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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780758231192 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Kensington |
| Publication date: | 06/01/2011 |
| Series: | Drama High Series , #14 |
| Pages: | 256 |
| Sales rank: | 1,145,573 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.80(d) |
| Lexile: | 920L (what's this?) |
| Age Range: | 14 - 17 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
SO, SO HOOD
Drama High, Vol. 14By L. DIVINE
DAFINA KTEEN BOOKS
Copyright © 2011 L. DivineAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7582-3119-2
Chapter One
Come Again?I don't care if you don't want me/ 'Cause I'm yours, yours, yours anyhow. —Jay Hawkins
Not wasting any time, Mickey has taken all of Sandy's things out of the room formerly known as Rah's and put them in the hallway. Rah advised against it, but once Mickey gets started there's no stopping her. I feel sorry for Rahima and Nickey. Both of their mothers are forces to be reckoned with and with them living under the same roof it's going to be a new storm every day. That's why as their godmother I owe it to them to check the hussy once and for all. I just hope Rah sides with me instead of with his sympathetic heart for Sandy's bull.
"What's up with y'all?" Sandy asks, stepping into the foyer and interrupting Mickey's moving session. She couldn't have timed her return any better. It's time to shut Sandy down and Mickey's already started the process for me.
"Rah, what's this heffa doing with my shit?" she asks, stepping over her clothes strewn all over the floor and eyeing Mickey hard. After all the trouble I went through to get rid of the broad for Rah and his daughter's sake, I still can't believe he let Sandy stay here again in the first place. I don't know what kind of spell she's got my boy under, but I'm just the sistah to break it.
"She and Nigel are living here now, Sandy. You have to take the couch until you can find somewhere else to stay," Rah says, almost sounding sad about his decision to put her ass in the living room. What the hell?
Mickey walks back into the bedroom to get more stuff and Sandy looks on in amazement. I bet she never thought this day would come, but it's here and she'd better recognize there's a new queen of this castle.
"Rah, are you shitting me?" Sandy asks, collecting her lingerie, boots, and other work clothes from the floor. "I'm pregnant with your baby, fool, and this is how you treat me?"
Rah's silence speaks volumes, and I don't have time to let her manipulate the situation any further. Thank God I'm not Rah's girlfriend anymore because I'd have to fight for him every day. Who, other than Sandy's Amazonian ass, has that kind of energy?
"Sandy, it's over," I say, moving from the couch to the foyer and letting it all hang out. I turn around to face an exhausted Rah standing by the front door. I don't need my mother's powers to cool his mind. What I'm about to reveal from one of my recent dreams is enough to freeze everyone in the room. "Sandy slept with Trish's brother, your supplier, Rah. And this is his baby, not yours."
The truth settles in the still air like a quiet fart; no one saw it coming, but everyone's painfully aware of its presence.
"She's a liar," Sandy says, completely busted.
Nigel and Rah look at each other knowing this shit ain't good. Trish's brother supplies them both with the only steady income either of them have and they can't afford to have any beef with that dude, especially not over Sandy's trifling ass.
"Get to stepping, trick," Mickey says, throwing more of Sandy's things on the floor, which pisses Sandy off even more. Sandy charges for Mickey, who doesn't back down for a minute.
"Stop it, now!" Rah yells, holding Sandy back while Nigel gets his girl. What a mess. But as Mama says, real change rarely comes easy.
"Get your stuff and bounce, Sandy," I say, glad she has no more power over Rah, or so I think.
"Not so fast," Rah says, looking from me to Mickey and Nigel. "Like I said, Sandy, you can stay here until you work something else out. But don't get too comfortable. And I'll check with Trish to see if that nigga knows about you carrying his seed." Rah lets Sandy go and she heads toward the bedroom with some of her belongings in tow. Luckily the babies are sleeping peacefully in the den, but not for long if we keep this up all night.
"Come again?" I ask as my neck snaps to the right on its own accord. Even my body can't believe what I just heard. "Why do you need to call your ex-girlfriend to verify the story when I just told you the truth, so help me Oshune?" I ask, fully offended. Rah and the rest of our crew should know that my confessions come from a much higher source.
I follow Rah into the kitchen as Nigel and Mickey continue to calm down in the foyer. This new living situation is too hood, even for me, and I've been subjected to bull all my life.
"Jayd, Sandy's got a drug problem. I can't just let her back out on the streets," Rah says, pounding his fist on the kitchen counter. "What am I supposed to tell Rahima when she grows up and finds out I let her mother get strung out?" Rah takes out a cup and fills it with bottled water before drinking it down in one gulp.
"You didn't let Sandy's grown ass do anything but take advantage of your kindness, Rah. Now it's time to let her deal with her own madness."
"I'm not a punk, Jayd. I'm just trying to do the right thing." I look at Rah and attempt to navigate around his fragile ego, but there's no getting around it. He has a weak spot for Sandy because he thinks he can save her from her demons unlike his mother, Carla, who's too far gone to help.
"The right thing for who, because this is certainly the wrong thing for your daughter," I say. "Sandy's no longer your responsibility. Rah, you have to let her go."
Seeing my vehemence for the situation, Rah finally comes to his senses and recognizes that I'm right. Even if his ego is suffering, he has to know Sandy took advantage of him in the worst possible way and that shit can't be tolerated any longer.
When Sandy comes back into the foyer to collect more of her things Rah heads her way and I'm right behind him.
"Sandy, you have to get out. Tonight," Rah says, pointing to her stuff. "And Rahima's staying with me so don't even think about trying to take her out of this house." Finally, Rah mans up and it's about time.
"But Rah, we haven't had a DNA test yet," Sandy says, defeated. "I know you're not kicking me out like this. Where are we supposed to go?" Sandy asks, rubbing on her stomach for dramatic effect.
"What you and your new baby daddy do with that baby is none of my business," Rah says, pointing at Sandy's flabby belly. I know he feels for her, but he feels for Rahima more now that he knows the new baby isn't his.
"But I told you, this is your baby no matter what that witch says," Sandy says, pointing at me.
The heat in my head flusters my cheeks; now the shit's personal.
"I told you about calling me that word, Sandy," I say, tightening the white wrap covering my head, ready to defend my lineage as always. I'm forbidden from any type of altercation, but it's impossible to avoid in my life, especially when heffas like Sandy go too far.
"Oh, my bad. I meant bitch." Sandy's crossed the line yet again and we all know it's her way of trying to hold on to what she's lost, but it's over for her.
"Get out, now," Rah says, opening the front door.
Sandy had better hurry and collect her shit or it's going to be on the front porch from the way Mickey's eyeing the remaining piles.
"But Rah," Sandy pleads. I think she'd better call Trish's brother and see if she can stay with them because this house is closed to her.
"Bitch, he said leave. That's our room now," Mickey says, pointing toward the bedrooms.
"This ain't got shit to do with you, Mickey, so sit down and shut up before I shut you up," Sandy says. Little does she know Mickey's been holding herself back from fighting for almost a year while she was pregnant and is ready to get live with the best of them.
"Look here," Mickey says, removing one oversized, gold hoop from her earlobe and then the other. "I don't know who the hell you think you're dealing with, but I don't give a damn about you or your little baby, if you're really pregnant."
Sandy looks shocked as Mickey continues to remove her jewelry, obviously ready to throw the first blow if need be. If Nellie were here, she'd tell Sandy all about Mickey's love of fighting. That's how they became best friends in the first place. Nellie's too cute to get dirty and Mickey loves a good brawl, making them the perfect cute crew of two before they met me.
"Nigel, check your trick before she gets her ass beat down, for real." Sandy looks on as neither of our boys move an inch. Mickey's got this and we all know it.
"The only trick getting a beat down tonight is you." Mickey approaches Sandy who steps back at my girl's advance. I guess Sandy does have some good sense left after all.
"Whatever," Sandy says, nervously gathering her things from the floor. "I'm tired of this whack-ass scene anyway." Sandy rolls her eyes at Mickey, who smiles victoriously knowing she can still put fear in a female. Sandy then takes out her cell and dials a number—hopefully to call a taxi. The quicker she's out of here the better for us all.
"You've got ten minutes," Rah says, leading the procession to the den where everyone but Sandy follows. I wave bye to Sandy for what I hope will be the last time before heading to the den with my crew.
"There goes my baby," Usher sings from my cell. I answer Jeremy's call without thinking. I need to change his ring-tone because that song's out of date for our relationship.
"Baby, I'm back," Jeremy says like he's all innocent and shit. I've been waiting for this moment for weeks and now that it's here I don't know which emotion to honor first, but it seems like my anger knows exactly what to do.
"I can't talk to you right now, Jeremy. I'm in the middle of something," I say without so much as a hello or good-bye. I can hear Jeremy's shock through the phone, but I don't care how rude I'm being. If I had the time, I'd be much more offensive, so he should consider himself lucky.
"Jayd, Jayd," Jeremy yells through the phone as I close the pink lid. I erase Jeremy's name in my contact list and replace it with the words "Do not answer" to remind me I'm not speaking to him, just in case I should forget. If Jeremy thinks I'm going to be a fool for him, he'd better think again. Like Rah, the new and improved Jayd Jackson is no one's punk. Maybe my previous story line was different, but this is an entirely new and stronger me—damn the bull. Just like Sandy, Mickey, and Nigel, it's time to move on and try something different and that's exactly what I'm going to do with my relationship, too.
Today's officially moving day for Nigel and Mickey and we're all pitching in to help our friends get settled, even if it is the last Monday afternoon we'll have to ourselves this summer. My job is to keep an eye on the babies who are inside sleeping the afternoon away and I'm loving every minute of it. I know it's strange for some of my friends to be parents going into our senior year of high school, but that's how it is sometimes. We've got one more week before school starts and we intend on enjoying it as much as possible. This summer has flown by, but it's been a good one—minus all the drama, not to mention my so-called boyfriend's unfaithful ways.
My phone's been ringing all day and I'm tired of recharging it, like I'm doing now while sitting on the porch watching the dudes carry stuff in. Jeremy's been back for a week and I'm still not talking to him. Other than "go to hell and take your new chick with you," I don't have too much else to say. I know I should answer one of his hundreds of messages, but until I have all my facts straight I don't want to say too much.
"I think that's the end of this load," Nigel says, wiping the sweat from his brow as he heads inside to take a smoke break with Rah while they wait for Mickey to return. He looks at Rah in the living room behind me who shakes his head at the amount of shit Nigel and Mickey have, and they still have one more load from Mickey's house they're waiting on. I wonder where they're going to put the baby's stuff?
"You think?" Rah says, half laughing at our boy. We know Nigel's been spoiled all his life, but damn.
Nigel's bedroom at his parents' house is easily double the size of Rah's living room. Nigel didn't even move half of his belongings, but between he and Mickey they have enough clothes, shoes, and other accessories to fill a boutique.
"Just in time," Nigel says as Chance's car rounds the corner, which we can hear before we see. His sound system is tight—no doubt—but needs to be lowered in Rah's quiet, Windsor Hills neighborhood. The elders around here will call the police on us in a minute for being in violation of their community ordinance, even if we are a stone's throw away from South Central L.A.
Chance pulls up to the curb in front of Rah's house with a passenger, but it's not Nellie. What the hell?
"What up, my peeps?" Chance asks, exiting his Chevy Nova in a pair of gray Abercrombie and Fitch sweats with a white T, and a matching gray and white golf cap. He's looking good and as low-key as a rich boy from Palos Verdes can get to help his homeboy move.
"Jeremy, what are you doing here?" I ask, not sure how to react. I miss my man and am flattered by his persistence, but I'm still fuming about the Cameron situation. I knew the broad was sneaking on the low to get at my boyfriend. Had I been in my right mind, I could've prevented the shit. But unfortunately, the thought of Jeremy touching that broad is etched into my permanent memory and no matter how fine he is, that's all I can see.
"I'm here to see my girlfriend since—for some reason—she won't answer any of my calls," Jeremy says, exiting Chance's car looking as delicious as I remember in his black Adidas shorts and navy tank top. I look down at my white-on-white attire and back up at Jeremy as he and Chance both approach the driveway. They look equally interested in my outfit, but it's Jeremy who asks the question. "Why are you dressed like a nun?"
"It's a spiritual thing," I say, answering in my usual tone when people ask about my new look as they often do. I couldn't imagine going through a year of this like most iyawos do. Thank God, Mama has mercy on me.
Chance walks up to Nigel's car parked in the driveway and smiles at our reunion, but it's not all sweet. I stand up and eye Jeremy from the top of the three steps, folding my arms across my chest so he knows I'm not waiting on him with open arms.
Jeremy walks over to me and I brace myself for the impact of his strong arms and clean, seawater scent. "I've missed you, baby," Jeremy says, embracing me tightly, but I refuse to get caught up in the rapture no matter how tempted I may be. Noticing my distance, Jeremy pulls back without letting go of me completely and looks down at my scowl. "What's up with you?"
"I don't know," I say, pushing Jeremy away after allowing him to hold me one second too long. I have to stay strong and I have just the thing to help. I reach over to the banister where my phone is charging and retrieve it for the incriminating evidence. "Just wondering why my boyfriend had to go to another country to cheat on me. There are plenty of willing tricks right here in Southern California to choose from. Oh, but wait, you did choose one from around the way."
I flip the phone open and scroll through the few pictures I have on this thing, mostly of my godbabies and Jeremy and I during happier times.
"Jayd, I don't know what you're talking about," Jeremy says, feigning innocence as I search through my cell for the picture of him and Cameron locking lips in London. As many times as I've viewed the image, I should've made it my screen saver by now. I stop at the photo as Jeremy tries to hug me again.
"Exhibit A, your dishonor," I say, blocking his next advance with the evidence.
Jeremy takes the cell phone from my hand and stares at the photo as if it's new to him. How can it be when it's obviously him and his traveling companion as intimate as legally allowed in public?
"Jayd, I don't know what you think this is, but it's not what it looks like," Jeremy says, turning two shades whiter than he already is. Jeremy's been away so long he's lost his natural beach glow.
Chance looks over his boy's shoulder and then snatches up the phone, staring hard at the picture just like I did when it first came through. I still can't believe my eyes, but truth is truth and pictures don't lie.
"Girl, where'd you get this?" Chance asks, looking for the sender but like me, he has no luck retrieving the information.
"What difference does it make?" I ask, reclaiming the phone from my friend and closing it. "How can you deny kissing Cameron when the proof is right in front of you?"
(Continues...)
Excerpted from SO, SO HOOD by L. DIVINE Copyright © 2011 by L. Divine. Excerpted by permission of DAFINA KTEEN BOOKS. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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