16 Isn't Always Sweet

by Cassandra Carter

  “Yeah, he had to go to the station as soon as we finished,” Jordan said, lying down on her bed again.

  “Well, I think he said something about leaving for L.A. tonight, but I was only half listening.”

  “See, I knew Lorenzo was up to something funny! I just wish I would’ve figured it out sooner so I could’ve been home.”

  “So, tell me more about this Lorenzo cat. Who was he? A producer or somebody?”

  “I don’t know. He said some mess about being Jadian’s cousin, but I don’t really know what he does. I never bothered to ask.”

  “And you believed him?”

  “I know…I know.” Jordan sounded ashamed of being so gullible.

  “Well, how old was he?” Adrienne asked, sounding outraged at Jordan’s lack of information.

  “He said he was twenty-one, but who really knows?”

  “Twenty-one! Holy shit! Look at you with your fast ass!” She coughed, no doubt having dragged too deeply on her cigar.

  Jordan pushed her covers to the foot of her bed and twirled a lock of hair between her fingers. She was staring at the cluster of glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling, and before she could respond, a noise had her sitting straight up in bed.

  “Sorry, Adrienne, I gotta go. Bye.” She hurried to get the words out before returning the cordless telephone to its base on her nightstand.

  Jordan turned her back to the door and pulled her sheets high over her shoulders as a sliver of light cut through the shadows. She held her breath at the sight of her father’s enormous shadow and pretended to snore lightly as he scanned her bedroom. Cradling a pillow to her chest, she could feel her heart pounding until her father, apparently satisfied that she would cause no more trouble tonight, finally closed the door.

  It took Jordan about an hour to settle down. She’d had her eyes clamped shut so tightly when her father had unexpectedly checked on her, that her whole face felt tense and her body rigid. Alone in the darkness, Jordan’s eyelids gradually became heavy and fell over her eyes, and she succumbed to sleep.

  Midway through her punishment, Jordan found herself eager to begin a day of school. It was the only part of her day that gave her time to socialize, and with the buzz about the video circulating the student body, she didn’t mind the attention. She couldn’t make it to class without stopping for minute-long interviews or without waving and saying hello to almost each person she passed, regardless of whether she knew them.

  Jordan was smiling at everyone on her way to Adrienne’s locker when suddenly her smile vanished and she froze. The same people who’d ignored her for the past three years, she realized, now seemed all too happy to see her. Heads turned just to catch a glimpse of her, as though she were a Hollywood celebrity, and gathering observers whispered about her.

  Feeling awkward and insecure, Jordan made a beeline for her destination, but before she reached Adrienne several bystanders moved to block her path.

  “Hey, Jordan!” Michelle once again took the initiative to chat with her.

  “We saw you in Yung Fatal’s new video last night on MTV Jams!” Farrah’s eyes sparkled when she talked, and Kenya was quick to throw a question Jordan’s way.

  “Is it true that you and Jadian hooked up after y’all were done filming?”

  Jordan was just about to deny the rumor when she was interrupted. “Hey, where were you? I was waiting for you at my locker.” Adrienne surprised Jordan from behind, nodding to greet the others. “Wad up?”

  “Hi,” the group of girls replied in unison.

  “Walk with me to first hour?” Jordan asked Adrienne, her eyes pleading for her rescue.

  “See y’all later.” Adrienne jerked Jordan away with a tug of her hand and held on to her as she navigated through the crowd. “So, did you see the video yet?”

  “No! You know I’m still grounded. No TV for me—how’d it come out?” Jordan could hardly contain her excitement. She couldn’t believe she was the only person in school who hadn’t seen the video yet, or that it was out so soon.

  “I wanted to call you so bad! We gotta go check it out on YouTube or something right now! Skip your first hour?”

  “You’re crazy! My parents will…I don’t even want to think about what they’ll do.”

  “All right, I promise, just this one last time,” Adrienne begged, folding her hands as she pleaded to have her way. “Please, please, please!”

  “Damn you!”

  “Ooh, look! There goes Warren’s sexy ass.” Warren Taylor captured Adrienne’s attention as he strutted by with a few of his teammates from the varsity basketball squad. He was so engrossed in conversation, he didn’t bother to acknowledge her.

  “Why don’t you go talk to him?”

  “I talked to him all day yesterday,” Adrienne snapped. “Why do you think I was so tired when you called? We had just got off the phone not long before that.”

  “Oh.” Jordan didn’t know how to take her friend’s strange reaction, and it showed in her voice.

  A group of young men suddenly cut between the two girls, bumping Adrienne and almost making her lose her balance. She was riled up and raring to go, her fist raised, but one boy in particular had a rugged look that both the girls found tempting. He was bold in his actions, too, and looked Jordan over from head to toe in approval before reluctantly trailing after his friends.

  “Damn, did you see that?” Adrienne asked. All traces of irritation were now gone from her voice and were replaced by envy.

  “Yeah, who’s he?”

  “That’s Maurice Owens, and he’s only the quarterback of the varsity football team. He’s a senior—just transferred here from somewhere in Texas. Where have you been?”

  “Whoever he is, he’s cute.”

  “Yeah, you might just want to get on that. You know Sandra Douglas used to go out with him when he first got here, but I think he’s single now.”

  Just as the bell rang, the girls ran for an unoccupied computer lab, sidestepping a permanently grumpy janitor. Jordan was out of breath as she collapsed into a chair and typed the Web address in the browser and expanded the media player to view the video in full-screen format.

  “You’re going to love it.” Adrienne smiled as the introduction came on and the song started to play.

  Jordan gasped and put her hands over her mouth as she tried to adjust to seeing herself on film. “Wow! That doesn’t even look like me! Do I really look like that? Like, in real life?” She kept the cursor over the rewind button, and after a series of replays, hit Pause. There she was, second from the left of Jadian Brown, multiplatinum rapper and multimillionaire.

  “You done came up! You’re hot, girl! And I’m loving that badass bathing suit they had you rockin’.”

  Adrienne’s words were upbeat, but as she leaned over Jordan’s shoulder, Jordan could tell she was annoyed and more than a little jealous. Adrienne had always been the pretty one, and now with Jordan getting some attention for a change, their friendship was being tested.

  Jordan toyed with silky strands of her hair as she watched the images flashing across the screen, shocked at her own appearance on-screen. She was so used to being invisible. The way she’d been before she managed to tame her frizzy head of hair, get rid of those horribly thick glasses, and successfully correct her overbite and a few crooked teeth.

  Now she looked like a life-sized doll, she was in a video, and everyone had no choice but to take notice. Still, Jordan shrugged off what she saw as a delayed reaction. She fully understood that sometimes, it could take a person a while to notice something new, even if it was staring them right in the face.

  CHAPTER 6

  Jordan sprinted the length of the hallway as she rushed to meet Adrienne in the parking lot for her ride home. She had exhausted the extra test time her teacher had provided after the bell rang. She could feel a headache coming on. Accelerated French was not an easy course, and her teacher was merciless in her grading. Jordan practically jumped at everything she said that involve
d the word “extra,” just to make sure she’d earn more than a passing grade in the class.

  Jordan glanced at a clock on the wall as she ran by. Ten minutes hadn’t passed after the final bell, and already the school was eerily silent.

  She was headed full speed around a corner when she thought she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to look over her shoulder and crashed into what felt like a brick wall.

  “Oh! I am so sorry!” Her apology was automatic after she realized she hadn’t rammed an object but a person.

  Warren smoothed his basketball jersey and his expression turned kind. He and Jordan had been in a few of the same classes over the years, but they’d spoken only a handful of times—nothing but small talk. Still, he and Adrienne having had a short-lived relationship, he and Jordan were familiar with who the other was.

  “It’s all right. What are you still doing here, anyway?” His skin was a cinnamon shade, and his arms flexed as he held each end of a towel around his shoulders.

  “It’s not like I want to be!” Jordan protested. “French held me up.”

  “Oooh! French is definitely not my thing.”

  “Yeah, you just might want to stick to the court. I’ve heard you try and pronounce the accents.” She laughed at the memory of their days in a French study group the previous year.

  “Hey! What are you trying to say?” Warren came up from a nearby water fountain laughing and drying his full lips with his towel. Jordan studied his sleepy brown eyes and the scars on his baby face, which, coupled with his recently grown goatee, made him look like a thug. But his raw appearance didn’t fool Jordan, and she smiled at the soft curls that bounced on his head when he walked.

  “So, what’s new with you?” Jordan asked a bit shyly. “I’ve heard good things about the team this year.”

  “Yeah. We’re 8–0,” Warren answered proudly. “Did you see me in the paper?”

  Jordan was impressed, and was glad she wasn’t the only one in school enjoying a few minutes of fame. He was someone she could relate to. “I didn’t know you were in the paper! When did it run? My dad gets a new one every Sunday and he never throws them away. I’ll have to dig and find your article when I get home.”

  “Just last Sunday. I was cited as the player to watch this year. A couple scouts are already coming to check me out.” Warren mimed making a jump shot, breaking into a wide grin as he lowered his arms.

  “Uh-oh. Who’s coming? Do you know?” She smiled.

  “You know what, I’m not even sure yet, but now that I think of it, you should come, too. I’ll let you know when I do.” He motioned toward the gym, and the pair lollygagged in the corridor to buy more time. Between her vigorous academic schedule and his intensive physical training, neither of them socialized much, so they were both happy for the chance to talk, however briefly.

  “I would if I could, but I can’t. I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah, you know, I heard about you being in that ‘Fast Life’ video. Are you a model? You about to be busy working or something?” Warren stopped at the door to the gym and turned to her. Jordan still had to look up to him even though he only stood a few inches taller than her average five-foot-five height.

  “Me? A model?” She had to hold in her laughter. “Oh, no, it’s not that. It’s just that I’m kind of…grounded right now,” she admitted, rolling her eyes.

  “What? A nice girl like you, grounded?” Warren laughed. “What’d you do?”

  “Basically, I snuck out of the house and got caught,” she bragged, refusing to tell him how stressed she’d really been about her little adventure.

  “Oooh, you’re bad!” A playful shove accompanied his joke. “What’s your sentence looking like?”

  “I got two weeks to go until a month is up.”

  “Damn, I see your parents weren’t playing. You should be clear, though, I doubt the scouts will be here the first game of the season or anything.”

  “Yeah. Well, I’ll let you get in there,” Jordan said reluctantly, nodding toward the gym. “Your coach is mean as hell.” They loitered around the metal double doors that separated them from the school’s newly remodeled gym. As they bashfully avoided each other’s eyes in the silence, the sounds of yells and sneakers squeaking against the polished court drifted into the hallway.

  Warren opened the door a crack and Jordan could see Coach Avery’s face turning beet-red. Warren leaned over to peek for himself, doing so just in time to catch his coach hurling a clipboard across the arena and out of bounds. He was in a player’s face in seconds, his finger pointing at the boy’s nose. His rant was dramatic, and the teen wiped away the specks of saliva that were apparently splattering on his face.

  Warren seemed to be immune to the scene. While Jordan watched openmouthed, he smiled and shook his head. Coach Avery’s double chin jiggled and his belly bulged far over his slacks. His light brown, seventies-style mustache was comical all by itself.

  “He’s not half as bad as he seems,” Warren told Jordan. “But let me get back in here. You, stay out of trouble.” He opened his arms and welcomed her to a hug. His hands came to rest around her waist during their not-so-brief embrace. At that very moment, Adrienne came around the corner, and Jordan could tell she was not at all happy about what she saw.

  “Hey, what’s going on, y’all?” She had a forced smile on her face to greet them as she sauntered out of the shadows.

  Jordan broke her hug with Warren as soon as she saw Adrienne, and her voice quavered when she said, “Hey! We were…uh…just talking about you.” She knew how much Adrienne hated to see Warren offer his attention to anyone else. Her friend would see this innocent encounter as a reason to be fiercely jealous.

  “And I’m sure you had nothing but nice things to say about me. Isn’t that right, Warren?” Adrienne whispered, pressing her double-Ds against his chiseled chest and allowing her hands to roam over his body. She flirtatiously clicked her tongue ring between her teeth in a fearless attempt at calling up what she knew to be one of his sexual fantasies. Jordan had heard about this and many more of Warren’s personal preferences from Adrienne, who loved to brag about how his toes curled seconds after she took him in her mouth and how she was sure no other girl would ever come close to giving him the pleasure she did.

  “Bye, Adrienne.”

  Warren’s face was blank and his words were cold as he joined his teammates at practice. Jordan recalled Adrienne’s telling her how he had changed his number and she’d still gotten ahold of it. Why was it that no matter what he did, Adrienne never seemed to get the hint that he was finished with her—or that he’d never intended to be her boyfriend in the first place? Jordan was almost embarrassed for her friend, but she couldn’t help feeling guilty about their hug, which she knew Adrienne would see as a betrayal.

  She could hear Coach Avery barking at Warren through the door, but the bitter stare Adrienne fixed on her forced her to put her pangs of guilt on the back burner.

  “What was that all about?” Adrienne snapped.

  “Nothing,” Jordan replied, trying to act casual.

  “I didn’t know you guys were cool like that.”

  “We’re not really, but…”

  “But what, then, Jordan?” Adrienne demanded, planting a hand on her hip.

  “Damn, chill, Adrienne. We were just talking. We had a couple classes together before, and, hello, we know each other through you, too.”

  “Yeah, well, what’d he say about me?”

  “Nothing.”

  “How are you going to stand here and lie to my face?”

  “Adrienne…”

  “Who started talking to who, then?” Adrienne was getting impatient. “And if y’all wasn’t talking about me, then what would you have to talk about?”

  “Come on, you sound dumb,” Jordan answered with a sigh. “Look, I already told you. We really weren’t talking about anything.”

  Her friend folded her arms on her chest and shot her a nasty glare. “Jordan, don’t play. I�
�m not even in the mood.”

  “Ain’t nobody playing with you.” Jordan headed for the door. All she wanted was to escape from the tension that was making her feel so awkward.

  “So that’s what took you so long? I walked all the way back in here looking for your ass and when I get here, I see you all over Warren. How would that look to you? What if you were in my shoes?” She kept up with Jordan’s fast pace, marching at her side and continuing to probe her.

  “He’s not even your boyfriend,” Jordan protested, trying to make Adrienne see reason.

  “So?”

  “You don’t really think I like him or something, do you?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, do you?” Adrienne was gradually losing control of her emotions.

  “You should already know the answer to that question, Adrienne, and if you don’t, then I don’t know what to tell you,” Jordan said sadly, shaking her head. “And I was late because I had a test I had to finish up last hour, if you really want to know.”

  “A test?”

  “Yes, a test. I doubt those extra five minutes she gave me even did anything to help my score, though. I don’t think I studied hard enough for it.”

  “Mmm-hmm.” Adrienne digested her friend’s words skeptically. Her jaw was tight with distrust, and Jordan knew that even though she’d explained the situation, seeds of jealousy had been planted.

  “Come on. I’m so ready to be out of here.” Jordan stormed out of the building and into the blazing sun. A cool breeze relaxed her, and she gladly inhaled the fresh air. She took a deep breath and listened for Adrienne behind her, but she didn’t look back. She kept her eyes focused straight ahead on the lonely car in the lot and waited for another gust of wind to offer relief from the humidity. She was burning up, but she knew Adrienne was on fire in a different sense.

  Adrienne stomped after her, and after slamming the driver’s-side door and tearing out of the parking lot, she pushed the speed limit on the way home, all the while shooting sideways glances Jordan’s way. Jordan could almost hear her analyzing her own appearance and comparing herself to Jordan as though they were rivals. Jordan had on a new pair of pink-and-gray Jordans she’d bought during their last mall outing, and an Akademiks capri set Adrienne had helped her pick out at Man Alive.