by Anne Schraff
It’s over, she thought. Hakeem and she were no longer together. Everything she feared was true. Wiping her eyes, Darcy heard a vehicle slowly approaching the curb near her. She was certain Hakeem was coming to talk to her. Quickly, she dried her eyes to hide that she had been crying.
“You okay, Darcy?” asked a voice much deeper than Hakeem’s. “I saw you sprintin’ down the street. ”
Darcy turned to see Brian sitting in his Toyota. “I’m fine,” she answered awkwardly, embarrassed that he was seeing her in such a state.
Brian stepped out of his car and walked over to her. Before she knew it, he had put his arm around her shoulder. “I’ll take you home,” he said gently.
“I’m all right. I just had a fight with my boyfriend. I mean my ex-boyfriend,” Darcy said bitterly, shrugging her shoulders.
“Do you want to tell me about it?”
Darcy looked up at Brian. His dark and piercing eyes glimmered in the afternoon sun. For a second, Darcy was tempted to tell him everything that happened, about how Hakeem had just walked out of her life, about how her hopes for the summer were gone. But she did not feel right telling Brian, not now. “Maybe some other time,” she mumbled.
“Anybody who would let go of you has got to be stupid,” Brian said. “You sure you don’t want a ride home?” Darcy glanced at Brian, and he gestured toward his car and grinned. “Come on,” he urged. “It’s not gonna bite you. ”
Darcy smiled and got into the car. Within minutes the Toyota was in front of Darcy’s house.
“Thanks for bringing me home,” Darcy said. “That was really nice of you. ”
“No big thing,” Brian replied, and then added, “If you ever need to talk, I’m here. I mean that. Anytime. ”
Darcy stepped out of the car slowly. “Thanks again, Brian,” she said. Somehow her fight with Hakeem no longer felt as raw. As she opened the front door to her house, she looked back at Brian. He waved once, and drove off.
Watching his car disappear down the street, Darcy felt a heavy wave of sadness sweep across her heart, sadness for Hakeem and the end of their relationship. But even as the sorrow gathered in her chest, she felt something else, something she did not want to admit to anyone, not even herself.
Darcy knew something inside had changed, making the loss of Hakeem seem less sharp and more bearable. Closing the door behind her, Darcy knew the change had to do with Brian.
Chapter 6
The last day of school had finally come. Fog blazed brightly in the morning sun as Darcy reluctantly made her way toward Bluford. Nearing the high school, she heard several students talking about how glad they were that exams were over and that summer vacation was about to begin. Darcy wished she felt as they did, but to her, the summer was coming too quickly. Hakeem would be gone in days. Even though he had broken up with her, Darcy still hated that he was leaving, and that things had turned out so horribly between them.
When she reached her locker, Darcy saw Brisana Meeks heading in her direction. Darcy rolled her eyes and hoped she would pass by, but Brisana came right to her.
“Hi, Darcy,” Brisana said, with a tight-lipped smirk. “Aren’t you glad the school year’s over? I couldn’t take another day in this place. ”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Darcy replied cautiously. She did not feel like talking to Brisana about anything, especially not Hakeem.
“Well, I just wanted to make sure everything’s okay with you. I mean, I saw you with Brian again the other day, and you looked really upset,” she said.
“So?” Darcy challenged. “What’s it to you?”
“Why are you getting so mad? I just wanted to make sure you’re okay, you know, with Hakeem and Brian and everything. ”
“I’m fine, Brisana!” Darcy snapped. “When did you become so interested in my personal life?”
“What do you mean?” Brisana asked. “Can’t I try and make conversation with you?”
“Well, it’s just that you don’t seem to want that,” Darcy said, closing her locker door.
Brisana stepped back and glared at Darcy. “How would you know what I want?” she yelled. “Maybe I act that way because you never give me a chance. You’re always with Tarah, and I never get a word in edgewise when I try to talk to you. ”
Darcy did not know what to say. She was not sure whether Brisana was serious. “I’m sorry, Brisana. There’s a lot going on right now, you know? It’s hard to talk about everything,” Darcy explained.
“I know,” Brisana said, moving closer to Darcy. “But there’s something I need to tell you, something important. I think you should be very careful with Brian Mason,” Brisana said slowly. “I know things about him, things that other people might not know. I tried to tell you before, but you—”
“I don’t want to hear it!” Darcy snapped. Now she knew what Brisana was after—Brian. Like so many times before, Brisana was trying to stir up trouble. But it wouldn’t work, Darcy thought. “Bye,” she said abruptly.
“Darcy, just listen for one minute—”
“That’s it, Brisana. I can’t talk right now, okay? I’ve gotta go,” Darcy snapped, turning away. As she headed down the hallway, Darcy glanced back to see Brisana still standing by her locker. Her mouth hung open, as if she had just been slapped.
At the end of the day, Darcy and Tarah arrived at their lockers at the same time. “Hey, girl,” said Tarah. “You’re just the one I want to see. How ’bout goin’ to the mall?”
“Thanks anyway, Tarah, but I don’t feel up to it. I’m just not in the mood to be around a bunch of happy people right now. ”
“Then why don’t you at least ask Hakeem for a ride home? You two are still friends, right?” Tarah asked.
“I don’t have anything more to say to him, Tarah,” Darcy replied bitterly. “Not after the way he broke up with me. Besides, he doesn’t have anything to say to me either. He already told me everything I need to know. ”
“I know you’re upset, but don’t let that ruin your friendship. You gotta come to the party tomorrow, and set things straight with him,” Tarah said.
“I’ll let you know tomorrow,” Darcy replied before walking to the exit. Descending the front stairs of the high school, Darcy remembered countless times she had walked the same steps with Hakeem. Despite her anger, she could not imagine Bluford without him.
Outside, the sun blazed, warming the streets and sidewalk. Darcy walked away from the school quickly, trying to ignore the nice weather, which only seemed to mock her feelings. As she approached her house, a familiar voice jarred her out of her thoughts.
“What’s up, Darcy?”
She turned to see Brian sitting in his red Toyota next to the curb. “Hi, Brian,” she said. “What are you doing here?”
“My boss changed my schedule and gave me the rest of the afternoon off. I thought maybe I’d catch you here and we could go to the beach or something. ”
Darcy hesitated. She did not want to be rude to Brian, but it seemed strange to go out with him, especially to the beach. The only boy who had ever taken her there was Hakeem.
“Thanks, Brian, but—”
“Come on, Darcy,” he insisted. “I promise I’ll have you back early. Besides, it’s your last day of school, so you should do something special. ”
Darcy smiled, unsure of what to say. She did not feel like going home and sitting in the living room while the rest of the world was outside. “How is it that you always seem to be around whenever I’m walking home?”
“Good timing, I guess,” he replied with a grin. “So do you wanna join me?”
He was wearing his navy-blue security uniform. As Darcy watched, he unbuttoned his dark-blue shirt to reveal a tight gray T-shirt underneath.
“Okay,” Darcy agreed. “As long as I’m back by 5:00. ”
“Hop in,” Brian said.
Darcy climbed into the Toyota and immediately noticed the heavy scent of Brian’s cologne. His T-shirt clung tightly to his muscular shoulders, and wh
en he steered the car, his thick forearms rippled with muscle. Darcy did not want him to notice her staring at him. “Thanks for picking me up the other day,” she said, shifting her eyes straight ahead. “You really helped me out just by being there. ”
“It was nothing, Darcy,” Brian said. “I was just worried about you, you know, with the fight with your boyfriend. I mean ex-boyfriend,” he added, turning toward her briefly.
“Yeah, I’m sorry I was so upset. I still can’t believe he broke up with me. ”
“Well that’s his loss, Darcy. ”
The car traveled the familiar highway to the ocean. The beach was one of the first places she had ever gone with Hakeem. It felt unnatural to be heading there with anyone else, especially another guy. Yet in a way, she was excited to be there.
When they arrived at the shore, Darcy was glad to see that Brian drove to a different part of the beach than she had gone to with Hakeem. “Right here,” he said. “This is my favorite spot. ”
The beach was rocky and secluded. It was as if they were on some exotic land, looking at an ocean she had never seen before. Scanning the beach, Darcy noticed they were almost completely alone.
“Isn’t it nice here?” Brian said.
“It’s beautiful,” Darcy answered, nodding.
Brian stepped close to Darcy so that his chest was just behind her shoulder. She could almost feel his eyes gazing down at her. “Then it matches you,” he said.
Darcy turned to look at Brian. Her heart started to pound, and she suddenly felt clumsy and awkward. She did not know what to say. Part of her felt guilty just for being at the beach with him. But another part of her was thrilled. For an instant, her mouth become as dry as beach sand, and she wondered whether she would even be able to speak. But she could not endure the tense silence.
“You wanna go for a walk?” she asked finally, hoping Brian could not see how nervous she was.
“Sure,” he said, taking a deep breath and smiling.
As they strolled towards the water, Brian briefly placed his hand on Darcy’s back to steady her on a slippery rock. His touch was warm and unexpected, and she felt the pressure of each of his fingers against the muscles in her back.
Though it lasted just a second, Darcy still felt Brian’s touch hours later. Though she would not admit it, as she closed her eyes that night, Darcy hoped she would see him again soon.
The next morning, Darcy was awakened by Jamee’s voice.
“Darcy, get up. Tarah’s on the phone. ”
“Tell her I’ll call her back later,” Darcy said with a yawn. But throughout the day, Darcy avoided returning Tarah’s call. She even refused to answer the phone whenever it rang, fearing it would be Tarah.
Darcy knew Tarah was calling about Hakeem’s going-away party that evening. As much as she cared about Hakeem, Darcy did not want to spend several hours pretending to be happy when all she felt was sadness. And then there was Brian. The time at the beach with him confused her. She had never mentioned him to Tarah or Hakeem, and as she thought about her old friends, a gnawing pang of guilt sunk deep in her chest.
At 4:00, the phone rang again, and Darcy ignored it until Jamee yelled out, “Darcy, can you get that? I’m sitting with Grandma. ”
Reluctantly, Darcy picked it up. “Hello?” she grunted.
“Girl, where you been at?” Tarah asked. “I called you early this morning, and your sister said you’d call me back. I been waitin’ to hear from you for hours. ”
“Yeah, she said you called. Sorry, Tarah,” Darcy responded, taking a deep breath. “I . . . wanted to . . . tell you that—”
“Darcy,” Tarah interrupted. “What’s goin’ on? Whatcha tryin’ to tell me? Spit it out, girl. We got a party to go to. ”
“Tarah, I can’t go to the party,” Darcy said finally.
“You what?”
“I just can’t do it, Tarah. Hakeem already said goodbye to me when he decided we needed to break up. I haven’t seen or spoken to him since, and I don’t think I can. Not at a party. There’s no way I can sit with you all tonight and pretend to be happy. Do you understand?” As Darcy spoke, she wanted to tell Tarah more, to mention Brian and the guilt she felt for having such a good time with him. But she could not form the words.
For a minute, Tarah was silent, and Darcy listened to the electronic hum of the quiet phone line. With each passing second, the silence became more unbearable, and Darcy felt a nervous knot in her stomach as she waited for her friend’s reply.
“Okay, Darcy,” Tarah said finally, taking a deep breath. “If you don’t want to come, that’s fine. The three of us will go without you. ”
“I hope you understand, Tarah,” Darcy explained. “I don’t want you to be mad at me. ”
“Darcy, I ain’t mad at you,” Tarah replied. “This is not between me and you. This is between you and the person you might never see again. Whatever went wrong, you don’t have much longer to make it right. That’s all I have to say. Talk to you later, girl. ”
Tarah hung up, and Darcy stood motionless holding the buzzing phone in her hand. Deep inside, she knew Tarah was right, but she could not bring herself to be with Hakeem, especially not with other people around. But as Darcy thought about Tarah’s words, she knew she had to see Hakeem one more time, alone. This time she would say goodbye forever.
On Monday morning, Darcy got dressed quickly. She knew Hakeem’s family was leaving early for Detroit, and she wanted to see him before he left. While the morning fog still hung thick over the neighborhood, Darcy walked the eight blocks to his house.
Turning onto Hakeem’s street, she saw a large yellow moving truck in front of his house. A nervous tremor raced up her spine as she made her way down the familiar block. She wondered how Hakeem would react when he saw her. Near the house, Darcy spotted Hakeem’s father trying to carry a package into the truck. He was much thinner than the last time Darcy saw him, and the effort to move the box seemed to exhaust him.
Walking up to the driveway, Darcy was surprised at how much older Hakeem’s father appeared. She was about to help him when Hakeem suddenly emerged from the house.
“Here, Dad, let me carry that,” he said. “Go inside and sit down. ” Hakeem grabbed the box easily and led his father back into the house.
Darcy felt a rush of guilt. She had not fully realized how sick Hakeem’s father was. One look at his withered body told her what a heavy burden Hakeem and his family were under. She wished she had never gotten so upset at him.
The front door of the house opened again, and Hakeem stepped into the driveway still carrying the box he had taken from his father. He nearly dropped it when he saw her.
“Darcy?”
For a second, Darcy was motionless, but then she walked over to him. “Hi,” she said awkwardly, unsure of where to begin. “So I guess this is the big day. ”
“Yeah,” Hakeem replied with a weary nod, putting the box down. “Look, Darcy, about the other day. I might not have said things the right way. I’m really sorry—”
“It’s okay,” Darcy interjected. “You don’t need to apologize, and I didn’t come here to get into all that. I came here to say goodbye. ”
“Darcy,” Hakeem said, shaking his head. “I’m gonna miss you, girl. ”
“Me too, Hakeem,” Darcy said, staring into his dark eyes.
“Hakeem! Can you move this box?” Hakeem’s mother shouted from inside the house.
“I guess this is it,” Hakeem said, ignoring his mother.
Darcy nodded, but said nothing. She could feel tears gathering in her eyes. She stepped toward him, and in one swift motion, he opened his arms and wrapped them around her. Enfolded in his embrace, Darcy remembered her months with Hakeem and all the wonderful times she had with him. She wished the moment would never end, but the sound of Hakeem’s mother yelling told her it had to.
“Hakeem! I need you to move this box,” his mother called out again, an impatient edge to her voice.
“Will we s
ee each other again?” Darcy asked in a whisper.
“I don’t know,” Hakeem said, rubbing his hand gently across Darcy’s face.
“Hakeem! Now!”
“Goodbye, Darcy. ”
“Goodbye, Hakeem. ”
Chapter 7
Darcy spent the rest of the day feeling dazed. She sat in the living room flipping TV channels and was startled when Jamee confronted her.
“What’s wrong with you? You look like you just went to a funeral,” Jamee asked.
“Thanks,” Darcy replied, getting up and walking out of the room. She did not want to speak to anyone.
Later that afternoon, Jamee announced that she was going shopping with Mom. “Do you want to come with us?” Mom asked.
“No, I’ll stay with Grandma,” Darcy said, glad to hear the news. As soon as they left, she went into Grandma’s room and sat in the chair next to her bed. Darcy wanted to tell her grandmother about what had happened recently, though Grandma seemed unusually tired.
“Hakeem’s gone, Grandma,” she said, uncertain whether her grandmother was able to listen to her.
“I just need to rest, Angelcake,” Grandma said softly, her eyes barely opening.
Listening to Grandma’s shallow breathing, Darcy felt more alone than ever. She was wondering whether Hakeem was thinking about her when she heard a loud knock at the front door. Quickly, she walked to the door and peered through the eyehole. Standing on the step in a white tank top and jeans was Brian.
“Brian, what are you doing here?” she asked, opening the door.
“I was in the neighborhood, so I figured I’d stop by to see if you were home,” Brian said, sliding his hands into his pockets.
