Spin it Like That (6 page)

Lenny went back to drying glasses, but I saw a small smile creep across his face.

“What's wrong with you?” I screamed. “This is supposed to be an alcohol-and drug-free environment. Why would you do something like that, you jerk?”

Before Lenny could answer, Kyle was at my side, and together we helped up Derrick while Loretta applied a napkin to his nose.

“Man, let's get out of here. This guy is crazy,” Kyle said with disgust.

“You know we're pressing charges,” Loretta screamed, placing her hand on her hip and rolling her neck so her waist-length weave flowed from side to side.

“Get back to work,” Lenny ordered, but I just looked at him and rolled my eyes. “I said get back to work—now.”

I kept walking like I hadn't heard him. It wasn't until we were halfway to the car that I realized my equipment was still inside the club.

“Oh, man,” I said.

“What's wrong?” Loretta asked. She was still holding the napkin to Derrick's nose, but it was soaked with blood.

“I left my equipment back there.”

“Don't worry about it,” Kyle said. “We'll come back and get it tomorrow.”

Derrick and I looked at each other, and I shook my head. “No, we've got to go get it now. I don't think it'll be here tomorrow if we wait.”

Derrick removed Loretta's hand from his nose. It was a little swollen, but other than the blood he seemed okay. “Come on,” he said, and turned back toward the club.

I thought about arguing, but I decided not to. When my brother made up his mind to do something, there was no stopping him.

We headed back to the club, and I walked in to find some big hairy dude using my equipment. Derrick didn't stop walking until he was standing in front of the guy. Without a word, he picked up a crate of albums and handed it to Kyle. He handed another one to Loretta, then he began unplugging my equipment.

The crowd groaned in unison, and people started turning to see what was going on.

The big hairy dude looked like he was ready to fight. I pulled out my cell phone and called 911 just as Lenny reached us.

“What do you think you're doing?” he asked.

Derrick continued neatly wrapping my electrical cords without saying a word.

Lenny got in his face, and I looked around for a weapon to defend my brother.

Derrick handed me some of the smaller pieces of my equipment just as Kyle and Loretta were walking through the door. Kyle came over and they picked up the heavier pieces and we headed out the door. Before we could make it, Lenny blocked the exit.

“The party's not over yet,” he said, silently daring us to leave.

“Yes, it is,” Derrick said quietly, and tried to make his way around Lenny, but the manager was so huge he was totally blocking the entrance.

I prayed the cops would arrive soon, and I was happy when I heard the siren in the distance. I looked around the crowd, and most of the kids there were staring at us, so I didn't have a lot of hope that they would help us, since no one had jumped in the first time Lenny had hit Derrick.

Derrick and Lenny stood glaring at each other, and when I heard an authoritative voice boom “What's going on here?” relief filled me—until I looked at the imposing figure standing in the doorway.

D
C was even bigger than Lenny, and he did not look happy, especially when he realized the cops were on their way.

Lenny stepped aside to allow DC to enter, and DC towered over me. He was dressed in a white suit with a red shirt and a white tie, and his red wide-brimmed hat hid his eyes. “You okay?” he asked, looking really concerned.

I nodded. “He spiked my drink and hurt my brother,” I said, pointing at Lenny. I felt like I was four years old for telling, but I knew DC was the one who could make things right.

DC looked at the club, then turned to Lenny, and he was so angry that veins were bulging in his thick neck. “Have you lost your mind?” he bellowed, and I took a step back, as if his words could slap me.

Lenny shrugged. “What's the big deal? The kid needed to loosen up.”

“Clear the club,” DC growled to his men. Within seconds the kids were hanging out on the sidewalk.

DC towered over Lenny, murder in his eyes. “I told you I wanted to run a clean operation this time. I'm in enough trouble as it is. You better hope I don't get arrested again.”

Lenny still didn't look concerned. “Man, chill. The kid is fine.”

DC didn't say a word, I assumed because he spotted the cops. He nodded at one of the men with him, and the guy went outside and talked to the cops, who left a few minutes later. After that, DC signaled another man who grabbed Lenny by the arm and led him toward the back of the club. DC seemed to finally realize Derrick and I were staring at him. He turned to us and smiled, which instantly transformed his face.

“I didn't mean to give you guys a show,” he joked, “but that clown got me upset.”

We laughed weakly, but I think we were both trying to figure out whether we should be scared. Derrick had his hand on my arm and wouldn't let go.

“Party's over tonight, kids,” DC announced from the door of the club, and a few people on the sidewalk groaned. “Don't worry. We'll be back next week in a different location. To make up for any inconvenience, why don't you guys head on over to McDonald's and order whatever you want, my treat. I'll also make sure you guys get into next week's party for free.”

After that, the kids were fine. DC nodded at another member of his crew. The guy left the building and returned a few minutes later with a brown box. He pulled out CDs and a permanent marker and began writing something on them before handing them to everyone on the sidewalk. As the kids started to leave, another member of DC's team handed everyone twenty dollars so they could go to McDonald's.

“You sure you're okay?” DC asked, turning to Derrick and me.

I nodded.

“Listen, I'm going to find another location for the parties—somewhere you guys will feel safe and can have a good time without having to worry. Will you come back and deejay next week?”

Derrick was squeezing my hand, which was my signal to say no. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, but his expression didn't change, although he did squeeze my hand a little harder.

“Uh…” I began.

I guess DC could sense that I was about to say no. He pointed to a table. “Let's talk,” he commanded. DC nodded at a guy he introduced as his partner, Ron, and they headed to a table.

I didn't feel as though I had any choice but to sit down. Derrick sat right next to me.

“What can I do to make you come back?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Derrick said, speaking for me.

DC ignored him. “Jasmine, I think you're very talented, and I would love to work with you. I'm sure you probably know that I don't have the greatest image in the world, but I'm trying to change all that. I'm trying to bring some fresh new talent to my label and get away from gangsta rap. I think you're exactly what I'm looking for. If you come back and deejay the club, I guarantee you I'll give you a record deal.”

My mouth dropped open in amazement. My dream was finally coming true.

Before I could say yes, Derrick jumped in. “She doesn't need your record deal. We're going to win All-City and get a deal with Image.”

DC chuckled as he stuck a cigar in his mouth.

“Then you'll just be settling for second best. I'm the reason Image is what it is today. Kevin Mitchell was my protégé. Right, Ron?”

Ron simply nodded. The fact that he hadn't taken his eyes off Derrick the entire time we had been sitting at the table was kind of weird, but I tried not to let it get to me.

“She's not playing any more of your events,” Derrick said. I had never seen him so determined, and truthfully, it annoyed me. He was messing up my shot at my dream, and I wasn't having it.

Before I could voice my thoughts, DC turned to me. “I promise you we'll find a new location, and I'll pay you an extra five hundred dollars a week.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a huge wad of cash. He peeled off a few hundreds and handed them to me. “Here's two thousand for this week because of all the trouble. I promise it won't happen again.”

My eyes grew big. I was going to make fifteen hundred dollars every week for a few hours' work, and I was leaving there with two grand?

“Okay,” I said before DC could change his mind.

“Jasmine, what are you doing?” Derrick asked, looking at me like I was crazy.

DC turned to Derrick and peeled off some more money and held it out to him. “Here you are, for your troubles. I apologize for Lenny. I assure you he'll be dealt with.”

Derrick pretended he hadn't heard DC as he turned to me. “Jasmine, what are you doing?” he repeated.

I ignored him as I looked at DC and gave him my best smile. “I'll call you next week to find out where the event is going to be held.”

DC nodded. “I'll be out of town for a while. You can just deal with Ron.”

“Okay,” I agreed.

Once we made it outside, I turned to my brother, not able to hold in my anger any longer.

“Have you lost your mind?” I yelled. “You almost messed up this gig for me.”

“What happened?” Loretta asked. She and Kyle had waited outside while we talked to DC.

I briefly filled her in, and she looked at Derrick like he was crazy.

“How you gon' tell your sister to turn down this opportunity?” she said. “This is the chance of a lifetime.” She looked at me. “If I were you, I'd take it.”

“Don't worry. I am,” I said, looking at my brother in disgust.

“Your brother was just looking out for you,” Kyle said softly once I was done. “I would have done the same thing.”

“Man, both of y'all are crazy if you think I'm turning down fifteen hundred dollars a week. I'll still have enough to pay for school, plus I'll have plenty of spending money left over. Best of all, DC has guaranteed me a record deal. All my dreams are coming true,” I said as we headed to the car.

“Yeah, but at what cost?” Derrick asked.

I ignored him.

We said our goodbyes to our friends, then headed home. During the drive, I thought about how Derrick had had my back and had even been willing to fight for me.

“Look, I'm sorry about the way I treated you. I know you were just looking out for me,” I said. “Please don't tell Mama and Daddy what happened.”

“Whatever, Jas,” he said, staring out the window.

“Derrick, this is my big chance. You know if you tell Mama and Daddy they won't let me go back.”

He turned to look at me, and even in the darkness I could see traces of blood on his nose and make out that one eye was shiny and starting to turn purple. I refocused on the road, but I knew he had seen me looking at his eye.

“How would you like me to explain this?” he asked, pointing at his eye.

I didn't respond since I didn't know how we could explain that. “I'll think of something,” I said lamely, and he just shook his head.

Surprisingly my parents hadn't made it home by the time we pulled into the driveway. Every now and then they went out, but neither of them had mentioned anything about any plans before we left.

Derrick and I entered the house in silence, and he went to his room and I went to mine. I flipped on my television, more for background noise than anything, and started getting ready for bed.

After my shower, I put on my pajamas, then headed into the kitchen for a snack. Derrick was in the kitchen, too, and he totally ignored me, which I wasn't used to.

“You want some cookies?” I asked, trying to make peace with him.

He shook his head.

“I'm going to microwave some chocolate chip cookies. You know they're your favorite, especially when they're hot.” I pulled out the cookies and placed them on a plate, then stuck them in the microwave.

As they warmed, I watched Derrick eat a sandwich. When I noticed his cup was almost empty, I jumped up and got him another soda. “Please don't be mad at me,” I said as I placed the can next to his plate.

Derrick sighed and looked at me. “DC is trouble. I can feel it. I think you're in over your head, Jas. Think about it, why is it so important that he sign you?”

“Because I'm good. There is no other female out there like me,” I said. I got up to grab the cookies when the microwave timer went off.

“Yeah, we both know you're good, but he seems to be going out of his way to get you. Why? I don't trust him. You're going to get a record deal,” he said. “As soon as you win All-City, you can sign with Image, which has a much better reputation. Leave DC alone.”

“What about the money for school?” I said. “You know Mama and Daddy could really use that money if I decide to go to college.”

Derrick sighed. “Yeah, that's true, but they can find a way to pay. Or we can always take out student loans,” he said.

I placed the plate of cookies between us before going to pour myself a glass of milk. When I returned to the table, Derrick was still sitting there deep in thought.

“Okay, what if you play the clubs, but when he offers you a deal, you say no?” he proposed.

I didn't like the idea, but I was willing to agree to anything just so my brother wouldn't be mad at me. “Okay,” I agreed. “Thanks, Derrick.”

The next morning, I woke up and realized I had fallen asleep with the television on. My mother hated when I did that, and I was surprised she hadn't come in and turned it off in the middle of the night.

I was flipping through channels, trying to find out what the weather was going to be, when a news broadcast caught my eye. There on the screen was a picture of Lenny, the manager of Twilight. In the photo he looked much younger, and he was definitely much thinner, but I still recognized him. I turned up the volume with the remote.

“Details are still sketchy,” the anchor was saying, “but it looks as though Leonard Miller fell asleep at the wheel and his car crashed into a telephone pole in the wee hours of the morning. The car burst into flames, and a passerby was unable to free Miller.”

I sat on my bed as I stared at the screen with my mouth wide open. I blocked out the rest of what was being said as the image of one of DC's men leading Lenny to the back of the club flooded my mind. Something told me Lenny's death wasn't an accident.

I decided that if no one said anything to me about Lenny's death, I wasn't going to mention it. He shouldn't have spiked my drink. Karma got him.

Luck was on my side, because by the time I made it downstairs after showering and getting dressed, Daddy and Derrick were already gone. The house was quiet, so I thought Mama was gone, too, until she appeared in the kitchen a few minutes later.

“Good morning,” she said cheerfully.

“Good morning,” I said, trying to force some cheer into my voice.

Mama walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a carton of orange-strawberry-banana juice. She poured herself a glass, then held the container up for me, silently asking if I wanted some. I shook my head. My mind was still on Lenny's death, and I really didn't think I could keep anything down.

“Do you have anything you want to tell me?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” I asked nervously.

“Derrick told me and your daddy what happened last night,” she said, looking at me. I couldn't read her expression. I got up from the table and grabbed a box of cereal from the cabinet just to give me something to do.

“What did he say?” I asked. My brother had promised he wouldn't tell Mama and Daddy what went down, but maybe he had seen the news about Lenny and changed his mind.

“That he had to beat up some guy for hitting on you.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “It was no big deal,” I said, shrugging. I didn't want to say too much, because I didn't want to contradict Derrick's story.

“I think the fact that your brother is sporting a black eye and a busted lip is a big deal,” she said. She stilled my hand from pouring the cereal and forced me to look at her.