Cool Like That (8 page)

S
omebody should’ve told me that by “early,” Sushil meant the crack-of-dawn, before-the-sun-comes-up early. I am so not amused at the wake-up call I receive at 6:30
AM
that jars me out of a great dream. Rashad and I were sailing on one of those water streets in Italy on a little boat. For some reason, my friend Kevin was the one driving the boat, and he was mean-mugging me the entire ride.

Unenthusiastically, I pull myself out of the bed and start searching for an outfit. It’s going to be jean shorts and layered tank tops today. It’s hot as what! The weatherman said it was gonna be in the nineties for a week!

“What are you doing, Gia?” Melody asks. She peers at me through sleepy, angry eyes.

“I’m getting ready to go see the Statue of Liberty.”

“With Rashad?”

“No. With Ricky. Sushil and Xavier are coming too.”

“Oh. I asked because Sienna’s roommate saw you kissing Rashad in the lobby last night. I thought you two must’ve made it official or something.”

I roll my eyes. “Ooo, y’all really need to get some business! How is it that your girl was passed out drunk, but y’all found time to talk about my situation?”

“I don’t know. I’m sorry, Gia.”

She gives me this pitiful look that makes me think she really is sorry. Now I feel bad for going in on her like that.

“It’s cool, Melody. You wanna hang with us today? I’m not trying to be the only girl with all those hardheads.”

“Yeah, I do. I’ve seen the Statue of Liberty, but it’s still fun.”

“We don’t roll VIP style like Sienna though. Is that okay with you?”

“All that VIP stuff is not all it’s cracked up to be.”

“We’ve got to get ready quickly because Sushil is tripping.”

Melody throws her covers back. “Okay. I’m up.”

Melody and I get ready as quickly as humanly possible for two fabulous girls. Okay, so it takes us about an hour.

We meet up with the boys in the lobby of our dormitory. We all look sleepy, hungry, and grumpy.

Ricky has the audacity to be wearing the Tennessee Titans jersey I bought him for Christmas last year. He wears it well too. That powder blue looks extra nice on him. Plus his low haircut is fresh and clean too. All-around good look.

Felicity, our favorite resident adviser, is in the lobby too, looking like her usual bubbly self. “Where are you guys off to this morning?” she asks.

“Statue of Liberty,” Sushil says. His tone is extra impatient.

“There were reports last night of some people coming into the dorm intoxicated,” Felicity says. “I’m not going to ask if you guys know anything about it, but please remember the conduct code you signed.”

We all nod in agreement. Melody looks completely terrified, like she’s gonna crack and spill the beans any second. I don’t think Sienna’s secret is safe with her.

We walk toward the subway station, but Melody and I let the boys go ahead of us. Melody still has a concerned look on her face, like she wants to talk.

“I wonder if Sienna is awake,” I say out loud.

“I’m sure she’s not. She was way gone last night. I think she took something else, or someone slipped something in her drink.”

“Are you serious? Why didn’t you tell me about that last night?”

Melody bites her lip and sighs. “Because I thought you would want to tell if you knew the whole story.”

“You’re right. I would’ve.”

Ricky jogs back to me and Melody, and he links arms with me. What’s up with this? Ricky is one hundred percent against random public displays of affection.

“How was your date with Rashad?” he asks.

Weird! How do I answer a question from one crush about my date with my other crush? Yes, a ridiculous concept indeed. Crushes are not allowed to inquire about one another. “It was fine, Ricky.”

“Did you make out?”

“Ricky!”

He bursts into nervous laughter. Melody gives us both a mad dose of side eye and skips up to talk to Xavier and Sushil. I guess she wants to give us some space, but I don’t even know if I want any space with this crazy-acting Ricky.

“I’m messing with you, Gia,” Ricky says.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you messing with me?”

“Because you’re my bestie, and I can.”

“Oh.”

“Have you thought about senior year, Gia?”

“What about senior year?”

“You know. Homecoming, prom, graduation.”

“Oh, that stuff. Yeah, I know it’s coming, but I can’t say I’ve been thinking about it.”

“Well, I have,” Ricky says.

The tone in his voice concerns me. He’s serious all of a sudden, and all traces of the laughter he had a few minutes ago have disappeared.

“I was planning on doing all that stuff together,” Ricky continues. “Me and you.”

“I guess I was too. What’s changed?”

“Gia, I don’t think I can go back to where we were if I have to spend all summer looking at you and Rashad all booed up.”

“We are not booed up, Ricky. You’re so exaggerating.”

Ricky crosses his arms over his chest and scrunches his eyebrows down. He only does this when he’s mad.

“Gia, you had his tongue down your throat right in the dorm lobby where everyone could see you.”

“There you go exaggerating again. His tongue was not down my throat.”

“But you were kissing though.”

“We kissed. Once. It wasn’t all like that though, Ricky, and I sure didn’t plan anything like that.”

Ricky has a hurt look on his face, like I’ve just completely torn him up. He doesn’t continue the conversation though, because we’ve caught up with the others at the subway station.

I feel sad that Ricky is hurt right now. For real. And now I’m back thinking about what Hope asked me. What do I really want?

I do want for senior year to be hot! And I’m pretty sure I want it to be all about Ricky and me. But the summer is shaping up to be all about Rashad and Gia.

I’ve never met another boy like Rashad. He’s completely intellectual and still fly all at the same time. He’s so much more mature than Ricky and Kevin and all the other boys I know. I’m afraid if I spend the whole summer getting close to Rashad, all my feelings for Ricky are going to fade away.

The feelings are still there. I can’t deny that, even as I watch Ricky dash through the subway car doors and slam into a seat. He’s so fine and comfortable. Like, I don’t have to second-guess myself with Ricky.

I steal another glance at Ricky, who’s sitting across from me on the train. He seems to be daydreaming now, staring into space and biting his bottom lip in that cute way he does when he’s thinking hard.

My hand goes up to touch where Ricky kissed me on my cheek. I still remember how strange and wonderful it felt. But it didn’t compare to the rush I got when Rashad kissed me. It might not be a fair comparison though. A peck on the cheek and a mouth-to-mouth are two totally different things.

And Ricky would never put his lips on mine without my permission.

“What are you thinking about, Ricky?” I ask.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Melody laughs out loud. “Duh! Isn’t that why she asked?”

“I know! Get him straight, Melody,” I say with a laugh.

Ricky replies, “Actually, I’m thinking about how I should still be sleeping right now. Sushil!”

“You all will definitely thank me when you see how long we
won’t
have to wait in line.” Is it just me, or does Sushil’s accent get even more clipped and short when he’s irritated? Methinks he doesn’t like being called out.

Xavier says, “Did y’all eat breakfast? I’m starved.”

“We didn’t eat, but you ate two bagels with cream cheese and jelly on the way out, Xavier,” Sushil replies.

Xavier scoffs. “That was not breakfast! That was a prebreakfast snack.”

As they chat, my mind drifts to a vision of senior prom. Ricky and I and Hope and Kevin and their dates are all in our formal attire, about to get in our limo. We start to take pictures, but when I step up to pose with Ricky, out of nowhere another girl in a prom dress steps up. She has a bodacious body and long hair that cascades over her shoulders. She looks like a real-life video vixen. She puckers her lips and kisses Ricky’s cheek, and he cheeses hard, like he’s really digging her.

Yes, my imagination is off the chain. But was it really my imagination, or did I just have one of those
That’s So Raven
visions of the future?

I roll my eyes at Ricky as we stand to get off the subway car at the South Ferry stop. He puts both his hands in the air like he’s asking
What?

I narrow my eyes and glare. “You know what you did.”

Ricky laughs. “Gia, you are a weirdy.”

“Whatever, dude.”

Sushil is the leader of this expedition. We follow him through Battery Park to the ticket counter for the Circle Line ferry that will take us to see the statue and Ellis Island. It’s only nine in the morning, and people are already lining up for the ferry.

Sushil points to where we have to stand in line. “The line isn’t very long yet, but in an hour or so it will be crazy. You’ll be thanking me for getting you up so early.”

Xavier pats his stomach. “My stomach does not agree. It said it would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.”

All this talk about food from Xavier is making me hungry too. As we stand in line waiting for our turn, the smells of warm cashews tickle my nose.

“Don’t you want some cashews, Gia?” Xavier asks. “I can see the longing in your eyes. I recognize hunger anywhere.”

I chuckle. “Yeah, Xavier. I’ll split some with you.”

“Gia, take a picture of us!” Melody yells. She, Sushil, and Ricky are posing with a person dressed up like the Statue of Liberty.

I take the picture of them with my phone, but I can’t stop thinking about Ricky and the imaginary girl. How could he play me like that, even in my imagination?

Yeah, yeah. I
am
somewhat playing him with Rashad, but that’s totally different. I didn’t deliberately start liking Rashad. It just kinda happened.

And, honestly, even though at the present time Ricky is getting on my nerves, I’m still crushing on him too. Especially when he wears clothes I purchased. Dang him and that Titans jersey.

Melody interrupts my thoughts. “So, next Friday there’s going to be this huge party for Dan Tropez at the Oasis. A lot of record producers and artists are gonna be there. Jay-Z is even supposed to show up.”

I lift my eyebrow and stare Melody down. “I’m not trying to go to one of
his
parties.”

“Did you say Jay-Z was gonna be at this party?” Ricky asks.

“He’s supposed to be there. That’s what Sienna says.”

“Well, then, I’m going. That sounds like it’s gonna be jumping.”

I laugh. “Ricky, you’re kicking it
hard
up here aren’t you? I never knew you partied so hard?”

“Stop trying to make me out to be lame. And you know you wanna go too. Because wherever Jay-Z is…”

“I know. Ms. House of Deréon herself!” I say with a grin.

Truth, I stan hard for Beyoncé. Any time Mrs. Carter and her husband are part of the conversation, I’m down. I can’t stand Ricky for bringing that up, though.

“Sienna says she can get us all in the VIP suite too,” Melody says.

“Is she still with Dan? How is she getting us in the VIP suite if he’s leaving parties with other chicks?”

“That’s just how they do. They fight, break up, and then get back together,” Melody explains. “But she got VIP tickets from him a couple nights ago.”

“You down or what, Gia?” Ricky asks.

“I guess so, if you’re going. You know, we haven’t made up a dance step in a long time. You want to?” I ask Ricky.

“Not to a Beyoncé song, Gia. I see the gleam in your eyes. No, no, and guess what? No.”

I grab Ricky’s arm as we board the ferry. “Not just any Beyoncé song, Ricky. How about ‘Ego’?”

“I am
not
the kind of guy who dances to ‘Ego,’ Gia. You know this.”

“So what song do you wanna do?”

Ricky giggles. “How ’bout ‘99 Problems’?”

“Uh, no. Stop playing.”

“Why don’t we just put together some moves that can go on any song with a tight beat?”

“Okay, I’m down with that.”

I lean back in my seat, cheesing hard and thinking of a fly routine, because that’s what I do. Ricky leans back too and puts his arm around me, which is kind of tough to do on this boat that’s jam-packed with tourists.

This is the side of me Rashad doesn’t know about. He has met the scholar, poetry-reading Gia. But will he dig the Beyoncé-lovin’, hard-dancing Gia?

“Come on, let’s go stand out on the deck and look at the water!” Ricky says after we’ve left the dock.

“Okay.”

Ricky takes me by the hand and leads me out onto the crowded deck. He finds an opening on one of the rails, and we slide right in. Even though it’s hot, there’s a nice breeze blowing off the water, and it feels great.

“Finally, I’ve got you all to myself,” Ricky says.

I laugh. “You don’t mean that, Ricky. You act like we haven’t been alone before.”

“I guess I never felt threatened before.”

“And you do now?”

Ricky nods. “Yeah, I do. I mean, I’m not trying to tell you who to be friends with, Gia.”

“I know you’re not.”

“But you are digging Rashad?”

I close my eyes and nod. “I do like him, Ricky. But my mom always tells me we’re too young to like only one person.”

“So you would be cool if I started hanging out with somebody else too?”

“Of course I wouldn’t be cool with it. I’d feel like you feel about me and Rashad. But I wouldn’t throw away our friendship because of it.”

I guess Ricky is forgetting about how I watched him drool for a whole year over Valerie. I put all my crush feelings on the back burner and even helped him out. I talked to Romeo during that time, but my heart was always with Ricky.

“So you’re gonna keep kicking it with him?”

“Yes, but I promise you we’re not doing anything crazy. And I won’t be making out or hooking up with him either.”

“You gonna let him kiss you again?”

I point out across the water. “Look! It’s the Statue of Liberty!”