“Sierra is really after you, bruh. What’s up with that?”
I waved my hand at Zach. “Bruh, I can’t mess with Sierra. She fine and all, but Coach already said that during basketball season, we have to let the girls sit on the sidelines. We have to concentrate on winning. So all I got time for is improving my game.”
Zach took the last bite of his sandwich, stood up from the cafeteria bench and stretched. “So far, looks like we may not make it to State this year. If we keep playing like we’re playing, I don’t see it happening, even though you been dropping them three pointers like crazy.” Zach laughed and gave me a pat on the back.
“Thanks, man. I’m trying.”
We left out the Mousetrap and headed to homeroom. When it was time to go to first period, I saw Sierra again. This time she was standing near her locker and some other dude was all up on her. She was grinning all in his face, looking at him the same way she had been looking at me earlier. When I passed by her, she looked at me like she’d been caught stealing or something. I looked off, not like I was mad or anything, but deep down I was sort of pissed but I just kept stepping. See, that’s what I mean about girls. One minute she pretending like she down for me and the very next minute she listening to conversation from the next dude. I don’t need a girl like that. I want a girl who’s gone be true to me, and as much as I wouldn’t mind hooking up with Sierra, I don’t think I could ever trust her. First, she was already popular, she was pretty, and she had a certain something about her that made the guys go crazy over her. But I wasn’t gonna fall in her trap, not if I could help it. I guess being homeless kept me from a lot of things, and Sierra James was one of ‘em.
“Nyl, you see that? Sierra all up on dude. A minute ago she was acting all stupid crazy over you.”
“Nyl, here’s my number, call me,” a girl walking down the hall said and put a piece of paper in my hand as she passed.
“Yeah, I hear ya, but that’s why I don’t trust these girls, man. Especially the ones that look like Sierra. They think they all that.”
“Yeah, but she been at you since school started and the both of you been liking each other real tough. But with all the girls going wild over you, I guess you can choose up on whoever you wanna, huh.”
“Yeah, I ain’t gone sweat it. I got Sierra, bruh. I got her right where I want her.”
“I hear you. Man, I wish I was in your shoes, with the girls going crazy over me,” said Zach, and we kept on stepping.
I thought about if we still had our crib, Sierra would be in for the time of her life ‘cause I would have her so crazy about me, she wouldn’t wanna even look at another guy. But, hey, who knows when we’ll ever have another place of our own. Momz and all her talk about God, but where was God when we lost our house? Where was God when my Pops couldn’t even keep the rent paid on our one-bedroom apartment? And where was God when Momz died? Dang, life is messed up.
I remember when I first saw Sierra. It was when school first started. I still had my old cell phone then, so when I saw that she looked just like Rihanna, I had to step to her and ask for her phone number. She was looking so dang good to me, so I texted her the same night. Everything was cool until about a week later, the phone got turned off, and then a couple of weeks after that, I lost the phone. I think I left it in one of the restrooms or motel rooms where we had been. I can’t remember. I told Sierra that since I lost my phone that my pops had it turned off, which was partially true.
“When are you going to get your new phone?” I remember she asked me.
“I don’t know. Pops is tripping. He said since I lost my phone that I would have to buy my own phone. You gone buy me one?” I asked her one day while we were tripping at school.
“Boy, please. I don’t know,” she had told me. “I might.”
Of course, she didn’t buy me a phone, and I didn’t get another phone. Well, I did get another phone but it was one of those free phones that folks get when they’re on food stamps. Think I was about to let her or anybody at Fairley see me with that kinda phone? No way.
Basketball season started and me and Sierra didn’t have too much time to talk. She was too busy doing her cheerleading thing and I was busy making a name for myself as the point guard for Fairley High.
I was homeless for sure, but I was not about to let it ruin my chance to be one of Fairley’s best point guards ever.