With Friends Like These (3 page)

T
his money was burning a hole in my pocket. Alexis’s dad had given us all two hundred dollars for working his business event. My mom had made me save a hundred dollars—talking about a rainy day. Shoot, the way the rain was pouring down around us right about now, I’d tried to convince her it was a rainy day. Of course, she wasn’t hearing it and told me I’d better get out of her face before she took the other hundred.

I rounded up my girls, and they were just as geeked as I was to get to the mall. Jasmine was the only one who wasn’t anxious to spend her money. She was talking about how she wanted to put her money up. I guess that’s because she probably hadn’t seen two hundred dollars in her life. Her family was dirt-poor. We’d convinced her to do like me and put one hundred up and come with us to the mall. She’d done so reluctantly, but now that she was here, she was like a kid in the candy store. Alexis, on the other hand, had looked at the money like it was no big deal.

“You can’t buy nothing with two hundred dollars,” she’d griped.

“You might not be able to, but I dang sure can,” Jasmine had replied. “And if it’s no big deal to you, gimme your part.” Jasmine held her hand out. Alexis laughed and shook her head.

We were now making our way through First Colony Mall. I had to pull Jasmine away from Foot Locker because when we’d met her, she dressed like a boy, in warm-ups and tennis shoes. Now that we’d gotten her to dress somewhat like a young lady, we wanted to keep her that way.

“Oh, Donovan would love you in that,” I said to Jasmine as we stopped and looked in the window of Forever 21. She looked at the aqua dress I was pointing at.

“Dang, that’s tight,” Jasmine replied.

“As microbraids,” Alexis said.

We all looked at her.

“You are so corny.” Jasmine laughed.

Alexis gave her the hand. “Don’t hate, appreciate.”

“We told you about those busta sayings,” I replied.

We looked around, noticing Angel wasn’t around. “Hey, where did Angel go?”

“Where else?” Jasmine said, pointing to Children’s Place across the mall.

I felt kinda sad for a minute. Angel’s daughter Angelica was almost a year old now. She’d made it clear that when she got her money, she couldn’t spend it on herself. She had to buy her daughter some clothes because she was always growing. That was jacked up, but I guess that was what motherhood was all about. I didn’t even want to know about that until I was like thirty-something.

“I hate that Angel can’t at least buy herself something,” I said as I watched Angel sift through the clearance rack in the children’s store. “She really—” I stopped talking as I turned to Alexis and Jasmine. They had turned around and were staring at one of the most gorgeous guys I’d ever laid eyes on. He was tall, sandpaper brown, had a tight fade, and his Sean Johns hung just enough to be sexy but not enough to be a turnoff. He was in the music store with some headphones on, bobbing his head to whatever it was he was listening to.

“Oh. My. God,” I said.

“You can say that again,” Alexis said.

“Oh. My. God,” I repeated.

“Okay, he’s almost as fine as Donovan,” Jasmine said.

I stared at the boy. “Naw, boo. I know Donovan is fine as all get-out, but that is fine, with a capital F.”

The boy turned and looked out the window, catching us staring at him. We giggled and quickly looked away. I bet we looked so stupid standing out in the middle of the mall giggling like we were in junior high or something. He held up his hand, I guess asking us to wait. He motioned to someone else in the store and headed toward the door.

“Jasmine, you have a man,” I whispered. “So move. This one is between me and Alexis.”

Jasmine shook her head. “Y’all need some medication to cure that boy craziness.”

The boy came walking toward us, followed by another guy who must’ve been his friend. His friend could’ve stayed in the store. He had to be a good four hundred pounds. Then the gold around his neck had to add another fifty pounds.

Me and Alexis smiled as the guys approached us. We grinned and put on our sophisticated-girl looks.

“Can we come hang out with y’all? ’Cause shisters be looking finnnnnneeee,” the cute one said.

I don’t know whose smile faded first, mine or Alexis’s.

“Shisters?” I said.

The big boy laughed. “He’s trying to say sisters. My boy got a small speech impediment.”

“Shisters. That’s what I said,” he repeated.

I looked at him crazy. “It’s sisters. No
h
.”

“And that’s not the only thing he’s got,” Alexis said as she took a step back and fanned her hand in front of her face. “Good grief. Have you been eating garlic or something?”

It was his turn to look crazy. “Huh? My breath stank?”

“So much that it should be a crime,” I said, taking a step back myself.

His boys started laughing as he covered his mouth and nose and blew into his hand.

“Whatever,” he said, after smelling his hand. “You trying to be funny.”

I wanted to tell him, really I’m not, but I didn’t want to be any more rude than we’d already been.

“Yo, I’m Big T,” the big guy said as he took a step forward. “This is Luscious D.”

“Are y’all rappers or something?” Jasmine asked, finally stepping into the conversation.

“Naw, that’s just our names,” Big T replied. “’Cause I’m big, and my boy is luscious.”

Jasmine stared at him for a minute. “Don’t ever, ever, ever tell anybody that again.” She turned and walked away, shaking her head.

“Sho, what’s the deal,” Luscious said, stepping toward me again. “Y’all gon’ let us hang out with y’all or what? I got a pocketful of money, and I figured we could shwing by Applebee’s or shomething.”

I stepped back again. It didn’t make any sense that such good looks were wasted on somebody like him.

“You need to
shwing
by a speech therapist,” Jasmine said, rolling her eyes. I hit her with my elbow, and she shook her head again as she went and sat down.

“Well, look here,” I said, as I stepped out of the way to let some people pass. “We’d love to hang out with you guys, but, ummm”—I looked around, trying to figure out how we could get these guys away from us. “Our boyfriends wouldn’t like that.”

Alexis looked at me funny.

“Boyfriends? They don’t have to know,” Luscious said.

“Well, ummm, they’re here at the mall with us,” I said as I looked around nervously. I know Jasmine was wondering why I didn’t just tell them we weren’t interested and move on. But while she was the mean one, I did try not to hurt people’s feelings too bad.

I guess Alexis finally caught on. “Yeah, so we’d better get going. See ya, ’bye.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me away.

We walked a couple of steps and looked up to see Luscious D and Big T following us.

“I don’t shee no boyfriends,” Luscious said, looking around.

Jasmine rolled her eyes, and me and Alexis tried to keep from busting out laughing. We looked up at three guys walking out of the Eddie Bauer store. I made eye contact with one of the guys. He smiled, and I took that as my opportunity. “Hey, baby,” I said as I walked quickly over to the tallest of the three. I wrapped my arm through his. “We’ve been looking all over for you guys.”

Everyone, the guy included, looked at me like I had lost my mind.

“Sorry, guys,” I told Luscious and Big T. “But as I was saying, our boyfriends are waiting on us.”

Alexis smiled, I guess finally catching on. That girl could be so slow sometimes. She walked over and took one of the other boy’s hands. That one, who looked like he couldn’t be any more than five feet tall, broke out in a huge smile as he leaned back and looked at Alexis’s butt. The third boy looked at Jasmine and grinned. Jasmine folded her arms. “My boyfriend is at home,” she said.

I tried to ignore Jasmine and scooted in closer to my boyfriend-for-the-moment.

“Y’all with these fools?” Luscious said.

While our three new friends didn’t seem like the rough type, they didn’t seem like punks either. Especially the one I was with.

“Excuse me,” the boy I was with said as he stepped toward them. “I think the young ladies told you all they were with us, so we’d appreciate it if you kept moving.”

Luscious looked at Big T. “You hear that, T? They’d appreciate it if we kept moving.” Luscious was about to say something else as a snarl crossed his face. Luckily, Big T must’ve noticed the security guards walking toward us, because he grabbed Luscious’s arm. “Yo, man. Let’s roll. They ain’t even worth it.” He motioned toward the guard, and that quickly got Luscious’s attention because, without saying another word, he spun around and walked off.

I smiled at my boyfriend-for-the-moment. “Hey, thanks a bunch for helping us out. Sorry to throw you out there like that, but we were desperate to get rid of those bustas.”

“No problem,” he said as he stuck out his hand. “I’m Walter Lewis.”

I shook it. “I’m Camille Harris. This is Alexis and Jasmine,” I said, pointing to my girls.

“Well, my vertically challenged friend here is Sam, and that’s Elbert,” Walter said, motioning toward his other friend.

“El,” Elbert said, cutting his eyes at Walter. “My friends call me El.”

Sam looked at Alexis with that big goofy grin still across his face. “I’ll be your boyfriend for real.”

Alexis turned up her nose. “Thanks, but I have a boyfriend already,” she lied.

“Bet he isn’t as fine as me,” Sam said, sticking out his puny chest. Alexis looked like she was trying not to throw up.

Me and Walter laughed. Jasmine rolled her eyes like she was ready to go.

“So, if both your girls have a boyfriend, I’m sure you do, too,” Walter said as he stared into my eyes.

I felt my stomach flutter. “Actually, I’m very much single.” I hadn’t really had a boyfriend since Keith, the guy I’d gotten into all that trouble behind.

“Well, Camille, I would really like to take you out sometimes. Maybe to a movie or something.” Walter smiled, his dimples melting my heart.

I smiled back, surprised that I was even considering going out with him. “Sure,” I finally said.

He pulled out his cell phone and programmed my number in. “I will definitely give you a call.”

“Do that,” I said, trying to sound cute.

I waved as he walked off. I turned to see both Alexis and Jasmine standing there with their arms crossed. “Could you be any more desperate?” Jasmine said.

“Desperate? How you figure that?”

“You know you don’t want that boy,” Jasmine snapped.

“And why wouldn’t I? Because he’s white?” I responded.

“Ummm, yeah,” Jasmine said.

“And? Alexis is half white,” I said defensively.

“I’m not half of anything. I’m multiracial. My mother is white and black and my father is from the Dominican Republic,” she proudly proclaimed.

“Okay, Tiger Woods.” I laughed.

“If you look black, you are black,” Jasmine said. “And you ain’t gon’ have nothing but problems trying to date a white boy.”

“That’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard you say,” I responded. “Besides, what difference does it make? He’s cute. That’s all that matters.”

Jasmine threw her hands up as she walked off. “Whatever. If you like it, I love it.”

I watched as Walter made his way down the mall. I smiled. I definitely liked it, and couldn’t wait to get to know Walter Lewis a little bit better.

J
asmine looked at me like she was trying to figure out why I was standing at her door.

“What? You weren’t expecting me?” I flashed a big, cheesy grin.

“No, I thought you were those pesky kids from down the hall. They’re always trying to sell something—magazines, chocolate bars, cookies, anything to make a dime,” she said.

“Nope, not selling anything.” I shifted my weight, anxious to get inside. “Are you gon’ let me in or what?”

Jasmine stepped aside and let me walk in. “I didn’t know you were coming over. I thought you said you had to study for that calculus test. What’s up?” she said.

My gaze danced around the room. “I didn’t feel like studying.” I didn’t want to come right out and tell her the real reason I was there because I really didn’t know if she was going to trip. But when Jaquan walked into the living room, slowly sipping on a glass of Sunny Delight, I think it became obvious why I was there, especially from the way both of our eyes lit up.

“Hey, Alexis. What’s up?” He flashed a lopsided smile. I hadn’t told anyone, but I called Jaquan earlier this week when I knew Jasmine wasn’t home. I’d acted like I was calling for her, and I was so grateful that he answered. Instead of hanging up after he told me Jasmine wasn’t in, he talked to me for almost an hour. I was excited that he even remembered me from the basketball court. But he’d said, “As pretty as you are, who wouldn’t remember you?”

I was hooked from that moment. We had talked every day since then, and he’d invited me over today just to hang out.

Jasmine turned toward her brother and frowned. “What do you want?” She turned up her nose and sniffed. “And did you have to take a bath in that cologne? Sheesh,” she grumbled.

Jaquan ignored her and walked toward me. “I’m glad you could make it.”

Jasmine’s eyes got big. She looked at me. “What is he talking about?”

“Me and Alexis ’bout to roll out.” He took my hand. I tried not to blush.

“Roll out?” Jasmine said. “You’re here for him?” She looked at Jaquan like she thought somebody was playing a joke on her. “Y’all serious? So what, y’all talking now?”

“And so what if we are?” Jaquan said. “Come on, let’s go,” he told me. “We’re taking your car, right?” I nodded and handed him my keys. My dad would have a heart attack, but I didn’t care.

Jasmine’s draw dropped open. “You letting him drive your BMW?”

Now she was starting to sound like my mom.

“Jasmine, why don’t you stay outta my business,” Jaquan said.

“Alexis is my friend. So this is my business,” she shot back.

I definitely didn’t want to see them fighting over me. “Hey, Jaquan, let me talk to Jasmine just for a minute,” I said.

He let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine. Meet me on the basketball court. I’ma go holla at one of my boys. Don’t be long.” Jaquan then leaned over and gently kissed me on the lips. It caught me off guard. But when he looked at Jasmine and laughed, I knew he was just trying to get under her skin. Even still, the kiss sent goose bumps up my arm.

As soon as Jaquan left, Jasmine spun on me. “What in the world is wrong with you? Why are you messing with my brother?”

“I told you, Jasmine. I like him. He likes me. What’s the big deal?”

“So, what’s gon’ happen when y’all break up? What’s gon’ happen if he cheats on you? Or you cheat on him? I don’t wanna be caught up in the middle of no mess.”

“Nobody is cheating on nobody, okay. We just kickin’ it,” I tried to reason.

“No, it’s not okay,” she said as she folded her arms across her chest.

I took a deep breath. “Well, it’s gon’ have to be okay. Because me and Jaquan are together.”

“Oh, y’all together now?” Jasmine cocked her head. “’Cuz, I don’t think he kn—” Jasmine threw her hands up. “You know what? Forget it. You do what you wanna do.”

We stared each other down for a minute. I didn’t want to go there with Jasmine, but she couldn’t dictate who I could and couldn’t see. “I will go there, Jasmine,” I finally said. “And what I wanna do is be with Jaquan. So I’m gonna be with Jaquan.” I turned and headed toward the door.

“Just leave me out of it,” she called out as I headed out the door. “No matter what happens, leave me out of it!”

I let the front door slam on the sound of her voice.