Frenemies (19 page)

Authors: L. Divine

BOOK: Frenemies

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“Is everything okay with Jeremy?” she says, like we're old girlfriends having tea. Ah, hell nah, let me nip this one in the bud right now.

“Jeremy's no longer my concern,” I say, rising from my seat, wounded report in hand. “I'll have the paper back to you by Friday and thank you again for letting me rewrite it,” I say, marching toward the door. Damn, there's the first bell. Now I'm going to have to go to third period without my chocolate fix. I really hope everything's cool with both Jeremy and Tania. Any more irritation and I'm liable to bite someone's head off.

“Jayd, if you ever need to talk, I'm here. I know breaking up seems like the end of the world, but it's only high school,” she says, whimsically dismissing my feelings as a school girl crush. Even with Rah winning the battle for my heart, I still feel for Jeremy.

“Thank you, Mrs. Malone,” I say as I walk toward third period. Right now I just feel out of control of my feelings, like they're marching to their own beat and I'm along for the ride.

“
The key is to be in alignment with your feelings in order to control the situation
,” my mom says, sounding more like Mama than herself as she invades my thoughts.

“Not at school,” I say aloud to my mom as she coquettishly grins in my head. She's having too much fun with her born-again powers. But, I know she's right. I have to get my mojo back, as Netta would say, and fast.

“Hey Jayd,” Jeremy says, walking into our class right as the bell rings and taking the seat next to me, as usual. I guess some things haven't changed.

“Hey,” I say, unable to muster anything else. I'm still so upset with him for not claiming his and Tania's baby because he's afraid of his dad disowning him, but I also feel guilty because it was an easy way out for me to be free to explore something new with Rah. But Jeremy doesn't have to know all that.

“Good morning class,” Mrs. Peterson says, barely looking up from her desk. “Your assignment's on the board. Your quiz will be at the last fifteen minutes of the period. If you must talk, make it quiet please.” Before returning to her newspaper, Mrs. Peterson looks up at the opening door ready to attack whoever's walking into her arena late. “Thank you for joining us this morning,” she says a hella salty to a tardy Tania.

“Well, it's the least I can do, considering it's my last morning at South Bay,” Tania says, sliding an envelope across the teacher's desk, as giddy as ever. She turns around to wink at Jeremy while giving me a sly look. She then walks to the back of the classroom to where her followers are seated and collects money while Mrs. Peterson signs her release papers. I know this trick didn't place a bet on me and Jeremy.

“Jeremy,” she says, leaning across my desk, right in striking distance. “It's been real,” she says, blowing him a kiss as she cuts her eyes at me. “And, so sorry the two of you didn't work out,” she says, showing off her fifty-dollar bill and blinging engagement ring, before walking back toward Mrs. Peterson's desk. The broad's lucky she's pregnant. Otherwise, whipping her ass might be worth the automatic suspension from school.

“What a bitch,” Jeremy says under his breath, but loud enough to make the students around us giggle. Well, at least Jeremy and I are in agreement about something.

“Yeah, I think our breakup is worth a whole lot more. At least a c-note,” I say, breaking the iceberg between us. I would love it if we could still be friends. I genuinely like the cat and love vibing with him.

“I agree. At least a hundred. I wish they'd let me in on the bet. I could have made a killing,” he says, taking his books out of his backpack and turning to our assignment. With Tania's grand exit over, it's back to work in Government class.

“I hear you. What would you have wagered?” I ask, copying the notes from the board into my notebook. I miss going back and forth with Jeremy. We seemed to lose our spark amidst all of the relationship baggage. It's nice to be on the path to friendship again, even if it's still awkward. Like Mama says, time heals all wounds or makes you forget what you were fighting about in the first place.

“A million dollars,” he says, looking as serious as a heart attack, catching me off guard, much like Nigel did earlier. “I would've bet that much that we'd stay together, if the situation and timing was different.” I now realize Jeremy feels as bad as I do about us breaking up. The difference between us is that he has no one to catch his rebound. My phone vibrates with another message from Rah, making me blush. Damn, this sucks. Now I really feel uncomfortable.

“Quiet please,” Mrs. Peterson says, ending the heat for now. I hope Jeremy and I can really be friends, even if he does find out about me and Rah. But for now, I just pray that we can all chill for a minute before crashing head-on into each other.

START YOUR OWN BOOK CLUB

Courtesy of the DRAMA HIGH series

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

The following is intended to help you get
the Book Club you've always wanted
up and running!

Enjoy!

Start Your Own Book Club

A Book Club is not only a great way to make friends, but it is also a fun and safe environment for you to express your views and opinions on everything from fashion to teen pregnancy. A Teen Book Club can also become a forum or venue to air grievances and plan remedies for problems.

The People

To start, all you need is yourself and at least one other person. There's no criteria for who this person or persons should be other than having a desire to read and a commitment to discuss things during a certain time frame.

The Rules

Just as in Jayd's life, sometimes even Book Club discussions can be filled with much drama. People tend to disagree with each other, cut each other off when speaking, and take criticism personally. So, there should be some ground rules:

1.
Do not attack people for their ideas or opinions.

2.
When you disagree with a book club member on a point, disagree respectfully. This means that you do not denigrate other people for their ideas or even their ideas, themselves, i.e., no name calling or saying, “That's stupid !” Instead, say, “I can respect your position, however, I feel differently.”

3.
Back up your opinions with concrete evidence, either from the book in question or life in general.

4.
Allow every one a turn to comment.

5.
Do not cut a member off when the person is speaking. Respectfully wait your turn.

6.
Critique only the idea (and do so responsibly; saying, “That's stupid!” is not allowed). Do not criticize the person.

7.
Every member must agree to and abide by the ground rules.

Feel free to add any other ground rules you think might be necessary.

The Meeting Place

Once you've decided on members, and agreed to the ground rules, you should decide on a place to meet. This could be the local library, the school library, your favorite restaurant, a bookstore, or a member's home. Remember, though, if you decide to hold your sessions at a member's home, the location should rotate to another member's home for the next session. It's also polite for guests to bring treats when attending a Book Club meeting at a member's home. If you choose to hold your meetings in a public place, always remember to ask the permission of the librarian or store manager. If you decide to hold your meetings in a local bookstore, ask the manager to post a flyer in the window announcing the Book Club to attract more members if you so desire.

Timing is Everything

Teenagers of today are all much busier than teenagers of the past. You're probably thinking, “Between chorus rehearsals, the Drama Club, and oh yeah, my job, when will I ever have time to read another book that doesn't feature Romeo and Juliet!” Well, there's always time, if it's time well-planned and time planned ahead. You and your Book Club can decide to meet as often or as little as is appropriate for your bustling schedules.
Once a month
is a favorite option.
Sleepover Book Club
meetingsâif you're open to excluding one genderâis also a favorite option. And in this day of high-tech, savvy teens,
Internet Discussion Groups
are also an appealing option. Just choose what's right for you!

Well, you've got the people, the ground rules, the place, and the time. All you need now is a book!

The Book

Choosing a book is the most fun. FRENEMIES is of course an excellent choice, and since it's a series, you won't soon run out of books to read and discuss. Your Book Club can also have comparative discussions as you compare the first book, THE FIGHT, to the second, SECOND CHANCE, and so on.

But depending upon your reading appetite, you may want to veer outside of the Drama High series. That's okay. There are plenty of options, many of which you will be able to find under the Dafina Books for Young Readers Program in the coming months.

But don't be afraid to mix it up. Nonfiction is just as good as fiction and a fun way to learn about from where we came without just using a history text book. Science fiction and fantasy can be fun, too!

And always, always research the author. You might find the author has a website where you can post your Book Club's questions or comments. The author may even have an e-mail address available so you can correspond directly. Authors will also sit in on your Book Club meetings, either in person, or on the phone, and this can be a fun way to discuss the book as well!

The Discussion

Every good Book Club discussion starts with questions. FRENEMIES, as will every book in the Drama High series, comes with a Reading Group Guide for your convenience, though of course, it's fine to make up your own. Here are some sample questions to get started:

1.
What's this book all about anyway?

2.
Who are the characters? Do we like them? Do they remind us of real people?

3.
Was the story interesting? Were real issues of concern to you examined?

4.
Were there details that didn't quite work for you or ring true?

5.
Did the author create a believable environmentâone that you could visualize?

6.
Was the ending satisfying?

7.
Would you read another book from this author?

Record Keeper

It's generally a good idea to have someone keep track of the books you read. Often libraries and schools will hold reading drives where you're rewarded for having read a certain number of books in a certain time period. Perhaps, a pizza party awaits!

Get Your Teachers and Parents Involved

Teachers and Parents love it when kids get together and read. So involve your teachers and parents. Your Book Club may read a particular book where it would help to have an adult's perspective as part of the discussion. Teachers may also be able to include what you're doing as a Book Club in the classroom curriculum. That way books you love to read such as the Drama High ones can find a place in your classroom alongside the books you don't love to read so much.

Resources

To find some new favorite writers, check out the following resources. Happy reading!

Young Adult Library Services Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/yalsa.htm

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Hip-Hop!
Teen Rap Titles
http://www.carnegielibrary.org/teens/read/booklists/teenrap. html

TeensPoint.org
What Teens Are Reading
http://www.teenspoint.org/reading_matters/book_list.asp?sort=5&list=274

Teenreads.com
http://www.teenreads.com/

Sacramento Public Library
Fantasy Reading for Kids
http://www.saclibrary.org/teens/fantasy.html

Book Divas
http://www.bookdivas.com/

Meg Cabot Book Club
http://www.megcabotbookclub.com/