Boy Trouble (2 page)

I
t was time to call it a night. Mynique had ruined the whole mood and I hadn't even been able to enjoy myself the past twenty minutes. J. Love was trying his best to get me to go to some after-party with him. But I was a little salty with him because while he hadn't encouraged Mynique, he'd done nothing to shut her down. That wasn't a good move for him. He was already on my bad side because of the way we'd broken up. He'd treated me like crap when somebody had told him that I'd leaked something to the press. Turns out it had been a hacker/stalker, but the fact that he hadn't even given me the benefit of the doubt had severely damaged our relationship. Every time I tried to give him another chance, he did something like this to make me mad. But I couldn't deny the fact that J. Love was all that and then some. Not to mention the fact that his record was the hottest joint in the country right now. Still, I'd blessed him with my presence enough for one night.

“You ready to go?” I asked Kennedi.

“Yeah,” she said. She claimed that she'd been on the dance floor all night, which was why she'd been MIA. But I didn't know if I believed her. She'd been in a foul mood most of the evening. I think it had something to do with her new boyfriend, Kendrick. Even though she kept denying it, she'd really wanted to go out with him tonight since she'd just gotten back in town. K, as I called her sometimes, had been living in Orlando, but her dad's job had transferred him back to Miami so she'd moved back two weeks ago. Personally, I'd thought she'd be upset about having to leave school her senior year, but she was happy to be back near me and Kendrick, whom she had been dating for the past month.

Tonight, though, Kendrick had had to go out of town, so Kennedi had been “stuck hanging out with me.” When she told me that, I straight gave her the side eye. Nobody had to be
stuck
doing anything with me. It was a privilege to be with Maya Morgan. But since she was my BFF and I knew she was mad at Kendrick, I let her make it.

Kennedi and I had been friends since we were little. Our mothers had been friends for years. Even when she'd moved to Orlando, we'd hung out as much as possible. She had been there through every guy I'd ever dated—from my first boyfriend to my last.

“Yeah, let's go,” Kennedi said, standing up from the seat she'd been plopped in for the past fifteen minutes.

I said good-bye to J. and promised to call him later. He wanted me to wait so he could walk me out, but his manager wanted him to meet some bigwig at MTV and I didn't feel like waiting. Besides, I had Mann with me.

“I still can't believe they had a party with no valet parking,” I said as I thought about the two-block trek we had to pick up my car. “Where they do that at?” I moaned.

“I can go get it,” Mann offered.

I probably needed the exercise because I had missed my Pilates class this week so I sucked it up, and said, “Naw, we're good.”

“Well, let's go,” Mann said. I debated sending him on home, but I'd learned my lesson. The last time I'd done that, some creep had assaulted me in the mall bathroom.

Kennedi and I joked about some of the people at the party as we were walking. Mann stayed just a few feet behind us, close enough to stay on top of things, but far enough to give us our privacy.

We had just rounded the corner when Kennedi stopped and grabbed my arm. “Isn't that your girl?” she said, pointing.

I looked to the right and saw Mynique and Demond deep in conversation, and he did
not
look happy. In fact, he leaned in front of her and jabbed his finger in her face.

“Whoa,” Kennedi said, pulling me back so they couldn't see us.

“Oh, dang!” I replied as I fumbled to get my iPhone out of my clutch. Mynique and Demond were going at it. Oh, I was definitely about to record this. Now that iPhones were in high definition, we could easily use this video on my show. I stepped to the side and zoomed in as much as the camera would go as the two of them argued.

“Miss Maya,” Mann said, in his warning voice. But I shot him a look. He knew that I had a job to do—shoot, it was what kept his pockets fat—so he usually let me do my job with no interference.

We strained, trying to listen.

“Dang, I wish I could hear what they are saying,” Kennedi whispered.

“Shh!” I motioned toward her. I didn't need any extra noise in my video. But I did slither along the wall just a little bit until I got to a point where I could hear better.

“You got me messed up!” Demond screamed. That definitely was loud enough for us to hear. It was what happened next that almost made me drop my phone. He hauled off and hit Mynique so hard it sent her tumbling to the ground. He then reached down, picked her up by her hair, and slammed her up against the wall.

While I desperately wanted to keep filming, this was one thing I couldn't stand—a guy putting his hands on a girl. So, I knew that I needed to step in.

“Hey, what's going on?” I asked, stepping around the corner.

Demond glared at Mynique, but did release her, and she scrambled to pull herself together.

“Is everything all right?” I asked, walking up to them.

“What's up, Maya? I was just having words with my girl,” Demond said.

“Are you all right?” I asked, looking at Mynique.

Mynique cut her eyes at me. “Why don't you mind your own business?” she snapped, trying to brush all the dirt off her blouse. “Oh, I forgot, your janky behind doesn't know how.”

“Wow,” I replied, my eyes fluttering in shock. “I'm over here trying to keep you from getting your behind beat and you want to snap on me?”

“Like I said, don't worry about what's going on over here,” she said, glaring at me like I was the one who had just Floyd Mayweathered her behind.

I couldn't believe this chick. I actually had to stop and do a double take, then make sure I wasn't being Punk'd. Finally, when I saw she was dead serious, I threw my hands up.

“I hope he beats the crap out of you,” I said, before turning and stomping off.

Kennedi turned and took off after me. Mann was right behind her.

“She's lucky I don't fight,” I huffed. “Because I'd knock her in the other side of her jaw.”

“Calm down,” Kennedi said. “They're just having beef. That's all.”

I shook my head as we neared my car. I was still fuming.

“You all right?” Mann asked me after I unlocked my car door. He'd parked right next to me.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm fine,” I barked.

He nodded and got in his car. He kept his eyes on me while I continued venting. I knew he wouldn't leave until I drove off, but I was too mad right about now.

“See, I was trying to help her and I wasn't going to use the video, but the way she just acted, you better believe you're going to see this on
Rumor Central
first thing Monday morning,” I told Kennedi.

“Maybe you shouldn't do that,” Kennedi said. “No, in fact, I know you shouldn't do that. You don't want to put her business out there like that.”

I stopped and stared at her. Since when was
she
the one trying to worry about someone's feelings, especially someone like Mynique Foxx?

“Really, K?” I said. “Did you not just see the way she acted toward me? And this was
after
she tried to push up on my man earlier.”

“You said yourself, you don't even like J. Love like that.” I stood with the driver's-side door open. Kennedi was on the other side of the car.

“She totally disrespected me,” I said.

“So? It's not like you're in some gang or something. Who cares if she disrespected you? I'm just saying, leave it alone.” She got in the car and closed the door.

I looked at my friend and raised an eyebrow. Yeah, Kendrick had her all messed up because there's no way the Kennedi I knew would ever have let something like that go.

I got in as well, waved to Mann to let him know I was good, and pulled out into the main street in front of the club as Mann went the other direction.

“So you don't have a problem with him hitting her like that?” I asked Kennedi as we pulled up to the red light down the street from the club.

“All I'm saying is, that's their business,” Kennedi replied. “You should just . . .” She stopped speaking in midsentence as her gaze went out the window and across the parking lot on my side.

I turned to see what she was staring at, but there was no one there but a guy and girl cuddled up against a black Escalade.

Kennedi squinted in their direction, then mumbled, “Oh, I don't think so.” Before I knew anything, she threw open the car door and darted off across the street.

“Kennedi!” I quickly pulled over into the parking lot and jumped out as well. “Kennedi,” I repeated. “Where are you going? What's going on?” I yelled, scurrying to catch up with her.

She didn't say anything as she stomped across the parking lot like a girl on a mission. I had no idea what had my BFF in a rage, but I kept after her, determined to find out.

A
s I got a little closer, I could see what had lit a fire under Kennedi. Leaned up against a black Escalade, his arms around the waist of some girl with blond micro braids and an inflated butt, was Kennedi's man, Kendrick. The two of them had met at a party a few months ago. Kennedi usually didn't give guys the time of day—she'd had her heart broken in tenth grade, so she wasn't trying to go down that road again. That was why I'd been surprised when she'd told me that she and Kendrick were officially a couple. But the first time I'd seen him, I'd understood why. Ol' boy had it going on. He was fresh to death, six feet tall, light butterscotch skin, with mad swag. Think a taller, buffer Drake. And I'm talking rapper Drake, not
Degrassi
Drake. So, I got why he would be the one she'd say yes to, but Kendrick gave her the blues. He made Kennedi crazy, and I didn't like seeing my girl so strung out.

Like now. We were classy chicks. We didn't go off on dudes in public like some hood rats, yet that's exactly what Kennedi was doing.

“Are you kidding me?” Kennedi screamed, stomping over toward them.

“Kennedi,” Kendrick said, pushing the girl away as he jumped back.

I wanted to tell him he was cold busted so there was no need to act like he hadn't been doing what we'd both seen him doing.

“I—I . . .”

“I nothing!” Kennedi snapped as she mushed his face. “I thought you were supposed to be out of town?”

“I—I—I . . .” he stammered, unable to complete his sentence.

The girl finally spoke up. “Um, Kendrick, do you want to tell me what's going on?”

“Nobody is talking to you!” Kennedi screamed.

“Excuse me?” the girl said, wiggling her head and going into true sistagirl mode.

“Don't talk! This ain't about you!” Kennedi put a hand up to shut her up. I couldn't believe it, but the girl actually got quiet.

Kendrick actually looked like he was trembling. “Yeah, see, um, no—I was, um, I was supposed to go, and what had happened was . . .”

I crossed my arms and stared at him. Anytime a dude starts talking about “what had happened,” you know he's about to tell a lie. Kennedi thought that I didn't really cut for Kendrick because they spent so much time together, which meant we spent even less time together. But it wasn't that at all. I felt like he was a player. I had warned Kennedi of that, but she said I didn't have any proof. I had proof now and I wondered how she was going to play this out. Whether he was a cheater or not, though, my main reason for not feeling Kendrick was because he had Kennedi's nose wide open. I had never seen my girl so head over heels for a boy.

“No, babe,” Kendrick said, taking a step toward her. “It ain't even like that. I just . . . this is just . . . Um, this is, um, this is my friend, uh . . .”

“Bambi,” the girl said, folding her arms and getting an attitude again.

“Your mama really named you after a deer?” I couldn't help but ask.

She rolled her eyes but turned back to Kendrick. “Yeah, Bambi”—she sucked her teeth—“the chick Kendrick was just about to take back to his place. Are we still going?” she asked with major attitude.

“Your place?” Kennedi shouted. “Where are your parents?”

“Parents?” Bambi said, shocked as she swung her micro braids. “You live with your parents?”

“Yeah, since he's just nineteen!” Kennedi snapped, glaring at Kendrick like she wanted to kill him.

“Ugh!” Bambi said, like she was utterly disgusted. “You told me you were twenty-three. Punk.” She stormed off, and for a minute, Kendrick really looked like he wanted to go after her.

I was just about to tell Kendrick that he was a no-good, lying dog, when next thing I knew, Kennedi hauled off and smacked him. I'm talking straight across the face, slapped him like a scene out of a movie.

“You lying piece of crap!” she said as she hit him again and again. He put his hands up to block her.

“Get off me!” he yelled.

I was stunned so I didn't move immediately, but when she started kicking him, I jumped on my girl and pulled her back.

“K, chill!” I said. “Have you lost your mind? What are you doing?”

By that time, several people had looked our way and had started making their way over, and I knew what that meant. They'd have their phones out and recording.

“You need to chill out!” I said, pulling her away. “What are you doing?”

“I trusted you!” Kennedi ignored me as she jerked free and screamed at Kendrick, kicking him and hitting him again.

I managed to grab her again and pull her back because I was surprised he had just protected himself and hadn't hauled off and hit her back. I didn't believe a guy should ever hit a girl, but I also didn't believe a girl should hit a guy. And no one could say anything if he turned around and knocked Kennedi out, because she was really out of order. I struggled to drag her away, stunned by how she was acting. I finally managed to get her to the car as she continued screaming and crying.

“Are you for real?” I said, once I had pushed her into the car. She sat there, mad, her arms folded, her chest heaving up and down. “He is such a liar!” she cried.

“Okay, he's a liar, but did that mean you needed to jump him?”

“I didn't hurt him!” she snapped. She turned and stared out the window. “I can't believe him!” Tears were streaming down her face. I'd never seen my girl act like this.

I sat there for a moment, shock setting in. “Wow!” I said. “Kennedi, what's really going on?”

She rolled her eyes and simply said, “Can you just take me home, Maya? I'm not in the mood to talk.”

I wanted to push her some more, find out what in the world had made her flip out, but I think I was too stunned. So I just started the car and slowly backed away.