“I need the whole team to come back to school tonight,” I said.
“What?” Kia questioned.
“I need everybody to come back to school.”
“What are you going to do, have a vote to decide if the planes can see Lailah?” Kia asked.
“No, of course not. But I do need everybody, or as many people as we can get, to come here for six thirty. That should give us enough time before it gets dark.”
“Enough time for what?” Kia asked.
“Yeah, for what?” Lailah echoed.
I smiled. “It’s a surprise.”
“I love surprises,” Lailah said.
“I think that his surprise isn’t going to involve makeup, fake nails or fancy clothes,” Kia snapped.
Lailah started to say something but I jumped in. “Clothes are important. Nobody should wear anything that’s fancy or expensive.”
“I’m sure Kia won’t have any trouble with that,” Lailah said.
“And Kia,” I said, cutting in before she could answer. “Could you get the message out to everybody and ask them to come back here?”
“Why don’t you call them?” she asked.
“I’m going to be busy getting things ready.”
“What things?” she asked.
“If I told you that, it wouldn’t be a surprise. Will you call everybody, please?”
“I could call every—,” Lailah started to say.
“I’ll call,” Kia said, cutting her off.
“There’s my mother,” Lailah said.
A fancy blue suv had pulled up to the school. A woman got out—she had wavy hair and was very well dressed. She looked and dressed like Lailah, and she waved in our direction.
“I have to go,” Lailah said. “I’ll be back at six thirty.” She smiled at me and then walked away.
“She could have waved back at her mother,” Kia said. “She could have seen her because she wasn’t in a plane.”
“I thought it would be better between you two once you were teammates.”
“Since when do you have to like everybody who’s on your team?” Kia asked.
“Well…”
“Well what?”
“It’s not just that you don’t like her, but that you really, really don’t like her.”
“I don’t like phony people,” Kia said.
“She’s not phony.”
“What would you know?” Kia questioned. “I just can’t handle the way she acts. And what’s even worse is the way the guys in the class act when she’s around.”
“What do you mean?”
“You probably didn’t notice because you act the same way.”
“What are you talking about?” I demanded.
“‘Oh Nicky…look at meee…aren’t I sooo special… and you’re sooo smart and such a good basketball player…you’re like my hero!’ ”
“She’s never said that.”
“It must have sounded something like her, because you did know I was trying to sound like her.”
She had a point, but I wasn’t going to give her that point.
“Maybe she didn’t use those words, but it’s the attitude, the goofy clothes with goofy nails. If you can’t see it, then you’re as stupid as everybody else.”
“If I’m so stupid, how come I came up with an awesome idea?”
Her expression softened. “What’s your idea, and why do you want everybody to come here?” she asked.
“I guess you’ll have to wait until six thirty to find out.”
“Come on, you can tell me. You know I hate surprises.”
“I’d really like to tell you, but I’m a little stupid and the idea just slipped from my mind. I’m sure I’ll remember by six thirty though. I’m not that stupid.”