Careful of the Company You Keep (17 page)

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Authors: Angie Daniels

BOOK: Careful of the Company You Keep
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It was time for me to intervene. “Well, Mr. Peterson, obviously that didn't help.”
He shook his fat head. “I'm really sorry.”
I just bet his sorry ass was. “So now what?”
“All three girls will be suspended for the rest of the week and can return on Monday.”
“Let me get this straight. You're suspending her for defending herself.”
“Rules are rules.”
“And rules can be made to be broken.”
He cleared his throat and I could tell he was getting a little agitated. “We just can't tolerate that kind of behavior in this school.”
Tamara swung around and faced me. “Aunt Danny, because of fighting I'm getting dropped from National Honor Society.”
I remembered Tamara calling me and how excited she was when she was asked to be a member of an organization that was predominantly white. “What's one got to do with the other? She's still an honor student.”
“Students in the organization set an example for the rest of the students. Students that are caught fighting are not positive role models.”
I rose from the chair and slammed my hands on the desk. “That's a bunch of BS. So just because she got into a fight she is no longer deemed worthy of being part of an honors organization.”
“I'm sorry.”
“Not half as sorry as you're gonna be when her mother gets here.”
As if she had been standing outside the door waiting for her cue, Renee stepped into the office. She looked from her daughter to the fat man across the desk and pursed her lips. “What the hell is going on in here?”
27
Renee
I had dropped my phone in the damn toilet. Can you believe that shit? Yep, exactly. In a toilet full of shit.
It was hooked to the side of my jeans. When I raised them and turned around to flush, my phone fell off and into the toilet. By the time I fished that damn thing out it had already suffered water damage. I went down to the phone company only for them to tell me it wasn't covered by my insurance, so I had to buy a new one that cost me almost three hundred dollars. I wanted to scream. By the time I got home and got the message that Tamara had been suspended, it was already an hour old.
I glared over at Victor's buck-tooth ass. I remembered when I was seventeen. Victor had a mad crush on me back then. And I was curious what it was like to be kissed by a white boy. I let him but he kept scraping my tongue with those big-ass teeth of his.
“I asked a question. What is going on in here?” I glared across the desk. Obviously, Victor had no idea Tamara was my daughter because he looked like he was ready to pee on his big ass. By now, you know I have no sympathy for mothafuckas that pee on themselves.
Danielle blurted out. “Nae-Nae, he got the nerve to suspend Tamara for a fight she didn't even start, and that's not the worst of it. She's been removed from National Honor Society.”
My girl Danielle, I should have known she'd have my back. She looked like she was about to tear him a new asshole. And that was good, because I was going to help her dig it.
“Victor, you know good and damn well Tamara is no troublemaker.”
Nervously, he adjusted his collar. “I realize that, Renee, but rules are rules.”
“And rules are made to be broken. That shit ain't fair and you know it. Look at my daughter's face.” I rushed over and cupped her chin. I took in every scratch, every bruise, getting angrier by the second. “Which one of those big Amazons hit my daughter?”
“Both of them, Mama! They were trying to double-team me.”
“What?” I looked over at Victor and rolled my eyes. “Didn't I tell you two weeks ago my daughter was having a problem?”
He leaned back in the chair. “Yes, and I addressed your concerns with their mother.”
“Obviously your
addressing
didn't work,
otherwise
her face wouldn't be looking like this. Y'all supposed to be protecting my daughter. I mean . . . come on. Who's supposed to pay these medical bills?”
His brow rose. “You don't have health care?”
“You damn right I have health care. I'm not some project ho. But just because I have insurance doesn't mean I have to pay for this. Your school should be held accountable.”
He gave a short laugh. “Come on, Renee, you're being ridiculous.”
“No, I'm not. In fact, I think you're still holding a grudge because I wouldn't date your big-headed ass.”
“Mama,” Tamara whined under her breath, then sank low in her chair. My daughter was embarrassed by my behavior, but so what. She better be glad someone was trying to take up for her.
“Renee, I think this discussion is inappropriate.”
Danny started laughing. “Actually I think it's quite amusing, especially since he's been trying to hit on me for months. Maybe that's why I got called to the office all the time.” She turned to me. “Renee, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that sound like sexual harassment to you? He wouldn't even drop one of Portia's detentions until I came to the office to meet with him.”
“Yep, sounds like harassment to me.” I glared over at him, daring him to say something.
He took a deep breath and I could tell he was trying to choose his words carefully. “Listen, you both are blowing this out of proportion. I am suspending Tamara and dropping her from the organization for participating in a fight. When Danika tripped her, if she had just come to me instead of hitting her in the nose, none of this would have happened.”
I rolled my eyes to the ceiling, wanting to make it loud and clear I had straight attitude. I could tell the exact moment Victor knew I was about to blow, because his pale ass turned beet red.
“Okay, so let me get this straight,” I said loud and indignant. “If a kid is getting beat up by another student, they are supposed to just act like a punk and get their butt kicked in front of the whole school?”
“Well, I . . .”
“But that's just what you said. So if my daughter receives bodily injuries or even worse, is killed behind some BS, the school would be liable, right?”
He mumbled something that wasn't understandable.
“You gonna have to speak up, because it sounded to me like you said no.”
He cleared his throat. “Renee, you're putting words in my mouth.”
“Then you need to man up and explain.”
Victor sat up straighter in the chair. Men, black or white, hated when you call them a punk. “I'm sorry, Renee. But the school cannot be held accountable for the behavior of their students.”
“Oh, but you're going to be liable for any damages that happen to my daughter.” I swung around and faced Tamara. “Princess, are you all right?”
She looked nervous as hell. “Yes.” I gave her the look and she quickly started shaking her head. “No.”
I leaned in and took a closer look. “I'm no doctor, but it looks to me like you might need some stitches in your top lip and you're holding your neck funny. We might need to get that looked at. Danny, you're a nurse. What do you think?”
Danielle chimed in. “I think she might need to be checked for a concussion.”
I nodded in agreement, then moved to lean over, resting my palms on his desk. “And I'm sending all those bills to the school, and don't even think about not paying them because I'll slap a lawsuit on the school district and get the NAACP involved.”
Tamara pleaded with her eyes for me to shut up and quit embarrassing her.
Whatever
. That girl should be glad Danny and I were taking up for her.
“Renee, I-I don't think we . . . we have to take it that far,” he said, stumbling over his words. “I think I can make an exception and let Tamara continue to be a member of that National Honor Society.”
“Wise decision. When can she return to school?”
“She can return on Monday.”
Danielle rose from her seat. “And what about homework? Because up until this point my goddaughter has been an honor roll student, and this event in no way had better affect her academically!”
“I know that's right.” I gave Danielle a high five.
I could tell he was intimidated at having two black women leaning over his desk because he reared back in his chair. Any farther and he would fall back onto his big ass.
“You can pick her homework up every evening or I can ask the teachers to e-mail you.”
“E-mail would be more convenient,” I replied roughly.
I turned toward the door. “Come on, Tamara, let's get out of here.”
She scrambled out of the seat, anxious to get out of the office and home as quickly as possible. I still don't get what she's embarrassed about.
As we stepped out of the office I almost ran right into the two Amazons' mama and could see that they both got it honest. Big Bertha was at least six feet with a pair of boobs that almost put my eye out.
She turned to the daughter on the right. “Is this the girl that got y'all suspended?”
Grinning, the nappy-headed one to her left nodded, then looked over at me as if to say, “Ooh, you fin to get it!”
I reared back. “Correction,
your daughters
got my girl suspended over some BS. What you need to do is teach them some home training.”
“They get plenty of home training!” she barked back.
“Obviously not, because if they did they would have had sense enough not to double-team my daughter.”
“Uh-uh, Mommy, I jumped in to help Kiandra,” the fattest one insisted.
Tamara smacked her lips. “I wouldn't have hit her if you hadna tried to trip me.”
I chuckled. If she jumped in, then that meant Tamara was beating that ass!
You go, girl.
I straightened my face and glared. “It sounds like your girls started the whole thing.”
“Nah, they finished it,” she slurred, sending spit flying across at me and Tamara. We both wiped our faces in disgust.
Danielle moved forward. “Damn, if we needed a shower, we would go home and take one.”
“I know that's right. Keep them gorillas away from my daughter, otherwise I'm coming for yo ass.”
She glared at us and we glared back.
Mr. Peterson finally got off the phone and hurried to escort the family of Amazons into his office. “Sorry for the delay, Mrs. Tolliver. Please come on in.”
She pushed her girls into the office and it wasn't until she brushed past me that I noticed the back of her dress was bunched inside a pair of holey-ass grandma panties. I bumped Danielle in the arm and signaled with my head for her to look. We both started laughing.
Mrs. Tolliver swung around angrily. “What's so funny?”
“You.”
“And those holey-ass drawers you're wearing,” Danielle added, then grabbed my hand as we both ran out of the room cracking up.
“Did you see their faces?” Them four-eyed girls and Mr. Peterson were all stuttering when they realized her big booty was on wide display. I was too through.
“Gosh, y'all are so embarrassing!” Tamara groaned when we reached my car.
“Girl, you need to be glad you got us in your corner.”
“Why do y'all always have to be so loud?”
Danielle moved over and gave her a hug. “Poor Little Tammy,” she began in a baby voice. “You know I'm going to make sure no one messes with my little girl.”
“I know that's right. Now stick your lip in and let's go and get some ice cream,” I ordered with a playful pat to the head.
Danielle agreed, then hopped in her car and followed us over.
We each ordered a sundae with everything on it. After Tamara gobbled hers down, she excused herself and went to the bathroom.
“You think she's going to be okay?” Danielle asked.
“Yeah, she's a soldier just like her mother. You know Tamara is all about appearances. She was more embarrassed having me come down than she was getting jumped by them two girls.”
“Yeah.”
There was a momentary silence while she took another bite of her ice cream. Even though my head was down I could feel her staring at me.
“You know I'm still pissed at you.”
I raised my head from my bowl and met her eyes. I tried to look innocent but Danny wasn't going for it. I could see the hurt and disappointment. I expected it, but it didn't make it any easier to deal with. “Yeah, I know, and you have every reason to be.”
“That shit was grimy, Renee.”
“I know and I'm sorry.” There, I said it. And just so you know, I don't say sorry too often. “I was just trying to help you out but things got a little carried away.”
“A little? Calvin was having a little afternoon snack when I walked in.”
“Actually it was a feast,” I teased.
“Ho, shut up,” she barked although I could tell she was struggling to keep a straight face.
I was laughing, then got serious quick. “Danny, I'm sorry really. I really didn't know you were feeling Calvin like that. If I had known, I never would have even went there with him.”
Danielle gave me a skeptical look. I'll admit that in the past I've done some scandalous shit, but I have never
intentionally
slept with a man if I knew he was involved with one of my girls, and that's on the real.
“Don't you remember screwing Kayla's man?” Danielle asked as if she could read my mind.
“Because I thought she didn't want him,” I cried defensively.
She took another spoonful of her ice cream although her eyes never strayed far from mine. “I'll admit it was partially my fault. I should have never asked you to get involved in the first place. I should have just been up front with Calvin. Instead, the shit blew up in my face.” Pondering, she chewed on the spoon. “I didn't realize how much he meant to me until I saw him with you.”
“Are you sure you don't just want him so that no one else can have him?”
She shook her head. “No, that isn't it at all. I really do care about him a lot.”
“Okay, so what's stopping you from working things out? He really loves you. That man has been blowing up my phone. You need to take him out of his misery.”

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