by Nikki Carter
A nervous chuckle escapes from Ricky. “Umm ... I think Gia will stay up. Right, Gi-Gi?”
I hang my head out of the car window. “I said, I got you! Let’s roll out!”
Candy finally joins us outside. “Valerie, can I ride with you?” she asks.
“Of course, chica. Hi-Steppers roll deep like that.”
Whatever! I am so over this Hi-Steppers united mess. It will do us all a world of good when Valerie gets over it too.
Ricky gets in on his side of the car and brings in his brand-new scent. It smells good, I guess. But I thought he was trying to avoid the ladies. I’m thinking somebody is not being honest.
“So did you get that new Axe body spray, Ricky?” I ask with a giggle.
Ricky grimaces. “It’s not Axe body spray. It’s Escape for men. I took it off my dad’s dresser. Does it stink?”
“No, actually, it does not.”
Ricky flashes that heartbreaking smile at me. “Well, I know you would tell me if it did, so I guess I’m safe.”
Hope leans up from the backseat and says, “You smell great, Ricky. Don’t worry about Gia. She is a full-time hater.”
I stretch my arms over my head and accidentally bop Hope on her dome. “Oops! You need to sit back anyway. I didn’t call shotgun to have your face all up here in our bidness.”
Hope rolls her eyes at me and falls back into her spot next to Kevin. Neither of them look happy about the seating arrangement, but oh well.
Once we get on the freeway Ricky asks, “Y’all want to listen to some music?”
“Do you have Mary Mary?” Kevin asks.
Ricky looks in the rearview mirror and smiles. “Of course, Kev. That’s what you want to hear?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Wait!” I say. “Before we start the music, I want to ask everyone a question.”
“What is it?” Hope asks.
“If one of you knew someone who was breaking the law, on the regular, would you tell on them?” I ask.
Of course I know I’m talking about Candy, but they don’t know that. I can see Ricky and Hope’s brain gears going on overdrive, trying to figure out who I’m talking about. And Kevin, well, I have absolutely no idea what he’s thinking, but he has a totally weird look on his face.
“Breaking the law how?” Ricky asks.
“Shoplifting.”
“Ooh! It’s Valerie, isn’t it?” Hope asks.
“No, it’s not Valerie.”
Kevin asks, “Do you have proof that this person is shoplifting or is it just a suspicion?”
I nod. “Yes, I have proof.”
“So you should tell,” says Ricky. “Wait, it’s not anyone in this car, right?”
“No!” I say. “It’s Candy.”
“The blood of Jesus!” shouts Kevin. “We need to go into prayer, right now.”
Hope, Ricky, and I give Kevin a moment of silence until he pulls himself together. He just slipped into church-mother mode right then.
“Sorry, y’all,” Kevin says as he tries to avert his eyes from mine.
“It’s all good, Kevin. But seriously, y’all, what am I gonna do?”
Hope sighs. “Well, if you tell your mom, Candy’s gonna get in big trouble, right?”
“Yeah, Elder LeRon will go ballistic.”
“Then I say you tell on her,” says Ricky. “It’s for her own good.”
Hope says, “I don’t know, Gia. I think you should leave it alone and let God reveal it.”
Great. All three of my best friends have different opinions. Kevin thinks we should pray and cast the klepto demon out of her, Ricky says blow the lid off this joint, and Hope says do nothing. Clearly, I need to find a new set of friends strictly for decision-making advice.
Ricky’s phone buzzes on the armrest. He reaches for it, but I slap his hand away. “Keep your eyes on the road—I got this,” I say.
I pick up the phone and look at the screen. There is a new text message. I look at the screen and read out loud: “‘Rick, are you gonna be my partner today? I’m afraid of roller coasters.’”
Hope growls. “Is that from Valerie?”
“Who else?” I ask. “Ricky, should I reply?”
There is terror in Ricky’s eyes. “No, Gia. Don’t reply. Let me do it.”
“No way! You’re driving.” I start typing on Ricky’s keypad. “How’s this? ‘If you’re scared of rides, maybe you should go back home.’”
Hope says, “That sounds good. Send it!”
“Gia, you better not send that,” Ricky warns.
“What’s going to happen if I do?”
Ricky scowls at me and snatches his phone. With one hand he deletes the text message and puts his phone in his pocket.
“Dang, Ricky. I was just playing,” I say innocently. “I wasn’t really going to send that.”
Hope has a hurt expression on her face. “Wow, Ricky. Do you like Valerie after how she played you last year?”
“No, I don’t like her that way. Why do I have to like anyone? Why can’t we all just be cool?” Ricky sounds really frustrated with this love triangle scenario.
Hope replies, “It’s hard to just be cool with someone if you really like that person in a beyond cool kinda way.”
See, why’d she have to go and say that? If it wasn’t already uncomfortably awkward in here, it sure is now. Hope has got to see that Ricky is not ready for this action, not to mention that her tirade also applied to me and Kevin. Ugh. I hate to even think me and Kevin in a sentence.
Hope has pretty much killed any chance of conversation for the rest of this ride. She and Kevin sleep and snore in the back and I’m playing video games on Ricky’s phone while Mary Mary sings on the stereo. Ricky’s hands are gripping his steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles are white, and his face is twisted into a distressed frown.
I glance at Ricky out of the corner of my eye and whisper, “You know it’s cool what you said. Hope needed to hear that. Valerie does too.”
“It’s not that I don’t like her, Gia. It’s just that this whole ‘maintaining my virtue’ is pretty tough when girls are throwing themselves at me,” Ricky whispers back.
I clear my throat and roll my eyes. “Boy, I don’t see anyone throwing themselves at you, but I get where you’re coming from.”
It’s about 10:30 a.m. when we finally arrive at the park. We all pay, using some form of discount ticket (it costs a grip to get in Cedar Point, on the real). Then we split away from Gwen and Elder LeRon. They’re going to meet up with the other parents who found it necessary to tag along.
Hope seems sad so I try to cheer her up. I whisper to her, “Now that we know what’s up with Ricky, won’t it be fun to watch Valerie try to hook up with him?”
She doesn’t seem cheered at all. Isn’t she the one who claimed to have so much spirit? Wow. I sure don’t see it.
The first ride of the day is always a roller coaster called Blue Streak. We ride it first because it is right at the front of the park. Plus, it’s pretty tame, unlike the rest of the roller coasters in the park, so the wait is usually under an hour.
While we stand in line, roasting in the early September sun, Valerie squeezes through everyone to stand next to Ricky. Ricky tries not to look annoyed, I think, but he’s not doing a great job at all. He looks like he wishes Valerie would disappear.
Valerie sits next to Ricky on the metal railing that keeps the line in order. If he wasn’t wearing sunglasses, I’d probably be able to see him rolling his eyes. Valerie doesn’t seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.
“Did you get my text, Rick?” she asks.
Ricky nods. “Yeah, I got it, but I was driving so I couldn’t respond.”
“It’s cool. So are we riding together or not?”
“Yes, on this one,” Ricky snaps. “But I’d also like to ride with everyone else too. We should switch off.”
Valerie laughs. “Sure. You act like I’m about to eat you up or something!”
&nbs
p; “Well ...”
“Ricky! You can’t possibly think I’m trying to hook up with you. I’m just teasing with you.”
Ricky takes his sunglasses off and his eyes are open wide. They seem to be smiling. He says, “Seriously, Valerie? You’re not trying to hook up?”
“No, papi. Not after last year. But I just wanted you to know that I feel totally bad about what I did to you and I apologize. I hope we can be friends.”
Ricky says, “Valerie, I forgive you and we can totally be friends! I’d like that.”
I almost choke on the soda I’ve been sipping while watching this little soap opera. Who does Valerie think she’s fooling? I can see right through this mess. Ricky, on the other hand, seems pleased. I thought I’d taught him better than this.
Everyone is in harmony for a few hours, but of course, it doesn’t last. It is past lunchtime now, and the diehard roller coaster fans (Ricky, Valerie, Candy, and I) want to keep going to our favorite ride—the Millenium Force. But some weak individuals (Jewel, Kelani, Hope, and Kevin) want to find the grown folk and eat barbeque and whatever else they’re cooking over in the picnic area.
I say, “Why don’t we just split up? The line for Millenium Force is gonna be a good two hours. Y’all can go eat and meet us back here.”
Hope protests, “We should all stay together. That’s how people get lost. It won’t take long for us to get a bite to eat and then come back to the line. Aren’t y’all hungry?”
“I’m not!” says Valerie as she pulls Ricky toward the roller coaster.
“Me either,” replies Candy, who runs after Valerie and Ricky.
“Hope, you don’t even like this ride,” I argue. “Just meet us back ... okay? Text me when you’re coming back.”
Hope gazes after Ricky with longing in her eyes. I know she doesn’t want to leave Ricky alone with Valerie, but it’s pretty much a done deal. I jog over to the line to join my fellow roller-coaster fanatics.
I say, “Ricky, we’re riding together on this one, okay?”
“Okay!”
Valerie’s facial expression tells me that I was right about her let’s be friends bit being a scam. She looks ready to scratch my eyeballs out.
But instead of trying to do me bodily harm she reaches up and gently takes Ricky’s sunglasses off. She puts them on her face and strikes a pose like she’s about to throw a football. Ricky grins, but she looks corny as what.
“Is that supposed to be me?” Ricky asks.
Valerie nods. “Do I have you down?”
“Umm, no,” I say.
Candy says, “That is totally Ricky, all day and all night.”
Valerie puts the sunglasses back on Ricky’s face and takes her time doing it. She inhales deeply and closes her eyes, all the while her body is centimeters from grinding on Ricky.
“What are you wearing, Rick? You smell good enough to eat,” Valerie says with a little growl.
I guess she’s supposed to sound hungry or something. Umm, yeah ... no.
Ricky shrugs. “It’s just something I found on my dad’s dresser.”
Valerie laughs. “Well, you shouldn’t wear that around me if we’re going to be just friends.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Oh, good grief! This is so sickening, and I’ve got a pretty strong stomach.
Candy says, “How long are we going to be standing in one spot? It seems like we’ve been in line forever already.”
“We’ve been in line for fifteen minutes,” Ricky says, glancing down at his watch.
“Well, it feels like forever.” Candy’s bottom lip protrudes in a pout.
Valerie says, “I know what we can do to pass the time. We can practice our step for next week.”
I let out a groan. “No, ma’am. I do not feel like stepping right now.”
“Oh come on, Gia!” says Candy. “It’ll be fun.”
“We don’t have any music,” I protest.
Valerie and Hope line up in the small space between the metal line dividers. “We don’t need music. We’ve got the beat up here.” Valerie points to her temple and starts clapping.
When I still refuse to join them, Valerie and Candy do about half of our step to “No One” by Alicia Keys. They actually look pretty good besides the fact that Valerie keeps accidentally flipping one side of her skirt in the air, giving Ricky an unnecessary view of her thigh.
I hear Ricky draw in a sharp breath and hold it. He pushes his sunglasses up on his nose and turns his head away from Valerie. I pat him on the back, acknowledging his struggle. He’s doing a lot better than most dudes his age. I’m actually proud of him.
But if Ricky is going to keep associating with Valerie on this just friends nonsense, I am immediately placing my best friend on Kevin’s prayer list.
14
After spending all day walking around Cedar Point and standing in two-hour-long lines, you would think we would all be tired. But if you thought that, you would be wrong, because now we’re chilling in Ricky and Kevin’s hotel room at the Sandusky Marriott. We’ve ordered lots of pizza and the parents have been banished down the hallway to their own rooms.
Of course, Gwen and LeRon have promised to check on us in a couple of hours to make sure that we all are still fully clothed and not committing any sins. I sure do appreciate them for that ... Not!
Hope is still extra heated with me because we never did hook back up after we split up at the park. We waited for them at the ride, but when they didn’t show up, we got cheese fries and kept it moving. Hope claims she tried to call me, but I guess my phone was off.
Anyhoo, she got stuck with Kevin and the giggle twins for the rest of the day. She should be thanking me, because Kevin won her a giant panda bear at the ring-toss game. That was a serious come-up.
I pat Mister Panda Bear on the head. “Hope, this bear is so cute! Kevin, you must’ve spent a grip trying to win this.”
“Nope,” Kevin says, “I won it on the second try. It was supposed to be yours, Gia.”
“Bummer!” I say, and then quickly move over to the pizza boxes before his rebuttal.
Valerie announces, “Okay, y’all, it’s game time. Who’s up for truth or dare?”
This cannot end well. I hate playing these clichéd teenager games. Lemme think ... I vote no!
Hope beams. “I love truth or dare!”
Next thing you know, we’ll be playing that three-minutes-in-the-closet game. As soon as someone tries to force me to stand in a dark closet in close proximity to Kevin, that’s where I draw the line. I don’t care if he does have contact lenses, the moistness and clamminess have not yet ceased to exist.
We push the two double beds together and everyone sits in a circle. Although I am completely unwilling to be a part of this, how can I not? I’ll look like a total lame if I don’t participate.
Kelani pulls a name out of Ricky’s baseball cap. “Okay, Jewel. You’re first. Truth or dare?”
Jewel bites her lip and deliberates for a moment before saying, “Truth.”
“Who is the better choreographer on the Hi-Steppers squad? Gia or Valerie?”
I roll my eyes. So it’s going to be this kind of evening? I kind of feel sorry for Jewel, because it’s going to be difficult for her to give the correct answer with Valerie staring at her with her nose flared out. And, by the way, if you were wondering, the correct answer is ... me!
Jewel looks from me to Valerie and swallows hard. She closes her eyes tightly and says in a quiet voice, “Gia.”
“Who did you say?” Valerie asks in a menacing voice.
Hope laughs. “She said Gia! Let’s keep it moving to the next question.”
“No, we’re not done with this one,” Valerie says angrily. “You think Gia is a better choreographer than me? Kelani, what about you?”
Kelani’s eyes widen. “Hey, this wasn’t my question. I’m pleading the fifth!”
“Do you feel the same way, Candy?” Valerie asks.
“Umm, Gia is
my sister, so I’ve got to go with her.”
Wait a minute. Did we just enter the Twilight Zone? Candy is claiming me as her sister? I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that I can snitch on her at any time.
“I can’t believe this,” Valerie says. She snatches the hat from Kelani and picks a name.
“But it’s my turn to pick,” protests Jewel. She shuts her mouth quickly when Valerie gives her the look of death.
Valerie opens the slip of paper. “Kevin. Truth or dare?”
“Truth. Absolutely, truth,” Kevin says. “I have nothing to hide.”
Valerie squints. “Hmm ... is it true that you’re jealous of your best friend Ricky?”
Kevin gasps and blinks rapidly like he needs some saline solution for his brand-new contact lenses. I cannot believe Valerie would ask him something like that. This game is beyond unfriendly.
“I suppose there are some things that I am jealous about. He’s a lot smoother than I am, and girls like him,” Kevin says. “I don’t think I want to play this game anymore.”
“I don’t either!” I concur.
Hope glares angrily at Valerie and snatches the hat. “No! Why stop now?” She opens the paper. “Valerie. Truth or dare?”
Valerie laughs. “All right. Truth.”
“Is it true that you want Ricky to take you to Homecoming just so you’ll have a shot at being Homecoming queen?”
Ricky objects. “Hey! Leave me out of this!”
Hope ignores him. “Valerie, answer the question.”
“Well, he deserves to go to the dance with the most likely candidate for queen,” Valerie says. “Not some busted rally girl who wishes she was me.”
Hope stands to her feet. “I don’t wish I was you. You are one of the most evil and hateful people I know.”
“Who says I’m talking about you? Well, I guess you are the only busted rally girl here, so I see how you could think that I was talking about you.”
Now they’ve got me angry, because this was supposed to be a fun outing with my friends, not a bloodbath by Valerie. I do not appreciate this nonsense at all.
“Valerie, I’ve got a dare for you,” I say.
Valerie laughs. “It’s someone else’s turn.”
