The Fight

by L. Divine

  14

  What to Do

  “Everything you do or say

  You got to live with it everyday.”

  —INDIA ARIE

  Since I spent the rest of fourth period in the library, I was able to come up with a plan to talk to Trecee. If I can get her before she gets over to South Central, I may be able to talk to her without an audience. I need to find my girls first though and tell them about this crap with Mrs. Peterson and that Jeremy walked me to class.

  When the bell rings, I walk out of the library, across the courtyard where the skaters hang, and over to the main lunch quad where South Central hang. There’s Nellie and Mickey sitting on the benches that outline the quad; Trecee’s nowhere in sight. Momentarily forgetting my search for Trecee, I sit down next to Nellie and join their animated conversation.

  “I can’t believe it’s already Thursday. I have no idea what I’m going to wear to the back-to-school party at Byron’s house on Saturday night. Isn’t there also a fight party in the hood that same night?” Nellie says, slyly reminding me I’m supposed to be in training or something for my big fight tomorrow. I begin to protest, but Mickey cuts me off.

  “You’re going to the party, Jayd, and we won’t take no for an answer.” Mickey always likes us to go to parties together. She says we’re protected from haters that way. But personally, I’m not much of a party girl, especially not the parties out here.

  These White folks get crazy, drinking kegs and doing all kinds of drugs and stuff. If I didn’t know Chance so well and know Matt from Drama Club, I would have agreed with Nellie’s way of thinking yesterday. At the house parties in Compton, fools do drink forties and smoke weed, but that’s it. Usually it ends with somebody shooting, but at least they ain’t snorting coke and running trains on drunk girls.

  All the dudes up here ain’t like that though. Byron is this fine, White football player who has a thing for Nellie. She’s “cute, dark, and lovely,” as she likes to tell it, and very fashion conscious. Byron seems to like all there is about Nellie. So, as friends of Nellie’s, we’re all invited to the party that will determine who will be part of the most popular cliques for the rest of the year: the “All-Sports, Back-to-School House Party”—no parents allowed.

  “Byron is so sweet to host this party. Girl, it’s going to be off the chain! All the cute guys and girls are going to be there. We have got to look hella good for this party,” Nellie says.

  “Girl, you’re right. We have to go to the Swap Meet after school, and get our nails done. . . .” Mickey says, getting excited.

  “The Swap Meet? Girl, no. Ain’t nobody shopping at the Swap Meet for this party. We all have to go to the mall and get some fly gear from a real store, not a booth,” Nellie says, insulted that Mickey would even suggest Swap Meet gear for such an important event.

  “Nellie, you act like we got money or something. We may go to school with rich people, but we ain’t rich. I’m with Mickey on this one,” I say, looking in my backpack for some change to buy Doritos from the vending machine. Mickey’s boyfriend gives her an allowance, so she can go around flashing the fly Swap Meet gear, but not Mall gear. Nellie sometimes forgets our parents aren’t as well off as hers.

  “I’m going to get something from the machines. Y’all want something?” I ask, getting up from the bench.

  “We already got our snacks,” Nellie says, showing me her Gummi Bears. As I walk across the quad in my own world, thinking about what I already have that can be worn to this party and what I’m gone say to Trecee when she shows up, I spot KJ coming out of the cafeteria with his crew. He looks flawless, wearing a white and silver Enyce suit, with a flock of chicks right behind him, though Trecee isn’t among them.

  I get my chips out of the machine and head back to the benches where my girls are sitting. Still no sign of Trecee. By the time I reach the bench, I feel someone following me. KJ walks up behind me and touches me on the shoulder.

  “What’s up, Jayd? Can I sit down and catch up with you and your girls? What’s up, Mickey, Nellie?”

  “Hey, KJ,” Nellie and Mickey coo at once. My girls are so weak when it comes to fine guys.

  “What do we need to catch up on? Our sudden breakup or this madness with Trecee?”

  “I was hoping we could talk about something other than that. Dang, Jayd, why you always gotta trip? I was just trying to make conversation . . .”

  “I don’t need any conversation, KJ. What I need is solutions. Do you have any? No . . . oh, then I guess this conversation is over. We can catch up after you get your broad off my back.”

  “Uh, I don’t mean to interrupt,” Nellie says, sounding nervous, “but here comes your broad, KJ, and she doesn’t look like she wants to conver-sate with anybody.”

  And there Trecee is, looking like she’s about to charge both me and KJ.

  “So, what’s up, Jayd? Are you trying to talk to my man behind my back? Why you playin’ with me, huh, Jayd?”

  “Ain’t nobody playin’ with you, Trecee, and you need to step back. It’s not that serious,” I say, ’cause now she’s really starting to piss me off. She’s a real bold girl. She don’t know me or my girls—we can get Compton crazy on her in a minute, but I decide to hold my composure, especially since she’s not worth it.

  “Trecee,” KJ says, trying to calm her down. “Would you please just chill? Dang, it ain’t even like that.”

  “Yes, it’s that serious and it’s just like that. And KJ, why are you protecting her? See, I knew you were trying to get back with him. You ain’t fooling nobody, Jayd. This mess has to be settled now ’cause ain’t nobody taking my man away from me, especially not no weird-ass girl like you.”

  Trecee starts to take off her fake gold earrings, rings, and nails. Here we go again. I don’t move. I don’t bat an eye. I just watch Trecee frantically take herself apart in front of everybody as she shouts all kinds of “unmentionables” at me, about me, and about what she’s going to do to me for KJ, her man. It’s safe to say talking ain’t gone work with this chick. Mickey and Nellie were right.

  “What’s the matter with you, Trecee?” KJ asks, now standing between me and Trecee. “All I did was say hi to the girl, and now you swear we’re about to walk down the aisle or something.”

  Trecee stopped to look at KJ. “Misty told me all about Jayd and her weird grandmother. She also told me that Jayd wants you back, even though she’s been going around saying she ain’t talking to you. You probably don’t even know that girl bewitched you or something.”

  Bewitched him? Oh no, she didn’t go there. If anybody is a witch, it’s her. What the hell did Misty tell her? I know the broad’s already crazy, but Misty made her go straight mental up in here. Where is Misty anyway?

  “Come on, girl, there’s the bell,” Nellie says to me as KJ holds Trecee back.

  “We’ll walk you to class and make sure that witch don’t come nowhere near you and I’ll take you and Nellie home today so y’all don’t have to worry about catching the bus,” Mickey says.

  Mickey has the straight gangsta girl mobile: a tweaked-out pink Regal with MICKEYS on her personalized license plates. She can be real cool in crisis situations. She should know how I feel. Girls in the neighborhood try to jump Mickey almost every time she comes out the door. That’s why she stays in the house most of the time, if she’s not with her man. I know she thinks I should fight, but she stands by my decision not to go there just yet.

  “All right then, I’ll meet y’all in the Main Hall after sixth period. I need to have a word with Misty before she leaves.”

  “For what, Jayd? What you need to do is beat her down and be done with it.” Mickey’s crazy and straight outta Compton. She’ll fight anybody in a minute and, as pretty as Mickey is, she don’t take no mess from nobody, no time. Usually, pretty girls don’t like to get into fights for fear of messing up their hair or breaking their nails. But last year Misty got on Mickey’s nerves talking behind her back. Mickey was whipping Misty so bad,
Misty opted to run away instead of finish the fight. We weren’t that close back then, but I’m glad Mickey is my friend now. I would hate to be her enemy.

  “I want to see if she can go back and untell whatever lies she told Trecee in the first place. This is getting out of hand and I don’t know what else to do. Dang, there goes the bell. I’ll catch up with y’all after school, Main Hall.”

  I sure hope we can squash this mess. It’s just getting bigger and bigger and I don’t want to fight Trecee. It just doesn’t seem valid enough to get suspended over. I still don’t know exactly what Misty told Trecee, which is why I need to find her. I’ll have to get out of class right before school lets out and snatch up Misty in the Main Hall.

  Fifteen minutes before the end of the last period, I find, as predicted, Misty, the worst office aide ever, hangin’ out in the hall not working, even though she should be working. When she sees me, she turns and walks in the other direction, but I catch up to her ’cause we’re going to talk whether she likes it or not.

  “Misty, we need to talk,” I say when I’m close enough so she can’t pretend not to hear me.

  “Jayd, what you doin’ out of class? And there is nothing for us to talk about.”

  “Then why you running from me, huh, Misty? Look, I don’t know what kind of games you’re playing, but the drama needs to end before somebody gets hurt. I know you told Trecee something to make her think I’m such a threat to her. Now I want to know what you said and I want you to tell her the truth.”

  Misty faces me with something like confidence. “I did tell her the truth. I told her that you’re weird and you didn’t hang out like the rest of us. I told her your grandmother be putting curses on people and stuff, and that’s what my nana said and I know she ain’t lyin’ to me.”

  How could Misty be so vindictive and snide about this? Her nana ain’t never even met Mama. She just heard about her like everybody else in the neighborhood. She went and told this girl a bunch of rumors and now the girl thinks I really did curse KJ into liking me. Oh damn, this is some real drama.

  “Misty, if I could curse anybody, don’t you think you’d be a cockroach by now?”

  “Not funny, Jayd. Besides, my nana says you can’t curse me because I’ve been in your house.”

  Misty’s grandmother is as loony as they come. Straight up alcoholic, don’t leave the garage, ain’t seen daylight in years type of situation. Not a reliable source of information at all.

  “What the hell does being in my house have to do with anything, Misty? This is a bunch of superstitious bull and you need to fix it or I will, and you won’t be happy with the results, know what I’m sayin’?” She knows when she’s gone too far and she knows I will take it there, if she pushes me.

  “Fix this mess by Friday, Misty, or I will fix you.”

  “Jayd, don’t threaten me. I have Trecee to back me up, remember? I ain’t afraid of you.”

  “Yeah, not with her around, Misty, but I know where you live, where you hang out, where you don’t hang out. Fix this by tomorrow. Don’t play with me, Misty. I do have my ways of getting back at you.”

  And with that last threat, I was done talking to Misty. I was vexed and feeling hot, and I can’t think straight when I get too hot. Thank God this day’s almost over.

  15

  Wisdom Biscuits

  “Mama may have, Papa may have

  But, God bless the child who’s got his own.”

  —BILLIE HOLIDAY

  After I walk away from Misty, the bell rings. I decide to make my way to my locker when I run into Jeremy. “What’s up, Jayd? How was the library?” he asks, falling in step with me as I walk down the hall. I don’t know how to react. I’m fidgety and, while trying to shift my weight so I can hold my books, look cute, and talk to him at the same time, I drop all of my stuff right in front of him.

  “Damn it!” I say, bending down to pick up my books, which are now strewn in the middle of the hall.

  “Don’t worry about it. Let me help you.” Jeremy’s a sweetie, I see. He kneels down and starts picking up errant books and papers.

  “Thank you. I’m so clumsy sometimes. To answer your question, the library was cool. Better than being in class. Did I miss anything?” As I pick up the last of my things, I notice my girls walking toward me, laughing.

  “Nah, you didn’t miss nothing. Listen, I got to go to work. But, I want to talk to you about what you said in Government today. I like the way you handle that old hag,” he says, smiling like a guilty little boy. “Here’s my number. Can I get yours, too? I’ll program it into my cell and give you a call when I get a chance.” He handed me my English books and his phone number on an index card. I recite my cell number as he punches it into his phone. As Jeremy walks off, Nellie and Mickey arrive.

  “Dang, Jayd. I never pegged you for the White boy type, but do your thizzle my nizzle,” Mickey says, eyeing Jeremy as he walks down the hall.

  “Mickey, you’re too silly sometimes, though we did exchange numbers, and I will be calling him if he doesn’t call me first.” I put the stuff I don’t need in my locker, grab my backpack, putting my homework and the necessary books inside, and close the locker door. I turn to face Nellie and Mickey, half expecting to see Trecee come my way. “Did y’all come up with any new ways to help me?” I ask as we walk down the hall toward the school parking lot.

  “Girl, I don’t know what to tell you. Can’t your grandmother do something to help you?” Nellie asks, sounding a little scared for me.

  “I’ve tried asking her for help. She only gave me a cleansing again and told me again how I was born, but I guess I’ll try again.” Mickey and Nellie look at me sympathetically, though I know they wonder about all the cleansings and Mama’s potions. They haven’t really asked, and I haven’t really explained it all. Maybe one day.

  When my girls drop me off at home, Mama’s cooking. The warm scent of bell peppers engulfs the house and I’m instantly hungry.

  On the way home, my girls and I talked and talked about the whole Misty–Trecee–KJ situation. All they could suggest was I be prepared for the fight. Mickey said she could get her boyfriend and his gangsta friends to come up there and back us up. Nellie suggested pepper spray for my defense. They’re my girls and all, but when it comes to wisdom, Mama’s where it’s at, even if I don’t understand all of what she tells me.

  The best time to talk to Mama is when she’s in her kitchen. Most nights after she cooks, she’s on to Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and then her private time, which consists of praying, chanting, cleaning her altar, and making remedies for her many clients.

  Mama has her apron on, which is covered in flour and sugar and who knows what secret ingredients that make her biscuits so good. She’s at her keenest in the kitchen. As she hands me some dough to knead, I ask her about her day.

  I can tell she got her hair and nails done. Mama likes to wear her hair tied back in cornrows, sometimes in a bun. And her nails are immaculate. Never too long, never too short, her real nails are covered in acrylic. She says she does it to protect them from the cooking, but I say it’s because she likes to get the fancy designs and airbrush polish. Yeah, she’s something else.

  As Mama turns around to get a biscuit cutter from the cabinet, I update her on my troubles. I tell her all about Trecee and Misty and KJ.

  “Have you talked to KJ? I always did like that boy. He’s so sweet and he’s got a good heart. How are his folks?”

  Mama likes everybody at first sight, especially if it’s someone we’re bringing home for her to meet. She’ll smile big and bright and say, “Oh, my house is a mess and so am I. Chile, why you didn’t tell me you were bringing company?” Then, she’ll put on one of her best house robes and scarves, and go in the kitchen to bake something for the company to munch on.

  “Yes, I’ve talked to KJ and I don’t think there’s much he can do. She said I put some sort of curse on him to make him defend me. He tried to tell her that was nonsense, but she just ke
pt going on and on about how he just didn’t understand.

  “Trecee says I’m strange and I’m trying to steal her man and make him strange too. But she’s going to save him from me. Now the whole school wants to see this fight that I don’t want to have.”

  “OK, Jayd, just take a deep breath. Now, you say this girl Trecee thinks you’re strange and trying to take KJ away from her. Now, what would give her such a crazy idea?”

  “Well, Misty told her—”

  “Oh no, not Misty!” Mama says, rolling her eyes and throwing flour in the air.

  “That girl is always in the middle of something. Always,” Mama says, almost dropping a biscuit on the floor.

  “She needs to get her own life. She’s got plenty of drama in hers already, with her mama and grandma fighting all the damn time,” I say, agreeing with Mama, or so I think.

  “What did you say, young lady?” Mama asks in a low growl.

  Mama is always swearing. When her sugar’s up, she’ll say, “Goddamn it, thank you Lord Jesus.” But she won’t let us cuss around her. I never could figure that one out. I tell Mama I was just agreeing with her and she chooses to let it go.

  “That girl needs some help and some prayer,” Mama continues, taking a deep breath and shaking her head from side to side. “Misty has always been jealous of you, Jayd, ever since you two got so close last year.”

  Just then, Mama dips the cut biscuits into a bowl of melted butter. She gently presses the biscuit with her fingers so the biscuits are completely submerged in butter. When the once-white biscuits are oozing with butter, Mama takes them out and places the perfectly round yellow biscuit onto the cookie sheet one by one. She hands me the rolling pin and cutting board so I can roll the dough until it’s flat while she continues cutting and dipping the biscuits.

  “Misty needs something else to worry over. That child’s gonna end up in a whirlwind of trouble if she keeps messing with other people’s lives like that. Just wait and see. That girl’s gonna cross the wrong person one day, and her mouth won’t help her then.”