Page 18 of Stay Dangerous

“You coming to bed?” Kisha asked from behind me.

“Nah,” I said, standing and grabbing my hoodie from the floor. “Run me back to my brother.”

I had follow my own advice and stick to what I knew, and that wasn’t a certain redhead whose pictures I loved to look at when no one was looking.

Bound

Wyn, age 13

Itwasthelastday of summer break before school started. I was going to the eighth grade, and finally the biggest fish in a small pond.

Pops had taken Autumn, Casey, and Turkey camping to celebrate. I hated seeing his disappointment when I declined, but Auty made it crystal clear that Casey and Turkey were her friends, so while I still went over there to get fed and show my face, I gave her plenty of room to hate me like she so proudly proclaimed.

Was that petty? Maybe. But whatever. I didn’t do anything wrong. I had been trying and trying to be there for her. She acted like I could control Mom and Dad. I was a kid, just like she was.

She saw Mom buy me things. She didn’t see the slaps I got when I tried to deny them. She didn’t hear her call me Summer, when she wasn’t reminding me I’d never be her precious Summer.

She didn’t see me get forcefed whiskey, or carry Mom to her room, or be plastered to her front as she held me hostage.

There was a lot she didn’t see. A lot I didn’t want her to see. So I kept my distance.

It was better that way.

My sidekick began to buzz as I took off my scarf. Porscha’s parents were going to church, and they agreed to drop us off at the mall for a couple of hours if we agreed to come with them. I packed my outfit in my Louis Vuitton backpack and rushed out the house. They always went to the early service, so my parents were knocked out from the casino the night before.

Me and God were beefed out, but I still drank the grape juice they offered. Porscha thought it was funny that I grabbed another, but I hadn’t eaten breakfast, and knowing her, we weren’t going to eat until after we picked up some guys at the mall.

It was scorching outside, so I put on a white camisole under a blue camisole, my True Religion bootcut jeans, and some vans. Porscha was all done up, like the rest of the girls we hung out with. Ruffled skirts, sandals, blouses and shit. But this was their game.

Going up to the mall, throwing out the line for older guys to pick them up and they pay for our food, maybe a movie. If they were really paid, some clothes, too.

Porscha came with me with Turkey’s older sisters once and saw the game, and now that’s all they did. I missed when we just had fun, but I’d rather been up there than at home with Mom.

We met a couple other girls in our group by the ice cream shop, and began to walk around the mall. Plenty of boys and groups came up to us, but they weren’t on paying for anything.

An hour and a half later, Porscha declared the day a bust. Brianna and Ronnisha agreed, and we got a table at the end of the food court so they could rest their feet.

“Ohmigod, there’s that boy I added on MyRoom! He’s soooooo fine, there’s two of him!” Porscha gushed.

“Where? Where?!” Ronnisha’s thirsty ass shrieked.

Porscha slapped her hand on her mouth before turning her head behind me.

“Dang, whole crew fine as hell. That tall boy look familiar,” Brianna said.

I turned then, and the corners of my mouth pulled up.

Ol’ Tyree Johnson, in the flesh.

Last school year, he came to our school, fucked shit up, and left like a thief in the night. Turkey and Casey said he was from the same projects as them, but up until then, I totally forgot about him.

“He went to our school last year,” I said, standing.

When I heard chairs screeching, I remembered I was with some thirsty girls, and cringed.

It wasn’t just Tyree. He was with some twins that I think the girls were talking about, and a bunch of other rough looking boys, all in green. I held my head high, even when everyone began to notice me.

I was finally close enough to recognize the twin with braids, and my smile widened. It was Luney, the boy who added me randomly on MyRoom. We’d talked here and there, but he was so mysterious, and now I see why.