No Mercy (19 page)

“Whatever,” Misty says, rolling her eyes at KJ who ignores her. Without much of a protest Misty walks toward the back entrance. Before she makes a clean exit she doubles back and addresses me. “Is that a car alarm I hear?”

Several people look out of the gate to check for their cars but the sound continues. I pull out my keys and push the alarm button. The noise stops immediately.

“My mom’s car!” I say
, running toward the shattered glass on the curb. The passenger’s window is busted, the tires are flattened, the speakers have been ripped out of the doors and my leather jacket is gone. There was nothing else in the car worth taking; I put my iPod and accessories in my purse pocket.

             
“Damn, Jayd,” Mickey says, sipping on something else she has no business drinking. “I’m sorry but you know it’s one of the consequences of parking in the hood, no matter how much they tried to fix up this side of LA.”

             
Don’t I know it? This car’s been broken into several times over the past few years, usually right in the parking garage at my mom’s apartment building. But with all of the flyy cars lined up and down this street the thieves chose mine. This is definitely personal and there’s only one person who would be interested in seeing me cry: Misty by way of Esmeralda.

“Why you got to go and say some insensitive shit like that?” Nigel says to Mickey. He and Chase followed me out front with a small crowd behind them.

“Watch how you talk to me, boy,” Mickey says, belligerently tipping her red cup at him.

“I got your boy,” Nigel says, ready to check Mickey, damn the consequences.

All of my friends and a few nosey onlookers stare on as I try to make sense of what’s happening. I think I did something wrong when writing my incantation because it has failed miserably.

“Is everything okay?” Keenan asks, coming out with his cell to his ear.

I break down, completely sobbing in Keenan’s arms.

“Jayd, it’s
going to be okay,” Keenan says, hanging up his call and wrapping his strong arms around me. I’m getting his Sean John long sleeved shirt wet, but Keenan pulls me in closer, unconcerned about his attire.

My friends try to keep each other from getting dragged too far into Mickey and Nigel’s raging argument. Mrs. Esop’s going to flip when she gets wind of this, which should be any moment.

“When is it, Keenan, because I can’t take much more?” I don’t know what to do about Misty, Mama or anyone else close to me, and I failed at my first solo task as a priestess without my grandmother here to help. “I hate this shit.”

He strokes my hair
, listening to every word. “Come on, Jayd. Let’s get you out of here. I’ll call my automobile club to tow your car wherever you want it to go.”

“But what about the party?” I ask, looking around as Mickey gets more hoodrat by the minute. This isn’t a good look for Nigel whose mom charges out of the front door as we speak.

“I think it’s taking a turn for the worst,” Keenan says as Mrs. Esop removes her hostess apron and passes it to his earlier escort. “Come on. My truck’s parked up the block. Besides, we haven’t had a chance to talk much lately.”

I look around at the chaos continuing to unfold and choose to separate myself from my broken friends. It’s not my fault they don’t know how to act in public, but I definitely feel partially responsible for not being able to stop the shit before it hit the sorority house. 

“Can you have my car towed to my mom’s?” I ask, following Keenan.

“Whatever you need, Jayd,” Keenan says, holding my hand. “I got you.”

"
I’m deflowered and I gave it up to the wrong person.”

-
Nellie

Drama High, volume 13: The Meltdown

~15~

GROWN ASS

“Welcome to my home,” Keenan says, flipping the light switch on to reveal the neat bachelor pad.

“Wow,” I say, in awe of his space.
It’s an upstairs single apartment. The long entrance opens up to walls filled with DVDs, CDs, records and magazines with a tall column of books in each corner.

“If a thief came in here he’d be very disappointed.” Keenan smiles and opens the deep brown curtains revealing a
perfect view of Westwood and UCLA.

“Don’t be so sure,” I say, placing my purse down on his desk. “That’s what I used to say about my mom’s ride.”

“I’m sorry about everything that happened tonight, Jayd,” Keenan says, dimming the lights. “At least the car’s safe and sound at your mom’s apartment.” Keenan passes me a music catalogue and the remote to his iPod dock next to the small couch at the foot of his bed.

“There’s no such thing as safe for me.” I toss the music collection onto the couch and blindly press play.

“Fela. Good choice,” he says, joining me by the window.

              “It’s just not right.” I look out into the darkness and feel lost yet I know I’m on the right path. I guess that’s how Mama felt in her last dream. She was clearly out of character but swears she was in control.

             
“It certainly feels right to me,” Keenan says.

             
I stare back at Keenan’s reflection in the glass, my green eyes searching for his true intentions. Does this brotha know the only thing keeping me from invading his mind is my self-control?

             
“No offense, but when you walked in with that chick tonight I was a little taken aback.”

             
“Who, Sadie?” Keenan turns me around by the waist. “She’s just a friend and a partner in good deeds, if you will.”

“
She’s a stunningly voluptuous Brazilian college broad who you see on a regular basis. I’m not exotic and never will be.”

“
I, girls like that are a dime a dozen around here. To find a passionate, conscious, intelligent, mysterious, and damn fine sistah like you is rare, green contacts and all,” Keenan says, making me blush.

“Keenan, there’s a lot going on in my world that you don’t know about.”

“Then enlighten me, Jayd. Please.”

“I don’t know if you’d still feel me the same way if I told you everything.” Keenan has been a good friend, even coming to Pam’s homegoing ceremony when he didn’t know her. He should be able to handle all the crazy that comes with being friends with a priestess.

My confession is almost ready to pour out but Keenan cuts it short by kissing me. I take in every movement of his full lips. He gently bites my bottom lip and then kisses my throat.

“Yes, Jayd. I feel you.” Keenan nibbles at the base of my neck and continues moving south.

              “You know what I mean,” I say, bringing his head back up to my lips. I take control, this time kissing him passionately in return.

             
We fall onto the couch where I’m still in control. I’ve never felt a surge of energy like this toward anyone before. My hips move like my ancestors’ to the drums beating in the background. The saxophone cries out and increases the song’s tempo. Keenan lifts me up and places me on my back in one swift move. Football sure does his body good.

             
“Keenan,” I moan, breaking away only to again get caught up in his gaze.

             
I stare into his brown eyes and see my own in the reflection. I don’t recognize the woman staring back at me. What am I doing? I know I should be focused on my failed work and not this moment no matter how good it feels. Unfortunately, I don’t belong to myself right now, not until Mama’s completely healthy and my eyes are back to brown.

             
“Are you on birth control?” Keenan says, directing my movements. He’s ready to prove KJ wrong and I want to let him, but I can’t stop thinking about all of my issues.

             
“I’m sorry, Keenan,” I say, easing from up under him. “It’s just not the right time for this.”

             
“I don’t understand,” Keenan says, pecking my cheek. “I thought this was going so well.” He moves to my ear nearly incapacitating me.

             
“Keenan, I’ve got too much on my mind. I should probably go,” I say, pushing him off of me. I try to get up but Keenan pulls me down onto his lap and holds me.

             
“No pressure, Jayd. Tomorrow I’ll take you anywhere you want to go, but it’s too late to go anywhere tonight.”

             
“Keenan, thank you.” I place my head on his shoulder and relax. I’m grateful that he’s so understanding. The time will come for me to make love and when it does I want to be in my right mind.

             
“So, what’s the main thing on your mind, Jayd?” Keenan asks, settling down. “And I know it’s not your car or your friends.”

             
I know I can’t divulge all of my family goods but I can tell him the gist of it. “My grandmother’s neighbor, Esmeralda has the upper hand in a long-standing feud between her family and mine. Until I figure out how to get control of the situation I can’t let myself relax, no matter how much I may want to.”

             
“Well then, I say we pull an all night brainstorming session until we figure this shit out, because this Esmeralda lady is messing up my flow and we can’t have that.”

             
“Oh really?” I say, playfully pinching him in the side.

             
“Ouch, girl!” he says, grabbing my hands. “You know what I mean.”

             
“Yes, I do.” I kiss Keenan and he returns the affection. We’d better stop before we find ourselves too far gone again.

“Okay, I’m all ears,” Keenan says, backing up. Even if he can’t help with the spiritual side, he may see something that I can’t and I need all the help I can get.

Keenan
listened to me talk all about mi vida loca and didn’t try anything else for the rest of the night. He actually gave me some very insightful suggestions on how to handle all the drama I seem to find myself in the middle of, including shaking my crew for good. We fell asleep on that impossible note. I’ve considered a total rebirth more than once since starting senior year. So far, I like the life that Keenan’s introducing me to, which happens to be very similar to the same reality Mrs. Esop wants me to be a part of.

I’m surprised that
he left me in his apartment all alone. If Mickey or Nellie were left in a dude’s home without supervision they’d take it as an opportunity to snoop and call each other for blow-by-blow details of what they think they found. I see it two ways: I wouldn’t want anyone invading my privacy like that, and you never know where the cameras could be hidden. Call me paranoid, but I don’t put anyone above spying. Trust, I had to resist the urge to snoop but I figure Keenan wouldn’t leave me alone in his space if he had something to hide.

“I hope you l
ike coffee and donuts,” Keenan says, forcing me up. He slept on the couch allowing me to completely take over his bed. Keenan’s so sweet to let me sleep in while he ventured blocks away to get us the most famous and affordable pastries in Westwood.

“Sounds perfect,” I say, reaching for a paper cup and glazed donut. “And thanks for the sleep over. I haven’t slept
that soundly in months.”

“Glad to be of service.” Keenan claims a sugar twist and coffee and joins me on the bed. “I hope the conversation was helpful, too.”

“Oh, it was,” I say, taking a big bite of my breakfast. “And if nothing else you brought clarity on my friends’ situations.”

“I hope Nigel’s as receptive when we meet later on at the football meeting. The coach and older players have to sit down with all of the new recruits and check for their futures.”

“Nigel’s future’s on lock; no worries there,” except for his love of all things shiny no matter where they come from, but Keenan doesn’t need to know about the unsolicited gifts Nigel’s accepting from other interested schools. I’m sure he had the same thing happen to him when he was on the draft list.

“Were you not at the same party I was last night where his hoodrat of a baby mama caused a scene, with his mother in the house no less?”

“She’s not a hoodrat,” I say, defending my friend even if he’s telling the truth. “Her name’s Mickey and she’s actually very sweet when she wants to be.”

“Yeah, okay,” Keenan says, digging into a cake donut, one of my favorites. “And then there’s his best friend, Rah.”

“What about Rah?” I ask, taking a piece of his donut. “They’re like brothers and he definitely gets Mrs. Esop’s seal of approval.”

“He’s a thug and Nigel would be wise to shake him before it ruins his career. I had to let go of my friends from the old neighborhood for the same reason. Every smart athlete has a talk with himself about what he wants to achieve and the sacrifices needed to get him there.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, defensively. I don’t like the sound of this meeting.

“It means, like I told you last night, that some things have to go in order for you to grow—friends included. Do you want the last donut or can we split it?”
Keenan asks, making light of the fact that my entire world has shifted right before my eyes.