Real As It Gets (11 page)

I
needed to learn to just stay out of Sheridan and Travis's relationship because this back-and-forth, arguing and then making up with Sheridan, was getting old. Even still, when she called and acted like nothing was wrong, I just blew it off and told her to come over since Kennedi was in town.

Honestly, I really loved having my two BFFs together, even though they really didn't care for one another. They were my two best friends in the whole world and couldn't stand each other. So I was forced to do stuff with them one at a time.

Although Kennedi hadn't really cut for Sheridan for the longest time, she really couldn't stand her after Bryce and I broke up a few months ago because he'd let Sheridan fill his ear with a bunch of gossip. Sheridan had been mad at me about the way the whole
Rumor Central
thing had gone down and had tried to pay me back by kicking it with him. Kennedi had thought what she'd done was super foul and that I shouldn't forgive her, but me and Sheridan go way back and I'm not going to let some boy come between us. Even a boy as fine as Bryce.

They both were mad because I refused to say which one was the better BFF. I wished that I could say all three of us would be close. They both were my girls and I loved when we could all hang out without all the drama. Today was one of those rare days.

“I'm glad you invited me over,” Sheridan told me. “It's been a while since we just hung out.”

I wanted to ask her whose fault was that, but I just bit my tongue.

“I'm surprised Maya has got time for me today,” Kennedi joked as
Real Housewives of Atlanta
played in the background. We'd been watching a marathon of the show. I loved the ratchetness of it all, although my favorite was
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
. Those chicks had real money. Those Atlanta housewives had make-believe money.

“What are you talking about?” I replied.

Kennedi turned her lips up at me. “You're talking about Sheridan, but you're always up under Sammy.”

“Whatever.” I laughed, tossing a pillow at her. That erupted into a full-blown pillow fight.

We finally settled down, and Sheridan said, “How's Lauren doing?”

Kennedi plopped back on the bed. “She's better, but her parents have her on serious lockdown. She's in rehab right now, but when they take her out they're going to home-school her.”

“Rehab is so nineties,” Sheridan said, shaking her head.

“Whatever, she needs to get that under control,” Kennedi said.

“Do you think she's going to?” I asked.

Kennedi nodded. “Yeah, I think Tabitha's death really scared her. It's like it was a wake-up call because she didn't protest at all when her parents told her.

“So you had any more drama out of Patricia?” Kennedi asked.

I shook my head. “As a matter of fact, Sammy showed me a text from her yesterday. He wanted to make sure I saw it so she didn't play any games.”

“How do you know he's not really getting with her?” Kennedi asked pointedly.

I shrugged. “I don't. But I trust him. Get you a man and you'll understand.” I snapped my fingers at her.

I could do that because I knew Kennedi wasn't fazed about not having a man. She liked being footloose and fancy free as she called it.

“Yeah, bring your A-game like me and you'll snag the perfect guy and you won't have to worry about him stepping out,” Sheridan added.

I could tell Sheridan was joking, but I couldn't tell if Kennedi knew she was joking. I held my breath as she cut her eyes at Sheridan. For a number of reasons. Number one, I didn't want Kennedi snapping. But number two, I'd told Kennedi about Angel and I prayed she didn't use that opportunity to throw it up in Sheridan's face.

“Oh, yeah, I forgot, you all in love with Travis,” Kennedi said.

Sheridan did a slow twirl. “And Travis is in love with me.”

“Please don't get me started,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Maya just hatin' because we're about to be family.”

I hated seeing Sheridan's nose wide open, but I stayed out of it.

“So what would you do if you found out Travis was cheating on you?” Kennedi asked all innocently. I gave Kennedi the evil eye, but she ignored me. “I mean, how would you handle that?”

“Well, first of all, that wouldn't happen,” Sheridan said.

I knew Sheridan had really only been with Logan, who had treated her like a queen. They'd only broken up because he had gone overseas to college in London. But really? She couldn't be that naïve.

“You can never say never,” Kennedi said. “On any guy.”

“To only be eighteen, you sure are bitter,” Sheridan told her. “Haven't you ever had a soul mate?”

“I'm not bitter,” Kennedi replied. “I'm just realistic. And soul mate? Wasn't Logan your soul mate? Weren't you guys destined to be together forever? How long was your forever? Two years?”

Sheridan cut her eyes at me.

“Unh-unh, don't pin that one on me,” I said. When Sheridan had been with Logan that had been all she'd ever talked about.

But Sheridan shrugged. “You can say whatever you want. Nothing is going to change my mind that Travis is the one.”

“Okay, if you say so.”

“I say so.”

I was no longer smiling because now was the perfect time for me to come clean, tell her all about Angel. She'd cut me off the last time I'd tried to tell her, but I needed to just tell her everything right now. But for some reason, I stayed silent. I knew that meant that if and when Sheridan ever found out about Travis and Angel—and found out that I knew—things were most definitely going to get ugly.

M
y cousin had come barreling into my world, creating nothing but drama. I'd suspected that he was still dealing, but now I was sure. I'd overheard him on the phone again this morning. Just like before, he was talking about making his “last delivery.” I thought about going in and busting him, but what good would it do? He was just going to lie about it. Now, I'd been thinking about my next move—telling my dad—so much that I couldn't even enjoy my date.

I sat across the table from Sammy, toying with my peach salmon.

“You're not hungry?” he asked. I know he was wondering what was going on because I hadn't been real talkative since we'd sat down to eat.

“Nah, I'm just a little stressed out. Got a lot on my mind.” I set the fork down.

“Like what?”

I sat silent for a minute; then Sammy took my hand.

“Maya, I want to be here for you,” he said. “Let me. You know, when Travis first hooked me up with you, I'm gonna be honest, it was just something to do. But I'm really feelin' you, girl. So let me be there for you. Tell me what's going on. You can talk to me.”

I took a deep breath and said, “Travis and I had a fight.”

“So what else is new?” Sammy relaxed, as if he was glad that was all that was wrong. If only he knew. “Y'all always fighting, giving each other a hard time, But you know you're gonna make up.”

“I know, but this is different.” I paused, wondering just how much I should tell Sammy. Travis was his boy, but he couldn't have known what my cousin was doing. Sammy was one of the good guys so I didn't know if he'd even understand. I also didn't want to rat out my cousin, but I needed to talk with someone about it. “We've been arguing for a couple of weeks now and I'm really worried about him. Did Travis mention anything about what was going on to you?”

Sammy leaned back in his chair. “Why don't you tell me?” The look on his face told me that Travis had told him something, but he wasn't going to sell Travis out either, so I decided to go ahead.

I leaned in and lowered my voice. “I don't know how much you know, but Travis is caught up in that K2 drug ring. I found out he was actually selling it.”

Sammy slowly nodded, but didn't say anything.

“What do you think about that?” I asked, hoping he would be just as upset as me.

He shrugged. “I think it ain't my business.”

That wasn't the answer I had been hoping for, but I just said, “Well, it's mine because I think he's in a lot of danger.”

“I'm gonna be honest with you,” Sammy said. “Travis is my boy, but you're my girl and I think you need to stay out of that.”

“Well, it's too late now. I'm working on a story for my station. That's how I found out about Travis. I set up an undercover sting.”

“I think you need to go back to the regular stuff you used to do because this game is real and you don't want to get caught up in it.”

Okay, Sammy was really making me mad. He was supposed to take my side. “And I don't want him caught up in it. But now, you're sounding like Travis,” I said.

He put his hands over mine. “Don't get upset with me. I just think you should leave it alone.”

“Whatever, Sammy,” I said.

“Come on, Maya, don't be mad. Let me be honest. I know what he's doing. I'm trying to get him to leave it alone. Travis is messing around with some people that don't play, and from what I understand, he isn't in that deep so he can get out.”

“So you know about it?” I looked at him in shock.

“I just found out a couple of days ago.”

“I want him to leave it alone.”

“I get that. But he's eighteen—he's grown. And you don't need to be getting caught up in that mess.”

“I'm thinking about telling my dad,” I admitted.

“I wouldn't do that,” Sammy said, shaking his head. “I think it would mess up you and Travis's relationship for good. And then your dad would just send him back to New York and probably tighten his rope on you.”

“I don't want him to be sent back, but I don't want him to get caught up in any trouble.”

“I'll talk to him,” Sammy said.

That sounded like a good idea because I knew Travis wouldn't listen to anything I had to say.

“Now, can we just enjoy the rest of the night?”

I nodded. But until my cousin was out of the game—I mean, truly out of the game—I didn't know how I'd enjoy anything at all.

I
'd made up in my mind that I wouldn't tell Sheridan about Angel, but I would tell her about the drugs. If Travis really was feeling her like he claimed, maybe she could help me put pressure on him to leave the drugs alone.

Sheridan and I had just left our last class and were walking out to the parking lot after school. We both stopped dead in our tracks at the sight of Travis in his car.

“Is that ... ?” Sheridan said, leaning in and peering in the direction of his car.

I inhaled and immediately wished we had taken the back way out. Angel was sitting in the front seat of Travis's car and they were slobbing each other down.

“Sheridan,” I said. But it was too late, she was already stomping toward his car. I'm sure she didn't know who the girl was, but I had no doubt it was Angel, especially when I saw that horrendous, bright yellow shirt that she had been wearing earlier. Besides, I'd known this day would come. I'd hoped it wouldn't, but my gut had known that it would.

“Sheridan,” I said again, racing after her. She stopped in front of Travis's car, watching them as if she wanted a picture burned in her memory. Then, she pounded the hood. Travis and Angel jumped apart. He immediately began freaking out as he opened the door and scrambled to get out.

“Sheridan!”

“I can't believe you!” she screamed. “And you, tramp!” Sheridan hightailed over to the passenger side as if she was planning to pull Angel out of the car by her hair and give her a beat down right there in the school parking lot. But Angel wasn't stupid. She locked that door so fast it was almost funny.

But there was nothing funny about the way Sheridan was acting right now. Divas didn't get down like that.

When she saw Angel wasn't about to unlock the door, she came back over to Travis and began swinging on him.

“I can't believe you! And then you have the nerve to do this in the middle of the school parking lot.”

“Come on, Sheridan. It's not even like that.” He struggled to grab her hands to keep her from hitting him.

She snatched her hands away. “Get away from me!” She pounded the hood again. “Get out of the car, trick!”

Angel was no fool. She stayed in that locked car as Sheridan went crazy.

I finally managed to pull Sheridan back. “Sheridan, come on now. You are not some hood rat. You need to handle this diva style,” I whispered. I motioned with my eyes to the small crowd that had started gathering to watch the show.

That must have sent a jolt through her because she took a breath and wiped her tears.

“Why you bring her over here?” Travis said, turning his anger onto me. “You said you weren't going to say anything.”

I could've slapped Travis myself. Sheridan looked at him, then back at me.

“You knew about this?” she asked in disbelief.

“Sheridan, look ...” I was exasperated with this whole situation. This was the drama I didn't want to be caught up in. I took a step toward her. “Come on, let's go talk.”

“You knew about this?” she mumbled again in disbelief.

I sighed and turned to my cousin. “No, idiot. I didn't tell her. You're the one sitting out here making out with that tramp in the middle of the parking lot.”

“How could you do this to me?” Sheridan said. The jacked-up part was that she was looking at me.

“I tried to tell you not to mess with him,” I said defensively. “That's my fam and I love him but you're the one who went behind my back and got with him.”

“So you're gonna pay me back by not telling me that he's cheating?” she asked. “You're supposed to be my best friend.”

By now, the small crowd had moved in closer. See, this is that mess I was talking about.

“Sheridan, I'm sorry,” Travis said. “It's just she—”

“Don't you talk to me,” she said, her voice a lot more calm as she spun in his direction.

I stepped up. “Sheridan, you deserve better....”

“And you don't talk to me either.” She turned and ran off. I wanted to go after her, but I was pissed myself. How did I end up being the bad guy in this? I told both of them not to mess around.

“Dang it,” Travis mumbled. He seemed really upset.

“I hope it was worth it,” I snapped. “Jerk.”

He glanced back and the car, where Angel was sitting in the front seat, trembling.

“Nah, it wasn't worth it,” Travis softly said, like he was mad at himself. “I don't even like shorty like that. It's just she ...”

I looked at Angel buttoning up her shirt over her gigantic boobs. Yeah, I knew exactly how she had lured my cousin. But I wasn't about to let him off that easy.

“You're trifling, Travis.” I jabbed my finger in his face. “I don't even know who you are anymore. You're selling drugs. Trying to play my friends. You make me sick.”

Just then, we heard a loud scream. I looked to see where it was coming from. It was just a few feet away. It was the stringy-haired girl from my calculus class. She had fallen to the ground in tears. A group of people had gathered around her and were trying to console her as she screamed and cried.

“Nooooo, not Lin,” she cried.

I guess it was the reporter in me because I flicked Travis off and made my way over to the commotion.

“What's going on?” I asked one of my classmates.

“You know Lin Vo, the valedictorian?”

“Yeah, I have calculus with him. What about him?” I asked.

“He died today. You know he had overdosed and been in the hospital.”

“From dope, right?” someone standing next to us asked.

“From that K2,” the guy said just as Travis approached. I looked at him to see if he had heard. Judging from the look of horror on his face, he had definitely heard.