Holidaze

by L. Divine

  “Nellie, have you ever heard us refer to each other as bitches and then hug afterward?” I’m liable to smack a female instead of embrace her if she calls me out of my name.

  “Hell to the no,” Mickey says, taking a pack of Skittles out of her purse and eating them. Mickey looks at Nellie with a dare in her eyes and Nellie returns the stare. My girls are crazy. I’m just glad we’re all on the same side again. As small as the black population is on this campus, we can’t afford to be at odds with each other. It’s bad enough the three of us don’t get along with the South Central clique, where the other twenty-plus black students chill. Without each other, Nellie, Mickey, and I would truly be lost. I remember that feeling, even if my girls don’t, and it was a lonely existence.

  “Y’all are too sensitive. It’s not that big of a deal,” Nellie says as we exit the main hall. The morning air feels different with spring approaching. I love this time of the year and not just because my birthday’s next month. Something about warm seasons makes school—and life in general—more pleasant.

  “Good morning, ladies,” Nigel says, greeting us all as we walk across the courtyard. He puts his arm across Mickey’s shoulders and falls in step with us.

  “Good morning,” we say in unison. Even with the semester change, the three of them still share most of the same classes. At first I wasn’t sure about having a general ed class, but it hasn’t been that bad, with the exception of having to deal with Misty and KJ. Now that our crew is solid, I know it’ll be live in third period for the remainder of the semester.

  “What up, dog,” Chance says, greeting Nigel before saying hi to us. He kisses Nellie on the lips and then big ups Mickey and me. “Good session this weekend, man.”

  “Yes, it was,” Nigel says, reminding me of the last conversation that I had with Rah on Saturday. I haven’t talked to him since I found out his baby mama is his new roommate. He’s called and texted me a million times since then, and he can keep on blowing my cell up. Mama says if I don’t have anything nice to say I shouldn’t say anything at all. And whatever comes out of my mouth won’t be good for Rah, so I’m going to avoid cussing him out for as long as I possibly can.

  “Bye, bitches.” Nellie says, running toward their first period ahead of Mickey and Nigel, with Chance right behind her. She thinks she’s funny, but she’s not. Calling each other a bitch is something Nellie needs to reserve for her white friends. We black girls are not feeling that shit in the least.

  “That’s your friend,” Mickey says. Nigel laughs at his girl and I can’t help but do the same.

  “But you’ve known her longer,” I add. We make it to my Spanish class where the door is wide open. Mr. Adewale doesn’t count you as present unless you’re sitting at your desk when the bell stops ringing. We have about a minute to go before the final bell rings, officially starting the school day.

  Mr. A looks up from the stack of papers on his desk and at me. His smile is reserved, but I feel more caution in his eyes than usual. Maybe Ms. Toni had the same conversation she had with me about him and me associating with each other on a friendly basis. I think she’s overreacting, but what can I say? I know how these folk up here are, and with them being the only two teachers of color on the lily-white faculty, I can’t say that I blame her. I just wish she had a little more faith in me.

  “Don’t remind me,” Mickey says. As she takes her backpack off of her shoulders and passes it to Nigel to carry, I notice a new picture keychain hanging with our old shot from Homecoming.

  “What’s this?” I ask, taking a look at the photo. It’s a picture of Mickey, Nigel, Chance, Nellie, Rah, and me from the Valentine’s Day dance last Friday.

  “What do you mean? You have the same one, remember?” she says, fingering the same set of photos hanging from my backpack. I’m glad there’s a picture to prove we were all in attendance at the dance, because I don’t remember any of it. And from the smiles on our faces it looks like we had a good time.

  “My bad, girl. You know I’m sleep deprived.” Luckily I’m not anymore, but I have to blame my memory loss on something, and that’s part of the truth.

  “We’ll see you in third period, Jayd. We have a meeting with the principal at break,” Nigel says as the final bell rings. I glance at Mr. A, who has his pencil and attendance sheet ready to mark the latecomers.

  “Holla,” Mickey says as she and her man casually stroll toward their first period. I missed Mickey being on the main campus. She talked with Nigel about the administration bullying her, and they’ve decided to stand up to the powers that be together. I’m glad she decided to stay and fight. We have to stick together in this wilderness we call South Bay High. Otherwise, they will pluck us out one by one, with us girls being the first on their exit list. I’m not leaving this campus until I have a diploma in my hand, and I hope Mickey feels the same way.

  START YOUR OWN BOOK CLUB

  Courtesy of the DRAMA HIGH series

  ABOUT THIS GUIDE

  The following is intended to help you get the book club you’ve always wanted up and running!

  Enjoy!

  Start Your Own Book Club

  A Book Club is not only a great way to make friends, but it is also a fun and safe environment for you to express your views and opinions on everything from fashion to teen pregnancy. A Teen Book Club can also become a forum or venue to air grievances and plan remedies for problems.

  The People

  To start, all you need is yourself and at least one other person. There’s no criteria for who this person or persons should be other than their having a desire to read and a commitment to discuss things during a certain time frame.

  The Rules

  Just as in Jayd’s life, sometimes even Book Club discussions can be filled with much drama. People tend to disagree with each other, cut each other off when speaking, and take criticism personally. So, there should be some ground rules:

  Do not attack people for their ideas or opinions.

  When you disagree with a Book Club member on a point, disagree respectfully. This means that you do not denigrate other people or their ideas, i.e., no name-calling or saying, “That’s stupid!” Instead, say, “I can respect your position; however, I feel differently.”

  Back up your opinions with concrete evidence, either from the book in question or life in general.

  Allow everyone a turn to comment.

  Do not cut a member off when the person is speaking. Respectfully wait your turn.

  Critique only the idea. Do not criticize the person.

  Every member must agree to and abide by the ground rules.

  Feel free to add any other ground rules you think might be necessary.

  The Meeting Place

  Once you’ve decided on members, and agreed to the ground rules, you should decide on a place to meet. This could be the local library, the school library, your favorite restaurant, a bookstore, or a member’s home. Remember, though, if you decide to hold your sessions at a member’s home, the location should rotate to another member’s home for the next session. It’s also polite for guests to bring treats when attending a Book Club meeting at a member’s home. If you choose to hold your meetings in a public place, always remember to ask the permission of the librarian or store manager. If you decide to hold your meetings in a local bookstore, ask the manager to post a flyer in the window announcing the Book Club to attract more members if you so desire.

  Timing Is Everything

  Teenagers of today are all much busier than teenagers of the past. You’re probably thinking, “Between chorus rehearsals, the Drama Club, and oh yeah, my job, when will I ever have time to read another book that doesn’t feature Romeo and Juliet!” Well, there’s always time, if it’s time well-planned and time planned ahead. You and your Book Club can decide to meet as often or as little as is appropriate for your bustling schedules. Once a month is a favorite option. Sleepover Book Club meetings—if you’re open to excluding one gender—is also a favorite option. A
nd in this day of high-tech, savvy teens, Internet Discussion Groups are also an appealing option. Just choose what’s right for you!

  Well, you’ve got the people, the ground rules, the place, and the time. All you need now is a book!

  The Book

  Choosing a book is the most fun. HOLIDAZE is of course an excellent choice, and since it’s part of a series, you won’t soon run out of books to read and discuss. Your Book Club can also have comparative discussions as you compare the first book, THE FIGHT, to the second, SECOND CHANCE, and so on.

  But depending upon your reading appetite, you may want to veer outside of the Drama High series. That’s okay. There are plenty of options, many of which you will be able to find under the Dafina Books for Young Readers Program in the coming months.

  But don’t be afraid to mix it up. Nonfiction is just as good as fiction and a fun way to learn about from where we came without just using a history textbook. Science fiction and fantasy can be fun, too!

  And always, always research the author. You might find that the author has a Web site where you can post your Book Club’s questions or comments. The author may even have an e-mail address available so you can correspond directly. Authors might also sit in on your Book Club meetings, either in person, or on the phone, and this can be a fun way to discuss the book as well!

  The Discussion

  Every good Book Club discussion starts with questions. HOLIDAZE, as does every book in the Drama High series, comes with a Reading Group Guide for your convenience, though of course, it’s fine to make up your own. Here are some sample questions to get started:

  What’s this book all about anyway?

  Who are the characters? Do we like them? Do they remind us of real people?

  Was the story interesting? Were real issues that are of concern to you examined?

  Were there details that didn’t quite work for you or ring true?

  Did the author create a believable environment—one that you could visualize?

  Was the ending satisfying?

  Would you read another book from this author?

  Record Keeper

  It’s generally a good idea to have someone keep track of the books you read. Often libraries and schools will hold reading drives where you’re rewarded for having read a certain number of books in a certain time period. Perhaps a pizza party awaits!

  Get Your Teachers and Parents Involved

  Teachers and parents love it when kids get together and read. So involve your teachers and parents. Your Book Club may read a particular book whereby it would help to have an adult’s perspective as part of the discussion. Teachers may also be able to include what you’re doing as a Book Club in the classroom curriculum. That way, books you love to read, such as the Drama High ones, can find a place in your classroom alongside the books you don’t love to read so much.

  Resources

  To find some new favorite writers, check out the following resources. Happy reading!

  Young Adult Library Services Association

  http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/yalsa.htm

  Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

  Hip-Hop!

  Teen Rap Titles

  http://www.carnegielibrary.org/teens/read/booklists/teenrap.html

  TeensPoint.org

  What Teens Are Reading

  http://www.teenspoint.org/reading_matters/book_list.asp?s

  ort=5&list=274

  Teenreads.com

  http://www.teenreads.com

  Sacramento Public Library

  Fantasy Reading for Kids

  http://www.saclibrary.org/teens/fantasy.html

  Book Divas

  http://www.bookdivas.com

  Meg Cabot Book Club

  http://www.megcabotbookclub.com

  DAFINA BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2009 by L. Divine

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  Dafina and the Dafina logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  ISBN: 978-0-7582-5380-4