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Authors: Paula Chase

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“Man, I need sit down,” he said to no one in particular.

He sat right behind Jacinta and began plucking with her, toeing her butt and throwing M&Ms into her hair.

She made a feeble attempt at fussing at him to stop. But the scowl never reached her smiling eyes.

“So how many more squads?” Brian asked.

Mina grabbed a stray program nearby. She ran her finger down the page, looked up at the screen to check which team was on the stage, then zoomed back down the page. “About ten,” she announced.

“Ten?” JZ said. “We gotta stay for all of 'em?”

Mina leaned back and gave him a look.

“Man,” he muttered under his breath. “I need a power bar or something to keep me awake.”

“Hey ... speaking of power bars, where's my candy?” Jacinta asked. She stood up. Her petite body stood guard in front of JZ.

“Where's my Twix, Jay?”

He smiled. “I forgot it.”

“For real?” She frowned.

“Look in his pocket, Cinny,” Todd said.

“Todd,” Lizzie scolded.

“Man!” JZ sucked his teeth.

Todd laughed. “My bad.”

Jacinta held out her hand.

“Nope. I need it to keep my energy up through these next twenty hours,” JZ said, rolling his eyes Mina's way.

“Exaggerate much?” Mina shot back.

“Okay, fifteen hours,” Brian said.

“Okay, I'll remember this come summer league time,” Mina said, addressing Brian, JZ and Todd. “When y'all want us sitting through five million games a night.”

“Just jokes, girl,” Brian said. He reached through the rail and chucked her chin, cutting her lecture short. He moved his face closer to hers and she pecked his lips with a shy kiss.

“Come on, Jay. I'm really in the mood for one,” Jacinta pleaded.

JZ took the candy bar from his jacket pocket and slowly unpeeledthe wrapper.

“Aww see, you so wrong,” Jacinta said. She swiped at the bar, missing. JZ jerked it skyward, high above his head. Jacinta lunged, but still couldn't get a grip.

The couples laughed as Jacinta dropped onto JZ's lap, tugging at his arm.

“Oh yeah. Give him a lap dance, Cinny,” Todd cat-called.

He and Brian knocked fists.

Jacinta stood on the bleacher, straddling JZ's lap, so she was nearly as tall as his arms were high. Finally, stretching her body as long as it would go, she plucked the golden wrapped bar out of his hands, beforesitting back down on his lap, legs crossed primly, satisfied.

“You owe me seventy-five cents, girl,” he groused good-naturedly.

Jacinta took a big chunk from one of the Twix bars, munching contentedly. She crunched near JZ's ear and he palmed her face.

As she laughed, Twix cookie crumbs blew in his face.

“Now who's wrong?” JZ asked, eyebrow cocked high.

But Mina noticed he didn't make Jacinta get up. She shook her head at their little show then looked toward the bathroom, checking for signs of Sara and Kelly. The couples' five minutes of canoodling was way up.

Her eyes froze on a figure steamrolling their way.

“Cinny,” Mina called out in a strained, strangled yell-whisper.

Jacinta pulled out the other half of the Twix bar and put it in front of JZ's mouth. He took a tiny nibble.

“Cinny,” Mina yell-whispered again, more insistent.

Jacinta looked down at her. “What?”

Mina nodded to her right, in the direction of the arena's main doors.

Jacinta squinted at her. “What?” She parroted Mina's loud whisper.

“Raheem,” Mina yell-whispered.

“What? What about Rah ...” Jacinta frowned. She finally looked in the direction Mina's eyes refused to leave. In a flash she caught an eyeful of Raheem running their way, his face twisted into the nastiestsnarl she'd ever seen.

Meltdown in ... 1

“If I could escape, I would.”

âGwen Stefani, “Sweet Escape”

S
ome old school phrases have absolutely no meaning in real life. They lost any real definition ages ago. But as Raheem zigzagged his way through the crowd, his angry eyes blazing and his normally neatly braided hair out in a wild jagged afro, one of Mina's grandmother'sfavorite phrases not only came to mind, but made perfect sense. Unable to take her eyes off his face, Mina knew in her bones that things were about to “go to hell in a handbasket.”

She had no friggin' idea what a handbasket was. But it didn't stop her from knowing that right now she was inside of one and it was sliding fast into a bad place.

Thank God I'm not in it alone,
was her last thought when Raheem finally made it to the bleachers.

Jacinta popped off JZ's lap so fast, Mina wasn't sure if JZ hadn't helped her with a shove. His face was confused and knowing all at once, but he stayed seated on the bleacher and surprised Mina by leaning back. His elbows rested casually on the empty row behind them.

JZ's sudden casual stance made Mina's stomach clench. No way JZ felt that at ease. But seeing him act like it, sent off every alarm in Mina's head. Without knowing it, she gripped Brian's forearm and barely felt him loosen her fingers. He held her two fingers lightly and turned his body toward Raheem, positioning himself to see better.

“Jacinta what the fu ...” Raheem started before Jacinta cut him off.

“What are you doing here?” A tiny tremor underneath the nonchalantquestion made her voice crack on the last word.

Raheem's eyes bucked in surprise. “You sitting on some other dude's lap and all you gon' ask me is what
I'm
doing here?” He glanced over Jacinta's shoulder at JZ. “What
you
doing here?!”

Their raised voices didn't cause a stir. The music was so loud that everyone in the arena was screaming to be heard over the noise.

The blaring voice of the competition's MC reminded everyone to stop and get their spirit gear from the House of Cheer, at booth ten.

Angel, who had gotten lost in the crowd trying to keep up with Raheem, finally arrived at the bleachers. His chest heaving, he put his hand firmly on Raheem's shoulder and yell-whispered somethingin Spanish. Raheem took his voice down, but if anything, his anger went up two notches. He spat every word.

“So, what? This you now?” Raheem nodded curtly at JZ, who was somehow managing to look cool as a cuke.

Jacinta folded her arms tight across her chest. “No, Raheem.” The heavy unuttered sigh in her voice said she was used to arguing over sillier stuff than this. “You know me and Jason just friends.”

“What up, kid?” JZ finally said. He leaned up, resting his elbows on his thighs and stretched his fist through the safety rail for a pound, shrugged when Raheem ignored it, and sat back.

“Something must be up.” Raheem wouldn't take his eyes off Jacinta.“Why you sneak all the way down here if ain't nothing up with you and dude?”

“Because my girl Mina performed tonight,” Jacinta said. Her voice had gone from worried to weary. She walked over and down the side steps and joined Raheem on the floor. She addressed Angel this time. “So, what's up, Angel? What are y'all doing here?”

“Chilling, mami,” Angel said. His eyes locked on Jacinta's for a second, sending a silent message no one but Cinny understood.

Jacinta's head took a barely visible dip as she nodded.

Just then Kelly and Sara came back, stopping right beside Angel and Jacinta.

Sara looked around at the newcomers, confused, waiting for an introduction that would never come.

But Kelly's face was a clear “uh-oh.” Mina saw it.

Uh-oh is right,
she thought.

“Angel, I ... what are you guys doing here?” Kelly said.

Jacinta glanced over at Kelly. “Yeah, Kelly, what
are
they doing here?”

“I ... Angel said ...” Kelly kept her eyes on Angel as she finished.“Angel mentioned they might come but I didn't ... you know, I thought you were joking.”

“Yeah, 'cause if he wasn't joking you would have told me, right?” Jacinta's eyebrows dipped into a deep furrow.

Mina couldn't keep up with the telepathic messages being sent. But it didn't take a psychic to know that a lot of stuff was being unsaid.

“Yeah, she probably would have gave you a heads-up so you could kept your little dirt on the low,” Raheem said.

“I don't have nothing to keep on the low,” Jacinta snapped. “Me and Jay just friends. And you know what? Me and you just friends too. So why you bringing beef?”

“Look, I'm not gon' sit here and have my business all out there.” Raheem grabbed her arm and began pulling her away. His grip bit into her flesh.

Jacinta tried pushing his hand off. “Stop, Raheem.”

“Man, come on,” Angel said, soft but firm. “Don't do this. Not here.”

JZ stood up and came to the top of the small stairway. Brian instinctivelystood up straighter, ready to have JZ's back. Todd's body language remained neutral, but he stood his ground next to Brian.

Mina's stomach pitched and dove into her bladder as Brian's hand fell away from hers.
I should have gone to the bathroom with Kelly and Sara,
she thought stupidly.

“Man, look, Cinny's telling the truth,” JZ said. “I got mad respect for you. I wouldn't be tipping with your girl. We was just rummin'.”

For the first time, Raheem took his eyes off Jacinta, really took them away from her and looked JZ up and down. They fought hard on the court and field when Sam-Well played Del Rio Bay Highâbut they also played together during summer league and when JZ went to The Cove for a pick-up game. They weren't friends, but respectfulopponents.

Raheem's eyes narrowed and it was like a fire going out. Mina felt the tension fade for just a second.

Raheem let go of Jacinta's arm and walked over to JZ, his hand extended for a pound.

“Alright, kid, I take your word for it,” he said. They exchanged a pound. “I don't have no beef with you. Real talk.”

He turned back to Jacinta, his voice eerily casual and out of place when paired with his wild hair. “Look, let me holler at you for a second.Alright?”

Jacinta shook her head, but turned toward the door in compliance.Before following him, she looked up at Mina. “I'll be back.”

“Kelly, what is going on?” Mina asked. She ducked her head under the rail and slid down to the floor. “Why is Angel here?”

They all clustered around Kelly. She tucked at her hair and looked over at Angel for help. He was watching Jacinta and Raheem walk over to a dark corner at the end of the bleachers near the main door, his jaw tight.

“Angel, I really thought you were joking about coming down,” Kelly said.

“I wanted to see you and you know I wasn't gon' leave my boy home,” Angel said. “Why you ain't tell me that Cinny was hooking up with kid?”

“I already said it's not like that,” JZ said gruffly.

“Like what?” Kelly asked, confused.

“Cinny was sitting on JZ's lap when Raheem came in,” Lizzie explained.

Kelly's face went “oh” again as the realization hit her. “Why didn't you text me to tell me you were coming?” Kelly asked.

Angel picked up the accusation in her voice and shot back, “I was trying to surprise you. I didn't think no stupid shit was gonna jump off.”

“I think we should make sure Cinny is alright,” Mina said, gazing in the direction the two had gone.

“Mina, we need to get back to the squad soon,” Sara said. “It's only like three more teams left.”

“Heem ain't gonna do nothing stupid,” Angel said. But he wasn't too convinced because he looked up quickly to the corner to check on things. Assured it was still cool he reassured them, “He just want talk to her.”

“He's pissed,” Todd said.

Mina rolled her eyes. “Gee, you think?”

Todd threw his hands up, as if Mina were about to strike him. “Woah, don't get mad at me.”

“T, I'm sorry. I just think we should be closer, in case ...” Mina stopped herself from outright accusing Raheem of anything.

She looked to Brian, but knew what he was going to say before he said it in a calm, reasonable voice. “That's their business.”

“But she's our friend,” Lizzie said.

Lizzie's backup put Mina into action. “Come on ... we'll just stand off to the side.”

The girls, with Sara reluctantly followingâone eye on the stageâheaded to the darkened corner where Raheem's long-sleeved white tee beckoned like a signal. They could see his arms gesturing and as they got closer could see his face, angrier than before, looking down at Jacinta, shaking as he fussed.

They stood close in a classic lover's-quarrel stance.

Jacinta's arms were still folded, her head cocked upward, looking into Raheem's tight-jawed face.

Mina was glad to see Jacinta didn't seem nervous anymore.

Just as the girls got to the corner of the bleachers, leaving about ten feet between them and the couple, Raheem's arm came up and smacked Jacinta in the face. There was a collective gasp from the group and everyone but Mina froze.

She ran over to Jacinta, her body shaking from fear and anger. “What is wrong with you?” she hollered into his face before turning to Jacinta. “Are you okay, Cinny?”

Jacinta nodded. Tears brimmed in her eyes. Miraculously they pooled in her eyes for the longest time before ever spilling.

When Mina turned back to Raheem the rest of the clique was there beside her, even the guys, who had obviously seen the slap too.

“You guys aren't even a couple anymore,” Mina fussed. “Just leave her alone.”

“This not your business, Mina,” Raheem warned. His eyes were mean slits. “Cinny always said you were nosy. But this time you need step.”

“Yeah, I'll step, but I'm taking Cinny with me,” Mina said, her voice shaky. She grabbed Jacinta's hand and turned.

Raheem grabbed Jacinta's other arm. “I didn't mean to hit you, Cinny.You got me all ...”

Jacinta reared her hand back and smacked him in the face. “Don't you ever hit me again.”

She let herself be led off by Mina.

Raheem snatched away as Angel pulled his arm. “Man, look, let's just ...” Angel head-checked, making sure securityor any other adults weren't about to intervene. But the music was loud, the crowd was thick and no one seemed to even know their drama was unfolding. He wanted to keep it that way. He elbowedRaheem, lightly, in the back. “Walk outside with me for a hot minute, son.”

Raheem backed away, never taking his eyes off the girls huddled around Jacinta.

“Cinny, look ... let me holler for a minute. Come outside with me and Angel,” he called, his eyes more hurt than angry now as he pleaded. “Just for a minute, damn.”

Jacinta never looked up.

Brian, JZ and Todd stood off to the side of the huddle, their faces tight, ready to protect the girls if it came to that. But Raheem and Angel walked off, quickly lost in the mass of people as they neared the doors.

“He's a real jerk,” Sara said.

Mina shook her head at Sara. Sara didn't know, of course, but even if Raheem was acting like a complete ass tonight, this wasn't the end of their chapter, more like the beginning of another one. That's one thing Mina had learned over the last few months. She didn't completely understand it. But she knew one thing, calling Raheem names wasn't going to help anything.

Sara got the message and nodded. Apologetically, she reminded Mina, “Ummm ... Mi, we've got to get back.”

“Cinny, I'm sorry but me and Sara have to go.”

Jacinta wiped her eyes quickly and sniffed. “Naw, it's cool. I didn't mean to ruin y'all competition.”

“Girl, please,” Mina said, not knowing what else to say. “Tonight at the beach party we'll make Raheem voodoo dolls and stick pins in them.”

Jacinta chuckled as she wiped a few stray tears and the girls gigglednervously.

Just then, a voice they all recognized killed the laughter immediately.

“Cinny? Lizzie? Kelly? What are you girls doing here?”

“Shit, Mi, it's your moms,” JZ whispered, as if the girls didn't know that.