Courtin' Jayd (17 page)

“The devil knows the Bible better than anyone,” Misty says, stepping in front of KJ like she's his protector. That would be cool if he were hers right back, but since he's not, it just makes Misty look more like the desperate trick she really is but doesn't have to be. I can't believe I ever felt sorry for her.

“Are you really going to stand there and defend this jackass after he let you take the blame for catching some shit from him? Misty, even you can't be that stupid.” Misty's eyes burn with rage as she takes a step toward me like she's going to reach up and slap me across the face. “I wish you would,” I say, crossing my arms and bracing myself just in case she does work up the nerve to throw the first blow. KJ and his boys stand behind her but don't attempt to hold her back, which they really should. Before she can do anything, Rah's other ex walks into the gym, ready to cause a scene of her own.

“You still kill chickens in your backyard with your grandmother and shit or have y'all moved on to bigger and better things?” Sandy steps onto the court like she owns the joint. She's always had a way with guys. I don't know why. She's as big as any of them, just in a miniskirt.

“You ain't fooling nobody Jayd. I know you did something to Rah to make me not stand him but you're not going to get rid of me that easily. I'm going to stick around until whatever you gave him wears off. And then we'll see who has the real power around here.” All I need is another friend turned enemy on my case telling what little she knows about my lineage to anyone that will listen. It's time to get out of here for real.

“Yeah, it's not going to work on me either,” Trish says standing next to Sandy, with Tasha by her side. War makes even stranger bedfellows than politics. Chance, Rah, and Jeremy stand next to me, ready for whatever goes down next. Mr. Adewale's watching the whole thing go down, ready to jump in if it gets too serious.

“Trish, shut up. You don't know what you're talking about,” Rah says, but I'm ready to come clean with everyone about who I really am. “Anything Jayd does she does because I ask her to, not because I'm so stupid I can be tricked.” Jeremy looks at me and I know he's wondering what Rah's talking about. I'm glad Rah stands up for my heritage and his role in it.

“Rah I didn't mean it like that. You don't know what you're saying and it's not your fault. Sandy told me what this girl is really like and it explains everything. I knew there was a reason I didn't like you doing his hair,” Trish says to me and I'm about to blow her head wide open with my truth. Misty nods in agreement, ready to jump me with her newfound posse backing her move. She thinks she's got me cornered but nobody bullies a Williams woman.

“You know what? You're right about me. I do have powers and I can influence people's lives, so does that make me more or less dangerous?” Surprised by my approach, both Sandy and Trish take a step back to let my words sink in. Everyone but Misty looks surprised at my confession. Misty looks both satisfied and scared, but of what?

“Let's go, Misty,” KJ says with the rest of their followers walking away from the scene. Mr. Adewale grabs his bag and heads out, congratulating my boys on his way out the door but I know he wants to grill me more about what I just said.

“Are you okay?” Jeremy says rubbing my shoulder. His touch feels good but I stop him because I don't want to start anything with Rah being right here. It's rude and I wouldn't want Rah to do the same thing to me.

“I'm fine. You played your ass off, Mr. Weiner,” I say teasing him. I knew they could win if they put their minds to it.

“I have a feeling you had something to do with our win.” Instead of arguing or agreeing I simply let the truth sit for a moment before Rah and Nigel come over to check on us.

“Sorry about all that. Y'all want to grab something to eat? It was a good game, man,” Rah says, giving Jeremy his overdue props.

Maybe they can be cool with each other after all but I'm not going to push it. I'll be happy if they simply allow the other to exist in my world without hating on one another. But who am I kidding? I'll have to balance the two of them delicately. But I think I'm up for the challenge.

“Y
ou're all up in my head Jayd. No one's ever had me off my game like that before,” Rah says on our way back to Compton. We went to Pann's for our victory meal and everyone had a good time. Nellie and Mickey managed to avoid talking to each other the entire time and so did Rah and Jeremy. Why can't Rah be more open-minded and accepting of my friendship with Jeremy? Even now after I've been fronted by not one but two of his ex-girlfriends, he still wants to possess me fully and I can't take that. One is the magic number for me and I've got to honor that.

“I know and I'm sorry about that. I was trying to slip up KJ, not you. But you rose to the occasion anyway,” I say patting his shoulder while he cruises down Crenshaw toward the 105 Freeway. We have to pick up Kamal from his grandmother's house before heading back to Mama's. At the last minute, I decided to ride with him instead of Mickey.

“Jayd I'm serious. Let's work on you and me, to hell with everyone else.” If it were only that easy. I'm not done with Jeremy and Rah's got so much baggage he could open his own luggage store.

“If you really wanted that to happen, the potion would have worked,” I say and Rah is silent. He knows I'm right and I'm tired of him trying to hustle me into his harem. He didn't want the potion to work and it's not as effective as it could have been. I followed the directions for the tea and I watched him drink all of it. What did I do wrong?

“
You didn't separate yourself from the outcome, Jayd. How many times have I told you you can't be attached to your emotions when trying to honestly help others? That's why I couldn't master my powers
.” My mom always has a way of creeping in at just the right time.
Rah's a human being, Jayd. He makes mistakes. He'll have his weak moments and yes, he will be confused just like you are about Jeremy
.” How did she know about that?

“Jayd, are you okay?” Rah looks at me like I just had a stroke. His phone vibrates and I can see Sandy's name on the screen. Just the thought of them together vexes me but my mom's relentless in her approach.

“
Where else are you going to find a friend who you can be your total self with, powers and all? Don't be so quick to give up on him, Jayd.
” My mom's right. I need to listen to Rah. I know he doesn't intentionally mean to hurt me, but it still burns.

“Do you still love her?” I ask him flat out. He flips the phone open, ignoring her call, and returns it to its spot on the dashboard.

“Who?” he says like he doesn't know who I'm talking about.

“Your baby's mama, that's who.” Rah looks serious as he contemplates my question. I curl up in my oversize knit sweater. The cold air has returned, putting an end to our long holiday weekend. Tomorrow it's back to school and the regular grind.

“Sandy's got my seed, Jayd,” he says passionately. “You know how I feel about that. And I saw my daughter for the first time in a long time on Thanksgiving. Jayd, she's beautiful and I can't risk Sandy tripping and taking off like that again. I'm going for full custody, Jayd, and I'm going to need you here by my side because it's not going to be pretty. Now, does that answer your question?”

It does and then some. Like Mr. A, I'm going to have to be on my A game to weather the storm headed our way. Between my girls, Rah and Misty's drama, my hustle's going to have to be tighter than ever before. Thank God I've got Mama on my side to help me master this hectic game of life we're constantly playing.

Drama High, Volume 6:

COURTIN' JAYD

 

L. Divine

 

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

 

The following questions are intended to
enhance your group's reading of
DRAMA HIGH: COURTIN' JAYD

by L. Divine

1. Make a list of all of the characters in the Drama High series thus far. How do the names fit their personalities?
   
2. Do you think KJ handled Mickey's revelation properly? Why or why not?
   
3. If you could make your own charm, what would it be called? What would it be used for? In what form would you make it (tincture, tea, bag, etc.)? What ingredients would you include?
   
4. Look at the song lyrics at the top of each chapter. What do they tell you about the chapter's themes and titles?
   
5. At the end of Chapter Twelve, is Nellie justified in her feelings about how she thinks Jayd and Mickey treat her? Explain why you agree or disagree with Nellie's reaction.
   
6. If you were Jayd and Rah spent the holiday with Trish and her family, how would you have reacted?
   
7. In what ways is maintaining a friendship with Jeremy good for Jayd? What would be the benefit of their getting back together? Do you think she should give him another chance?
   
8. Have you ever worked at a homeless shelter during the holidays like Mama does? If you have, what was the experience like for you? If you haven't, is this something you'd consider doing? What would be your expectations?
   
9. What's a typical holiday like for your family? How is your culture similar/different from Jayd's family traditions during the Thanksgiving holiday?
   
10. How do you think Jayd and Netta will work together? Will this time be beneficial for both of them? In what ways?
    
11. Is Rah right for not wanting Jeremy to play in the game against KJ? Explain your opinion.
    
12. What do you think of KJ's reaction to Mickey's revelation that he and Misty have an STD? Is it fair the way Misty's being treated?
    
13. Do you think Jayd should stop trying to help Misty even though she feels sorry for her? Would you continue to try to help someone who's a friend turned enemy?
    
14. Should Jayd help Rah win custody of his daughter? What would you do if you were faced with the same dilemma?
    

Stay tuned for the next book
in the DRAMA HIGH series,

 

HUSTLIN'.

 

Satisfy your DRAMA HIGH craving
with the following excerpt from
the next exciting installment.

 

ENJOY!

A
fter playing ball all day, I'd think Rah would be exhausted but he's actually hyped from beating KJ and his boys in overtime. I enjoyed watching my boys stomp KJ's ego. If I'm not mistaken, I think I saw KJ shed a tear he was so pissed. I can't wait to see the look on his face at school tomorrow because me and my girls are letting everyone know KJ got his ass whipped. I know KJ thinks I had something to do with him losing and for once he's right. But if Misty still thinks it's my fault she and KJ have the clap, she's crazier than I ever gave her credit for.

I'm exhausted if for no other reason than I had to deal with Rah's two crazy broads and Misty's hating ass all weekend long. It's one thing to have my school enemies at school and my home enemies at home, but when they come together, the outcome can only be negative for me. I'm going to need to give myself a cleansing after the long weekend we just had. My drama repellent also needs some tinkering and I hope Mama's up for the task. I can handle Rah's current leech Trish, and Misty always, but his baby mama being up in the picture is more than I can bear alone.

Sandy remembers a little about how my grandmother and I get down but she and I weren't friends long enough for her to get too close to me, unlike Misty. I befriended Sandy on her first day at my old school, Family Christian. Even though she's a year ahead of Rah and me in school and two years ahead of us in age, she jumped Rah the first chance she got and made me her enemy soon after. I didn't know as much about my gifts as I do now and I'll be damned if Sandy's going to wreak havoc in my life again like she did two years ago.

Rah and I haven't spoken a word since he told me about his plan to sue Sandy for sole custody of their little girl because I don't know what else to say. What he doesn't know is that I had a dream about Sandy leaving two years ago but I never told him or Mama about it because honestly I didn't want her to stay. This has been the longest ten minutes of my life and there's so much traffic on Crenshaw from the Sunday night cruising that we're stuck with each other for longer than usual.

On one hand, I'm glad Rah's ready to take full responsibility for his daughter. Sandy did keep her away from him for almost two years without so much as a phone call and she's not the most stable person in the world. But Rah has enough on his plate as it is. He's only a junior and he already takes care of his little brother and holds down the household while his mom strips all day and night. Raising a toddler will be more than he can handle and I'm afraid of him doing whatever he deems necessary to hold it together, including more shit that could land his ass on lockdown with his father.

“What are you thinking about over there?” Rah says, turning down the smooth oldies he's playing. Before I can answer, Rah's phone vibrates again and this time he answers. He better not be talking to either one of his broads in front of me right now because I'm not in a very friendly mood. Rah's really got me worried about his next move and he seems too in control of everything, especially when it comes to Sandy and his baby girl.

“Who's that?” I say softly, not wanting to be too rude but letting him know I won't be ignored. Rah looks at me out the corner of his eye and then back at the bumper-to-bumper traffic facing us. We haven't moved more than three feet in the last five minutes and it doesn't look like it's going to get any better anytime soon. Whoever's on the phone is making him smile, so I know it can't be one of his other girls.

“Yeah Nigel, we're right around the corner from your spot, man. We'll be there in five minutes.” Rah hangs up his cell and throws it in my lap before giving me a sarcastic grin. “Here. Now you can monitor all my calls.” He smiles at me and puts his blinker on, ready to cross traffic. But because he's not in a classic pimped-out ride, no one takes him seriously.

“Very funny,” I say, tossing the phone into his lap. I'm glad he's got jokes because I need a good laugh. Rah and I have been way too serious lately. I'm glad I have him to talk to about both the good and bad in our lives but what happened to my cool, kicking-it companion? Good kissing messes everything up. I should have learned that lesson by now.

“Is it cool if we roll by Nigel's spot? They're having a little session to continue the celebration.” After we left Pann's stuffed like a holiday turkey, we went back to my mom's and grabbed my stuff so I could get back to Compton earlier than usual. My mom hasn't made it back from Lake Tahoe yet and I still have much work to do. But kicking it with my friends is always a priority, even if my girls still aren't currently speaking to each other. Maybe a session is just what we need to chill us out.

“You know I've got to get back to Mama's soon,” I say looking at the clock on the dashboard. “It's already after five.” I usually get home around seven on Sundays and I don't want to give Mama any reason to be irritated with me. If I come home smelling like weed, she'll grill me like I was the one smoking even though she knows me better than that.

“Yeah, I know. And I still have to pick up Kamal from my grandmother's house so we'll just kick it for a minute, cool?” I nod my head in agreement as he turns down Slauson Avenue headed toward Nigel's pad.

I can't help but wonder how my girls are getting along and whether or not Nellie's in a forgiving mood. They ignored each other during the game and at lunch but she kept her mouth shut about Mickey's baby-daddy decision. I hope it stays that way until things cool down a bit because I'd hate to see what would happen if Nellie wanted to give Mickey a taste of her own bitchy medicine. That's a gift no one should have to accept.