Gravity (Free Falling) (32 page)

         
We went into the dining room where all the decorations were laid out on the table.  I pulled the party stuff from the bag and Angel pretended to heave.

          “What?”  I asked.

          “All this pink…..I think I’m gonna to toss my cookies.  Please…..hurry…..put it back in the bag.”

          “
Whatever.  Pink is pretty!”

          “And what, are you turning eight?  What’
s with the streamers and banner anyway?”

         
I stared at her for a minute and we both burst out laughing.

          “Are you gonna help me or not?”  I asked.

          “I guess, but pass me that bag in case I puke from the pink overload.”

         
I laughed and threw a pack of streamers at her.

We worked until about three before we stopped to take a break.  “Isn’t this enough?”  Angel asked.  “It looks like Barbie’s
freakin’ Dream House in here.”

         
“Yeah.  I’m hungry anyway,” I replied.

         
We went into the kitchen to rejoin Mom and Aunt Lisa who were still preparing for dinner tomorrow.  I gathered everything I needed to make Angel and I peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  She laughed to herself.

          “It’s official.  Y
ou
are
an eight year old.”

         
I glared at her.  “You’re never too old for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”  I finished fixing our lunch and then sat beside her.

          “So, you never did tell me what happened to this Antonio guy.  Did he cheat or something?” She asked quietly.

          I almost choked on my food.  “No.  It wasn’t like that.  It’s kinda complicated.”

         
From the corner of my eye I saw her roll her eyes at me.  “I think I’m smart enough to follow the story.”

         
I sighed.  “At least wait until we go back to my room.  I’ll tell you
everything
then.”

        
Satisfied with my response, she turned to finish eating.  Five minutes later, she got up to put her plate in the sink and then stood across from me impatiently.  I’d barely put my last bite in my mouth before she snatched mine too.  She dragged me upstairs by my hand.  When we reached my room she shut and locked the door.

          “Everything,” s
he stated flatly as she turned to look at me.

         
I laughed to myself as I got comfortable on the bed.  She stared intently as she joined me. 

          “Well, I met
AJ and that’s when things started coming unraveled with Antonio.”

         
A smile crossed her face.  “Oh, so
you’re
the cheater.”

         
I frowned.  “It wasn’t like that.”  After thinking about it for a second I amended my statement.  “Well, maybe it was a
little
like that, but I never meant for it to happen that way.  Anyway, Antonio and I were able to salvage our friendship and now everything is perfect.”  As I said the word ‘perfect’ I was immediately reminded that the kiss Antonio and I shared was the only blemish in the situation.

         Angel
stared at me for a few seconds.  “You’re holding back on me.  There
has
to be more to this story.  Nothing that you just said was ‘complicated’ which means that you’re not telling me something.”

         
I looked down at my hands for a moment.  “Antonio and I kissed about a month ago and AJ doesn’t know.  I feel so guilty about it, but it was just the one time.”  I took another deep breath before continuing.  “Then there’s this chick who’s……a little obsessed with AJ and she’s been causing a few problems.  None of my friends are really speaking to me.  Not even Leslie.  And then there’s the issue with Daddy meeting AJ for the first time tomorrow.”

          “Ok.  Let’s start with the kiss.  Did you kiss him or did he kiss you
, because that makes a difference.”

          “He kissed
me
…….but I didn’t stop him.” I replied.

          “
Still he initiated.  If it ever comes up, just put the whole thing on him and deny ever being a willing participant.  That was simple.  So, moving on to your friends.  I don’t get why they cut you off.  Are they just die-hard Antonio fans or what’s the deal?”

         
I laughed.  “I think it’s a combination of things.  They were worried about me getting hurt when Antonio and I hooked up because he’d been with a
lot
of girls.  They thought that he was going to do me the same way.  But they got to know him and became friends with him too.  They also don’t really seem to care for AJ and that pushed them away from me too.  Not to mention the fact that I hurt Antonio,” I explained.

          “Whatever.  They’re still supposed to be
your
girls.  I say you’re better off without them if there’s no loyalty.  That’s two of your problems that I‘ve solved in less than ten minutes.  You definitely needed me here.  So, what’s this about this stalker chick?”  Angel asked.

         
I rolled my eyes as I was reminded of Leila.  “She’s crazy.  She lost her mom and AJ was supportive and they ended up in a relationship.  He broke up with her and she wasn’t having it.  So, long story short, she hates me, I hate her.”

          “Has she tried to fight you or something?”
  Angel asked with a tone of hostility.

         
I thought of everything Leila had done and I struggled with whether I should reveal it all to Angel.  “I think she’s been following us; she put pictures of them doing it in my locker and I think she slashed my tires.”

         
Angel was silent for a moment.  “
Please
tell me why you haven’t beat this girl’s…..”

          “I slapped her, but that was as far
as I got before AJ grabbed me,” I interrupted.

          “Do you want
me
to cut her?” Angel asked excitedly.

         
I laughed.  “No.  She hasn’t even been to school in like a month or something.  I don’t know where she is.”

          “Well, you know how t
o reach me.  I don’t care if I’m all the way in New York.  Call me!”  She paused while she bottled her anger.  “Now what’s the big deal with him meeting your dad tomorrow?  Didn’t he meet Antonio?”

         
I guess there wasn’t any point in keeping her in the dark.  “Angel, he’s……not black.”

         
Her eyes bucked.  “You like
white
boys now, Sammy?”  She asked while smiling.

         “He’s not white either,” I replied reluctantly.

          “Ok, so he’s Hispanic.  I can get down with that.  So what’
s AJ stand for Alejandro Jose or something?  Ooooh!  I know let’s make enchiladas for dinner tomorrow!”  She teased, but I didn’t laugh with her.  My eyes were fixed on the wall.  “He’s Japanese.”

         
Her laughing ceased abruptly as she looked over at me in surprise.  “Didn’t see
that
coming,” she replied.

         
We both sat there in silence for a minute.  “I don’t want daddy to judge him before he even gets to know him.  AJ’s a really nice guy and I want everyone to give him a chance.”  I paused.  “I
love
him Angel.”

          “Wow,” s
he replied.  For the first time ever, she seemed speechless.

         
I rolled over on my back and stared at the ceiling.  Worry began to set in.  AJ would not only be facing daddy tomorrow, but my entire family.  I wasn’t sure what to expect. Angel reached for my hand.  “It’ll be fine Sammy.  I don’t think it’s gonna be as bad as you think.”

*****

          The next morning I was up before six.  My nerves got the best of me, causing me to toss and turn all night until I eventually just gave up.  I reached for my phone and was surprised to see that I already had a message from AJ

         
“
Happy Birthday,Beautiful
!
” was all it said.  I checked the time that the message was sent……
12:00am
.  Leave it to him to bring a smile to my face this early in the morning. 

         
I showered while Angel slept.  After getting dressed I went downstairs to join Mom and Aunt Lisa who were at it again.  There were cakes and pies lined along the counter.  They’d probably been up since four, but their excitement overshadowed their fatigue. 

          “Happy Birthday
, Baby!”  Mom said from across the kitchen.  My expression must’ve alerted her that something wasn’t right with my mood.  She looked at me curiously.  “Is everything alright, honey?”  She asked.

         
I didn’t feel like talking about it, so I just nodded in response.  She stared at me a moment longer and then finished cooking.  Daddy came in and walked up behind my mother.  He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her once on the neck.  She dipped her finger in the frosting of the chocolate cake nearby and held it to daddy’s lips to taste.  As I watched them smiling at one another and being in love, I had a glimmer of hope that one day AJ and I would beat all the odds and be able to live our lives together in peace.  Maybe even my father wouldn’t stand in our way. 

         
He caught a glimpse of my perplexed expression on his way out of the kitchen.  I was glad that he didn’t ask me any questions.  He leaned down and kissed my forehead and I was tempted to tell him everything then and there, but I was choked by my own fear.

         
I spent most of the day downstairs with mom, Aunt Lisa and Angel.  We put the finishing touches on dinner and cleaned up the kitchen.  At 5:00 I went back up to my room to start getting ready.  All of our guests were set to arrive at 6:00.  Our family was not usually on time, but I figured my friends would be prompt.  Angel sat on the edge of my bed putting her ear rings back in.

         “Aww…..you look pretty,” I said to Angel as I assessed her appearance.  She was dressed in a mid-thigh length turquoise top and a pair of black leggings.  Her long sandy brown hair was pulled up in a neat bun that accentuated her slender neck and shoulders.  She smiled at me revealing her deep dimples that matched my own.

          “Thanks.  But in case you didn’t
notice, I always look good,” she joked.

        
I rolled my eyes and walked over to my closet.  I pulled out my knee length fitted black dress and set it on the bed.  As much as I hated pantyhose, they were a necessary evil.  I pulled a pair out of my drawer and laid them on top of my clothes. 

          “What?  No pink?”  Angel asked.

          I didn’t even turn around to look at her as I walked into the bathroom and closed the door.  Since it was a special occasion I decided to try something different.  I pulled small sections of my hair and curled them into loose ringlets.  The end result was better than I’d imagined it would be.  After putting on my make up, I walked out of the bathroom to get dressed. 

          “
Whoo hoo…..Look at you!  I like the hair!”  Angel yelled.

         
I smiled but didn’t look up at her.  I pulled my clothes on and Angel and I went downstairs to wait.  My hands were clammy and I wasn’t sure that I wasn’t going to throw up.  I was trying desperately not to sweat because I didn’t want to mess up my hair and makeup.  Pacing the living room floor helped calm my nerves a little.  Angel watched me intently, but said nothing.  She understood that this wasn’t easy for me.  Daddy and Uncle Todd were sitting on the couch watching the game and I could hear mom and Aunt Lisa laughing and talking as they set up in the dining room. 

         
Two cars pulled up in the driveway and I almost passed out.  Angel’s face lit up as she followed me to the door.  I pulled it open impatiently, unable to wait for the guest to ring the doorbell. Aunt Marie and Grandma Jean, daddy’s oldest sister and mother stood there smiling back waiting for me to invite them in.  Angel frowned and walked away in disappointment.

         
“Happy Birthday, Samantha!”  Aunt Marie yelled as she squeezed me in her arms.  She planted her wettest kiss on my cheek and moved on to the kitchen to put her dish down.  Grandma Jean greeted me with a pleasant smile and a kiss and went to sit down in daddy’s chair in the living room.  She hadn’t spoken in almost three years since she suffered a stroke.

         
Behind them my dad’s brother Ray, his new wife Christine, and his son Mikey, came in and wished me a happy birthday.  When they were out of view, I sighed and sat on the steps, Angel trailing close behind me. 

          “I thought
black people were the only ones who couldn’t get anywhere on time.”  She was thoughtful for a moment.