Cool Like That (4 page)

He laughs. “Maybe. What does your mama say?”

Should I tell him Gwen thinks every criminal in New York City rides the subway waiting for unsuspecting teenage girls? Nah. I think not. He’ll just think she’s crazy. Yes, she is crazy, but he doesn’t need to know that. “My mom just thinks it’s dangerous.”

“It can be, but we’ll all be together, and we only have to ride one train to get to Times Square.”

I can’t read the look on Ricky’s face as he stares at Rashad. I want to think that Ricky is jealous, but that wouldn’t be necessary, because Rashad hasn’t made any real moves.

Melody steps out of the elevator with Sienna. Oops. Why didn’t I think to invite her? I had her room number and everything.

“I asked Sienna if she wanted to go too. I hope you all don’t mind, but Gia and I were totally outnumbered by boys.”

Sienna smiles and goes around the group getting hugs. She spends an extra amount of time with Ricky. She needs to stop tripping with that. Didn’t she say she had a boyfriend anyway?

“Let’s go before it gets too late,” Rashad says.

We all follow Rashad’s lead to the subway terminal. Gwen totally exaggerated. There is absolutely nothing scary about this so far. I’m still not one hundred percent convinced, so I’m holding my purse extra tightly. I wish I had put down Melody’s giant leopard-skin monstrosity and gotten my backpack.

Rashad sits next to me on the subway car. Ricky pretends not to care and sits chatting with his roommates. Melody and Sienna catch up on gossip about people I don’t know yet.

“So is Ricky cool with us sitting hugged up like this?” Rashad whispers.

“We are not hugged up, boy. Stop playing.”

Rashad leans back in his seat. “The best friends with secret crushes on one another spend their first summer alone in the big city.”

“Ha-ha. You trying to write a story?”

Rashad grins. “I
am
here for the creative-writing program, Princess. That’s what I do.”

“Well, your story is fiction.”

“I don’t know, Gia, Ricky seemed to be throwing a lot of shade in my direction earlier.”

“He’s not throwing any now,” I protest.

“That’s a male-ego thing. He can’t let me know he’s pressed. But he is very threatened because he thinks I’m interested in you.”

Dang! Why can’t I wipe this stupid grin off my face? And why doesn’t he stop flirting?

“Well, are you?” I ask.

“Am I what?”

“Interested?”

Rashad laughs out loud. “Why don’t we just let the summer write the story. This is our stop.”

Are you kidding me?
Let the summer write the story?
Wow on top of wow. This dude really is a writer because nobody talks like this in real life. I mean, for real.

We get off the train, and immediately, I see a difference. The subway station at this stop is darker, and some of the people milling around are beyond special. I feel myself step just a little closer to Rashad. Oooh, wait a minute. How is it that I didn’t notice his muscular arms before? Nice!

Rashad says, “Listen, when we get to street level, everybody stay together. We don’t want Ricky or Gia to get separated or lost on their first time out.”

Okay, sidebar. Isn’t it great how Rashad is totally taking control of the situation? I wish you could see how irritated Ricky looks. Not that I want him to be irritated, but he needs to step his game up: Rashad’s swagger is eclipsing Ricky’s.

Melody loops an arm through mine. “I won’t lose her,” she says. “Come on.”

Oh, my goodness! They told me Times Square was awesome, but they so did not tell me it was like this!

Everything is lit up, there are a ton of people walking around like it’s the middle of the day, and it’s loud like we’re at the flyest house party ever.

“This is
too
for real, Ricky!” I squeal.

Ricky shouts, “I know, right! Times Square, baby!”

I untangle myself from Melody and grab Ricky’s jacket. How awesome is it that I’m sharing this experience with my best friend?

“Kevin would so love this, Ricky. Take some pictures.”

“Tourist alert,” Xavier says with a giggle.

Ricky and I totally ignore Xavier teasing us about looking like tourists. Whatever! We
are
tourists.

I point up the street at a brightly decorated storefront. “There’s a souvenir shop! Let’s stop—I want to get a T-shirt.”

“First rule of shopping on the streets of NYC,” Rashad says. “Never buy from the first store you see. I guarantee you’ll see the same shirts up the street for cheaper.”

“Whatever! This is cheap. Two for ten dollars! Let’s get one each, Ricky.”

Melody interjects. “Even though I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing anything on that table, I’m gonna have to agree with Rashad.”

I look to Ricky for his input. He shrugs. “The night is young, right? Let’s keep going.”

I can’t keep my eyes from bouncing back and forth. Everything is so bright! I mean, seriously, there’s a Jay-Z video playing on a huge video screen mounted on the side of a building. Are you kidding me?

“I’m hungry,” Xavier says as we walk past a pizza parlor.

“Didn’t you eat at the barbeque?” Sienna asks.

“I’m a growing boy, and my stomach is saying yes to a slice of pepperoni pizza!”

We all crack up laughing because Xavier rubs his stomach with longing in his eyes. He looks hilarious!

“You haven’t had pizza until you’ve had it in New York,” Rashad says.

Sienna rolls her eyes. “Whatever! Chicago is the spot for pizza, Rashad. You haven’t had a pizza pie until you’ve had a five-meat, deep-dish pie from Chi-Town.”

Ricky laughs. “Man, now I’m hungry!”

“We might as well stop then,” Melody says.

We pile into the tiny restaurant. There are pockets of teenagers and artist types. And in the corner a couple sits sharing a slice of pizza.

Rashad scores a table for us near the window. This whole evening so far has been cool to infinity. I feel so free, like I’m almost an adult or something. No Gwen calling to tell me to get my butt home or interrogate me about my new friends.

This is hot!

We order a large pepperoni pizza because most of us are not really hungry, and one slice should be enough for everybody except Xavier.

“So you two are from Cleveland, right?” Melody asks.

“What do you all do for fun?”

“We roller-skate or go hang out at the rec,” Ricky says.

“Gia is on the step squad at school, so she hangs with that clique.”

Sienna high-fives me across the table. “Step squad! I know that’s right.”

“Uh, chill with the step sisterhood. Cheerleaders rule at my school,” Melody says.

“Are you a cheerleader?” Ricky asks.

“I’m not just a cheerleader, I’m the captain.”

The boys burst out laughing. Ricky says through his giggles, “Cheerleading is not a real sport, Melody. You don’t have to be so militant about it!”

“Hi, haters,” Melody says with a neck roll.

This just makes the boys laugh harder.

The waitress brings the pizza to the table, and on first glance I don’t see anything special. The crust looks super thin, definitely not like the thick pan pizzas I’m used to eating at home.

“It looks kind of flimsy to be the best pizza ever,” Ricky says, mirroring my thoughts.

“Taste first, talk second,” Xavier replies as he snatches a slice and bites it in one swift motion.

I take a slice for myself. The taste totally surprises me. The sauce is tangy but really good. The crust, though thin, manages to be crispy on the edges but chewy in the middle. It’s delicious.

“You like?” Rashad asks.

All I can do is nod as I swallow the tasty morsels. After everyone eats a slice, we all wish we’d ordered more than one pizza.

Melody says, “Come on, y’all. We don’t want to be late for curfew on our first night out.”

On our way back to the Times Square subway station, we see a street vendor selling the same T-shirts I wanted to score earlier. Guess how much they’re charging? Four shirts for ten dollars!

Rashad nods over at the vendor. “Gia, you want to get your shirt now?”

“Are you happy that you were right?” I ask.

Rashad rakes his hand through his locs and grins at me. “Nah. I’m not any happier because of that. But maybe you’ll trust me next time.”

“It’s gonna take a lot more than a shopping trip to get me to trust you.”

Rashad hooks his finger under my chin and laughs. “Okay, Princess.”

Ricky narrows his eyes and glares at me and Rashad. At first, I was thinking that all Ricky had to do was claim me, and I’d be totally over this new crush on Rashad. But now I’m not so sure.

L
ater, after our Times Square adventure, Sienna hangs for a while in my room. Curfew means you only have to be off the streets and back into the building. As long as there are no boys and girls together in the same bedroom, it’s all good if we stay up half the night.

Sienna sprawls across Melody’s bed like she lives in our room. I vote no, but nobody asked me!

“So, Gia,” Melody asks. “You and Rashad really seem to be hitting it off. I think he really likes you.”

Sienna concurs. “For real. I’ve never seen him push up on any girl like he’s on you.”

“I wonder what it is. I haven’t really said or done anything out of the ordinary.”

“Maybe it’s those cute braids,” Melody says. “That barrette is really hot too. Where’d you get that?”

“Ricky gave it to me.”

Sienna’s eyes widen. “Go, girl! Hog all the boys! If I was as thin as you, I’d be pulling them too.”

“You’re kidding, right?” I ask. “I’d kill for your shape. If I had curves like you, I would never walk, I’d just pop my booty up and down the street.”

I don’t know why this is so funny, but we all crack up laughing.

“Speaking of this big ol’ booty,” Sienna says as she smacks her behind, “do you girls want to go running in the morning?”

Melody scrunches her nose. “Running where? Outside?”

“Yes, outside. If we go superearly, it’ll still be cool outside, and we can go have breakfast at Sylvia’s in Harlem.”

“I’m down for the breakfast, but y’all can go running without me,” I say. “I’m not really into athletic activities unrelated to the Hi-Stepper squad.”

“Are you serious?” Sienna asks. “You don’t work out on the regular? Then how do you stay so thin?”

“I wish I could gain some weight.”

Sienna shakes her head sadly. “You don’t know how lucky you are, Gia.”

“Don’t you notice how the boys look at you, Sienna?” Melody asks.

“Puh-lease. Are you going running with me, Mel?”

“Sure.”

“Great. Can you boot up your laptop really quick? I need to check my e-mail, and I don’t feel like going to my room yet.”

Melody pulls out her expensive-looking laptop computer and hands it to Sienna. It’s really fly, just like Melody, with an aqua-blue top.

“Are you checking for an e-mail from your man?” Melody asks.

“Of course!”

“She’s been dating this guy since last summer,” Melody explains.

“And I am so in love with him,” Sienna says. “I can’t believe someone like him would even want to talk to me.”

“What’s his name? Where did you meet?” I ask.

Sienna replies, “His name is Danny, but everyone calls him Dan Tropez.”

“Why do they call him that?”

“It’s his rap name. You know, like San Tropez.”

“Oh…”

Sienna smiles as she opens her inbox. “My boo has invited us to a party tomorrow night. It’s a listening party for his new album. Y’all wanna come with?”

“Sure!” Melody says. “He always has the coolest parties.”

“I guess. Can Ricky come?” I ask.

“Yeah, but why would you want to bring him?” Sienna asks. “Isn’t that like bringing sand to the beach?”

“You’re going to be all booed up, aren’t you? Are Mel and I just supposed to watch you and your man have fun?”

Melody interjects. “But if you bring Ricky, I’ll be a serious fifth wheel.”

“Dan can hook you up with someone,” Sienna offers.

“Ew. No. Boyfriend at home. Remember?”

I ponder for a moment and then say, “Well, I guess I don’t have to bring Ricky.”

“Good then. Will y’all walk me up to my room? I’m tired, and I want to get up early for running.”

Melody and I put on slippers and robes to cover our pajamas, and we take the elevator upstairs with Sienna to her room.

On our way back down the hall, we meet Ricky and Sushil. They both look sleepy, but they have a bucket of ice.

“What are y’all doing?” I ask.

“Xavier wants to make smoothies,” Sushil says.

“At one in the morning?” Melody asks.

“Dude must have a tapeworm or something,” Ricky replies, “because he says he’s still hungry.”

Ricky grabs my wrist and pulls me down the hall. “Hey, I wanna talk to Gia for a quick second.”

Melody warns, “Don’t pull her behind any closed doors. We don’t want to get in trouble.”

“Okay, I’ll be only a minute.”

Ricky stares at me while he pulls me away out of earshot of Sushil and Melody. When we’ve gone a far enough distance, he asks, “What’s up with you, Gia?”

“Nothing. What’s up with you?”

Ricky smiles and licks his bottom lip. Okay, here is the Ricky I know and crush on. It’s about time he showed up in New York. I was starting to think he left him at home.

“Do I need to worry about Rashad?”

“I don’t know. Do you?”

“Oh, you gonna make me work, Gia? Haven’t I already put in enough work?”

I shrug. “I guess, but you’re the one who said our thing was on hold this summer. Are you taking that back now?”

“Not exactly. I just don’t want any other dudes pushing up on you.”

“So I’m supposed to not enjoy any boy companionship this summer? Is that what you’re saying?”

Ricky chuckles. “You can hang out with me, Xavier, and Sushil, but Rashad is off limits.”

“What?” I snatch my hand away. “Are you trying to tell me who I can and cannot be friends with?”

“Well…”

“Last time I checked, you were not my father. You’re not even my official boyfriend.”

“But, Gia—”

“But nothing. You need to fall back with that noise, Ricky. I never took you to be a hater, but you’re tripping right now. Come on, Melody. Let’s be out.”

Melody rushes down the hall and grabs my arm. “Good night, y’all,” she says to the boys.

I’m fuming as we get on the elevator. The nerve of him! I understand him being jealous of Rashad and all. I even understand him being threatened. But for him to think he can boss me is ri-darn-diculous. I do not roll like that.

“Is everything all right?” Melody asks as soon as the elevator doors close.

“I’m cool.”

“Really? Because you look the opposite of cool. You look extra heated.”

I reply, “Ricky and I have been best friends since we were kids, and last year these crush feelings emerged. I don’t know if we’re ready for it though. He’s tripping.”

“Crushes have ruined the best of friendships.”

“Tell me about it. He’s telling me he doesn’t want me around Rashad, even though our crush is supposed to be on a break for the summer.”

“How do you put a crush on a break?” Melody asks.

“I don’t know. I don’t really want him talking to other girls either, but I wouldn’t try to tell him whom he could be friends with. That’s not cool.”

“Yeah, that’s not cool, but you gotta admit, Rashad has been laying it on thick. He’s really digging you. Maybe Ricky sees that, and he’s just jealous.”

“True, but he needs to find a better way to communicate that.”

Melody sighs. “I hope you two figure it out, because you’re definitely cute together.”

“Am I cute with Rashad too?”

“Yeah, unfortunately. I can’t help you choose between the two, so don’t ask. They’re both fine.”

As much as I was trying to avoid drama this summer, I’d put myself smack dab in the middle of it. And on the first day too? Drama might as well be my middle name.