16 Isn't Always Sweet

by Cassandra Carter

  “Yeah, me, too. But my dad…he’ll kill you.”

  His invitation was enticing, but thoughts of her father shook her. He had lectured her about her curfew all afternoon and had still found the wind to address Warren about it, too.

  “You’re a brave one, aren’t you?”

  “I’m willing to put it all on the line if you are.” He appeared cool despite the threat of an encounter with death.

  “But, Warren, what if—”

  In no time, his words deteriorated into soft whispers. Jordan read the passionate expression on his face, and romantic images invaded her mind. Time seemed to stand still as his lips found hers for a sensual kiss.

  “I don’t know what to say.” She was breathless, and her eyes were still closed as she basked in their sentimental moment.

  “Say you’ll stay with me, just for a little longer,” Warren begged.

  “Okay…I’ll go with you, but only under one condition.” She held up one finger.

  “And what’s that?”

  “Give me another kiss.” She curled her index finger in a come-hither motion.

  “I was hoping you would say that.” He flashed a slick smile before leaning in to fulfill her request. He was more than happy to oblige.

  CHAPTER 17

  “Baalliiinnn’!” the energized crowd chanted as the “We Fly High” remix played on the outdated stereo in the corner of the living room. Despite its age, it sent tremors through the floor of the once peaceful house. The hundreds of promotional flyers handed out at a school meant that popular senior twins Anthony and Alicia Bryant had more guests than they could handle, and the party overflowed into the backyard.

  Jordan was slick with sweat, and she couldn’t stop panting after giving her all during a back-to-back set of singles by the Gucci Mane and Pretty Ricky. She knew that at any moment her legs would cramp up from the nonstop fast-paced dancing. Her calf muscles were already burning.

  Jordan and Warren were thoroughly enjoying their night out together. Their chemistry was obvious in their promiscuous dancing moves and nonstop flirting. They were shameless in their public displays of affection. Jordan couldn’t seem to get enough of his kisses.

  “I need a break!” Jordan’s screams blended with those around her as the crowd nearly rioted. The introduction to the “Wipe Me Down” remix had everyone going crazy.

  She squeezed her way into the kitchen and rummaged through plastic cups in search of one that hadn’t been used. She almost overlooked a fresh cup left behind in its clear packaging, but she grabbed it triumphantly and began to hunt for a two-liter soda bottle with more than a few drops left in the bottom. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d ever felt so thirsty. Frustrated, she approached a guy who stood nearby, guarding a keg and nursing a cup of beer.

  “Excuse me. Hey, do you know if they got anything else to drink?”

  “Like what?” the guy asked nonchalantly before taking another gulp of his drink.

  “Anything.” Jordan was fanning herself with one hand but stopped when he snatched her cup from her and filled it with beer from the keg. He didn’t seem so nice anymore when he shoved the full cup back into her hands.

  She had wanted to avoid alcohol altogether, but it was the only drink left at the party, and the fact that it was cold made it that much more appealing. She had almost emptied her cup and quenched her thirst when a stranger bumped into her from behind and caused the last of the beer to splash onto her shorts—which she had worked hard to keep white through the night.

  Jordan frantically searched for a napkin. In her panic, she settled for a questionable dish towel and roughly rubbed the dingy cloth over the material. She then carelessly tossed the towel aside. The alcohol was already going to her head, and she leaned dizzily against the kitchen counter. Feeling her body begin to relax and hearing another loud cheer from the crowd, Jordan, refreshed from the brief intermission, was ready to get back on the dance floor.

  Meanwhile, Adrienne walked in dancing and yelling, but without her associates by her side. After sharing a fifth of Grey Goose vodka with Kendra, Michelle and Farrah, she had been cut loose, and the other girls had gone off without her.

  Adrienne had only decided to attend this party after her new boo, Maurice, had ditched her to take Sandra to the Spring Fling at the last minute. Apparently, Maurice was “in love” with her and they hooked back up.

  Adrienne had been trying to uphold the illusion with her new friends that everything was wonderful in her life, but in reality, Maurice’s last-minute switch-up had struck a nerve. She had already bought a dress for the dance that was sure to turn heads, and she criticized herself for sincerely liking Maurice and forming an attachment, no matter how minimal. She wished she’d never played with the idea of being his girlfriend, especially since they’d never made it that far.

  With Maurice out of the picture, Adrienne found herself thinking about Warren again. He had long since stopped answering her phone calls. He didn’t even bother to pick up and hang up anymore. She hated being a nuisance, but he was the one for her, and nothing could cloud her vision of the two of them becoming the perfect couple. She refused to accept that it was over between them. She loved his personality, and during the few days they attempted a more caring relationship, it hadn’t been hard to feel as if she had known him all her life. She still couldn’t shake her feelings for him, and seeing him at school with Jordan all the time didn’t help her forget about him.

  Still, this was the night of the Spring Fling, and Adrienne was determined to have fun. “This’s that shit!” She put her arms in the air and began to bounce to the beat. On the inside she was miserable, but on the outside she only showed that she was tipsy and ready to party.

  “Where’s the drank at?” she asked a fellow partygoer as she searched the crowd for bottles. She didn’t have any further questions once he pointed her in the direction of the kitchen. She wanted to wash away this disastrous night and forget it had ever happened.

  Adrienne didn’t bother talking as she rudely pushed through the room packed with people. She was still fuming about a number of things, but the fact that Michelle and her crew had called earlier to ask for a recommendation for a hotel room and had then failed to invite her along only made things worse.

  A group of boys were gathered by the kitchen doorway and were not at all discreet in scoping her out as she approached. Her heart was heavy, though, and she gave them the cold shoulder. She was too busy trying to cast away all thoughts involving boys, particularly those she’d dealt with so far this year.

  Suddenly, she spotted Warren dancing nearby—and he was alone. She had just changed direction to head for him when the jostling crowd sent someone crashing into her back.

  “Excuse you!” Adrienne spun around and growled, not realizing until it was too late that the perpetrator was Jordan. Taken aback, she wondered whether Jordan had actually shoved her on purpose, but nothing could top the fear that overcame her when the police suddenly busted open the front door.

  “Everybody, freeze!” That was the cue to run.

  The cops had arrived silently with only their lights on, and a horde of underage students stampeded from the house. Many got lucky with smooth getaways out the back door, squeezing through windows, hopping fences and speeding off in cars in all directions. Adrienne knew she had to escape; the liquor on her breath was a dead giveaway.

  She and Jordan had briefly made eye contact, but there was no time for an exchange of any kind before she grabbed hold of Jordan.

  “What are you doing? Get off me!” Jordan struggled to free herself from Adrienne’s grip and swung to hit her. Adrienne tripped and shoved her to the ground before going on the run, leaving Jordan behind as bait.

  In danger of being trampled, Jordan forced herself to stand. She was rattled as she tried to find Warren in the sea of people racing past her.

  “Hey! You! Stop right there!” yelled an officer with the defined face of an ancient Roman soldier. The bright
light he held out at shoulder level shone directly into Jordan’s eyes and blinded her. She was the only one standing still in the chaos.

  Jordan sprinted for an exit, and she thought she’d come close to securing her freedom when a tight grip on her wrist let her know otherwise. The officer overpowered her without effort and pulled her back inside. Two policemen remained in the house as the rest went on a wild-goose chase outside to apprehend those trying to flee.

  “What’s going on?” Warren looked past the policemen who restrained him when they talked to him. He wanted to comfort Jordan, but the second officer had her occupied.

  “Nothing. You mind your business.”

  “This is my business. That’s my girlfriend,” Warren told the officer, whose badge read Monroe.

  “I’m sorry, Officer.” Jordan started in right away with the excuses. “I ran because when you guys busted in, I got scared like everybody else! I mean, when people just start running, there really isn’t time to ask too many questions.”

  “Whose house is this?” Monroe’s partner, Officer Wilson, asked.

  “Mine, Officer.” Alicia Bryant stepped forward to take accountability for the disturbance. Her brother had escaped with the rest of the partygoers and left her to take the fall solo.

  “I’m going to need to know who supplied the alcohol for this party,” Officer Monroe stated.

  “Have you been drinking?” The policeman behind Jordan turned her around and took a pair of handcuffs from the belt on his waist. He was sniffing the air around her, and the beer stain on her shorts was undeniable evidence. She tried to twist her way out of his grip, but he held her wrists in what felt like a vise. Jordan knew he was already upset that she’d made him chase her, and he probably didn’t care to hear her story.

  “We’re holding you here until we get ahold of your parents.”

  “What? Wait!” She began to whimper when she felt the cold metal handcuffs tighten around her wrists. Of everyone who’d attended the party, she was the last person who should’ve been going to jail. There had been kids there drinking all night long. And of course, in her opinion, the person who deserved it most had run out the back door and was long gone by now.

  “Ay, you can’t arrest her!” Warren protested.

  “Hey! You! Shut up!” the officer holding Jordan warned.

  “My parents are going to be so pissed when they hear about this. They’re going to have my ass!” Alicia huffed. Jordan couldn’t imagine the explanation the girl would offer her parents upon their homecoming the next day. The house was a wreck, especially after everyone’s great escape.

  “Warren!” Jordan called out to him as if he were her savior when he, too, was powerless. She twisted in the officer’s grip and winced in pain. She could feel the shiny bracelets restricting the circulation in her hands. As she was forced along, she dragged her feet to delay the inevitable.

  “Jordan!” Warren was led out of the house after her and added to a line of students seated on the curb being processed for tickets for possession of alcohol. At least a dozen kids hadn’t been clever enough to evade capture. “Jordan! Are you okay?” Warren called out to her. More than four people separated them and he mouthed an apology, wishing he could calm her.

  In answer to his question, Jordan started to cry. It had been such a perfect night. She’d finally been ready to accept the fact that Warren was hers—her first boyfriend, and maybe her first love. She couldn’t believe they were only hours into their relationship and already disaster had struck.

  As the officers went between those in custody and their squad car, Jordan bowed her head. Through her blurred vision, she could make out the time on her watch. Her tears came to a sudden stop, and she took a deep sigh as she shifted on the uncomfortable concrete. She looked at her watch again as though it were her personal enemy. It was exactly 12:01: one minute past her curfew. She heard boots headed her way. She blocked out the static of the dispatch radio as they relayed their information about those in custody. She closed her eyes, and refused to open them until she was offered a sobering experience. She listened as another set of footsteps came to a halt in front of her; her parents’.

  CHAPTER 18

  The air was so thick with tension at home, Jordan felt as though she’d inhaled it and it had settled in her body. She was so nervous she didn’t know what to do, and she wouldn’t dare speak unless spoken to. She was sure her parents would ground her for the duration of her summer vacation; after all, her sentence would have to be longer than the month she’d served for sneaking behind their backs to be in the “Fast Life” video.

  “I thought you two were supposed to be at that dance up at the school tonight?” Her father was sitting on the couch directly across from her with his hands clamped tightly together.

  “I was.” Jordan spoke so low, her reply was barely audible.

  “And then what?” he pressed, trying to remain calm.

  “We decided to go to this after-party some of his friends were having…”

  “And what made you decide to just up and leave that dance? What if something had happened to you? How would we have known? Don’t you watch the news? Girls your age go missing all over the place. You don’t think that worries us?” As her father went on, he sounded angrier with each word, but he didn’t raise his voice.

  “I’m sorry, but I knew if I had called and asked you guys if I could go to that party, you would’ve said no.”

  “So you just thought you would come walking up in here at whatever time you pleased, huh?” Her mother hadn’t bothered to take a seat. She stood directly next to Jordan’s chair and pointed a finger in her face. “You know, Jordan, we’ve been having a real problem with you ever since you turned sixteen. Obviously, you haven’t learned your lesson, even after we grounded you for a month. What do we have to do? Ground you for a year? Or longer? I’ll ground your ass until you’re eighteen if I have to.”

  “No.” Jordan closed her eyes and prayed for mercy. Her mother began to pace the room. She was far from done, and she waved her hands dramatically when she spoke, getting more and more upset.

  “And you would think you’d be grateful for that nice party we threw for you. That wasn’t cheap. But no, you turn around and run off to see some rapper—who, Jordan, aside from all that bling or ice or whatever you want to call it, is a grown-ass man! You had no business being in that kind of environment on so many levels, and you don’t even see it, because now you go and pull this shit to top it all off!” She paused to take a deep breath and rested her hands on her hips. “Tell me, what all did you have to drink? How much?”

  “I just had one little cup of beer.” Jordan held her fingers only inches apart to emphasize her point. “That’s not even that of a big deal!”

  “Yes, it is a big deal! You’re not old enough to be drinking. You are sixteen, not twenty-one. And what is this about one ‘little’ cup of beer? The officer said you reeked of alcohol when he found you, Jordan.”

  “Man, that’s just because some got spilled on my shorts. See, look.” She pointed to the spot on her shorts. “And I have the stain to prove it. I’m not drunk!”

  “Why were you drinking?” her mother demanded. “Was it because everyone else was doing it? Was it because Warren was doing it?”

  “What? No,” Jordan cried. She hurried to defend her boyfriend. “He wasn’t even drinking. Warren has nothing to do with this. He wasn’t even with me when everything happened. Why are you bringing him into it?”

  “Why are you defending him so hard if he’s so innocent?” her father started, but her mother gave him a look that silenced him.

  “I suppose you’re right, we shouldn’t drag Warren into this. That’s wrong.” As her mother’s voice returned to normal, Jordan began to breathe a little easier. “I remember when you came traipsing in here the last time you pulled something like this. I could smell the alcohol on you then, too. So let’s not stray from what’s really important. We’re not talking about whatever Warren
did, we’re talking about you.”

  “They set a court date for three weeks from tomorrow.” Her father had let her mother say her piece, but he was not going to be passive any longer. Jordan was surprised he’d remained quiet as long as he had.

  “I know,” she mumbled, preparing for a fresh assault—from her father this time.

  “You know they’re talking, anything from fines, probation and community service,” he said.

  “Yeah, that all comes along with the territory of being grown, since that’s what you want so bad,” her mom interjected. “You don’t even want me to get into court costs. Not that you can pay for it. And since when do we have the money to come out of pocket over your mistakes, Jordan?” Olivia rambled on. “Do you think this is a game? You better wake up, Jordan, and fast, because this is your freedom at stake,” her mother yelled, her anger taking over again. “Do you think I like getting a call from the police to come get you from some party in the middle of the night?”

  “Jordan, if this is the way things are going to be from now on, and if this is the path you are going to continue to follow, then me and your mother think it’s best you maybe go to stay with your grandmother,” David added.

  “What?” Jordan’s eyes glazed over in disbelief, and she held her stomach. She felt as if she’d just been kicked and had all the wind knocked out of her.

  “Just for a little while.” Her mother jumped at the opportunity to smooth things over with her suddenly soothing tone. “We talked it over, and we’re tired of all the arguments and all the yelling. I’m not going to yell anymore, Jordan. We’ve tried to trust you and grant you more privileges, but that doesn’t seem to work with you.”