“Mina had extra practices for Nationals. Lizzie's at rehearsal and Kelly with Greg.”
“I'm glad I didn't go see Mike then. He probably wasn't even home.”
Jacinta shoved him. “Oh, so I wasn't your first stop? That's wack. How you gonna second choice me?”
JZ grinned. “I said I didn't stop by.”
“But you were thinking about stopping by his place first,” she said, pouting.
JZ flicked her bottom lip. “Look at you, all cute when you pout.”
Jacinta's eyes rolled. “Knucka, please, I'm cute when I do anything.”
“All right, officer, I'm not arguing,” JZ said, throwing his hands up in surrender.
Their chuckling died down, filling the room with the surreal silence left only by lack of white noise.
JZ smoothed his palms out over his jeans. “It's all quiet in here. What were you doing?”
“Upstairs on the computer.”
“Did I interrupt homework?”
Jacinta shook her head.
JZ smirked. “Oh, was you IM'ing your boy?” He laughed when she rolled her eyes, and kept teasing. “What then? You not gon' tell me?”
“Why are you all up in my business?” Jacinta's hands flew to her hips.
He knocked shoulders with her. “Why are you being all super spy?”
She waved him off. “If you must know, I was checking out college Web sites.”
JZ's eyebrow popped in surprise. He didn't move fast enough to dodge Jacinta's smack to his shoulder.
“Don't be acting all surprised.” She folded her arms tight against her chest, making her breast jut in the tight tee shirt. “Yes, the ghetto chick plans to go to college too.”
His eyes lingered on her chest as he laughed. “I wasn't even thinking that.”
“Uh-huh.Yeah right.”
“No, I'm serious.” He shrugged. “You been living over here for almost four years. Why you think we still see you as the âghetto chick.' I never did, really.”
Jacinta's shoulders hitched.
“You're just Cinny ... big mouth, always got something to say, phat ass Cinny.”
He jumped up, skittering away before Jacinta could strike. She chased him into the kitchen until he scooped her up, carrying her back to the family room, tickling her sides.
“Stop, Jay.” She kicked and flailed. “Stop, for real. Oh my god, I need to pee.”
He dropped her on the sofa.
“I knew that would make you drop me,” she said, laughing.
“ 'Cause I know you're crazy enough to do something like pee on my head to make me put you down,” he said, taking a seat on the floor in front of the love seat. He rested one elbow on his tented knee, the other on Jacinta's leg. “So what schools were you checking?”
“Spelman, Florida A and M, and Clark.”
“Word, all HBCUs, huh?”
She nodded. “Yeah, DRB High been all right, but I'm ready to be in Chocolate City again.”
JZ snickered. “I hear you.”
Jacinta ran her hand over his head, going with the grain of his waves. She did it a few times before saying, “You should let your hair grow.”
JZ's eyes closed at the soft stroking. He kept his answer short, unwilling to break the spell. “Why?”
“Just curious what you'd look like with braids.”
His shoulders shook as he chuckled. “Naw, that ain't me.”
“I think you would look cute.”
“Oh, no doubt.” JZ smiled. He couldn't open his eyes. Her hands felt too good.
“I would braid it for you if you let it grow,” she said.
He cocked one eye open in her direction. “And what else would you do if I let you?”
She sucked her teeth. “Umm ... let me think ...
nothing
.”
JZ turned toward Jacinta and tugged her calf. She resisted, weakly, so he tugged until her butt hung between the love seat's cushion and his shoulder.
“Nothing at all?” he asked, staring her in the eye.
“Nope,” she said, holding his gaze.
There was defiance in her eyes, typical Jacinta, but JZ saw curiosity as well.
He gave her calf one more playful tug and her butt landed in his lap.
“So if ...”
The house phone, loud and shrill, pierced the quiet. Jacinta jumped up out of his lap, more startled than anything, and snatched the phone off its cradle. Her chest heaved as she answered, “Hello.” She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Raheem, my phone is all the way upstairs. I didn't even hear it ring ... because I'm downstairs.” She sucked her teeth. “Are you seriously gonna sit up here and fuss me out about not answering the phone, when you finally did reach me on another line? That's stupid.... No, I said
that's
stupid, not you're stupid.”
She shook her head at JZ, as if to recruit his sympathy. He pretended not to see. Instead, he pushed himself up from the floor and grabbed his jacket. Jacinta held her hand up, gesturing for him to wait, but he threw up the peace sign and headed to the door.
“Deuces, Cinny,” he said, louder than necessary.
Jacinta's eyes bucked. She mouthed “oh my god, Jay,” before explaining into the phone, “That was the TV, Raheem. Why are you tripping?”
JZ didn't stick around to hear how she was going to get out of the bind.
Machismo
“You think you hard, you think I'm soft.”
âTâPain, “Church”
Â
Â
M
ichael held the ivory-colored envelope in his hands. It was on good, heavy parchment paper, the kind of paper stock that said, this ain't no Office Depot brand. He smoothed it over for the hundredth time, reading the address of the Carter School under his breath.
This was it.
After a month of angsting over it, another month preparing for it, and a few weeks of pure agony as he awaited word on his acceptance or rejection, this was really it. He balanced the envelope on his fingertips, testing its weight. The lore was when dealing with correspondence from colleges, heavier envelopes meant acceptance while a slim envelope was a sure rejection.
His heart sank at the light feel of the envelope.
He placed it on the white bar table, refusing to look at it again until the clique arrived. Frowning, he checked his cell phone. They should have been here by now. He'd called everybody forty-five minutes ago. Just like them to be late.
All the times I wait around for their butts and they can't even show up on time just once,
he thought, furious.
He stole a glance at the envelope, its ivory a contrast to the pure white of the table. He stared at it, wishing for X-ray vision.
A thunder of footsteps poured down the stairwell, jerking him out of his fantasy.
“ 'Bout time,” he yelled.
“Money, money, money, Mikey ... money,” JZ sang. He shook hands with Mike and gave him a back pound. “What up, son? So you in or what?”
Michael scowled. “I told y'all I'm waiting for y'all to open it.” He looked beyond JZ to the stairs. “I thought you were picking up Mina and Cinny?”
JZ pursed his lips, scowling. “No. They were at the top of the cul-de-sac when I rolled in.”
Michael chuckled. “Man, you ain't give 'em a ride?”
JZ shrugged. “They a'ight.”
Mina scurried down the stairs, fussing before she hit the landing. “JZ, why didn't you pick us up?”
“Oh, was that y'all walking?” JZ said, feigning ignorance.
“That was foul,” Mina said. She smacked his arm and gave Michael a hug. “Hey, Mike.”
“Hey,
Mike
,” Jacinta said. She sat in the bar stool opposite him and threw darts with her eyes at JZ. “Oh, hey, JZ.”
“ 'Sup?” JZ said. He went and sat on the sofa.
Michael raised his eyebrow at Jacinta and she shrugged. He looked to Mina and she threw her hands up like, “I'm not in it.” He shook his head, not interested in whatever crack had arose in the JZ/Jacinta facade.
“All right, where are Lizzie and Kelly?” he said.
“Right here, right here,” Lizzie said, hustling into the room as if she were being chased.
“Late much?” Michael said.
“Sorry,” Kelly said. She waved to everyone as she walked over to the bar table.
“Oh my God, you guys forget that Kelly and I don't live in the Woods. Hello,” Lizzie said, flustered. She shed her scarf and jacket, throwing them playfully on JZ's head. He swiped them off and draped them over the back of the sofa.
“Okay, can we please do this?” Mina said. “I mean, I know you got in, but let's get the formality over with.”
Michael blew out his breath. “I don't know. The envelope is really light.”
Jacinta scowled. “It's not a college acceptance, Mike. How many pages do the people need to say âyeah, you're in' or ânaw, see ya'?”
Everyone, except JZ, teetered nervously. He shouted over his shoulder, “Yeah well, Cinny the expert on acceptance and rejection. She should know.”
“Man, forget you,” Jacinta said, rolling her eyes.
“Err ... huh?” Lizzie said, frowning at Mina.
“Girl, no one knows,” Mina whispered. She joked, loudly, “Lovers' quarrel, I guess.”
“Shoot, we're hardly lovers,” Jacinta spat.
“Got that right,” JZ said. “Come on, Mike. Do the damn thing, man.”
Michael picked up the envelope and held it up to the light in the ceiling. “Maybe I can just read it through here.”
“Mike, come on,” Mina pleaded. “Band-Aid style. Just rip it open and read it.”
“I hate that I'm even pressed,” Michael said.
“Well, it is sort of funny considering you weren't really worried about going at first,” Kelly said. She chuckled at Michael's dead-eye stare. “Okay, I'm totally not saying anything else today.” She mimed zipping her lips and laughed when Michael winked at her.
“All right ...” He tapped the envelope once on the table, then ran his finger under the lip of the envelope, breaking the seal. He slid his finger all the way across, ripping it open, then plucked out the letter. He held it out. “Okay, Jay, you read it for me, son.”
JZ got up from the sofa, walked over, and took the letter out of Michael's hand. Everyone's eyes were on the paper as he unfolded it.
“Good luck, kid,” JZ said.
Michael's breathing was so shallow that his slight head nod looked like a trick of the eye.
JZ's eyes skimmed the words as he read them aloud.
“ âDear Mr. James. As you're aware, there were many candidates vying for the limited spots in our new fashion design program.' ” JZ cleared his throat. He frowned at the text, causing the clique to step in closer, as if to see better for him. “ âOver one hundred seventy-five candidates showcased their work. Our desire to select only the most promising students ...' ”
“Oh my God, who goes on this long without saying yay or nay,” Mina said, startling the others.
“Deev,” Michael said, frowning. “Go ahead, Jay.”
“ âOur desire to select only the most promising students made our decision very difficult. There was much potential among all of the candidates. However, only those with the unique combination of potential, talent, and a special quality that one cannot quite define were chosen. We're”âJZ grinnedâ“
âpleased
to inform you that you're among them.' ”
“Finally,” Lizzie shouted.
“Mike, oh my god, I'm so happy for you,” Mina said. She threw her arms around his neck.
Michael closed his eyes. His temples throbbed from the girls' screaming and JZ pounding him on the back, congratulating him. Adrenaline raced to his head so fast, he felt like he was going to swoon right out of the chair once Mina let go. Luckily she held on for dear life, preventing him from falling and anyone else from getting in an embrace.
“Go, Mike!” Jacinta cheered, rubbing his arm.
“Congratulations,” Kelly said, beaming.
“Mi, you plan on letting go anytime soon?” JZ said.
She let go and dabbed at her eyes. “Sorry.” She chuckled as the tears streamed. “Well, this means you won't be with us next year. That sucks.”
Michael smacked the top of her head with the empty envelope. “Uh-uh, don't do that. Happy thoughts. Happy.” He laughed, choking back tears he felt rising in his throat. He knocked fists with JZ.
“You gon' blow up, son,” JZ said, moving over as Lizzie barged her way in for a hug.
“I know that's right,” Mina said.
“So, I'm wondering how big a discount we gonna get,” Jacinta said.
“Wait, we gotta pay for our stuff now?” Mina said, laughing through her tears when Michael nodded vigorously.
“Is this a pizza night?” Kelly said. “We haven't been to Rio's Ria in a while.”
“I could go for something,” Lizzie said.
They all looked to Michael for confirmation.
He smiled sheepishly. “How 'bout a rain check? I promised Rob I'd swing by rehearsals tonight and give him the news.”
JZ frowned. “Man, just text him.”
“Naw, it's cool. A promise is a promise,” Mina said, sniffing, her tears seeming to dry at JZ's suggestion. “Mike, we'll do pizza tomorrow or Sunday.”
“Wait ...” JZ looked at Michael. He lifted his palms up and shrugged, his smile fragile. “Money Mike, I know you not gon' dip out on your peeps who been with you since the ice age. I mean, if dude really pressed, tell him meet us over there.”
Michael stood up from the bar stool. He kept his voice neutral as his stomach dropped twenty feet. “Man, it's not even like that.” He smiled, hoping to defuse the challenge in JZ's tone. “He has rehearsal, then a masters class, so he can't roll out ... plus he don't have no ride over here.”
JZ's head reared back. “Why you know his schedule and shit?” Lizzie and Mina's eyes sent frantic messages back and forth. Finally Mina jumped in again.
“Jay, oh my goodness, stop rummin. Michael knows your schedule too.... Don't we all know where everybody gotta run off to andâ”
“No. All I know is sometimes we all together and sometimes we're not.” JZ gave her a look, daring her to challenge that notion. “I don't know y'all exact movement from one place to another.”
Michael's ears burned. He felt JZ's storm brewing, but he had a storm of his own kicking up good too. He fought it by walking to the back of the room and grabbing a scarf and hat off the rack. He took his time putting it on as JZ continued.
“Look, Mike, I'm just saying, we want to help you celebrate.” He scowled in realization. “You're going to the Carter now, you'll see Rob all the time.” He laughed his boyish aw-shucks chuckle. “What? We can't get down one last time for old time's sake?”
Michael walked back and stood in the original spot next to JZ and the table. He adjusted the skull cap so it covered his ears.
“I'm not leaving for the Carter tomorrow, you know?” Michael teased, looking at all of his friends, one by one, as if to ensure they understood that, before looking at JZ again. “I mean, if I had promised to meet up with y'all somewhere and Rob was likeâNaw man, forget themâyou'd be cool if I just bounced on y'all?”
“No.” JZ rolled his eyes, annoyed that he had to explain. “But why would you bounce on the friends you've had since kindergarten for somebody you've only known for a few years? It ain't like dude your boyfriend, is it?”
“Jay, it's not that big a deal,” Lizzie said, green eyes flashing. “I'm not even that hungry.”
“A friend is a friend, Jay. Three years or thirteen,” Michael said, ignoring the last crack. His jaw clenched and he released it, sawing it gently back and forth before going on. “See, if y'all had come as soon as I called you, I would have had time to hit the Ria with you. But as usual, y'all took your time, cause you figured Michael don't have shit else to do but wait on his friends, right?”
“It wasn't even like that.” JZ frowned. “I was finishing up some homework. I came as soonâ”
Michael sucked his teeth. “Man, you've split on homework for less than this. So ...”
“Punk, I got grades to keep up,” JZ said, raising his voice. “I got real classes to take, not no fancy-ass arts and crafts bull.”
“No, don't do this,” Mina said. She immediately placed herself between Michael and JZ.
Lizzie stood by JZ, tugging his arm, begging him to stand down.
Kelly and Jacinta remained frozen in place, outsiders trapped on the inside, eyes skating from the guys to the girls.
“See, that's why I decided to apply,” Michael said. His nostrils flared. “ 'Cause I couldn't take another year of it being about your punk ass. Wake up, son. It ain't about you all the time. I know you think it is, but it ain't. And that's real.”
“So what, it's about you?” JZ smirked. “You and your colored sketches and fabric swatches? And your gay dancer friend?”
Mina placed her hand on Michael's chest and he looked down at her, as if just realizing she was there. Her eyes brimmed with tears. She shook her head at him, then at JZ.
“Mike, JZ, don't do this.” Her head ping-ponged between them. “Please,” she pleaded.
Michael shook his head at her. “No, Mina ... that's the thing. I keep not doing anything. JZ not gonna be the only one who gets to do something, this time.”
“Man, what you spitting?” JZ said, his eyes gleaming with disdain. “You were one of the best ballers in middle school. All-county point guard. You're the one who left that behind. We could have been running DRB High together, dominating. I ain't make it about me, you did when you punked out and stopped playing.”