Authors: Nikki Carter

Time to Shine (8 page)

BOOK: Time to Shine

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“Dreya, my mother would've never let y'all go without.”

“I know, but I wanted her to be my mother. I wished like crazy that Auntie Shawn would just adopt me. My mom just wanted to have fun, and she still does. That gets old.”

I inhale a deep breath and then release it. “So, I guess I have to forgive you, huh?”

Dreya bursts into laughter. “I mean, it would probably be the right thing to do. I am your only girl cousin.”

“I'll think about it.”

“Wow, Sunday. I see why Sam can't get back with you. You are hardcore.”

I chuckle. “No, Sam can't get back with me because he's scum. But, I'm done thinking about forgiving you. I forgive you, girl.”

“You do?”

I nod and give her a small hug. “That's how Tollivers roll.”

“And you know this!” Dreya says with one hand in the air. “So now that we have that out of the way, what are you wearing to the Grammys?”

“I don't even know. Haven't had time to think about it.” This I can answer honestly, because it is the truth.

“I'll have Evan send a designer to the Spelman campus. You need to look good representing Reign Records.”

“No, ma'am. I don't even think so. I will go to the mall and find something. I'm not buying any thousand-dollar gowns.”

Dreya laughs. “I don't pay for anything anymore! The designers want us to wear their stuff to the awards shows. As long as you remember to say their name on the red carpet. Trust me, I know how stingy you are with your money. I wouldn't even suggest it if it wasn't free.”

“Oh, okay. Text me a time and date then, and it's on.”

“Okay.”

I pick up my backpack and sling it over my shoulder. “I've got to go and write this paper, Dreya. For real.”

“Did you ever think of hiring someone to do that for you?”

I look at her like she's lost her mind. “What? My homework? No. That's called cheating.”

“Oh, come on! It's just a homework assignment. You're going to take the exams, right? It's like when we used to work together on our assignments. You could just have a study buddy . . . who writes papers.”

“Girl, let me get away from you before I change my mind about forgiving you.”

Dreya laughs out loud. “I'm just trying to help you out!”

“You're trying to make sure I have time to work on your album.”

“That too, but you are definitely stressed to the limit. I don't want to see you burn out, cuzzo.”

“Let me be the one to worry about my stress level, okay? I'm straight.”

“You're saying that now. But if you keep writing hit songs, you won't need a law degree or a degree in anything for that matter. You could just live life, and live it up.”

“I'm out, Dreya.” I take the stairs like Sam, two at a time.

I think I'm done trying to convince everyone about my choices for my life. I want to enjoy college, and not just get a degree. I want to do music that I feel deep down in my soul. And, I want to have study dates with cute guys.

I just hope that I can have it all without losing myself in the process.

I
just got my paper back from composition class. Another C. I slump down in my chair, totally feeling dejected.

Gia pokes me in the side. “What's wrong?”

“I got a C on my paper.”

“Oh.”

I watch Gia try to stealthily slip her paper in her binder without me seeing the gigantic A+ on top of it. I'm so not used to being average. I've always been stellar in everything I do, so I can't get with these middle-of-the-road grades.

Professor Due gives us yet another writing assignment based on a selection from a Toni Morrison novel called
A Mercy
. I have got to get an A on this one, for real.

After class is dismissed, Gia and I go over to meet Piper for lunch at the Manley Student Center. Mostly, we eat off campus, but this has got to be a quick lunch for me, because I have a stylist meeting me in my dorm with a boatload of clothes for the Grammys.

Piper is already here waiting for us. She smiles at us as we sit down, but I can't bring myself to match her chip-perosity. I'm too bummed about my grade.

“What's wrong with you?” Piper asks.

When I don't reply, Gia says, “She got a bad grade on her paper.”

“It wasn't that bad. It was a C,” I say.

“Exactly,” Gia says. “It wasn't that bad. Professor Due rocks, but she has high standards.”

“You got an A, though. . . .”

“I got an A, because I don't have to go to the studio every other day, and I can actually do my homework. You're trying to do too much,” Gia says.

“Not you too! Everyone keeps saying that to me. I can go to school and do music. It doesn't have to be one or the other.”

Piper says, “Maybe you should just drop your class load some.”

“No. I want to graduate with y'all. I'm not going to be here for six years trying to finish.”

“Maybe, you just need to get more organized. Have you thought about hiring an assistant?” Gia asks.

“You want the job?” I ask.

“Uh, no! I am your friend, so that's not gonna work. Piper either. We're too tight. I was thinking my homeboy Kevin.”

“Does he need the money or something?” I ask, unsure of how I feel about this idea, but not totally rejecting it.

“He could definitely use it. Kevin is here on full scholarship, and his grandparents are barely giving him enough to live on. If it wasn't for that on-campus meal card, he'd be starving to death, but that's not why I recommended him.”

“Well, why did you say him instead of me?” Piper asks. “Because I would so make a great assistant.”

“Kevin is ridiculously organized, and no boyfriend you have would ever worry about him trying to holla at you, because he would never do that.”

“But Kevin is cute though,” I say. “If Sam and I were still dating, he wouldn't be feeling that at all.”

“You and Sam are history, right?” Piper asks. “We don't care what he would think.”

Gia high-fives Piper across the table. “Okay!”

I would join in with their celebration, but I'm not ecstatic about Sam being the past, especially when I have to see him all the time. I let out a long and tired sigh.

Gia touches my arm lightly. “Don't feel bad, girl. You aren't the only one having boyfriend issues.”

“You too?” My eyebrows lift in shock. Gia and Ricky are like the epitome of teenage love.

“Ricky wants to break up. He says that it's too hard staying chaste and being in a relationship.” Gia sounds sad, but not angry.

“Chaste?” Piper asks. “So, you guys haven't . . . ?”

“No. We're both virgins,” Gia says. “We're saving ourselves for marriage.”

Piper takes a long swig of her soda. “Whoa.”

“I'm a virgin too,” I say.

“Are you serious?” Piper says. “Now, y'all making me feel like a skank.”

I throw a French fry at her. “Pretty much.”

“Whatever!” Piper says.

I turn to Gia and give her a hug, even though I'm not a hugger. She looks so sad that I make an exception.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

She nods. “I am. It's just that I'm afraid that while we're not officially together that he might find someone else.”

“If he does, then he wasn't the one,” Piper says. “You just have to know that.”

I rub Gia's back as a few tears drop from her eyes. She doesn't go into a full-fledged cry. I don't think that's Gia's style.

“At least you have your cousin Hope on campus with him to give us the scoop,” Piper says.

This makes us all burst into laughter and dries Gia's tears right up. I wish I could trust Dreya to give me the scoop on what Sam is doing in NYC. It would help me get over him if I knew Sam had moved on.

“Y'all want to help me pick out my Grammy outfit?” I ask. “It might be fun.”

“Negative,” Gia says. “I've got a research paper to do.”

“Me either. I'm going to kick it with a guy I met when I went to sign up for a class at Morehouse.”

“Is he cute?” Gia asks.

“No, girl. He's hot. He looks like a nineteen-year-old Idris Elba! He's tall, and dark, and has an incredible body.”

“I'ma need you to not sound that excited!” I say. “You sound like you're about to melt into a little puddle on the floor. What's his name?”

“James, but everyone calls him L.J. He is so perfectly perfect. I'm so glad I met him. I thought I was going to stay boyfriendless.”

“Maybe I need to get out more,” I say, “because there seem to be hotties everywhere, and I'm totally boyfriend free.”

Gia and Piper both laugh. “DeShawn would so be pouting right now if he heard you say that,” Gia says.

“He's not my boyfriend, but he's definitely a hottie.”

Piper says, “I heard him talking about going to the Grammys with you. He's so pumped.”

“He is, isn't he? That's the effect I have on the poor boy. I hope he's able to contain his excitement.”

Gia says, “Are y'all ready for our Black History Month performance? We've only got two more rehearsals. How are y'all feeling about it?”

Piper and I look at each other and then back at Gia. “You want to go first?” I ask.

“No, you,” Piper says.

I clear my throat. “Gia, honey . . . I don't think I want to do this dance anymore. You told us that a lot of people would join us, but it's just the four of us. I'm not much of a dancer. I was gonna hide in the back of everybody else.”

“I want to do it,” Piper says, “but I think people will look at me strange, because I'm white.”

“I cannot believe y'all,” Gia says. “But I should've known that y'all would flake out on me.”

“What about Meagan?” I ask. “Isn't she still doing it?”

“She quit after the last practice. Sent me a text message,” Gia says.

I put my arm around Gia's shoulder. “I'm sorry, Gia.”

She shrugs me off. “I just wish y'all had told me before. Now, I've got to look all crazy in front of our professor, because I promised this dance, and now it's not gonna happen. What happened to sisterhood, huh?”

I let out a huge sigh. “Okay, dang. I'll do it.”

“Well, I'll have to change a few things if it's just going to be the two of us.” Gia hugs me around my neck.

Piper groans. “Why'd you have to go there about sisterhood? I'll do it too.”

Gia takes one of her arms and wraps it around Piper's neck and pulls us into a three person hug. “Yay. I knew y'all wouldn't let me down. I'm going to make us some beautiful skirts. All you need to get is a black leotard and tights.”

I shake my head. How in the world did this happen? I was supposed to be getting out of this African dance thing. I just know it's going to be on YouTube, and I'm gonna be looking a straight-up mess.

“Okay then,
sisters
. I have to go and look at dresses for the Grammys,” I say as I stand from the table.

“But you didn't eat anything,” Piper says.

“I know. I'll get something later. That C totally ruined my appetite. Do me a favor, though. Ask L.J. if he has any friends. I think I feel like hanging out tonight.”

“Did you read
A Mercy
yet?” Gia asks. “You should probably get an early start, since you've got the Grammys and everything.”

“Listen here, fun police. I need a break.”

Piper grins. “I'll ask him. We can go out clubbing or something. Don't hate on fun, Gia.”

Gia shakes her head. “Well, whatever. I'm on scholarship, so I have to get A's. You slackers can do what you want, as long as you are in the place on Thursday, and ready to dance.”

“Okay,” I say. “Call me, Piper. Gia, I'll see you later.”

I rush over to my dorm to meet the celebrity stylist who's going to hopefully have me looking like an A-list star for the Grammy awards. To my dismay, Dreya is standing outside my dorm with the stylist.

“Girl, I know you didn't have us waiting,” Dreya says as she looks at her watch.

I ignore Dreya and extend my hand in a greeting to the stylist. “I'm sorry for the delay. I had class earlier. Sunday Tolliver, pleased to meet you.”

“I am Anjelica, and I am also happy to meet you.”

At first glance, Anjelica doesn't really look like someone I'd hire to dress me. She stands about four feet five inches tall, and she has shocking white hair, even though her face doesn't look older than about forty. She's wearing a blue crushed velvet cat suit, knee-high leather boots, and a leather jacket with gray fur. I sure hope she can do something other than her look, because, yeah, I'm not rocking anything that looks like that.

“Is there someone who can help carry up my samples?” Anjelica asks.

“Dreya and I can do it. There's an elevator in the dorm.”

Dreya looks at me like I'm crazy. “Girl, you know I don't carry stuff. I am way too fly for that. Can't you call some of your little boyfriends?”

I let out a groan and dial DeShawn's number on my cell phone. He answers on the first ring. “Hey, beautiful,” he says.

“Hi, DeShawn.” I refuse to acknowledge his greeting. “Could you do me a super huge favor?”

“Anything, but keep it PG, because I'm with Ricky and Kevin.”

“Boy, stop! I'm glad you're with Ricky and Kevin though. Can y'all come over to my dorm like right now? I've got this stylist here and she's got all this stuff to haul up to my room.”

“Stylist?”

“Yeah, she's gonna pick my Grammy outfit.”

“Well, of course we can. We're on the Morehouse campus right now. We'll be there in like ten minutes.”

“Okay. Thank you, DeShawn!” I disconnect the call and say, “They'll be here in ten minutes.”

Anjelica says, “While we're waiting on them, I'm going to get some coffee. From the looks of your current ensemble, it's going to take quite a while to make you fabulous, honey.”

Dreya cracks up laughing as Anjelica jumps in her Mercedes SUV and drives off.

“What are you laughing at?” I ask.

“Your non-style-having behind,” Dreya says.

“Come on, let's go upstairs and wait for the guys.”

When we get into my room, Dreya makes herself comfortable on my bed. “This room is too small. It's like being back at Auntie Shawn's house,” she says. “When are you going to get your own spot?”

“Probably next year. Freshmen don't live off-campus really.”

“You don't think they'd make an exception for you? You're a celebrity, and you need more space than this.”

So, because I have a hit record and won an award I take up more space than the average person? Sometimes Dreya's logic is completely crazy, but I guess it makes sense to her.

“I've been meaning to ask you something. Did you put that video up on YouTube from Mystique's wedding?”

“No, but I wish I had!” Dreya says. “I loved how they captured Mystique's face cracking. It was the funniest!”

“That was foul, Dreya. There was nothing funny about that whole thing. How would you like someone ruining your wedding day?”

BOOK: Time to Shine

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