5
I was so busy hurrying through that morning fog to get to the bus stop that I hadn’t noticed the four girls coming straight at me until it was too late.
“Fuck you think you’re going?” Mika sneered so close to my face I could smell her bad morning breath.
I tried to take a step back but one of the other girls had closed me in. In fact there was one on all four sides of me. “I’m going to school.”
“Yeah? Why bother? ’Cause they ain’t teaching you the right shit,” spoke out a heavyset girl wearing a bad weave and the wrong clothes for her figure.
“Naynay, you got that shit right.” A short, petite girl wearing braids and a scowl poked me at my side.
“Excuse me. I can’t miss my bus.” I tried to maneuver away from them but they only pressed against me tighter.
“I can’t miss my bus,” the one behind me mimicked me but I couldn’t see her face.
“What you think, you some white girl? Going to that fancy-ass school?” Mika accused me.
“No, I just want to get an education.” I knew I shouldn’t have antagonized them.
“And you saying we don’t, bitch?” Mika snapped.
“No, I’m not saying that, but I can’t be late.” I could hear the fear in my voice. Being late scared me because I knew my teacher would send me the office, where everyone would hound me to talk about my feelings. But I was definitely more afraid of what these girls would do to me. “I just don’t want any trouble.”
“You should have thought about that shit.” Naynay spat the words out at me.
“Yeah, when you stepped on my territory you were looking for trouble.”
“No, I wasn’t. I just moved here.” I could hear myself pleading with them. I’d been hating God for taking my mother but I started praying I’d get out of there alive.
“I’m not talking that kind of location. What, you tryin’a act stupid? Tryin’a piss me the fuck off?” Mika poked her fingertip against my forehead. I must have looked as confused as I felt.
“She act like she don’t know what the fuck I’m talking about. All that school and you still a dumb bitch.”
“I got to go.” I tried to push through the human wall they’d built around me but they were stronger and more determined.
“She’s talking about D-Waite,” the voice behind me shouted, her hot breath stinging my ear. I felt my stomach do flip-flops at the mention of his name. It actually hurt to hear it out loud.
“Yeah, you can’t come into our hood, stealing our men. You may look like some innocent-ass schoolgirl but maybe that’s just your stripper act.” Naynay glared at me.
“Look, I don’t want any trouble.”
“Then you need to step the fuck off and keep your ass away from her man.” Hot breath seethed in my ear.
“So he’s your boyfriend?” I spoke directly to Mika, who didn’t hide her surprise at my question.
“No, he’s not my boyfriend,” she mocked me. “We’re fuck buddies and I plan to keep on fucking him so I don’t need no stuck-up bitch cock blocking me.”
I had never heard the term “cock blocking” but I had a pretty good idea what she meant. “Then you don’t have to worry because I’m not planning to have sex with D-Waite.”
“Bitch, who you calling worried? I’m just letting you know that you need to watch your back before I watch it for you.”
“That’s right, bitch,” Miss Hot Breath screamed in my ear before banging her fists on my back.
“Hey! Get away from her,” a familiar male voice screamed out. It caused them to back away.
“You better watch yourself!” Naynay kicked me in the butt and raced off to join the others.
“You all right?” Preston came up to me.
“I’m fine.” I kept moving toward the bus stop.
“Yeah, well whatever you did to piss those hoodrats off you need to stop it. I’m not always gonna be here to rescue you.”
“I didn’t ask for you to rescue me!” I snapped, stomping away, but he stayed on my heels.
“Yeah, well anybody could see those girls meant business. This ain’t Brooklyn Heights or Park Slope. These girls don’t play by no rules. They will hurt you and not think twice.”
“I can handle myself.”
“Yeah, I see that. I can be an important ally to you, Gabby. People respect me. All I need to do is put the word out and nobody will bother you. I told you that you need a man to look out for you.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be looking out for my aunt?” I couldn’t help glaring.
“I am looking out for her! But that don’t mean I can’t look out for you too.”
“I’m good. Gotta go.” I took off racing to catch the B54 coming up the street.
“Gabby!”
I turned to see D-Waite bopping up the block from the other direction. I could see Preston watching out the corner of my eyes. I didn’t dare swivel all the way around to see if Mika and her girls were close by. I raced right past D-Waite. For a moment our eyes locked and I could have sworn I saw hurt in his eyes. Maybe it was my imagination because I desperately wanted to believe that I wasn’t the only one affected after our time together, that it was the one part of my life that had given me hope in the last couple of days.
I got on the bus and squeezed all the way to the back just to catch the smallest glimpse of his head. I turned and looked out the window to find Preston watching me watch D-Waite, a hostile stare on his face.