Fast Life

by Cassandra Carter

  “Hold up. First off, I dunno who the fuck you’re threatenin’. Second off, this school you runnin’ ain’t nothing’ to be proud of, and if I wanted to, I could run this in a day. Yeah I’m a newbie, but don’t you ever come over here with some bullshit like this, ’cause others up in here may be scared of y’all, but I’m not. Don’t even jump stupid with me. You don’t know me. So now if you will excuse me…” Kyra growled back, attempting to pass the girls when Veronica stopped her with a shove to the shoulder.

  “Bitch, who do you think you’re talking to?”

  “You and your punk-ass crew. And don’t touch me again if you want to have that hand still attached to your skinny little body.”

  “We should whoop your ass right now for everyone to see.”

  “Trick, I wish you would even flinch at me.” She moved so close to Veronica they could’ve kissed. She meant every word.

  “Ha! Please. It’s three against one. You don’t want none. Face it, you don’t want drama. Just keep your place and keep your distance from my man.” Veronica backed up and placed her hand on her hip. Kyra’s being so close to her made her uncomfortable.

  “And who the fuck is desperate enough to go out with you?” Kyra scoffed.

  “Justin Hartwell. Don’t act like you don’t know who he is. You were just over there with him. I saw you.” Just then it clicked for Kyra. This was the same Veronica mentioned at lunch.

  “What the…? I should slap you just for sayin’ some dumb shit like that. Let me lay it out for you: I don’t like him. You can have him.”

  “Oh, don’t worry, I’ve already got him. And keep your ass away from Michael, too. My girl Nicole is with him.” Veronica snottily nodded back to her friend.

  “Watch your mouth. I hate to do it, but I will beat all y’all on my first day of school.”

  Kyra was about to swing on Veronica when Quentin and Angel showed up and stepped between the girls to avoid the conflict.

  “Don’t start any stuff with her. You know she’s new, Veronica. You’re not even with Justin anymore, so you need to let it go,” Angel said.

  “Little girl, don’t come over here trying to speak to me on some shit you don’t even know about. Just let your little friend know she needs to watch her back as well as her mouth,” Veronica threatened as she and her crew continued to walk toward the building. The bell rang, and the rowdy crowd began to file back into school.

  “I’m glad we have an understanding!” Bridgette yelled from the doors. She wanted to make sure Kyra heard her.

  “Ooo, I’m gonna beat her ass!” Kyra raged through clenched teeth. Bridgette giggled before she disappeared inside. She had elicited just the reaction she had been seeking.

  “Don’t pay them any mind. Just don’t play into their games. They do it to everyone on their first day, and Veronica definitely does it to anyone she even sees within a few feet of Justin,” Angel said.

  “Yeah, she still claims him, even though they’ve been over. Don’t even worry about it,” Quentin said.

  “But she’s disrespectin’ me, bottom line. I ain’t no ho, and I sure ain’t quick to back down. If she wants some, she can come get some.”

  “Don’t fight her, Kyra. She’s not even worth the trouble. She thinks that just because her family has money that makes her better than everyone else, and it doesn’t.”

  “Did I miss something?” Michael walked up slowly, zipping his pants.

  “Mike, man, where were you?” Quentin asked, noticing his friend’s unzipped khakis. Quentin quickly excused himself from the company of the females to hear another one of his friend’s scandalous tales of sexual conquest.

  “Are you all right?” Angel turned her concerned look back to her new friend.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. They’re nothin’, like you said.”

  “Okay, good. Let’s get back in before we’re late.” Angel sighed and flashed a reassuring smile before they rushed back inside.

  For the rest of the day, Kyra half listened to the lessons. She could see Justin frequently looking over at her, but she would only glare back, and he would look away.

  CHAPTER 7

  The final bell of the day hadn’t even finished ringing before Kyra was out the door. She brushed by the crowd into the sun and its suffocating heat to start her brisk walk home up the tree-lined lane. She had reached the middle of the path when she felt someone clutching her elbow. She spun around with her eyes narrowed, expecting a fight.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Do I seem okay? Go on somewhere. You’re causin’ more trouble than you’re worth,” Kyra snapped at Justin.

  “Veronica is nothing to trip off of, trust me. She’s just too red eye of you. That’s all.”

  “Red eye?” Kyra asked.

  “Oh, my bad. Red eye means she’s jealous of you.”

  Just then, Richard, Veronica and her girls sped by in her car. Kyra heard the music blare, and the car stirred up dust in the air as they rolled past. She bent down quickly and picked up a large rock to pitch, but Justin’s hand grabbed hers. He slowly brought her hand toward the ground and let the rock fall. His hand replaced the hard mass as he locked eyes with her.

  “Let me go.” Kyra snatched her hand away and continued to walk. Justin kept up with her.

  “So…wasn’t that that one boy from our class in the car with her?” Kyra asked after walking a few steps. Once her anger subsided, she slowed her pace to listen to Justin.

  “Yeah, he’s her brother. Richard Pierce. Their father owns some resorts on a few islands. So that pretty much makes them uptown rich—you know, in other words, stuck-up as hell.”

  “That would explain the car, then, too.”

  “Basically.”

  “So now what I’m wonderin’ is why on earth did you two ever break up? You guys seem meant for each other. She’s stuck-up and you’re just…you. So, hey, I don’t see why y’all didn’t click.”

  “Hey, sometimes things just don’t work out. She just still tries to claim me because she knows she messed up and she doesn’t want to see me with someone else. And her brother, Richard—if you’re even thinking about dealing with him, be careful.”

  “Yo, chill, motor mouth, I was just wonderin’ if they were related or not. I never said I wanted to holla at the boy.”

  “Did you just call me a motor mouth?”

  “Sure did.”

  “So you’re saying I talk shit?”

  “No, chill. I’m just saying that it sounds like you like to gossip.”

  “Okay, new girl, let me set you straight on something. I’m just trying to look out for you.”

  “Don’t get no attitude, I was just sayin’.”

  They walked to the end of the lane in silence.

  “Thanks, then…I guess,” Kyra said.

  “You’re welcome. So…where do you stay?”

  “What does it matter to you?”

  “Damn, you’re so feisty! I like that. It’s cute.”

  “Ugh, Justin, stop!” She laughed.

  “Nah, I’m just messing with you. I was going to walk you home, but…”

  “A’ight that’s cool but don’t try no funny stuff. No, you can’t come in to get a drink or use my bathroom, understand?”

  “Okay.” He held his hands up in surrender.

  “Your house is really nice.”

  “Thank you, and thanks for walkin’ me home. That was fun.”

  “You’re welcome. But I’m going to get going, so I’ll see you at school tomorrow. And don’t forget about me tutoring you. When should we start?”

  “How about I just let you know. I’ll call you or somethin’.”

  “But you don’t have my number.”

  “Then give it to me.”

  “Okay…” Justin reached into his backpack and retrieved a pen and paper, then scribbled down his number. He had been caught off guard by Kyra’s forwardness but was pleased by it, as well.

  “Here. Let me give you mine, too.” She neat
ly jotted down her digits before passing the scrap of paper to him.

  “Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow. First light. Bye, baby girl.” He gently tipped her chin and headed up the street on his way home. Kyra could feel the goose bumps on her skin from when he had called her baby girl. Makai always called her that.

  Kyra unlocked the door and walked into the air-conditioned house. The cool air flowed over her body as she took a seat in the living room and picked up the phone. She was going to call Makai.

  She called all his numbers but got no answer. She called over and over, until the sound of the ringing was stuck in her head and gave her a headache. Whatever he was doing, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t right.

  Kyra leaned back into the cushions of the couch. She missed her boyfriend and her friends, and she seemed to worry more now than she ever had before. She felt stressed and overwhelmed from having to adjust to so much “new.” Everything was new. Everything had changed in the blink of an eye.

  I just wish that I was back where I was last Monday, where the only thing I had to worry about was how much my feet hurt. That was the last thought to cross Kyra’s mind before she had no worries and was gone to the world, and to her problems in it.

  CHAPTER 8

  In a multimillion-dollar mansion on the other side of Prince Paul Island, Quentin, Michael and Justin were all seated around Quentin’s large bedroom engaged in a lively conversation while playing a video game.

  “Where did you go earlier?” Quentin demanded. “We were looking for you, but we couldn’t find you anywhere. Some people said they saw you walking with the new girl, and the only new girl I know of is Kyra.”

  “Yeah, I walked her home.”

  “And…did you hit that or what?” Michael nosily added.

  “I just walked her home. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but not everyone sticks their dick in everything that moves.”

  “Oh, you got jokes.” Just then, Michael’s cell phone ring tone sounded. He took it out and examined the caller ID. “It’s Nicole.”

  “See, he got one of his hoes calling now,” Quentin laughed.

  “That’s not funny. She be straight stalking,” Michael said, putting the phone back in his pocket. The look on Michael’s face when he had first told his friends about his night of sex gone wrong had been memorable.

  “Forget both of y’all. Just take a look at you two. Quentin, Angel is too much of a goody-goody, dawg. And J, man, you were strung out on Veronica for the longest. Now here you go trippin’ off that new girl. Before we know it, you’re going to be taking her out, buying her things, straight tricking your dough and you still won’t get some!”

  “A’ight.” Justin stood up and began to speak. “As much as I hate to say it, yes, I loved Veronica, and yes, she had me messed up. But you can’t say I didn’t get her ass good. Yeah, I have money, and yeah, I got status, and she thought she could get some to add to her own. But did I ever buy her shit? No. Did I take her places? Hell no. Why? Because I found out what she was doing around the way a while back. I was just using her after that, until I got tired of her. Then I dipped. And as far as Kyra goes, I’m not even going to tell her about my cash flow. I want to see if she’ll like me for me. I’m sick of all the gold diggers. From now on, the fact that my family owns the island is on lock, you got me?”

  “Okay, okay. Yes, you were kind of pimpin’ when it came to Veronica. I’ll admit that,” Michael said.

  “I don’t know what it is, but Kyra does something to me,” said Justin. “She’s just…different. I don’t know how to explain it. We all know I’ve been with my share of girls. We all have. But I’m for real on this one.”

  “Oh, I think I’m going to be sick.” Michael gagged, faking as though he were going to vomit.

  “Mr. Hartwell, the barber is here.” One of the maids who tended to the estate made the announcement from the doorway of the bedroom. Her hands were folded on her apron and her face was stern.

  “I’m not cutting my braids, Harriet, no matter what my father says,” Quentin protested. His father had been pestering him for months to cut his hair.

  “No, it’s cool, it’s for me,” Justin clarified. He hopped up from his seat and handed off his controller.

  “See, there that shit goes right there! I told you!” Michael pointed and snickered at his friend’s decision to change his appearance.

  “Shut up. It’s not even like that. It’s just…time for a change.”

  The next day, Kyra awoke with a plan in mind. She decided to take what she creatively dubbed a “chill day.” Things had been moving too fast lately, and she desperately needed to slow things down. It was time to take it nice and slow, nice and easy.

  She woke up at her usual time and got dressed in her uniform, creating the illusion that she actually intended to go to school that day. She walked outside in the rain and saw her mom off. She made sure her mother was out of sight before she backtracked home to take off her uniform. She was in no rush to do anything.

  She watched HBO movies and ate almost an entire half gallon of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. It was mid-afternoon when she went out onto the front porch and sat in the swing. She watched the rain fall as she inhaled the smoke of the rich tobacco from one of her hand-rolled Cuban cigars.

  She was intently watching the wet scenery when she spotted a dark figure approaching her house from the road. She sat up and leaned forward, hoping to see who it was. The rain fell so hard it was almost blinding.

  “Who are you?” she called out with a hint of fear in her voice as the unknown figure crept across her lawn.

  “Girl, chill, it’s me.”

  It was Justin. He walked onto the porch and dropped the hood of his black sweatshirt. Kyra’s eyes grew wide and she threw the cigar butt into the rain.

  “Oh my God, what did you do?” she shrieked as she stood up and walked over to him for a better view.

  “What? You don’t like it? I cut off my dreadlocks. It was time for a change.”

  “Change isn’t always good. But in this case it is.”

  “So you like it, then?” Justin asked curiously, secretly scared she would say no.

  “Yeah, it looks a’ight.” She smiled as she ran her hand over his freshly cut hair.

  That was an understatement, because to her it looked really good. He looked really good. She could clearly see all his facial features, and the rain glistening on his face was adding to his appeal. He was looking too tempting.

  “So why didn’t you come to school today?” he asked as he leaned on the railing of the porch.

  “’Cause,” she sighed, “I just needed a day to myself.”

  “I thought you might’ve been sick or something. I came by to check on you,” Justin lied.

  “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”

  Silence fell between them.

  “Look, I know you said you needed a day to yourself, but do you mind if I join you? Being by yourself can get lonely, don’t you think?”

  “Sure. I don’t care.”

  “I can start tutoring you if you want. I brought my stuff,” Justin said, swinging his backpack down to the porch.

  “Okay, that’s cool. Come on in.”

  “Nice room,” he commented as his eyes explored her furnishings.

  “Thank you.”

  “You have an awfully big bed….”

  “Don’t even try it. We’re studyin’. Now let’s get started.” Kyra laughed.

  Justin removed his math book from his bag. “Do you want to do this over there?” he asked, motioning toward the chairs and the small glass table.

  “No, we can do it right here,” she said, hopping onto her mattress. “It’s more comfortable.”

  “Now, what we’re studying is trigonometric graphs, identities, and equations….”

  As Justin began to explain what they were and how to solve them, Kyra zoned out. She stared at his face, his hair and the large diamond earring that hung fro
m his ear. Either it hadn’t been there before or she hadn’t noticed it. She stared at his well-defined biceps, making their presence known through his wife beater. She stared at the tattoo on his arm and the smoothness of his skin. She stared at his lips. They were moving, but she heard no sound. She made note of how soft they looked and thought about what it would be like to kiss them. She looked at the thin beard along the edge of his jawline and at his thin mustache, tracing his face until she stumbled across his big brown eyes. She couldn’t tear her gaze from them.

  Justin felt her stare and looked over at her and stopped talking. His gaze met hers, and she didn’t look away. He then leaned in and kissed her, freeing his tongue to caress her mouth. Her tongue pushed back, and he slowly laid her on the bed. He continued to kiss her and began to work his way to her neck, then spread her legs and laid his body between them. Kyra couldn’t believe she was doing this. The only person she had ever been with was Makai, and here she was about to have sex with a boy she had only known for two days. Still, her body wouldn’t let her buckle under the guilt when his hands glided over her body and began to work her shirt up over her head. She shook under him.

  “Don’t be scared. It’s okay,” he whispered reassuringly in her ear as he eased his shirt over his shoulders.

  He began to kiss her chest and his hands unbuttoned her shorts to ease them down. He skillfully managed to take her panties along with them.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” He looked into her eyes as he lay ready to penetrate. With a nod, he pushed himself slowly into her body.

  Kyra gasped for air as he began to slowly push himself deeper into her. She dug her nails into his back. She felt her body heat rise and she couldn’t contain her pleasure-induced moans. She felt her body become tense with excitement as he placed his lips to her ear. She couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say.

  “Kyra! Kyra! Wake up, Kyra!”

  The thrill ended when she snapped out of her daydream to see that she was still sitting on her bed, fully clothed and staring at Justin as he shook her.