Fast Forward (11 page)

Guaranteed Happy Ending?

It
was Friday morning. There was no school because of a teacher workday. I got up early, ate, then went back to my room and took the online Hazelhurst admissions exam. It was much harder than I thought, but I think I did okay. I guessed I would find out the next week when the results would be mailed out. I felt like a heavy burden had been lifted. I stressed for days over the test. Now I’m just glad it’s over with.

Lawn mower guy was supposed to come home this weekend. I waited all day for him to show up, but he didn’t. He does this a lot. I guess what he’s got going on at school is more important than hanging with me.
Whatever, I still can’t believe that I trust that he’s going to do like he says. I finally gave up waiting and went to dance class to chill out.

Jade was right. Going to Freeman and dancing was the best therapy in the world, particularly after taking the exam. Who needs Tubbs and Freud when I have tap, ballet, hip-hop and jazz? Seriously, dance is the one thing I can always count on in my life.

After an hour and a half of dancing, I was exhausted. Neither Jalisa nor Diamond came, so it was just me and a few others in class. I was walking home again afterward, listening to my music and taking my time. I saw Darien’s car parked out front of Ursula’s house. I also saw Sierra sitting on Ursula’s steps talking on her cell. I was walking on the opposite side of the street, so it was cool. I wouldn’t have to deal with her. It was obvious that we weren’t going to be best friends. So ignoring her seemed the best course of action.

Out the corner of my eye I saw Darien get out of his car. He was talking to somebody on the phone. I half smiled supposing that it was Sierra, but she kept on talking on her cell. He ended the call then turned when he saw me coming. He crossed the street to stand a few feet ahead of me then waited. At least he knows I’m alive and gives me some attention, unlike some people. He was smiling when I walked up to where he stood. “Hey, you here to see me?” he asked knowing better.

I knew he was joking. I pulled one of my earbuds from my ear and glanced over, seeing Sierra staring me down. “Nah, sorry,” I said, still walking.

“Hey, hey, hey, wait up. I just want to talk to you. Why don’t you get in the car, and I’ll give you a ride.”

“I live up in the next two blocks. I can walk.”

“I didn’t say I’d take you home. I said I’d take you for a ride. Come on, get in.”

I looked at his car. It was seriously nice and riding inside was like sitting on a cloud. But I knew Sierra, still sitting there, would pass out. So, do I rub it in her face that Darien was taking me out in his car, or do I skip all the drama and pass? I decided to skip the drama and pass. “Nah, that’s okay. I need the exercise,” I said putting my earbud back in my ear.

“You sure?” he asked. I nodded. “Okay, next time.”

I waved and kept walking knowing that he was still watching me. Sierra, too. I didn’t change my pace but I kept on walking. I saw Ursula walking, coming in my direction. I smiled and stopped, pulling my earbuds out. “Hey, your grandmother told me you were at dance class,” she said. “I was just going over there.”

“Yeah, I was,” I said, “What’s up?”

“Listen, today’s my mom’s birthday, and she decided at the last minute to throw herself a birthday party. Want to come?”

“Tonight?” I asked, surprised about the short notice.

“Yeah, it’s no big deal, really. She found out that she got the night off work, and she wanted to do something. Plus she was talking about doing something to welcome Darien home again. Her friends will be upstairs, and we’ll be downstairs. It’s just going to be kids from school and around the way. It’s no big deal really, but you should come, for real.”

“I don’t know. My girlfriends might be stopping by.”

“Bring ’em.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun.”

“Okay,” I said and started walking.

“Wait, you gotta see this outfit my mom just got me. Come on. I’ll show you. I think I’m gonna wear it tonight,” she said excitedly, turning me around facing her house. Darien was leaning against his car watching us talking, but he was on his cell again. Sierra was nowhere in sight.

I walked with Ursula back to her house, climbed the front steps and went in. Her house was bigger inside than it looked outside. There was a woman in a T-shirt and jeans wiping a huge mirror in the living room over the sofa. “Mom, this is Kenisha. She’s Mrs. King’s granddaughter from down the street.”

“Hi, happy birthday,” I said. Then it hit me, I had no idea what I should call Ursula’s mom. Ursula’s last name was Dean and Darien’s last name was Moore.

“Hi, Kenisha, thank you. Are you coming to Darien’s party tonight?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Come on, it’s upstairs,” Ursula said.

“Ursula, did you vacuum that downstairs like I told you?”

“You told Darien to do it.”

“I told
you,
” her mother insisted.

She looked at me and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. I knew the feeling. Housework wasn’t exactly my favorite thing to do either. “I’ll do it after I show Kenisha my new outfit.”

Darien walked into the house and stood in the living room, “Do it now, Ursula. I don’t want this place looking like a pig sty tonight. Darien can show Kenisha to your room. Then he’s going to drive to the store and pick up a few things for me.”

“Fine,” she huffed, “I’ll be right back.”

“Darien, show Kenisha to Ursula’s room.”

He smiled and headed up the stairs. I followed. From what I could see, there were four bedrooms upstairs. Darien went to the one at the back of the house. As soon as I walked in I could tell that it wasn’t Ursula’s bedroom. I stood in the doorway. “Come on in,” Darien said. “I just need to change so I can go to the store.” By the time he finished the sentence he had already taken off his shirt. I stood there looking.

He had a nice body. I guess I wasn’t exactly surprised, but I, for real, never thought about it. Whenever I think about a guy’s body, I think about lawn mower guy and the first time I saw him at my grandmother’s house. Remembering him standing at the shed still put a smile on my face.

“Why don’t you come in,” Darien said.

Okay, the last time I was in a guy’s bedroom is when I foolishly decided that I was going to give LaVon my virginity. It didn’t happen, but I did find out that he was seeing my ex-friend, Chili. Why do all guys’ bedrooms look alike? Just like LaVon, Darien had big gaudy trophies everywhere. It was like they were trying to prove their manhood by displaying them. “No thanks, I gotta go. Tell Ursula that I’ll see her later.” I turned to leave.

“You coming tonight?” he asked, walking to the open door.

I shrugged, him standing there with his shirt off started to make my stomach tingle. “Maybe, I’ll think about it,” I said.

“You should come.”

He was too close. I looked away then down, seeing a big scar on his shoulder. “What happened? How’d you do that?”

He started laughing. I looked at him. It was like I just told the funniest joke ever. “What’s the joke?” I asked.

“Ask your boy,” he said offhandedly, smiling cryptically.

“My what?” I asked.

“Darien, Mom wants you downstairs. She has her list, and she wants you to go to the store now,” Ursula said, coming up behind me as I stood just outside Darien’s bedroom door. “Come on, Kenisha.”

I gave him one last questioning look then followed Ursula.

We went into Ursula’s room two doors down from Darien’s. It was closest to the stairs, and she left the door open. I sat on the bed with my back to the open door and grabbed a magazine that had been tossed on the floor. I waited as Ursula pulled out a couple of shopping bags and began pulling clothes out. She held up a shirt smiling. “What do you think?” she asked.

“I like it,” I said. I did, ’cause I bought one just like it a few months back. She pulled out another two shirts, a pair of jeans and a jacket. They were all nice, but I really wasn’t paying much attention anymore. Darien said something about one of her shirts while standing in her doorway. He and Ursula started talking. Well, more like bickering. Then she told him to shut up and get out of her
room. She turned her back to hang up the jacket. I knew Darien was still there, and I knew he was looking at me.

I started flipping through the magazine, trying not to pay any attention to him. A few minutes later I heard Ursula’s mom calling to Darien. He walked away, and then I heard him talking downstairs. I exhaled slowly. Him standing behind me like that was starting to make me nervous. I don’t know why.

Anyway, Ursula was talking about how much she liked shopping but how all the stores around the way were old and tired. She went on talking about seeing two or three girls at school with the exact same outfit on. She asked me where I shopped for my clothes. I told her about the shopping mall not far from my dad’s house, my old house. I told her the next time I go shopping, I’d let her know. She seemed happy about that.

So we talked about what she was going to wear tonight and who might show up. I asked her if Cassie would be there. She seemed sure she would be since the party was pretty much open to everybody who wanted to come.

“Is Sierra coming?” I asked.

“I don’t know, but probably.”

“I saw her sitting on your steps earlier. I guess she was waiting to talk to you.”

“I don’t know why. We’re not exactly good friends anymore. We used to be kind of close, but after she got pregnant last year she turned all attitude. She was probably waiting to talk to Darien.”

“She’s pregnant,” I asked, surprised. I don’t know why I was surprised. Nothing should really surprise me anymore.

“Not now. Last year, but she miscarried. But yeah, girl, Darien Jr. She almost had a paycheck with Darien’s face stamped on it for real.”

I started laughing, “Darien almost a dad,” I said.

Ursula nodded. “Actually he is a dad, but I don’t know the other girl and never even saw the baby. I think she lives around his dad’s place. That was two years ago. Believe it or not, they’re still fighting over child support and DNA. See, he’s just plain old drama.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

“He told me that Sierra calls him all the time bugging him. So they’re still together, right?”

“Nah, hell no. After she got pregnant, he broke up with her. Talk about not manning up. So typical. He’s such a triflin’ ass. Instead of stepping up to his responsibilities, he turned his back on her.”

“No wonder she’s pissed off at him.”

“Tell me about it. Anyway, now that he’s off house arrest, I guess she’ll be hanging around again.”

“So why exactly was he on house arrest?”

“He beat some guy up right outside of school. They say he even stabbed the guy, but not seriously. The police said that it was drug related, but nobody found any drugs on him. Sierra was there when it happened. She covered for him saying the other guy jumped Darien with a knife. Everybody knows she’d lie for him. She probably hid the knife and drugs to cover for him.”

“You think it was drug related, too?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. Darien is so dumb. With his
dad’s money and help, he could be doing anything and be anything. Instead he’s hanging around playin’ gangsta and getting in trouble acting like some street thug. Then when he gets in trouble, his dad bails him out. That’s so wrong. Money is privilege.”

“Not all the time,” I defended weakly.

“Name one time it’s not. Darien could go to school and be anything he wants. Instead he does the, ‘I’m pissed at the world’ thing and gets away with murder, literally.”

I didn’t say anything. That kind of used to be me, too. My mom and dad used to bail me out all the time, too. Once I got caught shoplifting. When my parents came, they paid a fine and I got off. I was so scared. I never, ever did it again. “Really?”

“Before that, when he was younger, he tried to rob this kid. They got into a pushing thing. The kid got stabbed and D went away. He’s got serious anger issues when he doen’t get his way.”

“Really,” I repeated, “but he’s so nice.”

“Yeah, but he’s got a bad temper. He fights all the time.”

“Don’t we all,” I said knowingly. “I gotta get ready to go. I have stuff to do before tonight. I’ll see you later.” She said okay and I left. Truth was I realized that Darien and I were so much more alike than I thought before, definitely more than lawn mower guy and me.

I got back to my grandmother’s house. She was on her way to Friday night bingo at the church, but she sat a while to talk with me. I told her about the party at Ursula’s house. She wanted to know about adult supervision. I told
her about Ursula’s mom having her birthday party upstairs. So she said I could go. After she left for bingo, I called Jalisa and Diamond.

“I took the exam this morning,” I said.

Both Jalisa and Diamond screamed, and then they started asking all these questions about it. “Yes, it was hard. It’s a lot like the SATs and ACTs. Each section was timed, and if you didn’t finish, the computer screen would just shut off on you. There were no breaks. The test lasted two hours. I’ll get a letter of my results next week.” After all the questions were asked and answered, we didn’t say anything more about it.