With Friends Like These

by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

  Her mother got up to refill her coffee cup. “Where’s Jaquan? He know he got this girl waiting.” She motioned toward me.

  “You the one made him go to the store, Mama,” Jasmine said.

  I laughed. I loved Jasmine’s family. They were so funny, and as much as she complained about them, it seemed like they had a lot of love.

  “Oh, did that girl ever get those papers she was looking for?” Jasmine’s mother asked as she sat back down.

  “What girl, Ma?” Jasmine asked.

  “About two weeks ago, your little friend from the group came over. You had just left with Alexis, but she said you left some stuff in your room. Well, I didn’t know what she was talking about, so I let her go in there and she came out with a folder, saying she found what she needed.” Her mother leaned back and rubbed her feet. “It’s so good to have a day off.”

  “Who came to my room to get a folder?” Jasmine asked, obviously trying not to hear about her mother’s day off.

  “I told you, it was one of those girls from the group. She said you were supposed to bring the papers for her, and you had forgotten them. So I let her go back and get them.”

  “Was it Angel or Camille?” Jasmine looked concerned.

  “Oh, chile, no. I know who they are. This girl is new. I never saw her before. She told me all about the talk show competition and said you were supposed to bring the scripts to rehearsals. I figured it was okay. I took her back to your room, but then your brother slipped and fell in the bathroom, so I had to go see about him. By the time I got back she had found the folder and was rushing out of here.”

  “Ma, why didn’t you tell me this before?” Jasmine looked like she was about to lose it.

  “I just told you, your brother slipped and fell. That’s the night we had to take him to the emergency room. There were other things on my mind than you guys forgetting your scripts,” her mother said.

  Jasmine took a deep breath, like she was trying to calm herself down. “Was her name Tameka?”

  Her mother snapped her fingers. “Yes, she said she was new to the group.” Her mom stood and headed out of the kitchen. “She said you guys were on your way to rehearsal when you called to say you had forgotten the scripts at home and asked her to pick them up. Now, I’m through being your personal secretary, and I’m going to lay down. Keep your brothers entertained and out of my hair for a while, please.”

  Jasmine didn’t pay her mother any attention as she jumped up from the table and grabbed the phone.

  “I cannot believe her!” She turned to me. “What’s Tameka’s number?”

  I know Tameka was low-down, but I didn’t think she’d go this far. “I don’t know. You don’t believe she actually stole your paper?”

  “Yes, I do. I think she snuck into my room and stole my research paper. She saw my folder when I showed it to Camille at the meeting,” Jasmine said. I stood next to her with my mouth hanging open. No way would Tameka be that bold.

  “Think about it. This is Tameka we’re talking about,” Jasmine reminded me.

  “That’s how she knew what your paper was about when Miss Rachel announced the finalists for the show host. I can’t believe her. What are you gonna do?” I said.

  “Oh, trust, I am going to make her sorry she ever decided to mess with me, and that’s a promise,” Jasmine vowed as she slammed the phone back on the hook.

  24

  Camille

  I was outside the church, talking to Walter. I had been about to go into tonight’s meeting, but Walter had caught me on my cell phone as I was walking in. I had planned just to talk to him a minute, and even though I know he didn’t mean to, he was making me a nervous wreck.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  “For?”

  “Don’t play silly with me. You’re about to be named the new host of Teen Talks, aren’t you excited?”

  “Walter, we don’t know that for sure. Alexis could still get it,” I tried to reason. We’d had our final interviews yesterday. Alexis and I went separately and did an interview with Shereen and some other bigwigs. They also had us do some on-camera work on the spot. I don’t know how Alexis did, because she went several hours before me. I’d tried to call her last night, but she wasn’t answering her cell phone.

  “We just have to wait and see who they pick,” I added, bringing my attention back to my conversation with Walter.

  “Well, my dad told me who got the job. If you don’t want it, I could tell him to tell the board that you’re not really interested,” he teased. “Then I guess they could just go to the second runner-up, or maybe they could ask around,” he said.

  “Walter? Quit joking with me.” I pouted. “I’m nervous enough as it is.”

  “Well, I just wanted to be the first to tell you how proud I am of you,” he said.

  A part of me didn’t feel worthy of his praise, though. I know this may be strange, but as badly as I wanted the position, I felt a little weird knowing I only got it with his help.

  “Okay, I’m here, let me call you back later,” I said as I entered the room. Just about everyone was there. I guess they were just as anxious as me.

  I was the last person to make it into the room. I tried to calm my nerves. As much as I wanted to win, I was really feeling bad about asking Walter to help. Now, if I did get the job, I’d never know if I could’ve won fair and square. Besides, Alexis was my girl. How had I gotten so caught up in winning that I’d do this to her?

  “Okay, attention, everyone!” Rachel raised her voice, trying to get us to start our meeting. I took my seat, trying to shake off the sinking feeling in my stomach.

  “As you know, the producers have made their decision about who will be the new host of Teen Talks. Now, again, I want to reiterate that all of you did a great job. Camille and Alexis, I understand your final interviews went well. I must say that I’m glad that we decided to stick with the process and see it all the way through.” Rachel stopped talking and made eye contact with me. But the look on her face had me a bit scared. I just wanted this done and over with. I couldn’t even look Alexis in the face.

  Rachel flashed a big smile, then peeked into an envelope she held in her hands. She silently read the paper, but her expression didn’t reveal a thing. I was hoping she’d look up at either me or Alexis as a clue, but she didn’t. I thought about all the reasons why Alexis would get the job over me. Her parents were rich, and very well known. Shoot, her daddy could probably buy the TV station if he wanted. Maybe she had had him pull some strings. Nah—I shook my head. Alexis wasn’t like that, which made me feel even more guilty.

  “Without further delay,” Rachel announced, “girls, please give your new Teen Talks host a round of applause. Introducing Camille Harris!”

  When Rachel said my name, I just sat there and closed my eyes. I was so excited and happy, I didn’t know what to do. Even though Walter had already told me that I had the job, it didn’t set in until I heard it from Rachel’s mouth.

  Then, when everyone rushed me to offer up hugs, saying congrats, I knew that no matter what happened, from that moment forward my life would never be the same. I looked at Alexis. She looked genuinely happy.

  “Girl, I knew you would get it. You’re so much more talented than me. Congratulations.” She reached in to hug me.

  “Thank you,” I whispered as I hugged her back.

  As the other girls surrounded me, I couldn’t help but say a small prayer for God to forgive me for the underhanded way I’d gotten the job.

  25

  Camille

  We can call this the big celebration dinner,” Walter said to me as we pulled up in front of the Cheesecake Factory in Sugar Land. I used the visor mirror to check my hair as he walked around to open my door.

  Exactly one week had passed since I was named host for Teen Talks, and already I’d been interviewed by the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Press, and Seventeen magazine. It was like I was a celebrity, and the show hadn’t even started yet.
r />   Shereen told me that everything would move fast, and next week the station was sending me on a shopping spree to make sure I had all the right outfits for the program. And I was going to have my hair done by the hairstylist who does all the anchorwomen’s hair here in Houston. It was like I was living a fairy tale come true.

  Then, to top it off, Walter was treating me like royalty. When we walked up to the hostess in the restaurant, he looked at her and said, “Yes, I made reservations for myself and the new host of Houston’s hottest teen show, Teen Talks.” And he was serious. I socked him in the arm.

  “Quit playing,” I said.

  “Who’s playing? I’m serious as a heart attack. You gotta let people know who you are.”

  The hostess giggled and pulled out two menus. “Follow me this way,” she said.

  As we walked to our table, she looked over her shoulder at me. “Are you really the new host for that show? We all heard about it. When is it starting up?”

  “I am, and I think we’re going to start shooting next week,” I replied, trying to contain my excitement.

  “Wow!” she said as she led us to a secluded table off in a corner of the restaurant.

  “Is this okay?” she asked Walter.

  He nodded and smiled. Then he reached for my chair and pulled it out.

  “Well, congratulations on the job. Your waitress will be with you in a few moments,” she said as we sat down. She placed our menus in front of us, smiled, then walked back up to the front of the restaurant.

  “So how does it feel to be a star?” Walter asked.

  “Please. It hasn’t really started yet, but it was cool being interviewed by the paper and the magazine. They had this photographer come and snap a bunch of pictures of me. That was cool,” I confessed.

  Walter took my hands across the table. “You are really special, Camille, with or without your fancy new job.”

  He kissed my fingers, and I swear I felt on top of the world.

  We ordered quickly and started talking about what I should expect as host of the show. When our food came, I was glad, but as I looked at the chicken and shrimp pasta, I made a note that I would have to start watching what I ate. I had just taken a bite when I looked up and almost choked.

  “Are you okay?” Walter asked, his voice laced with concern. “Is it too spicy for you?” He quickly offered me my glass of water while I slapped my chest a couple of times.

  “I do not believe this,” I mumbled, trying to clear my throat. My eyes were watering when I looked up to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. I was. My ex-boyfriend, Keith, was walking toward our table. I wanted to disappear into thin air because I knew wherever Keith was, trouble was definitely close behind.

  “What’s wrong?” Walter asked again. This time he turned to see where I was looking.

  “Walter, that’s my ex. He’s nothing but trouble. Just please, don’t say anything to him,” I begged.

  “Dang, Camille. Why are you acting all scared? You don’t have to worry about him while you’re with me. You already know, I’m no scaredy suburban boy. We’re together now. I’m sure he’ll get the message soon enough,” Walter said with confidence.

  “You don’t know Keith. Trust me, if he’s here, it’s because he’s here to start up some trouble.” I played with my food, suddenly losing my appetite.

  Walter shook his head. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, and dug into his nachos.

  Keith stopped right in front of our table. He didn’t even look at Walter.

  “Well, if it isn’t my baby girl. I called you. Several times,” Keith said as a huge smile crossed his face.

  I wanted to ignore him. But I knew Keith. He wasn’t one to be ignored. He looked as good as I last remembered. His smooth fade actually looked better than the Afro he’d worn for years. He definitely looked better than he did when we were together. I shook off my thoughts. “Hi, Keith. How’s your baby mama?”

  He chuckled. “LaShay is history, which is what I’ve been trying to tell you. If you’d have returned my calls, I coulda told you all about it.”

  “Ummph, too bad. Well, as you can see, I’m in the middle of dinner.” I motioned to the table. “So see ya.”

  Keith glanced over at Walter. “So is this why you can’t return my calls? Because you got jungle fever?”

  I shook my head. “Not now, Keith,” I tried to say calmly.

  “Not now!” Keith hated to feel like somebody was blowing him off. “So when? I mean, I’m trying to be patient and all, but—” He took a deep breath. “Look, why don’t you step outside so I can holla at you.”

  Walter stood up. He was about the same height as Keith, but Keith was a lot more muscular. “Look, dude, she doesn’t want to be bothered,” he said calmly.

  Keith turned to Walter and threw him a crazy look.

  “No, you look, dude. This is between me and my girl. Ain’t nobody talking to you. Ya feel me?”

  “Keith, I’m not your girl. I haven’t been your girl in almost a year. Why are you trippin’?” I asked as I stood up.

  Keith reached out and grabbed for my arm. “I told you, I just wanna holla at you for a minute.”

  I jerked my arm away, and two seconds later Walter pushed Keith. “I said, leave her alone!”

  I didn’t see where Keith’s cousin Peanut came from, but all of a sudden he was at Keith’s side.

  “Yo, dawg, I know this fool didn’t just push you.” Peanut said. “You gon’ let him punk you like that?”

  By now, other customers were looking at us. I closed my eyes and prayed something would happen to make these two go away.

  Keith brushed the front of his shirt and forced a smile. “I’ma let you make that one, Billy Bob. But if you ever put your hands on me again, your mama will be making funeral arrangements. Ya feel me?”

  He didn’t give Walter time to respond before he turned back to me. “So, Camille, you think you too good for a brother now?” He rubbed his chin. I could tell he was trying to calm himself down. “I saw the story the paper did on you. You ’bout to blow up, huh? And I guess that means you too good to call somebody back?”

  “Keith, I really don’t want to talk to you. We are over and done with,” I said as I sat back down. “Walter, please sit down. Let’s just finish dinner, and maybe Keith and his flunky cousin will go away.”

  Suddenly Keith grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me up from the chair. Before I knew what was happening, Walter jerked his arm, reached back, and slammed his fist dead into Keith’s jaw.

  People started screaming as Keith hit the floor. Two security guards immediately rushed to our table.

  “What’s going on here?” one guard asked as Keith struggled to get up.

  “My boyfriend and I were trying to have dinner when these two showed up to start trouble,” I quickly reported. The guards looked at Keith and Peanut. Keith looked like he was ready to charge Walter, but the guard’s look must’ve made him think twice.

  Walter, who had turned red from anger, leaned over and whispered something in one of the guard’s ears.

  “You two are gonna have to leave now,” the guard said firmly after he listened to whatever Walter had to say.

  Keith didn’t flinch.

  “Either that, or you go to jail,” the guard warned.

  Keith shoved the guard who had helped him up off of him and acted as if he were brushing dirt from his clothes.

  “This ain’t over, Camille,” he snarled. “And you, dude…” Keith laughed. “Get your black suit ready.” The guard escorted Keith and Peanut out.

  I was wondering why we didn’t get thrown out, too. I figured it was because of whatever Walter whispered to the guard. After the commotion died down, I kept apologizing to Walter. I felt so bad.

  “Look, don’t worry about it,” he said as he rubbed his fist.

  “But I’m so embarrassed.”

  “You don’t have anything to be embarrassed about,” Walter assured me.

  �
��I don’t like him threatening you.”

  Keith just tried to act tough. He wasn’t really a thug, and I hoped that fear of going back to jail would keep him from doing anything stupid.

  “I ain’t worried about him.” Walter tried to smile. “Let’s just finish our food.”

  I wanted to forget about this whole fiasco, so I just let it drop. The rest of our evening went on without any more interruptions.

  After dessert, Walter paid the check, and we started walking out to the parking garage. It was a nice evening, and I wasn’t in any hurry to get back home. As we walked, holding hands, I stopped Walter and turned to face him.

  “Again, I’m so sorry about what happened back there earlier. I want you to know that ever since we’ve been talking, I haven’t said a word to Keith. It was long over between us before you even came into the picture,” I said.

  Walter took me into his arms and kissed me. We hugged for a while, then he said, “I know, Camille. And I can’t blame him for wanting you back. But you’re mine now.”

  We started toward the car. “Do you remember where we parked this time?” I asked, making fun of him because on our last date he couldn’t remember where the car was. I was glad we were trying to put the disaster of our date behind us.

  “Yes, c’mon, smart aleck. We’re on the second level.” I followed him to the right level, and we walked toward the car.

  As Walter dug into his pocket for the keys, I couldn’t help but look at him and smile. He unlocked the doors and opened mine for me to get in. I gave him a quick kiss and got in. Before Walter could get my door closed, I saw Keith come out of nowhere and tackle Walter to the ground. Then Peanut also came out of nowhere and started kicking Walter. Before I could get out of the car, they were kicking and beating Walter while he was on the ground. I didn’t know what to do. I started screaming, then I jumped on Keith’s back, but he pushed me to the ground and kept pounding away at Walter’s head and face.

  “Take that, punk!” he yelled as he landed a right hook to Walter’s jaw. “Stay outta business that ain’t yours!”

  “Who’s bad now?” Peanut laughed as he hit Walter in the side with a crowbar.