s what this is about? You kissed your ex-girlfriend because I went to the stupid Grammys Awards with someone else?”

  “Not someone—your ex-boyfriend who’s made no secret he wants you back. Do you know how that made me look? Oh, and let’s not forget you lied to me about a video I didn’t want you doing in the first place.”

  “First of all, you’re not my daddy so you don’t tell me what I can and can’t do. Secondly, nobody cares how you look! Everybody cares how I look!” The words left my mouth before I even realized it and my tone softened. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant—”

  He held his hand up to stop me from talking. “No, that’s exactly what you meant.” He blew a frustrated breath, looked around the school, then shook his head pitifully. “You know what, Maya? You’re right. I’m not about that life. I’ve loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you, but it was never enough. I kidded myself into believing that it ever could be. I could have all the money in the world, but I don’t have the status you and your friends have and that makes
me a nobody. So you go find you a somebody to be happy with.”

  “What? What does that mean?” I stared at him and turned my nose up. Was he breaking up with me? “Are you dumping me?” I asked.

  He let out a pained laugh. “Yeah, I’m done. But we can say it was a mutual decision because I know for you, the only thing that matters is the spin. I’m sorry about the pictures in the magazine. They really are not what they seem, but I don’t think that matters to you anyway. You wanted an excuse to get out, so you’re out.”

  He walked away without giving me a chance to say another word. Not that I could have anyway. I was stunned silent. How had he been the one caught cheating . . . and I ended up being the one who was dumped?

  Chapter 26

  I flushed the toilet and dragged myself back into my bedroom. My mother had been in here three times already, probably because she wasn’t used to me being sick. Although I wasn’t physically sick, I had called in sick to work and taken a day off from school. I just couldn’t do it. When I told my mom that I had broken up with Alvin, she said I was heartbroken, but Maya Morgan didn’t get broken up over a guy. Especially one that had cheated on her.

  But if that was the case, why had I not been able to pull myself out of bed all day except for just now and only because my bladder couldn’t hold it anymore?

  I was just about to crawl back into my bed when someone knocked on my door.

  “Ms. Maya?” It was Sui, our maid.

  “What?” I grumbled, pulling back my covers.

  “There’s someone here to see you.”

  “I’m not here.”

  “But he’s seen your car, and he knows you are.”

  “He? You tell Alvin I have nothing to say to him, and who let him past the guard?”

  “Um, it is not Mr. Alvin. It is a man by the name of Mr. Love?”

  J. Love? What was he doing here? He’d been calling me all day, but I’d turned my phone off because I didn’t feel like talking to anyone.

  “Well, tell him I don’t want to talk to anybody,” I said.

  “Well, you’re going to talk to me,” I heard J. Love’s voice say.

  “Mister, mister. You cannot be up here,” Sui said, frantically. “Miss Maya is not allowed to have male visitors in her room.”