Maya's Choice (17 page)

“Yeah, over there in that far corner.” Keysha nodded in their direction. I glanced over at Viviana and she mockingly waved at me.

“I am going to crack her damn skull open!” I said, dropping my beach bag and marching toward Viviana. Rage just consumed me, and all I wanted to do was get her back for what she'd done. I'd almost reached Viviana when Keysha grabbed my arm by the wrist and jerked me to a stop.

“Hold on, Maya. As much as I want you to beat her down, it's going to have to wait,” she said.

“No, Keysha, she's got it coming and you know it!” I raised my voice. Keysha maneuvered around me and was now
standing directly in front of me. “If you do this right here and now, you're going to force me to either join the fight or break it up. If I join it, then you know your little sister is going to get involved and I don't want to beat up my best friend's little sister. If I break it up, then I'm going to have to kick you out, and I don't want to do that, either.”

“Keysha, get out of my way,” I said, trying to step around her. I could see that Viviana had risen to her feet and was tying up her hair in anticipation of a fight.

“Let her go, Keysha,” Viviana said, provoking me.

“Come on, Maya, please. Don't do this here,” Keysha begged.

“Then kick her out!” I snapped. I noticed how other people at the pool were paying attention to the drama unfolding.

“She hasn't done anything. If I kick her out for no reason, you know your sister will show her how to file a complaint against me. You know the rules, Maya.” Keysha now had both of her hands firmly on my shoulders and was controlling my movements.

“Fine!” I snarled. “I live with her. I'll see her later on and deal with her then. Now, let me go,” I said.

“Are you sure you're cool?” Keysha asked.

“I'm cool,” I said. When she released me I walked to the other side of the pool, removed my cutoff blue jean shorts and T-shirt, then got situated on a lawn chair. I took out a fashion magazine I'd brought along and started thumbing through it. About an hour later, Misalo entered the pool with his friends. I was happy to see him, even though I had not spoken to him since I'd last seen him at the gym.

“Hi, baby,” I said, reaching out my arms, expecting to give him a hug and a nice passionate kiss. But Misalo just stepped away from me and sat down in the chair next to me.

“What's that all about?” I asked, feeling very offended.

“I don't know, Maya, you tell me. What is it all about?” he asked. Misalo was clearly angry with me, but I had no clue what I'd done to make him so upset.

“What are you talking about?” I said, attempting to charm him with my pretty smile.

“You've really pissed me off, that's what's up.” If looks could kill Misalo would have shot me down right then and there.

“Don't use that kind of language with me,” I warned.

“Oh, now you're going to tell me how to express my own freaking anger? You know what, Maya, go screw yourself!”

I snapped at him. “Who do you think you're talking to?”

“You!” Misalo said, not backing down.

“Okay, what could I have possibly done to make you this angry?” I sat up and then turned to face him.

“The way you treated me at the gym, Maya. You treated me like I was an annoying fly buzzing around your picnic basket.”

“No, I didn't,” I disagreed.

“And Carlo. I see the way you look at him. You're thirsting after him. Are you seeing him behind my back or something?”

“Baby, no. Not at all. Carlo means nothing to me,” I said, taking his hand into my own.

“Could have fooled me—even your mother looked like she wanted a piece of him,” Misalo continued.

“Leave my mother out of this,” I said, giving him a second warning.

“Why are you doing this to us? Don't you understand how much I love you?” Misalo asked. I could tell his heart was very wounded.

“I'm not doing anything, baby,” I said, trying to get him to believe that my words were true.

“You haven't even called me, Maya. What's that about?” He asked a legitimate question to which I responded, “You wouldn't believe how crazy the past few days have been. My cousin Viviana has moved in with us because her mother abandoned her. So, I've been dealing with all of that drama. I'm sorry for neglecting my boo. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?” I asked as I rubbed his thighs with my hands.

“I don't know.” He crossed his arms and glared at me hard, as if he thought I was lying.

“Please?” I begged as I craned my neck up to meet his lips. I paused briefly to make sure he wouldn't move. Then I gave him the most passionate kiss I could summon.

Viviana and Anna eventually left, which I was all too pleased about. I had no clue as to where they were going and I didn't care. Misalo and I got hungry, so he told his friends that he'd catch up with them later. I told Keysha I'd call her later and fill her in. After that, I left the pool to spend the rest of the afternoon with Misalo addressing his insecurities and jealousy. Since Misalo had the car, we drove over to Country Club Hills and got something to eat at Sonic Drive-In. Afterward, Misalo and I headed over to the movie theater to see what was playing.

“Beastly,”
he said, reading the marquee.

“We should see that. I hear it's a romantic movie.” I looped my arm around his and rested my head against his shoulder.

“You sure that's what you want to see?” he asked.

“I'm positive,” I said as I kissed him on the cheek.

 

I barely made it home in time for dinner, as my mother had requested. Not that it would have mattered, because all hell was breaking loose when I arrived. Apparently, while my mother was in Anna's room she ran across a bag of Viviana's that had what appeared to be stolen jewelry and a small amount of pot in it. When I walked in, I had to listen to the “just say no to drugs” speech just like everyone else. When my mother was done I walked up to Viviana and said, “You'd better grow eyes in the back of your head because I haven't forgotten what you did.”

“Back up off of me, Maya. I'm not in the freaking mood!” Viviana issued a threat of her own.

“I don't care what mood you're in, trick! You'd better walk lightly and sleep with your damn eyes open,” I said and then pushed her. I was ready to fight right then and there. I was ready to roll and rumble and deal with the consequences afterward. However, I was befuddled when Viviana refused to defend herself and fight back. I looked into her eyes, which were filling with tears.

“I don't feel sorry for you!” I barked and was about to kick her when Anna stepped in front of me.

“Leave her alone, Maya. Mom came down on her pretty hard before you got here about bringing pot into the house.”

“As she should have! If it were me I'd kick you out of my house.” My words were merciless.

Anna pushed me away. “Maya, seriously. Leave her alone.”

VIVIANA

The
following morning when I awoke I had a massive cramp in my neck and back, from sleeping on the sofa bed in the basement. I stood up and stretched my body in an effort to work out the kinks. Now that Grandmother Esmeralda was gone I was sleeping on the sofa bed, but I didn't know how many more nights I could take with a metal bar stabbing me in my back. I went to the bathroom, flipped the light switch, stood in front of the mirror and ran some water. I opened the cupboard and retrieved a fresh facecloth.

I was really messed up emotionally after Aunt Raven had gone off on me about the stolen jewelry that I picked up at the party. She nailed everyone for it with an all-family drug talk, but I knew that her comments were really meant for me. I was totally ready to own up to doing that, but the weed didn't belong to me. The fact that she thought I did drugs and would even think of introducing something like that to Paul or Anna really hurt. It meant that she really had a very low opinion of me and that she'd never fully trust me. I mean, to a certain degree I could have lied about the stolen jew
elry and said that I found it or something, but the pot I just couldn't explain. The only thing I knew for sure was that it didn't belong to me. But that didn't matter now because everyone in the house now viewed me as a drug user. I felt like I wanted to crawl under a rock and never show my face again.

After I washed my face and brushed my teeth I took a long look at myself in the mirror and was about to beat myself up some more when everything became clear.

“Maya!” I spoke her name. “Maya set me up. She's the one who put the weed in my bag and left it laying around so her mother would find it when she was cleaning up. Ugh!” I slapped my forehead with the palm of my hand. “Why didn't I see that it was Maya who did this to get even with me? That's why she told me to grow eyes in the back of my head. It was because she was always going to be in the shadows setting me up.” I punched the palm of my left hand with my right fist a few times out of anger and revenge.

“Okay, Maya, you want to play like that,” I murmured to myself. “If you want to play that dirty, then you got it! I'm going to be just as cruel!”

 

Later that day I found myself once again hanging out at the pool with Anna. I was fuming on the inside just waiting for the right opportunity to do what I needed to do. The usual suspects were there. Keysha was on duty. Maya was sitting on the other side reading, and there were a number of kids, teens and parents enjoying the weather and water.

“Are you okay?” Anna asked. “You seem really tense. I
know my mom came down really hard on you and all, but she'll forgive you. Trust me, I know.”

“I'm cool, Anna,” I said, remaining as calm, cool and collected as I could. I had a plan that I needed to execute and I was just waiting for the right moment.

“Okay, I was just making sure,” she said as she relaxed and continued to sunbathe.

About twenty minutes went by before Carlo arrived. I tapped Anna and said, “Carlo is here.”

“Really? Where?” Anna immediately sat upright and scanned the pool until she found him. As soon as Carlo entered the pool he walked directly over to Maya.

“Ugh, why doesn't she leave him alone? Why does she keep sending him mixed signals!” Anna grumbled.

“I won't tell you what I really think because she's your sister,” I said.

“She's a freaking slut.” Anna said it for me. “Look at her. She's freaking giving him the okay to rub suntan oil on her. What the hell!”

“Wait a minute, look over there.” I pointed to the far right.

“Oh, here comes Misalo. Oh, I can't wait for him to see this,” Anna said.

Misalo was on his cell phone talking to someone and wasn't really paying attention to what was happening on the pool deck.

“Oh, no! Aw, man!” Anna whined.

“What?” I asked.

“Look. Keysha must've spotted Misalo and is telling Carlo to stop.”

“I really don't like her at all,” I said, biting down on my bottom lip.

“And I really don't like the fact that Maya is toying with Carlo,” Anna said. “Something needs to be done about that.”

“You're right,” I said as I reached for my cell phone and stood up.

“Where are you going?” Anna asked.

“Well, little cousin. Sometimes a girl has got to do what a girl has got to do. I'm about to go raise some hell.”

“Wait! I'll walk with you. Carlo is leaving and I want to talk to him,” Anna said.

Anna and I walked through the clubhouse and out onto the sidewalk. Anna rushed after Carlo while I waited to intercept Misalo.

“Hello.” I smiled at him.

“Hi,” he said and was about to continue on, but I stood in his path and got his full attention.

“Can I talk to you for a minute? It's really important,” I said with a nice pretty-girl smile.

“Dude, let me holler back at you,” Misalo said to the person he was talking to. He closed his phone and tucked it inside his front shirt pocket.

“What's up?” Misalo asked.

“You remember me, right? I'm Viviana, Maya's cousin.”

“Yes, I know who you are,” Misalo said.

“Good.” I paused as I opened my cell phone and searched for the video clip I was looking for. “I know it's none of my business, but I thought you should know that Maya is playing you for a complete idiot.”

“What are you talking about? Maya and I love each other. She'd never do anything to hurt me,” Misalo said confidently.

“That's not entirely true. You see, the other night she and I were at a party together and she invited Carlo instead of you,” I said, feeling justifiably wicked.

“Bull!” Misalo said, totally unconvinced that Princess Maya could do any wrong.

“I thought you might say that. Here, take a look.” I showed Misalo the video of Maya and Carlo dancing together. The way she held on to him and the way she melted in Carlo's embrace when he started singing in her ear was too much for Misalo to take. He began pacing back and forth and calling Maya every name in the book. I got a twisted joy out of pulling Misalo's strings. I felt as if I were shooting my own personal episode of
Cheaters
.

“There is more,” I said as I recalled the clip I'd just taken. I showed Maya allowing Carlo to put oil on her body and how they'd stopped when they knew Misalo was approaching.

“Oh, hell no! You've got to be freaking kidding me!” Misalo punched the palm of his left hand with his right fist.

“Wait a minute. Calm down,” I said, placing one hand on his shoulder. I couldn't help it—the opportunity was there so I took it, and while slipping my hand into his shirt pocket I took out his phone. “If I were you I'd march onto the pool deck and let her have it!”

Misalo's chest heaved with anger and contempt. He'd turned into a scorned lover filled with jealousy, rage and betrayal. “Thank you, Viviana.” Misalo hugged me briefly and then, like a shooting comet, rushed toward Maya. I stood
smiling at the madness that I'd caused. I opened up Misalo's phone and to my delight it had not relocked itself yet. I took the liberty of scrolling through his pictures and was blown away when I came across several photos of Maya posing in her underwear.

“Oh, this is just too easy,” I said, laughing to myself. “Maya, you truly are a tramp. So, you want to plant pot on me, aye. Well, let me show you how evil I can be.” I attached her underwear photos to a text message and sent it to all of Misalo's contacts.

By the time I walked back onto the pool deck and took my seat, all hell had broken loose. Misalo was going ballistic. He had his finger pointed between her eyes. He looked as if he were about to pimp slap her. When Maya tried to move, he grabbed her and forced her into a seat. Maya couldn't charm her way out of her own deception. I took great joy in watching her run away from Misalo, crying uncontrollably. Keysha, being the dutiful friend she was, followed her.
I wonder if I can report her for leaving the pool unattended while people are still in the pool swimming,
I thought to myself as I powered Misalo's phone off. I rushed over to him so that I could return it.

“Hey, I'm really sorry, but I thought you should know,” I said.

“Thank you,” Misalo said as he swallowed hard.

“Look, you dropped your cell phone,” I said as I handed it back to him.

“Thank you,” he said once again before leaving.