Hustlin' (9 page)

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Authors: L. Divine

BOOK: Hustlin'
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Jeremy really doesn't hear the stupidity in his words, but I do and it's making my blood boil. The last thing I want to do is get into a full-on argument with him when we are just getting back to a space where we can be friends.
“Babies aren't a burden to everyone,” I say, burying my head in my studies and ceasing our conversation for the time being. Every time I forget we're from different hoods, Jeremy says something to make me remember. Right now I'm going to concentrate on my schoolwork and try to forget about everything else. I'll talk to Mama about Mr. Adewale's research when I get home.
After my discussions with Jeremy and Mr. A today I just wanted to chill for the remainder of the afternoon. They both gave me a lot to think about and I wasn't prepared for either conversation. Looking around my neighborhood, I see many children outside playing and yes, most of them come from single-parent households. And yes, some don't know their daddies, but they still seem happy enough. The more I think about Mr. Adewale's rationale for calling my ancestors vixens, the more I understand it.
“Jayd, where's your Mama at?” Pam, the neighborhood crackhead, whispers like she's on a top secret mission.
I just left Bryan's post outside of Miracle Market where he's getting his side hustle on. She was there begging for money or the opportunity to make it, as usual. Her pregnant belly is growing bigger, even if the rest of her seems to be dwindling away. Now I could see why someone would suggest she get an abortion. But like Mama says, you never know which ancestor you're keeping from coming back when you kill the unborn.
“I guess she's at the house, Pam. Why don't you go see for yourself?” Before I can finish my sentence, Pam walks off back toward the market. I feel for that girl in a real way. Bryan went to high school with her and said she was fine back in the day, but that's not the Pam I know.
Continuing my walk home, I can feel someone's eyes on me but I don't see anyone else around. I hope Esmeralda's not trying to focus her evil eyes on me again. I'm in no mood to fight her off. Before I can check my paranoia, Mickey's man rolls up in his black-on-black Monte Carlo with his personalized GANSGTA plates. Why is this fool following me?
“What's up, little witch girl?” Mickey's man says, rolling down his tinted windows, revealing his beet-red eyes.
Is he ever sober? “Nothing.” The last thing I want to do is engage him in conversation. I haven't forgotten his indecent proposal the last time I saw him at Mickey's house. That may be the way they get down, but I'm cool with sleeping on my enemy.
“Why are you in such a hurry? You should come take a ride with me. We have some catching up to do.” He abruptly turns the corner in front of me and pulls into an empty driveway, blocking my path.
“I have to get home.” I step around his car, but not before he can open the heavy door, blocking my exit even more. What does he want with me?
“Not so fast.”
Brandy's little brother, Tre, rolls down the passenger-side window. I knew he was hanging with some gangsters, but I was hoping he'd stay away from this crew. They are nothing but trouble and he just got out of jail. The last thing he needs is another strike against him.
“Word on the street is that my girl's been messing around and that you hooked them up. And I trusted you,” Mickey's man says, chewing on the raggedy toothpick in his mouth.
“What the hell,” I say, for lack of a better expression. “Why would I hook up Mickey with anyone when I know she's with you?”
“I don't know why bitches do any of the shit they do. Maybe because you want me all to yourself. I know where you're from, Miss Nutty Block. You want a gangster to show you the ropes.”
“As if, fool,” I say, passing him by. “If you know where I'm from, then you know who my uncles are and who my grandmother is, so back the hell off.” Amused by my heat, he gets out of the car and steps close to me, snatching my right arm.
“I like it when you're mad.” He pulls me closer to him, his beer-ridden breath hot on my face.
What does Mickey see in this punk?
“Hey man, you need to step off my niece before I bust this cap in your ass, nigga,” my uncle Bryan says, running around the corner to my rescue. I'm glad he did, because for a split second I almost lost it.
“I was just talking to her, man. No harm.” Mickey's man lets go of me and gets back in his car, blaring N.W.A. loudly before stating his final warning. “You make sure you tell that nigga I'm coming for him, you hear?”
Bryan stands beside me, putting his piece back in his pants. “Jayd, you okay?”
This is one of those days I wish Rah was here.
“Yeah, I'm cool.” I feel like I've just been raped. Mickey better handle her shit before I'm forced to take matters into my own hands.
“Jayd, I don't know what Mickey's gotten you into, but you better check your girl. That was a bit too close for me.”
“Don't worry, I will.” Mickey's going to get more than a piece of my mind come tomorrow. I'm with Nellie now; this shit has gone way too far.
“Does Rah know what's going on with Mickey's man? You know he deals with them niggas, too.”
“No, I didn't know that.” This city is too damned small for me. If Mickey's man knows Rah, it's only a matter of time before he finds out about Nigel. Thank god Nigel doesn't live in Compton anymore. But location will only buy him a little time. True retaliation knows no boundaries and that's the only way Mickey's man and his crew roll. They are straight out of Compton, for real.
“Well, you might want to holla at your boy about your girl and her man. This shit is getting serious, Jayd, and you may be in over your head.”
Bryan's right. I need to let Rah help with this one. But before I see him tomorrow, I need to warn Mickey about her man and me, because I'm not taking on her bad decisions any more. Her mess has brought too many people down and it's time one of us stepped up to the plate.
5
It's On
“Mama said knock you out/
I'm gonna knock you out.”
—LL COOL J
 
 
 
“I
never read anything about Lady Macbeth having a weave,” Laura says. She and the usual haters stand around me while I apply my makeup in the dressing-room mirror. I have on an orange robe and my hair is pulled back in a red, black and green bandana. It's opening night and the dressing room is crowded with cast members, groupies, and parents. Everyone's parents except for mine.
“Me neither. I guess that's why you didn't get the part,” I say, rolling my eyes at her in the mirror and continuing to get dressed. For some reason, even in my dream, I haven't seen my costume yet.
“Touché, Jayd. Touché,” Laura says, stepping closer to my chair while Reid checks his makeup in the wide mirror. Without notice, Laura runs her manicured fingertips through my hair, sending a wave of panic through my head.
“What the hell's the matter with you? Get your hands off me,” I scream at her, silencing the buzzing room.
Mrs. Sinclair and Mrs. Bennett run into the dressing room to see what all of the commotion's about. Before I can explain, Laura accuses me of attacking her and everyone in the room is silent.
“You little liar. I did no such thing. You came at me,” I say, proclaiming my innocence. But I'm in a room full of people who don't support me, except for Mrs. Sinclair, who looks perplexed. But I get the feeling the final decision's not hers to make.
“Come now, Jayd,” Mrs. Bennett says. “We all know your tendencies and they're anything but passive.”
Entering the scene late, Jeremy's mom catches up with another parent and heads over to add her two cents. I knew she was a member of the drama department's booster club because her name was on the stationery, but I thought she was more of a financial contributor than an active participant. Mrs. Sinclair looks from Mrs. Bennett to Laura to me. As she holds my costume, her eyes sadden and I know I've lost her vote.
“As a senior member of the booster club, I vote that we let the understudy fill in as Lady Macbeth until this matter is resolved,” Mrs. Weiner says, adding her venom to the mix.
“But there are only three shows in the two-day festival. I can't afford to be on trial,” I say, mocking the impromptu judge and jury session. How did Laura touching my hair escalate into this big mess?
“Didn't I tell you not to let anyone touch your crown?” Netta says. Suddenly, she is seated in one of the dressing chairs and Mama is doing her hair. What the hell?
“You should've heeded your mother's warning, Jayd. She told you to listen to Netta and so did I. Now look at the price you have to pay for not honoring your crown.” Mama spins Netta around in the chair and they're gone just as quickly as they appeared. All eyes are still on me, waiting for the next move.
Before I can plead my case any further, Laura walks over to Mrs. Sinclair, claiming the costume for herself. “Jayd, don't feel bad. It's better this way. Sometimes you have to be the martyr for the sake of everyone involved.”
Mrs. Bennett hands Laura the dress and it's like she's being crowned right before my eyes and I feel stripped of my powers in the process. All I can think to do is cry and get the hell out of that room. Where are my friends?
Making my way outside, I find a quiet spot on the side of the drama room, facing Pacific Coast Highway. The fancy Mercedes Benzes, BMWs and other expensive cars are speeding down the street, passing me and my solitude by. But one car that doesn't belong slows down: it's Mickey's man. Out of all the people to run into when I should've been inside getting ready to make my grand entrance, it would have to be him.
Creeping up to the bus stop across from where I'm standing, he rolls down his window. He and Tre are in the car, just like they were yesterday when he harassed me. But this time I don't think he's looking for me. Feeling the vibe, I forget about my disappointment and pull my cell out of the robe pocket to call Mickey. Before I can dial her number to warn her and Nigel about the impending confrontation, Nigel's green Impala bumps loudly down PCH, turning in front of the same bus stop.
“That's that nigga fool,” Tre says.
Mickey's man pulls his piece and fires three shots into Nigel's car.
I duck for cover and Nigel speeds off.
 
“Jayd, I thought you was trying to get up early so you can catch Mickey before school,” Bryan says, interrupting my dream. Is it morning already? “And I need you to look at these bumps on my forehead. I think you pulled my braids a little too tight when you touched them up last night.”
I was tense after my run-in with Mickey's man yesterday, but not as tense as Mickey's going to be when I confront her about it. No one makes me feel stripped like that, especially not so close to home.
“I'm up,” I say, throwing the covers back and allowing the morning chill to wake me up. “And I'll get some of Mama's braid balm for your head.” That's another lesson I learned from Netta's spirit book: never take your frustrations out on a client's head.
“Bet, little Jayd. The bathroom's all yours. You know where I'll be.” Bryan leaves the door open and heads toward his broke-down van, parked near the side of the house, for his morning meditation. There are only a few steps between me and the back of the door where my clothes for the day are hanging, but from my comfortable spot in my tiny bed, it seems like a mile away.
My dream about Nigel and Mickey getting shot up by her man still has me rocked. I haven't had such a violent dream in a minute. I've definitely got to bring that one up with Netta this afternoon. And I hope the part about Laura taking my place as Lady Macbeth doesn't come true either. The whole dream was a mess and I'm not in a rush to retell it just yet.
Before I can make it out of my bed my cousin, Jay comes out of his room and rushes into the bathroom. Damn it, now I know this is going to be a rough day. Anytime I don't get in there before him it's a bad start.
“Jay, hurry up. I've got a bus to catch, unlike you,” I say, making my way quietly into his room to retrieve my toiletries. Daddy turns in his sleep at the sound of Jay's loud peeing and my creeping. This house is way too small for comfort, if you ask me. But we're family, and that's just how it is sometimes.
“You can't rush nature, Jayd. Haven't you learned that in all of your studying with Mama?” he says, making light of what me and Mama do. As if she heard my thoughts, Mama clears her throat and shifts in bed, letting me know it's time for me to get moving.
“Don't worry about what I learn. You just worry about getting out of my way. Come on, move it,” I retort, opening the bathroom door while he washes his hands. At least he's a clean dude, unlike our uncles. Even Bryan makes a slight mess from time to time. But since our schedules coincide I've been training Bryan and he's getting better at cleaning up behind himself.
“So impatient,” Jay says, pushing past me and shutting the door behind him. He can be more of a drama queen than I can sometimes. Speaking of which, I better get into character if I'm going to deal with Mickey's ass today. I want to catch her first thing this morning and squash this madness. Her man is too unpredictable for me to let another minute go by without talking to her. I tried calling Mickey several times last night, but her phone was off, just as I predicted. No matter how big South Bay's campus is, Mickey can't run away from me at school.
 
My morning has been uneventful so far. My first two classes were a breeze—Spanish always is, and English is my favorite class. But if I don't get more work done on my paper, government class is going to be most uncomfortable. Our rough drafts are due today and I'm ready, but it's not my best work. I've been so distracted by my friends and their issues that I haven't focused on my own. Speak of the devil, here Rah goes texting me now.
Peace queen. I'm going to have my baby girl this weekend. I want you to meet her. See you after school. Holla.
Rah finally wants me to meet his daughter. Wow, now I know he's maturing. If I could only get Mickey to grow up and take responsibility for her failed hustlin', then we might be able to save ourselves from her man's insanity before it goes any further.
I've been looking for Mickey and Nigel all morning, but they don't seem to be anywhere. I hope they didn't ditch again. It's too close to the holidays to get caught for something that stupid. Break is almost over and I should take the remaining time to get some work done in the library. I want to clean my locker out at lunch. It's gotten too overstuffed for me to handle.
When I get inside of the library, Mrs. Bennett's standing there talking to the librarian. I should've known her evil influence extends even this far. They both look at me crazy, and that's just fine with me. All I want to do is get work done before third period and get out of here. To hell with what they think or say about me. I've got bigger fish to fry today.
“Good morning, Jayd,” Mrs. Bennett says, forcing me to speak. I'm not going to give her another opportunity to call me rude. “It was nice to see you at Jeremy's on Thanksgiving, even though you two aren't an item anymore.”
Why is she so into my business? Doesn't she have anything better to do?
After taking my government notebook out, I slide my backpack across the counter to the librarian, who promptly puts it in the cubby and hands me a number.
“You left this last time you were in here,” the librarian says, passing me the piece of paper. If I hadn't paid for it already, it would probably be in the trash, judging from her obvious disdain of the subject matter. It's the bibliography from Mr. Adewale's paper on voodoo queens. No wonder I didn't miss it. I'm more interested in the content than the references, but it's still good to have it all.
Mrs. Bennett can't help herself, glancing at the paper as I claim it. “Oh, researching more fiction, I see.”
Mrs. Bennett is the snidest broad I've ever met. It should be illegal for teachers to be haters. But, like shoes, haters come in all colors and sizes.
“There's nothing fictitious about voodoo,” I say, putting the fear of God in the librarian, but not in Mrs. Bennett. Her eyes glow as she smiles at me. Just like Esmeralda's eyes, Mrs. Bennett's give me the creeps.
Before she can get another remark in, I walk away from the counter, claiming my backpack number and heading out.
“See you in rehearsal,” Mrs. Bennett says to my back.
I can't wait until this festival is over. I've always wanted a lead role, but not at this price. But, like Mama says, there's always a sacrifice when we're at the crossroads and dealing with Mrs. Bennett is mine.
Today is the first time in weeks I don't have rehearsal at lunch—well, at least not for the first half of it. The stage crew is performing a sound and lighting check for our first dress rehearsal. And Mrs. Sinclair won't be back until lunch is almost over, so I'll take this time to clean out my locker. Nigel and Mickey obviously don't want to be found and Jeremy and Chance have a Hacky Sack tournament in the parking lot, so I have no excuse for not cleaning out this hot mess. No wonder my life is so hectic; I'm anything but organized these days.
It's tough keeping it all together when I have to move around so much. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a house with my own room. I could keep my letters and private notes in a box under my bed or in my closet, like normal teenage girls. My locker's packed with all kinds of paper: half pieces with notes scribbled on them, fliers from ASB and other school organizations advertising various events, loose papers from teachers. Luckily we have a recycling program on campus. Otherwise all of the paper use would be a real disgrace.
“What's up, Jayd? Spending lunch alone?” Misty says, walking out of the girls' bathroom with Shae behind her. I guess now that Misty's not a virgin she's cooler in Shae's eyes, even if her first sexual experience was a public nightmare.
“I thought you were afraid to look at me or something. Doesn't that include speaking to me?” I ask, looking at her briefly before rolling my eyes and giving my attention back to my locker. I glance briefly at the trash can next to the bathroom door and walk over to retrieve it. Having the trash can next to me will make the process fly by. Just then, Laura walks out of the ASB room, crossing my path on my way back to my open locker.
“You know what, Jayd? You're going to end up with no friends and everyone's going to know just how strange you and your grandmother really are. Watch and see,” Misty says, sashaying her wide ass out of the main hall. Shae's probably too high to make any smart-ass comments of her own right now, and that's just fine with me. The less friction I have from them, the better. But Laura's not leaving without a few words of her own, I'm sure.

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