The toughest lessons aren’t always taught in the classroom…

Maya is ready to put the fabulous back into her life—and that means getting her manipulative cousin, Viviana, out of it. Bad enough that Viviana is living under the same roof and tried to claim Maya’s boyfriend, Misalo, for herself. Now she’s going to Maya’s high school and she’s part of the quiz team competing on a TV show…alongside Maya, Keysha and Misalo.

Maya has no sympathy when Viviana finally starts to feel the pressure of fitting in to her new world. That’s until her cousin does something drastic…and dangerous. Maybe Viviana isn’t as tough as everyone thought. Maya could be the only person who can help bring her back safely. Question is…does she want to?

Way Too Much Drama

Earl Sewell

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dear Reader,

Please feel free to drop me a line at earl@earlsewell.com. Please put the title of my book in the subject line so that I know your message to me is not spam.

Make sure you check out www.earlsewell.net. You can also hit me up on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authorearlsewell and Twitter at www.twitter.com/earlsewell.

Earl Sewell

Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.

—James A. Baldwin

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

one

MAYA

“Hey, Maya. Snap out of it.” Keysha popped her fingers a few times in front of my eyes before she placed her hands on my shoulders and shook me.

“You look like you’re standing at the corner of Confused and Stunned. Is Viviana still on the phone?” Keysha asked. I had arrived at her house not too long ago and had been in the bathroom talking to her. Keysha had insisted that I come even though I’d injured my knee. I had gone to watch my ex-boyfriend, Misalo, fight Carlo, another guy I had sort of been dating. The fight had turned into an all-out brawl that involved everyone who had come to watch Misalo and Carlo beat each other senseless. My knee had gotten injured while running for safety when the fight got out of control.

“Hello? Why are you glaring off into space like a disoriented zombie?” Keysha clapped her hands several times.

I flinched and said, “I’m sorry.” I placed my cell phone in my front pocket.

“Why didn’t you confront Viviana on the phone about her wicked ways?” Keysha asked, as to why I had not forced my evil cousin, Viviana, to own up to what she had done.

Keysha and Viviana didn’t exactly like each other, which was cool with me because I hated Viviana more than saints despised sinners.

“She was being chased,” I finally answered.

“Chased? By who?” Keysha asked as I thought about who’d want to beat Viviana down besides me.

“A group of girls. Through the park not too far from here. Viviana screamed into the phone and begged me to come and help, and then her phone died.”

“Seriously?” Keysha’s eyes questioned whether my words were true.

Nodding my head, I said, “Yeah.” Then I glanced down at my knee, which was tender, so I began massaging it.

“Are you going to help her?”

I met Keysha’s gaze and wondered why she had asked a question she already knew the answer to. I had absolutely no desire to aid my deceitful cousin.

Scrunching up my face as if I had suddenly caught the scent of a dead animal, I said, “No.”

“You have to help.” Keysha’s insistence surprised me.

“What?” I shrieked, certain I had heard her wrong.

“We have to help her.” Keysha spoke as if I had a moral obligation to do so.

“So let me get this straight. Thirty minutes ago you got into a scuffle with Viviana, and now that some other girls are about to beat her up, you want to go help her?” My words were filled with sarcasm. Keysha’s harebrained idea was one for the books.

“I know I sound crazy, but I have my reasons for why I think we should lend her a hand.”

“What you’re saying doesn’t sound crazy, Keysha. It sounds insane. Have you turned bipolar on me?” I gawked at her in frustration.

“Maya, listen.” Keysha once again placed her hands on my shoulders, then met my gaze. “I know you’re really ticked off with Viviana, and you have every right to be. Deep down you want to see her suffer for destroying your relationship with Misalo. Trust me, I get that.”

“Viviana suffering isn’t a harsh-enough punishment.” I spoke from a bitterly cold place in my heart.

“I truly get it, Maya,” Keysha repeated, trying to reassure me.

“Then why are you trying to convince me to help her?” I angrily asked. The very thought of Viviana brought my blood to a boil.

“Remember how much I used to hate Priscilla for ruining my prom dress, sleeping with my boyfriend and getting pregnant by him?” Keysha reminded me of some drama she’d had to deal with in her past.

“Oh, yeah. I’ll never forget how you wanted to kill Priscilla on sight.” A sour expression spread across my face.

“Remember how I was forced to save her life when she nearly drowned?” Keysha said.

I recalled the incident. Alex, an eighth grader who had a crush on Keysha, shoved Priscilla into the pool after she and Lori had tried to beat her up on the pool deck. Alex was only trying to help when he did it, but Priscilla could not swim and nearly drowned.

“I could’ve easily allowed her to die, but I set aside my animosity and did something I never thought I would do. I rescued her. I learned something when I did that,” Keysha stated.

“Oh, really? What did you learn?” I asked, wondering what revelation she’d come to.

“Forgiveness, Maya. I had to forgive Priscilla before I allowed myself to save her from certain death,” Keysha whispered.

I raised my voice and said, “Well, I’m not ready to forgive that slut. She can burn in hell for all I care!”

“You don’t mean that,” Keysha said.

Refusing to take back my words, I said, “Yes, I do.”

Keysha sighed disappointedly and asked, “Where did you say she was again?”

“At the park not too far from here. Why?” I asked, sensing that Keysha was about to do something foolish.

“I’m going to help her,” she said, opening the bathroom door. Keysha walked out of the bathroom and I reluctantly followed. When we reached the family room, Keysha paused in front of her younger brother, Mike, who was sitting on the sofa texting.

“Mike, I need your help,” Keysha interrupted him.

“How much money do you have?” Mike asked, momentarily glancing up from his cell phone.

“Okay, I need a favor then.” Keysha rephrased her request for assistance.

“Girl, you know that I don’t like handing out favors, especially to you.” Mike once again began thumbing a text message.

“Stop being a jackass, Mike,” Keysha snapped at him. Mike looked up. He glanced at me then back at Keysha. Sucking air between his teeth, he asked, “What kind of favor?”

“We need you to help us break up a girl fight,” Keysha said in a hurried voice. “Now come on, before it’s too late.”

“Whoa! I like watching girl fights. I wouldn’t want to break one up. I’m not the type of guy you need for that job. I will come along to watch, though,” Mike said.

“You’re such a typical guy. I don’t even know why I bothered to ask you,” Keysha fussed at her brother.

“You’re starting to sound like Sabrina now. Nag, nag, nag, nag!” Mike spoke with a very annoyed voice.

“Whatever,” Keysha said, then headed toward the door. I couldn’t let her go alone so I trailed behind her.

“I swear, I don’t see why or how Sabrina puts up with him,” Keysha griped as we hurried to the park.

“Jeez! Would you slow down? My knee is killing me,” I complained.

“I’m sorry,” Keysha said, slowing down her hastened pace. At that moment, we were both startled by the sound of a car horn blowing beside us.

“Hey, I was just on my way over to see you, Keysha,” said Wesley as he pulled up alongside us.

“When did you get a car?” I asked, admiring the cute white Volkswagen Jetta.

“It’s my dad’s. I have my license now, but I can only drive it locally,” Wesley admitted.

“Good. Can you give us a ride to the park behind Maya’s house?” Keysha asked.

“Yeah, hop on in.” Wesley was more than willing to take us wherever Keysha wanted.

“What’s going on at the park?” Wesley asked curiously. Wesley and Keysha used to date a long time ago. Now they were just good friends, although I got the feeling Wesley was interested in hooking back up with her.

“We’re going to break up a fight,” Keysha informed him.

“For real?” Wesley glanced over at Keysha as she got situated in the passenger seat. I was in the backseat admiring the interior of the car. The convertible top was down and the sun felt really good on my skin.

“I would look so cute in this car,” I spoke aloud. I was hoping to distract Keysha and make her forget about assisting Viviana.

“Yeah, really,” Keysha said as Wesley sped toward the park. He got us there in less than two minutes. When we pulled up, we didn’t see Viviana or any other girls.

“The police probably came and broke it up already,” I said with a sense of gratification. In my heart, I hoped Viviana was someplace unconscious with her nose smashed in dog crap. I was angry and that emotion gave my heart the permission it needed to blacken my thoughts, even if only for a moment. If I ever did see Viviana in a situation where she was injured and helpless, I knew I would be the first person to offer help.

“Pull over, Wesley,” Keysha ordered. Once Wesley parked, the three of us got out of the car. We looked around, but saw no sign of Viviana or the pack of girls she claimed were attacking her.

“Is that her over there?” Wesley asked, pointing to a girl who was coming our way. She was cutting through the grass from the opposite side of the softball field.

“Yeah, that’s her,” I confirmed. She was walking lethargically. Keysha and Wesley began moving in her direction. I stayed put and rested my behind against the car.

“Are you coming?” Keysha looked over her shoulder at me.

“No. I told you my knee hurts.” I offered up what I’m sure Keysha considered a lame excuse. I shifted my weight so that all the pressure was placed on my good leg.

“Maya, don’t be like that. From what I can tell, it looks as if she could really use a hug.”

“Fine,” I agreed, walking with them.

As we approached, Keysha tried to hug Viviana to comfort her, but Viviana rejected her sympathy embrace.

“Get off me before I kick your butt,” Viviana snarled at Keysha.

“You could at least say thanks to us for coming to help out,” I scolded Viviana for being so ungrateful.

“I had it under control,” Viviana answered stubbornly.

“From the look of things, I’d say you got your ass whooped,” Keysha said.

“It’s nothing. Just a ripped shirt, a few scrapes and messy hair.” Viviana downplayed the degree of damage that had been inflicted upon her. Her long hair looked disheveled, and it was obvious that it had been yanked on several times during her scuffle.

“Your hand is bleeding.” Keysha, still being kindhearted, reached for Viviana’s hand.

“Hey! I said leave me the hell alone!” Viviana jerked away.

“Viviana, what the hell! She’s only trying to make sure you’re okay,” I shouted at her.

“I don’t need any help from either of you, okay! Just leave me alone!” Viviana yelled at the top of her voice as she moved on.

“Who were the girls that were chasing you?” asked Wesley.

“Why do you even care?” Viviana harshly glared at Wesley.

“You sound just as crazy as my ex-girlfriend, Lori,” said Wesley unapologetically.

“Oh! Why do you want to bring that tramp up?” Keysha turned her attention to Wesley and awaited his response.

Lori was the reason she and Wesley had broken up.

“Uhm.” Wesley paused, uncertain of what he’d done to turn Keysha’s aggression toward him. Boys can be clueless sometimes. The last name Keysha wanted to hear pass through Wesley’s lips was Lori’s, especially after Keysha had agreed to let him get close to her again.

“Her name shouldn’t even be in your head, especially after the mess she put you through.” Keysha didn’t filter her words.

“Jeez, this is the second time I’ve tried to help a girl in need, thinking that I was doing the right thing. I’m never going to help out again because I only end up getting my head chewed off. Girls are way too complicated and love drama way too much. I swear, I feel like a cat chasing a red laser pointer whenever I try to figure girls out,” Wesley said, washing his hands of the conversation. He turned and began heading back toward his car.

“Now do you see and understand how crazy Viviana is?” I looked at Keysha and waited for the acknowledgment that I was right all along and that we should’ve let Viviana deal with her own mess.

“Yeah, I see what you mean,” Keysha admitted.

“She’ll live,” I said nonchalantly as I watched Viviana walking toward my house.

“Are you still going to talk to her about causing the breakup between you and Misalo?” Keysha asked.

“Don’t worry. I’m going to deal with her in my own way,” I said as I rested the palm of my left hand on Keysha’s shoulder and hobbled back to the car where Wesley was waiting on us.

two

VIVIANA

My body ached horribly. My right shoulder was throbbing because one of my attackers had bitten me. I had a headache because another one had pulled my hair. I also felt a lump swelling on my forehead, probably caused when someone nailed me with a dizzying hammer fist. It had been difficult to fight four girls at the same time, which felt like fighting a pack of wild dogs with my bare knuckles. They were able to throw four times as many punches, but a majority of their swings lacked accuracy. I was happy that I knew how to keep moving to dodge a total beat down. Still, for all the effort I had put into avoiding a punch, I had ended up taking a number of hits, but I’m tough like my father and can take punishment as well as dish it out. I bloodied the noses of two girls, and I’m certain that one of them will have a nasty-looking black eye thanks to my lightning quick right-handed jab. I don’t know why they decided to beat me up. It could have been a random act, or, as I believe, a setup by my evil cousin, Maya. That’s probably the reason she arrived so late after I had phoned her out of desperation and had begged her for help. I’ll never do that again, ever.

When I arrived back at the house, I entered the kitchen through the patio door. My younger cousin, Anna, was in the kitchen making tamales. I’d walked in just as she placed some dried corn husks in a pot of boiling water. I knew that it would not be long before a delicious aroma would waft throughout the house. Anna did a double take as she casually glanced over her shoulder to say hello.

“Damn!” Anna blurted out.

“How bad do I look?” I asked, feeling the lump on my forehead getting tighter.

“Should I call nine-one-one? You look like you need a doctor,” Anna said, turning off the stove. She hustled toward the refrigerator and removed an ice pack for my forehead.

“I don’t need to go to the hospital. I’m fine,” I assured her as she placed the cold ice pack against my skin.

“Did you get into a fight with Keysha and Maya again? If they did this to you, I swear, I’m calling Mom and Dad right now.” Anna removed the ice pack and took a closer look at the swelling.

“I think Maya set me up, but I can’t prove it,” I uttered as I pulled back the fabric of my torn shirt from my right shoulder. “Is my shoulder bleeding?”

“OMG! Who bit you? These teeth marks look deep.” Anna touched my shoulder as she continued questioning me.

“I don’t know. Some chick,” I answered as I pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and sat down.

“Was it Maya or Keysha who bit you?” Anna pulled up a chair and sat beside me.

“Anna, you must not have heard me. Neither Keysha nor Maya did this. Neither one of them were there. It was a group of girls who had been watching the fight between Misalo and Carlo. They started chasing me for no reason,” I explained as I pulled off my gym shoes and ankle socks. I glanced at my sausage-shaped pale toes. They looked horrible and badly in need of a pedicure.

“I’m calling Mom.” Anna reached for her cell phone.

“What good is that going to do, Anna? I don’t even know who the girls are or what they looked like,” I explained.

“Well, what if they jump you again? They could kill you, Viviana.” I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was nervous and anxious.

“I doubt it. Beating me up wasn’t as easy as they thought. I can handle myself,” I said confidently. Anna hesitated for a moment. I could tell that she was trying to convince herself to not call her mother.

“The next time something like this happens, don’t waste your time calling Maya. Call me. I’m not much of a fighter, but if the situation called for it, I’m pretty sure I can hold my own and help you out.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. How does my forehead look?” I asked.

“The swelling is going down,” Anna said after taking another peek at my lump.

“I need a hot bath,” I said as I rose out of my chair.

“Would you like for me to make you a tamale? You might feel better,” said Anna.

“No. I’m not hungry right now. I’m going to take a bath, wash my hair and just chill out for a while,” I said.

“Are you sure? My tamales are world famous,” Anna said.

“Positive,” I answered as I gingerly walked toward the staircase.

After taking a bath and washing the scent of sweat and grass out of my hair, I placed Neosporin on my skin scrapes and cuts and continued to place ice on my forehead. The knot had gone down considerably. I walked into the family room because I wanted to watch television. When I entered the room, Maya was already snuggled up on the sofa watching a romantic music video. She cut her eyes at me and then exhaled disgustedly.

“Do you have a problem?” I snapped, unmoved by her foul attitude about me.

“Yes, I have a big damn problem with you.” Maya clicked off the television and folded her arms across her bosom.

“And I’ve got an even bigger problem with you. But that’s not news to anyone,” I said with just as much revulsion.

“Huh? I haven’t done anything to you!” Maya growled at me. “But you! You’re a tacky slut!”

“And you’re a stuck-up, spoiled, delusional whore who doesn’t know how to keep her mouth shut!” I barked back at her.

Maya rose to her feet and pointed an accusatory finger at me. “You purposely ruined my relationship with Misalo and I know it! I’ll never forgive you for that.”

“Ha! Your relationship wasn’t all that damn strong. Misalo told me all about you and how you never truly appreciated him. He couldn’t stand you and was going to break up with you anyway. I just took his blinders off so he could see how much of a sneaky tramp you are.”

Maya opened her mouth so wide an airplane could have flown into it. “You’re totally crazy. You actually believe all the crap that you tell yourself. You’re mental.”

“If telling the truth makes me mental, then so be it,” I hissed at her. I felt my hatred for her swelling like a rising tide.

“You wouldn’t know the truth if it came up and punched you on the nose. But that’s okay. I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of ruining my life. I’m going to get Misalo back now that the truth has come out. I suggest that you stay away from him, unless you want something bad to happen to you!” Maya threatened me.

“Is that why you sent that pack of girls to beat me up? Huh? Come on, Maya, don’t deny it,” I said, forcing her to own up to what she had done.

“I didn’t have a thing to do with that. Perhaps the girls just didn’t like you. You have built up a reputation of being a backstabber,” Maya said maliciously.

“And you have a reputation of being a snitch!” I reminded her of her soiled reputation with me.

“A snitch! Is that what this is all about? You still haven’t gotten over that mess with your father?” Maya asked.

“You ruined my life, Maya, and I’ll never forgive you for that. Had you kept your mouth shut, my father would be alive today, and I wouldn’t have to live under the same roof with you! I hate the fact that you’re alive, and I wish God would do the world a big-ass favor and strike you down!” Maya and I were now having a full-blown and very loud argument.

“Your father murdered someone!” Maya hollered at me.

“Were you there? Did you see him do it?” I pointed at her.

“No,” Maya answered.

“Then how can you be 100 percent sure that he did it?” I cornered her with my question.

“I overheard him say what he’d done. You know that.” Maya defended her justification for snitching on my father.

“You don’t know what you heard, Maya. You’ve always had an overactive imagination and can’t tell reality from fantasy. My father was the best man in the world. My life was perfect when he was alive. And you, with your lying-ass mouth, put an innocent man behind bars where he was killed. I hope you rot in hell, Maya.”

“And I hope you burn in hell with your homicidal father!” Maya hobbled closer to me.

“You want a piece of me?” I asked as I balled up my fists and prepared to kick her butt.

“All you need to do is stay away from Misalo.” Maya issued yet another warning as she limped toward the stairs.

“Why are you guys so loud? I can hear you all the way upstairs,” said Anna, who had come to see what all the shouting was about.

“Viviana needs mental help,” Maya hissed as she hopped up the steps.

“Wow! She’s really pissed off,” Anna said as she joined me in the family room.

“And I couldn’t care less,” I said as I settled into my seat. My head had begun to throb.

“I have a question I need to ask you.” Anna pulled out her cell phone. “I just got a text about a fight between Carlo and Misalo. Did you see it? Do you know who won?”

“Does it really matter, Anna?” I answered, irritated.

“Yes. I want to know if Misalo kicked Carlo’s butt. You were teaching him how to fight, right?” Anna asked.

“Yes,” I answered.

“Well, did your man win or what?” Anna was eager to hear all the gory details.

“The fight didn’t really last that long. Can we talk about it later? My head really hurts,” I said.

“Would you like some aspirin?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I said.

“Okay, I’ll be right back,” Anna said as she rushed off. I closed my eyes, exhaled and thought about what needed to be done in order to make Misalo care for me again. There was no way I would allow Maya to come between the true feelings that had developed between us.

three

MAYA

I was resting on my stomach when I was awakened by the sound of my cell phone. I wanted to ignore it, but I knew it was Keysha by the sound of the ring tone. Without looking, I reached for the nightstand where my cell phone was situated. Once I had it, I placed it to my ear.

“Hello?” I answered groggily.

“Wake up,” Keysha said in a chipper voice. I closed my eyes tighter.

“What time is it?” I asked.

“It’s time for us to get up and face the day,” Keysha said energetically.

“Seriously?” I asked, annoyed.

“Stop acting like an old lady and wake up.” It was obvious to me at that point that Keysha wanted me to do something with her.

“My knee still hurts. I’m not going to be out of bed anytime soon,” I griped as I moved my injured leg.

“What if I told you that I got up first thing this morning and my dad took me to driving school?”

I perked up. “What?” I readjusted the phone. “Stop playing.”

“I’m not playing,” Keysha answered.

I turned over and looked at my alarm clock positioned on my dresser across the room. It was 12:45 p.m. “Wow! I didn’t realize that I’d slept so late,” I said, stretching out my body.

“You always sleep late when you’re depressed,” Keysha reminded me.

“I’m not depressed,” I disagreed as I glared at the ceiling. I swallowed hard, noticing how dry my mouth was. “Are you really taking private driving lessons now?”

“Yep. I’m learning the rules of the road!” Keysha answered gleefully.

“Why didn’t you tell me today was your first day? See, you’re a crummy BFF. How could you keep something that major from me?” I asked.

“News flash! I was busy helping you deal with Viviana,” Keysha answered sarcastically.

“That whore.” I tossed my feet over the edge of my bed and sat upright.

“Did you get a chance to confront her about what she did?” Keysha asked.

“Oh, yeah. We had a big blowup yesterday after I got back home.”

“And?” I could tell by the tone of Keysha’s voice that she was hanging on my next words.

“She hates me, Keysha, and that’s all there is.”

“Does she hate you because of what went down with her father?” Keysha asked a question she already knew the answer to.

“Yep. She believes I ruined her life when I spoke up, and now all she wants to do is get even with me.”

“Damn! How are you going to live under the same roof with someone who has that much hatred for you?” Keysha asked.

“I have no idea,” I admitted.

“You should probably tell your mom about it. Maybe she can help Viviana work through her issues,” Keysha suggested.

“I care more about a baboon’s smelly behind than I do about Viviana. All she has to do is stay out of my way and leave Misalo alone.” My resentment toward Viviana was absolute.

“Speaking of feelings, boys and all that stuff, guess who I saw this morning?” Keysha asked.

“Wesley? Was he standing in the yard below your window reciting poetry?” I asked mockingly.

“No, silly, although that would be very romantic if he ever found the courage to do it.” Keysha giggled.

“Oh, God,” I responded as if I were about to puke.

“Whatever, Maya.” Keysha chuckled. “I saw Carlo this morning.”

“Carlo?” I spoke louder than I intended to.

“Yep.”

“What was he doing?”

“I saw him walking into the community center. I assume he was heading to the gym. Have you spoken to him since the fight?”

“No. I haven’t called him and he hasn’t called me. He’s probably ticked off at me for pulling him off Misalo when he was beating him down,” I admitted.

“So does that mean you guys aren’t an item anymore?” Keysha asked.

“I guess so. I’m not missing him at all, and he’s certainly not chasing after me, so it is what it is,” I answered as thoughts of Misalo filled my mind.

“Okay,” Keysha said and then paused.

“What do you have planned for the day?” I asked.

“Right now I’m heading over to the library to return some books,” Keysha said.

“The pool should be about to close for the season, shouldn’t it?” I asked.

“Yep. I only have to work two more days and that’s it,” Keysha said.

“Well, at least you’ll have plenty of money to do your back-to-school shopping with,” I said, envious of the fact she had been able to work all summer.

“No, I have better plans for the money that I’ve been saving,” Keysha said.

“What?” I asked.

“A car,” said Keysha.

“You’re going to spend all your money on a car? I thought you said your dad was going to buy you one?” I asked.

“That’s what he said, but I don’t want him to buy me some noisy jalopy. I’ve been able to save two thousand dollars. If he matches what I’ve saved, then I could get a decent vehicle for four thousand, don’t you think?”

“Hell, yeah. You should be able to ride in style for that kind of money,” I chimed.

“Do you want to head over to the library with me?” Keysha asked.

“Not right now. I need to stay off my knee for a little while longer. What are you doing later?” I asked, thinking we could do something then.

“I’ll be at work,” said Keysha.

“Then I’ll come by the pool and keep you company later this afternoon,” I said.

“Okay, I’ll see you then,” Keysha said before hanging up the phone.

* * *

Later that afternoon I put on my bathing suit, grabbed a pool bag, which I always kept packed and ready, and headed out the door. When I arrived at the swimming pool, Keysha was snapping off on some junior high school boys for playing too roughly. There was a mother with her toddler splashing around at the shallow end of the pool and a few other folks who were wading from one side of the pool to the other. I placed my things on an empty seat next to where Keysha’s belongings were. I got myself situated, put on my dark sunglasses and relaxed. A few minutes later I felt someone shaking my shoulder.

“What?” I asked, annoyed by the interruption of my quiet time.

“Misalo just arrived,” Keysha said, taking her seat beside me. I sat upright, and sure enough, Misalo had taken a seat at the other end of the pool.

“What are you going to do?” Keysha asked.

“I think I’m going to get in the water,” I said. I rose to my feet and carefully walked to the edge of the pool. My knee was still bothering me a little, but not to the point that I had to hobble. I sat down on my butt, draped my legs over the edge and into the warm water. I splashed some water on my thighs and arms so my skin would adjust more easily to the temperature of the water. I then submerged myself. By the time I came from beneath the water, I noticed that Misalo wasn’t in his seat. I glanced around, wondering where he’d gone. I looked below the surface of the water and saw that he was swimming toward me. I did a few strokes until my back rested against the edge of the pool. When Misalo surfaced, he cleared away the cascading water from around his eyes and approached me.

“Are you looking for me?” he asked, smiling innocently.

“I don’t know. Should I be?” I asked, not willing to allow the charm of his smile to soften my disappointment in him, for not talking to me, not believing in me and instead listening to that liar Viviana.

“Where is your boyfriend?” he asked derisively.

“Where is your girlfriend?” I fired right back with an equal amount of sarcasm for his former boo thang, Viviana.

“Maya, I don’t want to fight,” Misalo said earnestly as his tone shifted.

“Ha! You should have thought about that before you started dating my cousin,” I said.

“Oh, it’s like that. I thought we could have a real conversation, but I see that I was wrong,” he said and was about to swim away.

“I’ve been trying to have a real conversation with you for the longest time, but you’ve had your head up your butt.” I didn’t bother filtering my words.

“Okay, I’ll give you that. I’ll admit that I wasn’t the easiest guy to talk to, but I’m certain you can see why I reacted the way that I did.” Misalo gave me an innocent look.

“Misalo, you wouldn’t even give me a chance to tell my side of the story,” I said to him.

“I was angry, Maya,” he admitted. “Sometimes when a person is angry, they can’t see or think straight.”

“And an angry person can be pretty stupid,” I said, unwilling to soften my words or feelings.

“Whatever,” Misalo said with lack of concern. It irritated me that he wasn’t more apologetic.

“So do you want to hear the truth now? Or do you want to keep jumping to conclusions?”

“I don’t think I jumped to conclusions. I believe the evidence I saw spoke for itself, at least in the beginning. Now I’m not really sure what to think. I’m confused,” he admitted.

“You should’ve come to me for the truth instead of letting other people tell you their interpretation of what went down,” I said.

“Okay, Maya. I get it. I should not have been so stubborn. Do you have time to tell me the truth now? What’s really going on with you and Carlo?” he asked as he folded his arms across his chest and waited for me to explain my version of events. I paused momentarily and took notice of his muscles, which were much more defined. I exhaled before I began.

“Viviana and I snuck out of the house one night,” I said.

“You snuck out of the house?” Misalo blurted out the words.

“I know, it’s hard to believe, but, yes, I did. I was trying to prove to Viviana that I wasn’t a Goody Two-shoes. Anyway, she knew about this party that was taking place in the city, so we hopped into my grandmother’s car and went.”

“You don’t have a driver’s license and neither does Viviana.” Misalo immediately began questioning the credibility of my story.

“I know.”

“That doesn’t even sound like something you’d do, Maya. Besides, why would your grandmother give either one of you the keys to her car?” he asked.

“She didn’t,” I said, not wanting to admit that Viviana and I had pretty much taken the car for a joyride.

“You stole your grandmother’s car?” Misalo’s eyes widened as if he’d just been poked.

“Yes and no. Yes we took it, but we didn’t steal it. Viviana said that she’d taken our grandmother’s car lots of times.”

“I don’t believe a thing you’re telling me, but go on,” he insisted.

“It’s the truth, Misalo.”

“Maya, I’ve known you for a long time, and you’ve never done anything remotely close to what you’re describing to me,” he said as he repositioned himself next to me.

“It’s the truth. You can even ask Keysha if you want,” I suggested.

“Like she’d tell me everything. Keysha is your best friend and isn’t going to admit to anything that would make you look bad.”

“Keysha has no reason to lie, Misalo,” I said as I scanned the pool deck. Keysha had climbed in the lifeguard chair. She’d put on her sunglasses and was keeping a close eye on everyone.

“Whatever,” he said, dismissing my comment.

“So we get to this party and I don’t know anyone there. I thought Viviana and I would use the time to bond, but she left me as soon as we arrived. I was nervous and afraid. As the night dragged on, I began searching for Viviana, but couldn’t find her. It was then that I realized she’d set me up and left me. Her plan was for me to get busted for sneaking out of the house. Luckily, Carlo was there and offered to give me a ride home, but he wouldn’t do it unless I slow danced with him first.”

“Maya, your story sounds so lame.” Misalo was skeptical. “If that’s the case, how did Viviana tape you if she’d already left?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I just didn’t see her and she decided to record me,” I said.

“Or, Carlo picked you guys up in his car and drove you there himself because you were creeping around with him behind my back all of the time.” Misalo gave his own spin to the story.

“Misalo, stop making up stuff in your head that isn’t true. I swear, that is not what happened.” I attempted to put him back on the right track.

“You expect me to think that you actually snuck out of the house? I’ve asked you to do that for me countless times and you never would, Maya.”

“I did it that one time, okay. It happened,” I said more forcefully.

“Whatever,” he said. I could tell that he didn’t believe me.

“Now my turn,” I said, turning the tables.

“Your turn?” Misalo seemed surprised that I had an issue with him.

“Yes. I have questions of my own for you,” I said.

“I didn’t do anything,” he said.

“Ah, yes, you did. The photos that I sent to you. Why didn’t you delete them? Why did you lie to me like you had? You’ve humiliated me, Misalo. So many guys have tried to have sex with me because of those photos.”

“Okay, that technically wasn’t my fault. I didn’t really know that Viviana had gotten ahold of my phone and did that.”

“Dude! You should have deleted the pictures. She would not have had anything to forward had you done what you were supposed to do,” I raised my voice at him.

“I was stupid, okay. I never thought they’d ever leave my phone.”

I shook my head disapprovingly at him.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know I messed up.”

His apology didn’t seem sincere to me. I felt tears swelling. “Then you stooped so low by dating my cousin, Viviana. How could you even think that was cool?”

“It happened by accident,” he said.

“By accident! Are you joking! Do you understand what you’ve done to me?” I angrily barked at him.

“You guys are getting a little too loud over here,” Keysha spoke in a loud whisper as she walked past us. I had not noticed that she had come down from her perch.

“What was I supposed to think, Maya? Everything that I saw indicated to me that you and Carlo were an item. I even heard rumors that you and him had gone all the way.”

“What! I can’t believe you just said that to me. You should know me and know that rumor was a lie!” His words hurt me.

“I don’t know, Maya. I thought you’d never sneak out of the house, but you did. I never thought you’d date another guy, but you have. It’s hard for me to believe that you did not go all the way with him,” Misalo said as he began backing away from me.

“And what about you and Viviana? What does dating my cousin say about you as a person?” I fired back at him.

“So it is true. You did go all the way with him.” Misalo seemed transfixed on how far I’d gone with Carlo.

“Why do you even care? You were so busy running behind Viviana like she was the best thing that ever happened to you. How did you feel when you found out how she had played you for a fool?” I bluntly asked. My question left Misalo speechless and his ego bruised.

“I’ve got to go,” Misalo said and swam away to the other end of the swimming pool. He got out of the water, dried himself off and then left. I tried to hold on to my tears, but it was of no use. I buried my face in my hands and cried. I wanted Misalo back. I wanted the love we had to restore itself, but I didn’t know if we could forgive each other.

four

VIVIANA

I had just finished styling my hair and covering up my bruised skin with makeup. I put on a pair of sexy blue jeans and a nice top. I wanted to look as decent as I could because I had to speak to Misalo. I needed him to understand that everything I did and said regarding Maya was fully justified. After he heard what I had to say, I was certain he’d forgive me, and we could continue dating.

Once my hair and makeup were flawless, I called Misalo. I didn’t get an answer, but that did not stop me from calling him several times. After calling him at least ten times without an answer, I decided I’d go to his house and beg for five minutes of his time. As I walked out of the house, I saw Maya, who had just returned from the swimming pool. She looked as if she’d been crying, but I didn’t really care about her emotional state. I only cared about reclaiming Misalo before she tried to sink her hooks into him.

“Slut!” Maya spat the word at me as she walked past me. I flipped up my middle finger as I moved on out the door. While I walked toward Misalo’s house, I called him again, but still got no answer. As luck would have it, I caught up with him as he was exiting a local pizzeria.

“Misalo,” I called out his name as I quickened my pace to catch up to him. When he turned in the direction of my voice, his facial expression turned sour.

“What do you want, Viviana?” he asked disdainfully.

“I know you’re mad at me, and you have every right to be,” I began speaking at a fast pace.

“I don’t have anything to say to you.” Misalo turned his back to me and started walking toward his car.

“Please just give me five minutes to explain,” I begged him.

“Explain what, Viviana? You’re a sneaky liar, and I don’t like being around people like you. End of story.” Misalo’s words stabbed my heart.

“I deserved that and you’re right. I was sneaky and I stretched the truth in order to get back at Maya, but aren’t you curious as to why?” I asked, hoping he would be interested in understanding my justification.

“No.” Misalo opened his car door. I hustled over to the passenger door and pulled the handle. Thankfully the door was unlocked and I got in the car with him.

“What the hell, Viviana. Get out!” Misalo shouted at me. I didn’t move. I sat in the car with my head slumped submissively between my shoulders. I felt horrible about how I’d misled him, but I didn’t want him to hate me for it.

“Get out of my car, Viviana,” he yelled at me again. I looked at him and sniffled. Misalo met my gaze only for a moment and then turned away. “I’m not hearing it, girl. Get out before I come over and yank you out of the car seat.”

“Please, Misalo. Just let me get this off my chest.” My voice trembled and I smeared away the tears that were trickling down my cheeks.

“Viviana, get out of my car!” Misalo clenched his teeth as he spoke. I sat still and refused to move. I was going to make him hear me out one way or the other.

“Listen to what I have to say and then I’ll get out,” I promised.

“Talk.” Misalo released a deep sigh and finally gave in.

“Maya and I have been enemies for a long time. Because of her, my father is dead and I hate her for it. Because of her, my life was ruined. Being forced to live with her is the hardest thing ever.”

“So you used me to get back at her. I got it. Now get out,” Misalo said.

“No, it’s not like that. I mean—” I paused and tried to determine if I should be 100 percent truthful or continue to lie “—yes. At first, I only wanted to break up your relationship because I had gotten so sick and tired of hearing her brag about how perfect you were.”

“Wow, with a cousin like you, who needs enemies?” Misalo’s words stabbed me deeply.

“I’m not an evil person, Misalo. I only tempted you by showing you a different way of looking at your relationship with Maya. That’s all. If you trusted her fully and were truly in love with her, nothing I said should have mattered.”

“You manipulated me,” Misalo said.

“No, I didn’t. I fell in love with you. I did everything I could to protect that love and prove it to you,” I explained. Misalo glanced over at me, and for a brief moment, I lost myself in his eyes.

“I developed real feelings for you. You’re the first guy I’ve ever dated who seemed to really care about me. You actually talked to me and not at me. Whenever I would think about you, I would smile. I didn’t anticipate developing true feelings.”

“News flash, Viviana. You played me for a complete idiot. If that’s your idea of affection, you can keep it.” Misalo let me have it.

I placed my hand on his thigh and said, “If you would give me one more chance, I will show you how serious I am about you.” Misalo’s head craned downward and looked at where my hand was positioned on his thigh.

“Yes. That’s what I mean. I am willing to prove how much I care for you. I want to give myself to you,” I said earnestly. I wanted to be intimate with Misalo in every possible way. I didn’t want him to deny my offer of reconciliation.

five

MAYA

“I can’t believe today is my last day of work,” Keysha said. It was Sunday at 10:30 a.m., and we were sitting next to each other on lawn chairs. We both had beach towels wrapped around our legs because the air had turned noticeably cooler.

“Well, I can’t wait until next summer because I’m definitely going to be working here,” I said, recalling how I enjoyed the excitement of being a lifeguard.

“I don’t think anyone will be coming to the pool today,” Keysha said, reaching into her bag for a book.

“Dang, girl! What are you reading now?” I asked sarcastically.

“Well, I have become pretty good friends with one of the librarians named Robbie. She knows how much I enjoy reading and makes some really good recommendations. I’m reading a Kimani TRU book.”

“Is it any good?” I asked.

“I haven’t started yet,” Keysha answered as I fumbled with my cell phone. I opened up my Facebook app and updated my status. I let everyone know that I was chilling at the pool with my girl. I then clicked on to Misalo’s Facebook page to read what his latest status update was.

“Oh, this is interesting,” I said aloud.

“What?” Keysha asked as she shifted on her seat.

“Misalo says that he’s going to an end-of-summer party,” I said.

“Really? Who is throwing a party? I haven’t heard anything about a party,” Keysha said.

“Hang on. I’m still reading the details. It’s an end-of-summer party and OMG.” I stopped reading.

“What?” Keysha asked.

“Jerry is throwing the party,” I said.

“What!” Keysha sat upright and moved closer to me so that she could see what was on my phone.

“See, it says Jerry is throwing the party.” I showed Keysha.

“Well, I’m not going to that,” Keysha said.

“Have you heard from him at all?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

“No, and I hope I never do.” Keysha’s attitude was clear. I knew for a fact that she didn’t like Jerry at all.

“So let me get this straight. You were telling me that I should have forgiven Viviana when she called me up and asked for help when she was getting a beat down, but it sounds like you haven’t forgiven Jerry at all.”

“That’s different,” Keysha said.

“How?” I asked, giving her a chance to explain.

“Jerry and I could have had something really special, but he was too much of a jerk to realize it. But that’s water under an old bridge now. Anyway, considering all the drama that took place at his last party, I’m surprised he has the guts to throw another one,” Keysha said.

“Wait, wait, wait. Go back to the part where you said you and Jerry could’ve had something special. Would you date him again?”

“Oh, God, no! Dating him was one of the biggest mistakes of my life,” Keysha said as she repositioned herself and opened her book.

I turned my attention back to my phone and noticed that Viviana had posted a comment on Misalo’s wall.

“What the hell!” I blurted out.

“What?” Keysha looked at me, startled.

“Viviana just posted something stupid on Misalo’s wall,” I said as I read her post again.

“What did she say?” Keysha leaned toward me.

“She said, ‘I’ll be there, too, baby. I can’t wait to see you.’”

“Is Misalo still seeing her after the stunt she pulled on him?” I glanced at Keysha.

“I don’t think so. I hope he’s not that damn dumb,” I said as I began typing with my thumbs.

“What are you posting?” Keysha asked.

“A nasty message to Viviana that says, ‘I know you’re not online flirting with my boyfriend, Viviana!’”

“Ooo! You’re just going to call her out like that?” Keysha asked.

“Yeah, I want the world to know what type of tramp she is,” I said, feeling rather evil. A few seconds later my phone buzzed, indicating that a response had been posted. I checked my phone and read the response from Viviana out loud.

@Maya. Yes I will be there with my man, and if you try to holla at him again, you’re going to have to deal with me.

@Viviana. Find your own boyfriend! Misalo is taken, slut!

@Maya. You’re the slut with the nasty pictures. Obviously he didn’t like what he saw because he has been with me.

“Oh, that was a low blow,” said Keysha, who was looking over my shoulder and reading the messages with me.

@Viviana. After you lied!

@Maya. Get over it!

@Viviana. I don’t think so! You need to watch your back!

I posted and then shut off my phone.

“Dang, I am starting to think that Viviana might have some serious mental issues,” said Keysha as she rubbed the tension from my shoulders.

“She’s crazy, Keysha. That’s what I’ve been trying to explain to you,” I said as I combed my fingers through my hair.

“I see what you’re saying,” Keysha said.

“Keysha, I’m going to that party, and I want you to come with me,” I said.

“Oh, no. I don’t want to run into Jerry,” Keysha said.

“You probably won’t even see him. There should be tons of people there anyway,” I said.

“Why do you want to go?” Keysha asked.

“Because I want to confront Misalo,” I said.

“You’ve already done that.”

“I’m not done with him yet,” I said.

“Then call him and meet him somewhere,” Keysha suggested.

“No. I want to surprise him. I want to catch him completely off guard and force him to give me real answers.” Keysha and I looked at each other for a long moment without saying a word. She finally broke the silence.

“How long do you think it will take?” she asked.

“I don’t know. It shouldn’t take too long. Come on, Keysha, I really need your support,” I begged.

“Fine! I’ll go,” Keysha reluctantly agreed.

* * *

The party at Jerry’s house was massive. Kids parked their cars in the middle of the street because there were no more parking spaces. Since the party was in the middle of a weekday and had begun at 1:00 p.m., none of Jerry’s neighbors were home to complain. Keysha and I followed the throngs of kids racing down the sidewalk toward the sound of loud music and squealing voices. Once we were inside, unfortunately the first person we ran into was Jerry, Keysha’s old boyfriend. He was wearing a white T-shirt and blue shorts. His eyes were bloodshot, and I was sure it was from drinking, smoking or something else.

“Keysha.” He smiled and stepped toward her for a hug. Keysha moved out of his way.

“Oh, it’s like that?” Jerry asked disappointed.

“Yeah, it’s like that,” Keysha said.

“Come on. Don’t tell me you’re still mad at me?” Jerry whined.

“Jerry, what you did to me was awful.” Keysha raised her voice.

“Give me a break. You’re overreacting, Keysha. Besides, that happened so long ago. You shouldn’t hold grudges. I haven’t held any against you.” Jerry smiled again.

“I don’t have time for this. Maya, let’s find Misalo and then get out of here,” Keysha said, moving away from Jerry.

“Hey, Keysha,” he called out to her as we continued on. Keysha and I turned back to look at him.

“What?” Keysha asked, annoyed.

“Get out of my house!” Jerry said.

“What?” Keysha repeated, insulted.

“You heard me. Get the hell out of my house. Remember, this is my party. Not yours. Now get out,” Jerry said more forcefully.

“Jerry, give me a break, okay,” I said, stepping toward him. “Keysha didn’t want to come. I begged her to walk over with me. We’re just here to find Misalo, and then we’ll leave.”

“You can stay, Maya. But Keysha. No way. She has to go.” Jerry stood his ground.

“Jerry, you’re such an ass. I don’t know what I ever saw in you,” Keysha said as she walked back past Jerry. I followed her out onto the sidewalk.

“Keysha, slow down,” I said.

“Ooh! I’m so ticked off with him! Maya, I told you that I didn’t want to come to this stupid party,” Keysha griped as she marched down the street.

“I know and I’m sorry. I had no idea Jerry would react like that,” I apologized.

“I’m not going back in there,” she said.

“You don’t have to. I’ll go and find Misalo myself.”

“Fine,” Keysha said. She gave me a brief hug and then continued on. I turned around and headed back, determined to find Misalo.

six

VIVIANA

I really enjoyed ticking Maya off on Facebook. She had no idea that I had agreed to prove to Misalo that I was indeed the girl for him. When I arrived at the party, Misalo was sitting with some of his soccer friends. I walked over to where he was and sweetly asked one of his friends to move out of the seat next to him. Misalo looked surprised to see me. I leaned over, in front of all his friends, and purposely spoke in his ear.

“I know that you’re not going to make me beg you,” I whispered. Misalo looked at me as if he didn’t trust me.

“Damn, I wish my girl would greet me like that!” I heard one of his guy friends say.

“You’re not serious,” Misalo said as he looked into my eyes.

“Yes, I am,” I whispered in his ear again and nibbled on his earlobe.

“Maybe you guys need to get a hotel room,” said another one of his friends jokingly.

“Don’t want to wait any longer,” I continued to speak in his ear. Then I reached over and kissed him. Just a quick one at first, then our lips met again for a longer kiss. I squeezed his thigh and rubbed his chest.

Pulling away I said, “I’m ready and I’m yours, Misalo, if you want me.”

“Misalo, dude, if you don’t take care of her needs, I will!” said yet another one of his friends.

I pressed my forehead against his, but Misalo didn’t say anything.

“Please say something. I’m spilling my heart out to you,” I pleaded.

“So if I said let’s go do it right now, you’d go all the way?” asked Misalo.

“Yes. I’m serious about how much I love you,” I said humbly. After that statement, he was all mine. We got up and walked out.

I got into his car, which was parked around the corner from Jerry’s house. After a few moments, Misalo looked at me and said, “I know a place that we can go.”

“Okay,” I answered as he pulled off. We had to drive back past Jerry’s house in order to get there. As he sped down the street, I noticed Maya and Keysha standing around. Keysha appeared to be very upset about something, but I didn’t care. Misalo had not noticed them, and I certainly wasn’t about to tell him that Maya was nearby. I didn’t say a word. I snuggled up to his right arm and held on to it as he continued on.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Misalo parked his car in front of a construction site where new homes were being built.

He popped the trunk and said, “Come on.”

I got out of the car and waited as he grabbed a blanket from the trunk.

“Where are we going?” I finally spoke.

“Over there in one of the houses that they haven’t put doors on yet. No will see us,” he assured me.

“It’s surrounded by a wooden fence that is too tall to climb over,” I pointed out.

“Someone kicked out a few of the plywood planks toward the other end of the fence. The hole is covered by bushes, and I know that the construction workers haven’t fixed it yet,” Misalo said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me along. I suddenly got nervous and wanted him to be gentle and take his time with me.

“Will this be special?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” Misalo glanced back at me.

“Will you like me again once I do this?” I asked.

“Sure,” Misalo said. We reached the opening in the fence and wiggled our way through it. We walked around the construction site, which was eerily silent. There were lots of concrete foundations that lacked framing and others that had the framework, but had not been enclosed with plywood and siding. At the rear of the construction site there was a home that was nearly complete. The doors were on it, but no locks had been installed.

“Are you sure we’ll be safe in here?” I nervously asked.

“Yes,” he said as I followed him inside. No drywall had been installed yet, but the rooms had been framed out with wood.

“We can do it right here.” Misalo spread the blanket out over the floor, which was covered with sawdust.

“This isn’t exactly what I had in mind,” I mumbled as I hugged myself and rubbed my arms.

“It will be fine,” Misalo whispered as he patted a spot for me to sit down on. I sat on the floor, which was hard and uncomfortable. He sat next to me.

“Do you have protection?” I asked, hoping that he was prepared.

“Yeah, I have something,” he said as he proudly removed a condom. I swallowed hard and my lips quivered because I had no clue as to what to do next.

“So have you done it before?” I asked, not sure if it was the appropriate time to ask such a question.

“Have you?” he countered with a question of his own, which didn’t make me feel comfortable. In my mind I always imagined that my first time would be with a more experienced guy.

“No,” I whispered, hoping that my inexperience wouldn’t ruin the moment.

“Neither have I, so we’re both about to lose our virginity together.” Misalo said it as if being a virgin was like being diseased. I was all for proving my love, but I needed to know that his love for me was just as strong.

“So what’s next?” I asked, too afraid to ask the love question out of fear I’d be rejected.

“We do it,” he said as he began to unlatch his belt buckle.

“Wait.” I stopped him. “Kiss me first, please,” I begged.

“Okay,” Misalo answered as he mounted himself on top of me.

I thought kissing would turn me on and get me in a better mood and even perhaps make me forget about how uncomfortable the floor felt. Misalo kissed me clumsily as if he couldn’t have cared less about kissing me the right way. He paused for a moment and glanced down at me. I saw a strange expression on his face, but I wasn’t sure what the look meant. He kissed me roughly again.

“Softer,” I whispered instructions. “Kiss me softer.” He began placing softer kisses on my neck and thrust his hips into me. My hands trembled as I locked my arms around his back and held him close.

“Do you love me?” I spoke purposefully in his ear.

“Yes, Maya, I do,” he answered. His breath on my skin suddenly felt like a hot blowtorch.

“What!” I shoved him off me so quickly he probably thought I saw someone spying on us.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, confused.

“You called me Maya!” I said, feeling like smoke from a candle that had just been snuffed out.

“I did?” He paused and replayed in his mind what he’d said. “It was a mistake. Relax.” He tried to make me feel as if I were overreacting.

“How could you think about her at a time like this?” I immediately stood up. I felt unimportant, as if the feelings I had were not mutual.

“It was a slip of the tongue. I didn’t mean anything by it,” he said defensively. “Come on, don’t ruin the moment.”

“Me, ruin the moment? Huh! You’ve done that on your own. I can’t believe you!” I said as I began walking away.

“Where are you going?” he asked, suddenly realizing just how serious saying the wrong name was.

“You totally killed the mood I was in. You’ve messed up everything, Misalo. I’m nothing like Maya. You, of all people, should know that,” I said, feeling blinding rage growing inside me. I needed to get away and calm down because, at that moment, I could have easily taken the claw end of a hammer and struck him with it.

Once I got outside the construction area, I began running. I wanted to escape from everything—Misalo, my family and, if I could, my life. Once I was a good distance away, I sat down on a bus stop bench and sobbed. Misalo truly did care about Maya more than me. The fact that I was about to endear myself to him meant nothing. As I sat on the bench, I realized that I was an emotional train wreck. My emotions functioned like a roller coaster ride—when my feelings took a nosedive, my stomach always ended up in my throat. The only constant feeling in my life was my hatred for Maya.

“Viviana.” Misalo found me. I looked over my shoulder and glanced at him briefly as he walked toward me. I smeared away my tears and pushed my emotions deep down inside.

“What?” I snarled at him, like a wounded animal giving a final warning before attacking.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”

I glanced at him. He looked pathetic, like some chubby nerd attempting to ask a cheerleader to the school dance.

“Take me home,” I said abruptly. He’d ticked me off to the point that the very sight of him was upsetting.

seven

MAYA

“You will not believe what Misalo has done,” I complained to Keysha as we entered the beauty salon. We had both made appointments. Keysha was getting her hair braided again, and I was getting a manicure and pedicure. We sat in the waiting area because the salon was packed and filled with the sounds of multiple conversations taking place all at once. I recognized a few girls from school and waved to them. I assumed they were there for the same reasons Keysha and I were. School. Classes would be starting soon, and any girl who had any kind of sense knew that she had better come to school on the first day looking like a magazine cover model.

“Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to Misalo,” Keysha admitted as she searched the table in front of us for a magazine.

“He slept with Viviana.” I leaned toward Keysha and whispered so no one else could hear what I had to say. The words left a bitter taste on my tongue.

“What!” Keysha blurted out as if some teacher had just handed her a test paper with a fat red F on it. Several people looked in our direction to see what the commotion was about. Some of them had a look in their eyes that suggested they were anticipating a cat fight between me and Keysha. Keysha realized that she had spoken louder than she intended so she leaned in closer and whispered.

“They went all the way?” she asked for clarification.

“Yes,” I answered with certainty.

“How do you know?” Keysha glanced at me suspiciously, wondering how I would find out such a thing.

“Viviana admitted it,” I answered with a disgusted sigh.

“Maya, you and I both know you can’t believe a thing Viviana says. She’s a liar,” Keysha reminded me.

“I know, but for some reason I believe she told the truth. When she came in the house yesterday, she had this strange look on her face. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but decided not to. I was too busy trying to figure out why Misalo wasn’t at the big party. I had searched all over Jerry’s house looking for Misalo, but did not find him. And his so-called friends were of no help. They claimed they had not seen him, but I knew they were lying. Anyway, the last thing I wanted her to think was that I cared. Then Viviana went downstairs to talk to Anna. I don’t know why, but something made me walk halfway down the steps and stand out of their eyesight to eavesdrop on their conversation. I clearly heard Viviana say that she and Misalo decided to go all the way.”

“Wow,” Keysha said as she came to realize how serious I was.

“What did you do then?” she asked.

“Nothing. I walked back up the stairs, disgusted and ticked off with Misalo and Viviana.”

“So what does that mean? Are you finally done with him?” Keysha asked.

“That’s like me asking you if you’re finally done with Wesley,” I said condescendingly.

Keysha raised her eyebrow at me.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “I have no idea what my next move will be.”

“Perhaps it’s time to let it go,” Keysha suggested.

“That’s not the advice I want to hear,” I unashamedly admitted.

“You can’t make Misalo want you, Maya. If he is not making an effort to patch things up, then there is really nothing more you can do,” Keysha said.

“Yeah. I know,” I said, feeling rather depressed about it. Never in a million years would I have ever thought that Misalo would give himself so freely to another girl. What’s even more insulting and disrespectful is that he had sex with my cousin. Although I was very disappointed with Misalo, I still cared about him. I couldn’t turn my feelings for him off like a light switch on a wall.

* * *

I’d just taken a seat at the pedicure station which was situated near the front window. I briefly glanced at the black letters which spelled out the name of the salon. Just as I’d submerged my feet into a footbath filled with warm water, someone knocked hard on the glass. I turned in the direction of the sound and saw Carlo waving at me.

“Oh, great,” I mumbled. “He’s the last person I want to see.” I smiled at him out of politeness and hoped he would move on. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that lucky.

Carlo opened the door to the salon and a bell chimed.

“What’s up, girl?” He smiled at me. He had on a blue-and-white-striped polo shirt, blue jeans and a pair of black Air Force 1 gym shoes. He also had sunglasses resting on top of his head.

“Same old stuff,” I answered as I looked down at my feet and wiggled my toes. I had not seen Carlo since he had the fight with Misalo.

“Where have you been?” Carlo asked.

“Around.” I gave him a vague answer.

“Around where?” Carlo wanted me to share more than I was willing to offer.

“Why do you even care?” I said with an irritated tone that I had hoped would force him to turn around and leave. As far as I was concerned, I never wanted to see him again. It was over between us, and I didn’t want to go our separate ways on friendly terms.

“That’s a good question. I don’t know why I care about you, especially since you have a nasty attitude.”

“You helped to create my attitude toward you.” I hoped my words felt like a red-hot knife piercing his skin.

“You know, Maya, you’re a real...”

“Hey, don’t you dare say what I think you’re about to say,” said Kim, the shop owner, who was nearby.

“You’re a real pain, Maya,” Carlo said.

I ignored him. I couldn’t believe he had come into the salon just to insult me.

“I’m so glad it’s over between us, Carlo,” I said, waving for him to go away and bother someone else.

“One of these days, Maya, someone is going to put your prissy attitude in check. I tried to be a good guy for you. A guy who didn’t play games, a guy who tried to be real with you. Instead, you put me down for some jerk who cheated on you. You talk about how you’re glad it’s over. Hell, I’m the one who is glad it’s over.” Carlo gave me a nasty look before turning to walk out.

eight

VIVIANA

I had told Anna all about how Misalo ruined everything by calling out Maya’s name. Misalo had humiliated and hurt me in a way that I never thought possible. There had been days when I really felt bad, but that incident with him took the cake. Anna listened and was sympathetic, but beyond that there was nothing that could be done. It was over between Misalo and me, and that hurt me more than I ever thought it would. I truly liked him. I appreciated his honesty. Even though I had twisted the truth to get his attention, it was, in my opinion, well worth the lies I’d told. He gave me the type of attention I longed for, but now that was gone and the hole in my heart was as big as a crater on the surface of the moon.

The following morning I saw Maya in the upstairs hallway. She was heading downstairs, and I was on my way to the bathroom.

“Slut!” Maya said as she walked past me.

“What did you just say to me?” I asked.

“Our truce is over. I don’t like you. I don’t want you in my house, and I’m going to make sure that I do everything that I can to get you kicked out.” Maya’s eyes were ablaze with an evilness that I’d never seen before. I didn’t feel like getting into a battle of words with her so I just flipped up my middle finger and continued on.

When I came downstairs, I ran into my aunt Raven, who was carrying a basket of laundry.

“Come with me, Viviana,” she said.

“Why? What’s up?” I asked, wondering if I’d done something wrong.

“I want to talk to you,” said Aunt Raven. I exhaled and followed her to her bedroom where she began folding her laundry.

“I’ve contacted your school and had your records transferred over to Thornwood,” she began.

“Okay,” I said, dreading the fact that I’d have to repeat my junior year of high school.

“You’re going to have to be tested. Your entire junior year is filled with incomplete grades.”

“I told you why,” I said defensively.

“I know your mom kept moving you around,” Aunt Raven said.

“I hate tests. Why can’t they just let me come in as a senior?” I grumbled at the idea of having to deal with some stupid multiple-choice exam where I had to use a No. 2 black pencil to fill in a circle.

“Honey, schools use standardized tests to determine if you have a learning disability or some other handicap,” Aunt Raven said as she moved to a nearby closet and removed several hangers.

“I’m not stupid,” I said with an edge in my voice.

“I know that,” Aunt Raven said.

“Then why didn’t you tell them?” I was getting emotional, but couldn’t help it.

“Watch your tone with me,” Aunt Raven warned. “You’ll be tested on basic stuff. Reading Comprehension, English, Math and Science. It’s a way for the school to find out what courses they should place you in.”

“I still think tests are stupid,” I said, loathing the idea.

“You take the test first thing tomorrow morning,” she said.

“Are you serious? They won’t even give me time to study?”

“I’m afraid not,” said Aunt Raven.

“Augh, that sucks,” I complained as I plopped down on the bed.

“Don’t worry about it. Just go in there and do the best that you can,” she said. I cut my eyes at her as if I were about to stab her.

“I have a question for you,” she said.

“What?” I mumbled a little as I felt a small anxiety attack swelling up.

“When was the last time you had a physical?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Mom rarely took me to the doctor. She doesn’t have health insurance,” I said.

“Okay. Do you remember the name of the last doctor you saw?” she asked.

“I have no idea. The only thing I remember was that she was Korean, and she was still learning how to be a doctor.”

“What do you mean, she was still learning how to be a doctor?”

My answer seemed to have alarmed her. “She was in training. Down at Cook County Hospital,” I said.

“Oh, you mean she was doing a residency,” said Aunt Raven.

“Yeah, whatever that is,” I answered. Aunt Raven paused for a moment and then said, “I’m going to call your grandmother and see if she has any of your medical records.”

“What for? I’m not sick,” I said.

“School, dear. Anna, Paul, Maya and you need to get a physical for school, and I have to get as much of your medical history together as possible.”

“Oh,” I said, then turned my thoughts to Maya and how she had threatened me earlier.

“I’ve scheduled an appointment for later this week.”

“Fine,” I said. “Is that it?”

“That will do it,” she said, trying to sound upbeat and as if I wasn’t an additional burden on her. I don’t know why, but I felt lousy. I felt as if I didn’t belong here and that I was more trouble than I was worth.

I walked back to the kitchen to get myself something to snack on. Shortly thereafter Paul walked into the kitchen with his skateboard that had graffiti-styled lettering that read Fly Higher. Paul quickly made himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and sat down at the table to eat it.

“What’s up?” he asked as he bit into his sandwich then removed a handheld game from his pocket.