If I Were Your Boyfriend (25 page)

esley, Wesley, Wesley! Ooo, I liked the sound of his name. It was so masculine and tough like a ruffian who can kick butt, take names and still be gentle enough to treat a lady right. Needless to say, after Wesley asked me to be his girl, the only thing on my mind was him. I am floating on cloud number nine. I felt he was sent to protect me and to make sure that everything in my life turned out harmonious. I'm not saying that I couldn't hold my own, but it's nice to know that I could call backup reinforcements if I needed to.

  In order to spend an entire day with Wesley I had to tell Jordan and my stepmom, Barbara, a little white lie. I told them that I was going to the library to do more research for one of my papers. I even went as far as to let Jordan drop me off at the public library. Although I did check out two books that I needed, I didn't read them. Instead I waited for Wesley to arrive. He had to tell the same white lie in order to get out of the house. Once he was there, we headed over to the bus stop for our grand day of fun, romance and shopping.

  "Keysha," I heard Jordan call out my name from the bottom of the staircase.

  "Yeah," I answered.

  "Come on down for dinner," he said.

  "I'll be right there," I said. I got up from my bed, went into the bathroom to wash my hands and then headed down to dinner.

  "What's for dinner?" I asked Barbara who was placing silverware on the table.

  "Baked chicken, rice pilaf and biscuits," she said as she moved between the kitchen and the dining room.

  "Let me help set the table," I said as I followed her into the kitchen. Once the table was set, we all held hands and Mike blessed the food.

  "So, how did it go at the library?" Jordan asked as he carved a small portion of chicken to eat.

  "It was okay," I answered, giving very few details. I figured the less I spoke, the less likely it would be for me to slip up.

  "What were you doing research on?" Barbara asked. She and I got along much better than we had before. I didn't look at her as my mother or my girlfriend. She was more like an additional mentor to me.

  "Well, I picked up two books about the women's rights movement. I haven't really gotten into it yet, though. I spent time reading other periodicals on the subject," I lied a little.

  "That's an excellent and important subject to write about," said Barbara. "Do you have to give a speech for it?"

  "No, I just have to turn in a ten-page paper on it. I still have some time before it's due."

  "So, how do you think you're doing with your classes?" she asked. I had to give it to Barbara and Jordan. They stayed on me when it came to my schoolwork. Barbara also made herself available in case I got stumped or needed additional help.

  "I am doing so much better with my classes. I'm confident that my grades are going to be much better. I'm also doing any extra-credit work that I can to help me improve."

  "More like extracurricular activities," Mike mumbled.

I shot daggers at him with my eyes. I couldn't believe he was being so childish.

  "When do you think you'll have a first draft of the paper completed?" Barbara asked.

  "I'm not sure," I answered.

  "Yeah, but you're certainly sure about other things." Mike once again uttered a nasty remark. I tried to kick his leg from beneath the table but I couldn't reach him.

  "Mike, stop it with the negative comments." Barbara got on him. Mike looked at his mom as if she'd betrayed him.

  "Cut it out." Barbara held her ground.

  "She likes this boy at school," Mike blurted out, and I could've died right where I sat.

  "Boy?" was all Jordan heard.

  I started talking quickly so that Mike wouldn't twist everything around.

  "He's just a friend," I quickly said, not wanting to tell the full truth. This was entirely new territory I was crossing. When I lived with my real mom, Justine, she didn't care who I dated or what I did. But Jordan and Barbara questioned everything.

  "You can't date," Jordan said with absolute finality. I glanced at Mike, who was grinning at the drama he'd just started.

  "I'm not dating. He's just a friend." I tried to soften my relationship with Wesley. "I am allowed to have friends, aren't I?"

  "Boy, and you know how to pick really good ones." Mike blurted out another nasty comment. He kept fanning the flames I was trying to put out. I swear, if I had a gun at that moment I would have shot him dead.

  "Now, wait a minute," Barbara chimed in. "She's sixteen years old and it's age and developmentally appropriate for her to have a male friend as long as it's innocent." When Barbara said that, she basically chose a side, and the expressions on Jordan's and Mike's faces were priceless. They looked as if Barbara had just nailed them both in the face with a yellow snowball.

  "No." Jordan raised his voice. "She is too young to deal with boys. We have way too much going on in this family right now to add another layer of complication. We have to worry about the pending court case, the cost of the attorney and our family name. So no."

  "Jordan, you can't lock her up and not expect her to live. I think she has proven that she has some sense of responsibility and knows the difference between right and wrong. At least in my mind she has."

  I was speechless. I don't mean just quiet, I mean, absolutely shocked by Barbara's willingness to go out on a limb for me.

  "The court case is going to work itself out. If there is one thing I know for sure, it's that Keysha is neither a drug abuser nor a distributor and our name will be cleared. I think that as long as she's responsible and stays away from trouble, there is no harm in her having a male friend."

  "What about that girl?" Jordan was talking fast and couldn't remember Liz's name. He popped his fingers when he remembered. "Liz. She had an altercation with her."

  "I've haven't seen Liz in a while. Besides, we stay away from each other now." I defended myself and tried to downplay the fight I'd had with Liz.

  "Keysha got into a fight with Liz." Mike once again fanned the flames of conflict. I gave him yet another warning glare. He just smirked at me.

  "Fight? What fight?" Jordan was getting upset.

  "It wasn't a fight," I lied again. "We just had an argument that got very heated. I wanted her to own up to what she'd done."

  "Well, I can't blame Keysha for trying to straighten things out," Barbara said.

  "But fighting isn't the way to do it," Jordan argued.

  "I know," I said, "and I see that now. I stay away from Liz as much as possible. I'm not looking to trade blows with her." I once again defended myself.

  "Here is what I propose. Invite the young man over. We can meet him, talk to him and learn more about him before we automatically assume that he's trouble," Barbara stated.

  "We'd better lock down the liquor cabinets," Mike uttered. A vicious streak of evil flowed through me as I lowered my eyes to slits and focused on him.

  "What did you just say, Mike?" Jordan asked.

  "He didn't say anything," I cut Mike off before he had a chance to ruin everything.

  "Good, it's settled, then. Keysha." Barbara looked at me. "Invite him over tomorrow afternoon for brunch. You guys can hang out over here."

  "Okay," I said as I tried to relax and calm my nerves down. No one said a word during the rest of our dinnertime together. The silence among us was unnerving. Once dinner was finished, I helped Barbara clean the table and wash up the dishes. As I stood at the kitchen sink with my hands submerged in soapy dishwater washing a plate, Barbara came over and stood next to me.

  "Hey," she said.

  "Hey," I answered.

  "Dry your hands and let's have a little girl talk for a minute, okay?"

  "Okay," I said as I reached for a paper towel to dry my hands with. I followed Barbara out to the exercise room above the garage. I took a seat in one of the chairs that was up there. Barbara took another chair and positioned it so that she could face me as we talked.

  "Okay, you know that I went out on a limb for you in there, right?" she asked.

  "Yeah, I know. Thank you," I said.

  "No need to thank me. I was sixteen once and I know how hard it is for a father to come to grips with the fact that his daughter wants to have male friends." Barbara was silent for a moment. Then she leaned forward in her seat and cupped her hands. "Give me your hands," she said. I gave her my hands as we made eye contact. "This boy that you like, what is his name?"

  "Wesley," I answered.

  "Is he your boyfriend?" she asked.

  "He asked me to be his girl, and I said yes. But that's it."

  "Are you active with him?" she asked.

  "Active?" I needed her to be a little clearer.

  "Intimate? Are you having or considering an intimate relationship with him?"

  I thought about the question for a moment before I answered. Wesley and I hadn't gotten to that level or even talked about being intimate with each other.

  "I don't think I'm ready for that again," I answered her honestly. "We haven't talked about that at all and he isn't pressuring me in any way and I like that about him."

  "Do you think that'll change?" Barbara asked another tough question.

  "I don't know. I suppose at some point it will come up."

  "What will you say if it does?" Barbara softly caressed the center of my hand with her thumbs. Her movements were soothing and comforting. I felt as if I could trust her.

  "I don't want to be pressured into doing it. But I don't want him to think that I don't like him if I don't. Guys can be so confusing at times."

  "You don't have to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, okay? If you feel at any point you're being led down a path that you don't want to go down you have the power to change your own destiny and direction. Do you understand?"

  "Yes," I answered.

  "Let's talk about a few girl rules."

  "What are girl rules?" I asked.

  "They're a few rules that my mother put in place when I was a young woman your age. The rules are like safety nets. My sister hated the rules but eventually she learned why we needed them. Rule number one. If Wesley or any other boy tries to force himself on you, fight. You fight him until you can't fight him anymore and then you still fight. That's about self-defense. Rule number two. If you ever need a ride home, just call. Jordan and I will come and get you. Anytime and anyplace, no questions asked."

  "Really?" I was completely awestruck by that one. No one had ever offered that to me before. If I ever got in a jam, it was either walk home or catch a bus.

  "Yes, really. Rule number three. Always remember that someone cares. Always remember that you are loved." Barbara's comment made me feel very special.

  "I have one suggestion that may help me if I get into a sticky situation. If you guys get me a car, then I'd be in control and boys wouldn't have the power to kick me out. Since I'm taking driver's ed next semester, the timing would be perfect," I said, uncertain of the reaction I'd get. Barbara laughed.

  "Good try but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." She chuckled. "So, tell me about Wesley." Barbara once again connected with my eyes. That's when I became nervous. I didn't know how much I should tell her. I didn't know if I should tell her everything or just a few things. Barbara must have read my thoughts.

  "So he's a bad boy." She read my thoughts effortlessly.

  "Well, he sort of is and he sort of isn't," I answered.

  "Well, it's okay. It's not uncommon for a girl to be attracted to a boy who is a little rough around the edges. There is a certain amount of mystery to a man who is a renegade. But there has to be boundaries set. A boy shouldn't hit you or anything like that."