“Broke and smart. I like.”
She let off a cute laugh. “Call it what you want. A girl is just trying to make it. What about you?”
Now I felt bad for wanting to complain. Here she was working a job off campus and on campus, pushing through school, and taking care of her granny. I was lost, with free education and a great sport career ahead of me that I might have fucked up, and all I had to do was push through for my daughter and me. I didn’t even bother to say anything.
She tapped my lap. “Earth to Percy. What are your goals?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I told her.
My phone rang again. This time, it was a call from my Nan.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Percy, get here quick,” my dad slurred.
“Are Tink and Nan, okay?” I asked.
“Get here goddamnit!” he shouted.
“I’m on my way.”
After hanging up with my pops, I knew I should have dropped Royce off, but the urgency in his voice said I couldn’t turn back. A frustrated sigh left my lips as I glanced at her. “You want to know what my goal is? I’m going to show you. Are you down for a little ride?”
“Uh, sure,” she mumbled.
I hopped on the highway heading to my small town of Cedar Oak, where the life of Percy Milton started.
APPLE
Since the talk with the dean, I’d been trying to wrap my mind around what she said. I knew Jesaiah was drifting away, and I tried to get my mind off him. I even tried to talk to someone else, but I was stuck. When Xavier took me back to his room, we talked a little bit, but then things got stale, and I just knew I had become boring, so I figured he wanted what most guys did. However, he turned me down, and that shit stung. Not only was I embarrassed, but I was also shamed. I wanted to get my spark back; I wanted to feel empowered, so tonight, I was going to have fun, relax, and live in the present.
The Gray and Gold decided to meet up and support the bruhs at Hoodoo’s. The pageant was tomorrow, and I already knew those niggas were going to be partying all weekend. I made sure to put on my best outfit before sliding on my jacket. I spun in the mirror, as my name, Mahogany, and the number one stood out, trimmed in gold with the letters and numbers in gray. I dug in my purse and pulled out my pills. I fought with myself over whether to take one, but to save myself an embarrassing night, I opted out. Instead, I kept it cute and made myself a mixed drink before putting it in my gold sip cup. I tossed my purse over my shoulder and left.
When I arrived at Hoodoo’s, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The place was packed. There were more people here than there had been before school started. The line stretched so far that people were wrapped around the building. Somehow, I found a decent parking spot. I sucked down the rest of my drink that I had been sipping on the way over. I sprayed myself one last time before getting out of the car.
My heels tapped on the concrete as I made toward the front. The good thing about this night was that I didn’t have to wait in line, since the owner of Hoodoo’s was an orange-and-black member. The security quickly patted me down and then allowed me to go inside. As soon as I entered, the music seemed extra loud. I was almost certain no one else was coming inside because there was barely room to move.
I squeezed my way through until I came up on my girls. Some bobbed to the music, while others stood there, uptight. When Reagan noticed me, I could tell she wanted to say something, but I moved farther into the crowd to avoid the awkwardness. I rocked my body to the music as I let my drink take me to a new place. A pair of hands wrapped around my waist, making me look back.
“You look good.” Harlem smiled.
“Get your hands off me!” I told him, trying to yell over the music.
He smirked at me like what I had just said was a joke. When I glanced up, Jesaiah was looking at us. The way he shook his head made my stomach sink. I almost felt like Harlem had done what he did on purpose. I took a deep breath and tried to make my way toward Jesaiah because the last thing I wanted him to believe was that I had been seeing someone else. I knew I shouldn’t care, but I did. When I finally reached him, he moved his body side to side as his eyes lowered on me.
“You ain’t got to explain,” he said.
“Don’t do that. If you were watching, you saw I didn’t entertain it.”
“That’s what your mouth says.”
“Nigga, are you crazy?” I snapped.
He laughed as he ran his hand over his beard. I nodded as I slowly backed away. This nigga had me fucked up. I watched as his eyes became fixed on somebody. Then he pointed while whispering in his friend’s ear. I turned to look, and it was Samara. My lip curled up in anger.
“Stupid nigga,” I gritted.
He and she had me fucked up. This shit wasn’t over at all.
