Courtin' Jayd (6 page)

“Hey Mickey, when's the baby due?” Misty says, giving Shae and Tony a good chuckle. Without any warning, Mickey lunges at Misty, causing Misty to run away—or get into a physical fight with Mickey, and I know she doesn't want that.

“Come back here and say that shit to my face,” Mickey says as Nigel holds her back from running after her prey. “Tricks are for kids, Misty. When are you going to grow the hell up?”

“Temper, temper,” KJ shouts as the rest of his crew slowly disperse to class. I hope my boys kick his ass.

“I gotta roll,” Jeremy says, hitting Chance in the shoulder while indicating he should get to class too. They have English with Mrs. Bennett first period and even if she is cool with them, she's never completely chill about the school's rules. After all, she is the chair of the AP department and has to set an example of perfect bitchiness for the rest of the teachers.

“Yeah, we'd better get going. You want me to walk you to class?” Chance says to Nellie, who's still shocked at Mickey's reaction toward Misty. I guess since Mickey might be pregnant, in her view she should also act like it. Wait until Nellie finds out Mickey really is pregnant; then the judgment will go into overtime. I can already tell Nellie's going to be the auntie from hell in Mickey's eyes.

“Yes, thank you, baby. See y'all at break,” she says, turning her attention toward Mickey and me. I look at Mickey, who has managed to wrestle free from Nigel's grip, but not for long.

“Mickey, can I talk to you for a minute?” Nigel says, obviously not letting Misty's comment go. He can feel something's up by the way Mickey went after Misty.

“I have to get to class. I'll see y'all at break,” I say, escaping before I get dragged into this mess any further. “I'll tell Mr. Donald you've got my back for this one.” It's bad enough Mickey told me she's not only with child but that her plan is to con my homeboy into turning the maybe-baby into his; she swore me to secrecy on top of that. What the hell?

 

Since we had such bad luck with a nosy-ass Misty overhearing us in the restroom, we opted for our next favorite quiet hangout by the library. I finally got my English paper back. Mrs. Malone wasn't as vicious with her red pen this time around, but I still only got a B-minus—my lowest grade in her class to date. I just can't get into what I'm not feeling, and sometimes that means taking the lower grade.

“I told Nigel about the baby,” Mickey blurts out before I can open my pack of peanut M & Ms. I'm craving nachos but the student store was out of them so I opted for chocolate instead. Today I'm craving my favorite foods, like I'm the one expecting.

“Why would you do that when you don't even know if there is a baby yet?” Nellie says between sips of her sparkling water. “Or if he's the daddy.” I look at Mickey sitting next to Nellie and Nellie looks at me for validation that she's right. I look at Mickey and hope she tells our girl the truth before I crack under the pressure.

“There is a baby and Nigel is the father,” Mickey says biting the head off her Drumstick ice cream cone like it's the best dessert she's ever tasted. From where I'm standing, Mickey already looks like she's eating for two. I don't know how long I'll allow Mickey to live in her fantasy world where she was a virgin until she met Nigel, but I'll play along for now. At least she told Nellie half the truth.

“Yesterday you weren't sure who the father was. What changed?” Nellie asks, rising from the small bench they're sharing to join me at my post up against the shade tree. I've been sitting all morning and need to stretch my legs. Even without Nigel as my escort, Mr. Donald didn't trip on me for being late because he was too busy grilling another student about her attitude. I still need to holla at Nigel before the day is over. I'm getting some information out of him about Rah if it's the last thing I do.

“What changed is my priorities,” Mickey says, giving us both an evil glare. She already knows how I feel about it and she knew that Nellie would definitely have a problem with her trickery too. “You were right. My man's not going to be the best father and as the mother I get to decide what's best for my baby and that's Nigel as the daddy.” We stop talking, allowing a few students coming out of the library to pass by.

When they're out of earshot, I say, “Like it's really that simple.” My girl's living in la-la land if she thinks everything's up to her. “Fathers do have rights, you know,” I say, though by the look in Mickey's eyes, I know she's not hearing me.

“Jayd, ain't nobody worried about the father's rights. The daddy is who I say it is and neither one of them can prove any different.” Devouring her cone, Mickey sits unaffected by her fictional world. I know she can't believe that either her man or Nigel's going to give her any child support without knowing if the baby is theirs beyond a shadow of a doubt. They both must have more sense than that.

“So you've never heard of a paternity test?” I remind her, snapping Mickey out of her personal reality and back into ours. “You know they require those before they grant child support.”

“Yes, but there will be no need for all of that,” Mickey says, opening her bottle of Mountain Dew and downing three big gulps. “Nigel's so sprung on me he's ready to break up with Trish for good and make us permanent. We're going to be a family.”

“Mickey, do you honestly think I'm going to stand by and watch your foul-ass instant family pop up while you punk one of my best friends?” Who does she think she is, the knocked up version of Cinderella?

“He's your friend, but he's my man,” Mickey says, giving me a sly smile I've never seen before while taking out the silver MAC case from her purse. “Who do you think he'll believe?” Mickey says, licking her lips in the compact mirror. Now I see she's really tripping. “Me or you?”

“You can't do this to him,” Nellie says. She's so upset she's spitting water as she talks. “If you don't tell Nigel, I will,” she adds, stepping up to Mickey like she's ready to go to blows with her. Damn, all I need is my girls at each other's throats again. We barely made it through our last fight unscathed, I don't know if we can survive another one so soon.

“Whatever, Nellie,” Mickey says, rolling her eyes at our girl while she puts her makeup back in her purse and takes a sip of her drink. “Like he'll believe a word your little sell-out ass has to say.” Nellie takes another step forward and Mickey looks at Nellie, daring her to take the first blow.

“Mickey, you're not thinking clearly,” I say, stepping in between them to diffuse the situation before it gets too ugly. “You were all over Trecee for lying about KJ being the father of her baby. Why would you turn around and pull the same shit?”

“Because this is completely different and I'm not lying. There was no chance that KJ could have been the father of her spawn,” Mickey says, rising from her seat and dusting the crumbled peanuts from her ice cream off her miniskirt. “As far as I'm concerned, Nigel is the daddy,” Mickey says, rubbing her flat belly. I can't imagine that nine months from now Mickey's going to be somebody's mama, especially not my homeboy's baby. “Don't ask me how I know but I can feel it and I'm not going to be a fool and let him slip away from me.” Nellie backs away from Mickey, realizing now that our girl has completely lost it. “And why aren't y'all getting on Nigel? His behavior was just as foul as mine.”

“Yes, but he's not being deceitful to cover it up,” Nellie says. Having had enough of Mickey's ghetto logic, Nellie begins to walk away from the library toward the main quad where we can see everyone hanging out and enjoying the cool, sunny day, including our boys. By the time she makes it all the way over to where they're standing, break will be over. Watching Nellie approach them, the boys look up and notice our hiding spot. Mickey nods at Nigel who begins to head our way. Good, he'll save me the walk. I want to get my inquisition about Rah out of the way early.

“I'll see you after school Jayd,” Nellie says over her shoulder, nearly jogging to where Chance is waiting with Jeremy. I hope she doesn't open her mouth, at least not yet. Truthfully I would prefer it if Nellie did let it slip rather than me having to tell them. The best thing is for Mickey to be honest about the entire situation, but I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

“Don't hate the player Nellie. Hate the game,” Mickey shouts after her as she gulps down the remainder of her soda. Nellie looks over her shoulder to throw Mickey one last evil glare before meeting up with her man and my ex.

“Why are you being so nasty with her? She's just trying to help you,” I say, tossing my trash into the wastebasket by the front door. I wish I could toss her ass in there for the way she's acting but I can't. She was there for me when I needed her and she even came through for Nellie after the madness that girl put us through. Now it's our turn to help her see straight.

“When has Nellie ever tried to help anyone of her own good will?” Mickey waits a second for me to answer but I've got nothing. “Never, and this time is no exception,” Mickey says, picking up her book bag from the ground next to her feet and putting her arms through the straps. “She wants another chance at Nigel and this is her perfect opportunity to make herself look good and me like a slut.”

“Mickey you don't really think that, do you?” I say, amazed at how quickly she is ready to misjudge her best friend. Her and Nellie are tight and keep each other in check. But right now Mickey's the one who's out of line. “Nellie has done more for you than she has against you. You shouldn't be so quick to turn on her.”

“Have you forgotten about what we just went through with that girl? She turned on us at the first opportunity to hang out with the rich girls. That's who she is—a wannabe—and I'm not letting her at my man.” Damn, this is getting too serious too soon. And speaking of moving too fast, here comes the reason we're in this mess to begin with. I told Nigel and Mickey I didn't like the idea of them dating, but nobody ever listens to me until it's too late.

“By the way, your other man, also known as your maybe baby-daddy, is on his way over here.” Chance and Jeremy both nod a “what's up” at me as I watch Nigel approach.

“It's not a maybe anymore, Jayd. I really am pregnant,” she says, sounding more like she's trying to convince herself than me.

“I know that, we've got the proof. But the father's identity is still up for grabs, no matter what you say.” Mickey glares at me hard as Nigel moves in. His face is more sullen than usual. I know he must be tripping over Mickey's revelation and worried about his girlfriend's reaction to the news too. I'd hate to be in either of their shoes right now.

“Well, tell him I'll be right back. I've got to pee,” she says, racing through the library door to use the restroom. It's going to be interesting to watch her growing belly develop. I hope her moral compass grows a little too.

“Hey, Jayd. What's going on over here?” he says, giving me a hug and looking over my shoulder. “And where did Mickey run off to?” Nigel looks toward the library, knowing she wasn't in a rush to check out any books. That's not our girl's style.

“Oh, just girl talk. Mickey had to use the bathroom. What's up with you and your boys this morning?” It's ironic that he, Chance, and Jeremy have become homies, but not surprising. They are the most popular dudes up here, each with their own unique flow, which makes them equally desirable. Chance is the silly but cute white hip-hop rich kid, but not as wealthy as his half-Jewish surfer counterpart, Jeremy. And well, Nigel's the black quarterback hustler from the hood, making him the most wanted of the trio. They make an irresistible crew. No wonder KJ and his boys feel so threatened by them.

“Well, I guess you know about the baby,” he says, instantly looking like an embarrassed little boy who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, this time literally. What is it about getting girls knocked up that brings out the innocence in these dudes?

“Yeah, I do. You and KJ have something else in common besides being good athletes,” I say, not wanting to rat my girl out but making sure Nigel doesn't get played in the process. I've known him longer and my loyalty is slightly torn between the two of them. Like Nellie said, if Mickey doesn't come clean to Nigel, I will tell him myself, but not yet. I'll give her the chance to be honest about the situation before it completely blows up in her face.

“Oh yeah? What's that?” he says. I forget he came in a few weeks after school had already started, missing the first week of drama I went through with KJ and his crazy almost baby mama, Trecee.

“Girls all over the world would line up at the chance to have your baby. It must make you feel good to be so wanted. Just be careful not to get caught up while you're out here creeping,” I say, shifting my weight from one foot to the other, as if the slightest difference would give me some sort of height advantage to look him in the eye. Like most people I meet, Nigel's much taller than I am and looking up at him for too long makes my neck hurt.

“What's that supposed to mean?” he says, folding his arms across his chest and cocking his head to the side with a very serious frown on his face. Despite his irritation, he looks cute in his orange FUBU sweat suit. I love how his chocolate brown skin looks in bright colors and the way he dresses. I also like the same things about Rah.