Kendra (22 page)

I stay with Kenny for most of the block party, but I go in and outta the truck and try to have some fun, too. Then, when the sun is going down and things are kinda wrapping up, I tell Kenny I’ll see him tomorrow. But instead of going upstairs, I head straight for Building C before I can think too much about what I’m gonna do. Because the truth is, I don’t really know what I’m doing.

And of course she’s there, sitting on one of the benches next to Asia. The guys are on the basketball court, playing hard and sweating and looking good. Not that I’m checking them out or anything. It’s just that I can see why she been back here all day.

I’m not sure if Adonna sees me or not. She’s sitting there sharing a bag of sunflower seeds with Asia, but they’re not talking. It’s like they’re together, but Adonna’s alone at the same time. She looks nice, though. The weave is gone and her hair isn’t all fancy. It’s just combed back in a ponytail, kinda like mine. And yeah, she’s wearing white shorts, but they’re not all that short, at least not for her. The only thing sexy about her is her top, which is kinda tight and off the shoulders. But even that’s more
cute
than anything else.

I walk real slow over to where she’s sitting, and when I sit on the other side of her, she don’t get up and move. And she don’t punch me in the face again. So I’m taking this as a good sign. I just sit for a while, not saying anything because, really, what can I say to her?

It’s Asia that talks first. She whispers to Adonna, “Oh, no, she
didn’t
.”

But all Adonna does is shrug her shoulders like she don’t care. And she never looks away from the game.

Outta the corner of my eye, I watch her watching the guys, and I can see she’s paying a lot more attention to one guy that’s tall and cute but not Nashawn-cute. I never saw him before, so he must not be from Bronxwood. But he does kinda stand out from the other guys. Plus the fact that he’s wearing probably, like, three-hundred-dollar sneakers don’t hurt him none, at least when it comes to Adonna.

Then I look across from the basketball court to the playground that me and Adonna always used to play in when we were little. We weren’t supposed to go across the street by ourselves, but the swings behind our building were always broken, and over here they had the biggest and best jungle gym in Bronxwood. So we used to sneak over here all the time and, for some reason, when we got here it always felt like we were far away from home. Like we were on our own or something.

Well, until Nana would come around here and bust us. She always had the worst timing, too. She would show up right when we were having the most fun and make me come home with her. It was so embarrassing, not so much in front of Adonna but in front of all the other kids that would be out here with us. Like everybody else could play all day, wherever they wanted, but not me.

The basketball bounces outta bounds a foot away from where we’re sitting. Asia jumps up and grabs it before any of the guys can get it, and she runs away from the bench, laughing,
trying to keep any of them from getting it back. She’s teasing them, flirting like crazy, and I wonder which guy she has her eye on.

Next to me, Adonna calls out, “Don’t give it to them, Asia!” And she’s laughing, too.

Even I’m smiling.

The guys surround Asia and she looks like she’s having the best time, with everybody’s attention on her. I could never be that comfortable around guys like that. That’s why I’m lucky to be with Nashawn. I don’t have to go through all those games.

But since me and Adonna are sitting together, and we’re by ourselves, I figure it’s my chance to say something. So I take a deep breath, one loud enough for her to hear, and say, “I was looking for you all day.”

Adonna don’t even react. She sits there quiet, still watching Asia and the guys. And for a while I’m not sure she heard me, even though I’m sitting right next to her.

So I wait for her to say something, and really, it’s kinda hard to breathe. I mean, she can’t just
not
talk to me. She wouldn’t be like that. At least I hope not.

Finally, she turns to look at me, and I can only stand to look in her eyes for a second because she’s so hurt and so mad, and I’m the reason for it.

“What you did was fucked up, Kendra,” she says, keeping her voice down. “I would never do something like that to you, and you know that.”

“I know,” I say. “You’re right.”

“And don’t think you’re gonna sit here and I’m gonna forgive you. Because you can forget that.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, looking her in the eye again. “I’m really sorry. But I didn’t set out to—”

She shakes her head. “That’s not enough.”

“I know. But you can’t be mad at me forever. I’m still your best friend. Right?”

Adonna looks away from me again, but under her breath she says, “Probably.” And that’s a big relief. “But,” she adds, “I’m not ready to be friends again.”

“Okay,” I say, and I can understand that. I mean, this isn’t like those fights we used to have when we were little. And we had some good ones, too. But no matter what, about an hour or two later, Kenny would make us say sorry and that’s all we needed to go back to playing together.

So I sit there for a while longer. The guys get their ball back, but instead of going back to their game, they get into a slam-dunk contest, probably because they lost one of their players. He’s over in the corner of the playground talking to Asia, who’s leaning up against the fence trying to look cute.

“I’m gonna be here all weekend,” I tell Adonna a couple of minutes later. “Okay?”

“Whatever,” she says, and I know she’s gonna make this as hard as possible for me. But, okay, I deserve it.

Just as I’m about to get up and leave, I see Nana coming across the playground and it’s like I’m having a flashback or something because I know this can’t be happening now. “Babe!” she calls out loud enough for all the guys to hear. “Babe, come out from behind this building. It’s getting dark.”

My mouth flies open, I’m so embarrassed. But next to me, Adonna busts out laughing, just like she always does, and
me and her look at each other for a second. And I know what she’s thinking because I’m thinking the same thing—that this is crazy. That nothing’s ever gonna change.

I shake my head and give up without a fight. “Yes, Nana,” I say, in that voice that always cracks Adonna up.

And it works. She’s still laughing as I walk away. And, actually, so am I.

I mean, really, what else can I do?

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Copyright © 2008 by Coe Booth
Jacket photo: Diane Allford
Jacket design by Steve Scott

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First printing, October 2008

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E-ISBN: 978-0-545-23175-6