From the moment I step on campus, I’m bombarded with all sorts of questions, and I already wanna turn around and go back home. Half of the people are asking about what happened this weekend, and the other half are asking about something I’ve put out of my mind. My nerves are on edge with each question being asked, because all this is doing is making things more difficult for me to stay out of the spotlight.
“Yo, Yasir, I didn’t know you had hands like that. You should hit Michael B. Jordan up for Creed IV.”
“You’re blowing up on TikTok, bro! I heard a few Beach Creek girls been trying to see about you.”
“Wow, we thought you were dead, my guy. We didn’t hear anything from your circle the whole time you were down.”
“Is there anything we can do for you? We heard you’re still suffering some side effects from almost drowning.”
“Man, Ian and Chris must be breathing a sigh of relief that you’re alive. I’d be finding a way to sue, for real.”
What in the entire hell did I just walk into this morning?
I don’t wanna think about any of that nonsense, especially when there wasn’t much of a reprisal after that. Disappointing. Probably would have had to keep my head on a swivel in the A, but then again, Squad had my back.
I almost wish they were here, or at least that they knew I almost died.
I shift those thoughts out of my head while dealing with another wave of people coming through to check on me. I’ve never had so much as a passing greeting with most of these kids, and now they feel the need to come through and… I mean, I’m trying to understand what half of them are so hyper about, while the other half are on some fake sympathy train.
I shoot a text at Kyle while in class, asking if he’s seen or heard anything I don’t know about, waiting for his response to be the usual benign-slash-nothing-to-see-here. What I get doesn’t resemble the usual, not by a long shot, especially when he jumps me into the group chat with the rest of the clique.
Bro, I don’t know how that managed to get bigger, but you’re all over the net today, Kyle replies. Can’t get away with anything, since everyone is recording it all.
Yasir, you good, bro? Taylor chimes in. I know this ain’t what you asked for, and hopefully we can find out who posted that out there. You got enough going on with the boat incident stuff floating around, too.
Yeah, I wanna say I’m good, but that’s a whole lie.
I get caught between wanting to burn everything to the ground and hiding inside the nearest ditch to escape everything. I text back, Someone obviously wanted me to see that, and they wanted the world to see it, and it wasn’t a good thing. I’ll be all right for now, but nah, I’m not trying to get used to the spotlight.
I feel that. Let me and TK get to work a bit and see what we can find out, Kyle responds. I think I have a clue who might have done it, but I need to be sure.
I avoid the stares that no longer have anything to do with the war that Ian used to wage when it came to my physical appearance and the scents I wear. That’s dead now. Hell, I almost welcome that negativity over the adulation being heaped on because I helped handle some idiots from a rival school. And this BS about wanting to make sure I’m okay? Yeah, that needs to be deaded soon, too, because I’m not here for that, either.
“Is everything okay, kiddo? You feel a lot more agitated than usual.”
I jump in my seat, but not enough to draw attention. I completely forgot that Gamba’s still roaming around in my head. I take a quick breath and scan around me to make sure everyone is still paying attention to the discussion on the book we’d read and retreat to the recesses of my mind. “I got caught on camera when we were dealing with those jokers from Beach Creek.”
“So what is the problem? Any publicity is good publicity, right? Especially when Ian has been off your back for the past few days,” Gamba points out. “As I understand it, he has more important things to worry about, right?”
I can’t have a conversation with Gamba in the middle of class. I’ll look like I’m completely spaced out. I ask Mr. Trice, our English teacher, if I can go to the restroom, making up an excuse that I’m not feeling well due to the side effects of the medication. Once I step out into the hallway, I search for the first empty classroom and duck inside. The minute I think I won’t be interrupted, I sit in a chair and journey into the recesses of my mind.
We settle into a sitting room in my mind that I created whenever we need to have a convo, and I grab a lemon iced tea while Gamba drinks water. I take a sip or two first, working through the chess game in my head. “Ian’s found a new angle; I can feel it. We need to find out more about him, and I don’t mean what the fluff pieces of the town newspaper do on him and his family.” As far as I’m concerned, the best defense is a good offense. “From the day I hit Oakwood Grove, he’s been trying to ruin whatever reputation he thought I had, and I haven’t been here that long. It’s become a borderline obsession. Not to mention how weird his dad acted when he learned who my father was…”
Gamba strokes his beard, studying me. “Let your new friends do the digging for you for now. There is no need to get caught up. Besides, if he is still on you, he will feel the counterattack coming and try to blame this on you.”
“You might be right. I have friends now. I should trust them to have my back.”
“Yes, you should. No one can handle anything alone. It is a blessing that you have people around you to help.” Gamba leans back in his chair, chuckling. “I know it isn’t an easy time, there are so many questions that have yet to be answered, but until they are, just take things as they come.”
I offer a chuckle and a shrug. “Every day might not always be good, but there is always something good in every day.”
Gamba smiles. “I like that. You should keep that when you’re feeling stressed, and I can’t get to you quickly. It’s perfect.”
I disengage and head back to my conscious mind, realizing that I have enough time to get back to class without causing a stir. I take my seat, breathing deeply before I find out where we are in the discussion.
“Mr. Salah, is everything okay?” Mr. Trice inquires with a furrowed brow.
“Yes, sir, I’m okay.”
“Good, now that you’re back with us, can you please explain the significance of Black Boy by Richard Wright? The first question from last night’s discussion homework?” Mr. Trice states as he leans against the front of his desk.
So all eyes on me to answer the question, huh?
Okay, let’s do this. I hear Gamba whispering in my mind, “You’ve got this, kiddo. Blow them away.”
I give the question some thought, smiling as I feel Gamba sending a warm and comforting energy through me. Yeah, Mr. Trice wants my thoughts on the book, he should be careful what he wishes for. “Mr. Wright was convinced, through his fictional accounts, that the true problem of racism is not that it exists, but that it is woven so deeply inside the fabric of American life that it may take generations to extract its influence, but not without destroying American culture altogether. Is that what you were looking for, sir?”
The class erupts in oohs and ahhs over the response, and the smile I see coming from Mr. Trice shows I had gotten the answer to my question. I’m sitting at my desk, soaking in the appreciation for my words, and for the first time this school year, I actually smile.
There’s always something good in every day.
…
It takes the rest of the school day for Kyle and the rest of the boys to find out who’s behind the viral video, but the wild part is that Ian had nothing to do with it. It doesn’t make sense. We’ve been on this whole frenemy arc since I got here, and he’s been trying to pull me into a spotlight I didn’t want to be bothered with, and he has every reason to do it. He needs the attention off his party debacle and what happened to me.
But the clique did find out that we weren’t off the mark entirely… Eric put the video out there, not Ian. I guess he thought if it came from another school that it wouldn’t come back to bite him. Yeah, right. But that’s not the funny part about all of this.
That video managed to convert a few of Ian’s crew into begrudged fans, each of them showing a tempered respect for my ability to hold my own against hated rivals. The boy that I put down had me by at least a hundred pounds, and the rumors flew around both schools. He ended up becoming the subject of memes and all kinds of other embarrassing status messages all around social media, adding fuel to a wildfire I had hoped to not have to handle.
It’s one thing to be the hunter. It’s quite another to be the hunted. After seeing what I can become and what I can do once Gamba and I are in sync, I prefer to be predator instead of prey.
Things hit a crazy pitch once I get to Zahra in the courtyard, and I’ve had about enough of the circus atmosphere that I didn’t ask for. Several different “promoters” want to try to turn me into the next Jake Paul and put me up against the Beach Creek kid for a boxing match. I got hit up during class, and I’ve just told one more person that I’m not interested before I even get to our spot under the Oak.
Never mind the approving glances and comments from the girls around school. It will only be a matter of time before someone catches smoke from Zahra, and I don’t need her to get suspended over nonsense. Kendyl turned into a whole bodyguard to keep her bestie from chopping anyone’s head off.
“Z, baby, let them go. They’re only seeing me because I’m the hot flavor of the day.” I cup my hands around Zahra’s face. “I’m not stupid. Half of these wannabes are doing nothing but developing selective amnesia right now.”
“I don’t care. They don’t get to be all reckless and I can’t do anything about it,” Zahra counters. “I swear by Nahara, I’ll set these little girls on fire if they even breathe in your direction.”
“I love that you’re territorial, I wouldn’t expect anything less from a Kindaran girl, but I promise you, there’s nothing any of them can do for me.” I press my lips against her forehead, giving up a smile when I hear a soft moan escape from her mouth. “That’s better. Now, we need to focus on more pressing matters, like why is Eric trying to raise my profile and what does he hope to gain from it?”
Kyle walks up with Kendyl in tow, tapping fists with me as the girls group together. The expression on Kyle’s face worries me a bit more than I want to admit. “That had to be the worst bait-and-switch I’d ever seen in my life.”
Kendyl shakes her head, adding to the lead-in from her boyfriend. “Ian was pulling the strings, trying to make it look like he had nothing to do with it. My friends in the IT club were able to figure it out within a couple of hours. It came from Eric’s account, but it was done on Ian’s phone.”
“I’m getting tired of this game he’s playing.” I grit my teeth, almost vibrating as I try to keep it together. “I didn’t ask for this zoo swirling around us, but he’s insisting on making this all about me.”
“He’s trying to take the spotlight off him. What happened to you at the party was a bad look, and he knows it,” Zahra points out. “He still thinks that he can’t be touched, but maybe we need to find a way to put some cracks in that wall.”
Kyle jumps in, “His father had to pull some major strings to keep the drugs that were found on board from getting into the press. Turns out there was some harder stuff being used outside of the Molly and marijuana that we avoided the whole night.”
“Yeah, he’s been real quiet most of the day, which is not like him. He’s rattled because he has no idea what you plan to do,” Kendyl says. “A lawsuit would put a major crack in that Lance wall, for real.”
“What y’all might need to worry about is making sure the new superstar on campus can handle the spotlight.” Ian pops up, interrupting the conversation. Chrisette stands by his side, a smirk spread across her face. “I mean, by the time we get done with him, he’ll be the hottest thing in town.”
I take a step toward Ian, but Kyle steps in front of me. Kyle glances back at me and mouths, “We got you,” before turning his attention to Ian. Kendyl stares Chrisette down, almost daring her to speak. Zahra makes herself the last line of defense, posturing in front of me with a scowl on her face.
Ian smirks over the show of solidarity. “What’s all this for? I was simply stating the obvious. I mean, he can take anyone he wants in a fight, so it’s not like he needs any of you to protect him. Isn’t that right, killer?”
“That’s funny, I was thinking the same about you, bro,” Kyle interrupts. “Damn, I thought you were smarter than this, yo. My ace almost lost his life because of you and your clique, and you wanna act like you didn’t do anything, right?”
“I didn’t have anything to do with it, and you can’t prove otherwise,” Ian sneers. He tries to step to me again, only to get blocked by Kyle in the process. “Why don’t you step from behind your muscle and holla at me, man to man? Show everyone in this courtyard who you really are.”
“Nah, I’m good. Besides, it wouldn’t be a fair fight for you. Haven’t you seen the video you posted?” I crack up laughing for a minute as I watch his face contort. “I mean, you must be losing your grip on reality or something. I was good where I was, and you decided to pull me into the spotlight. This is what that comes with, remember?”
“You’re supposed to be the baddest on the block, but you won’t step to me?”
“You might wanna look around while you’re busy trying to make me out to be some simp who can’t handle himself.” I smirk as I see the stares in our direction. The ones who are close enough for me to hear what they really thought almost have me feeling sorry for him. “Remember, I still have you over a barrel. It’s only a matter of time before my toxicology screens come back. I wonder how much longer it will take before Amber cracks under the threat of a drug charge. You might wanna quit while I’m in a mood not to bury your football career.”
Chrisette pulls on Ian’s arm, trying to get his attention. She frowns as she stares me down. “So who’s the bully now, Yasir? How does it feel to be the one causing the pain?”
“Are you really forming your mouth to say anything?” Zahra steps away from me and gets in her face. “You can’t possibly be that brainwashed. There’s just no way.”
“I have a clarity that you could never understand, Z.” Chrisette stands her ground, furrowing her brow as she keeps her gaze trained on Zahra. “If you actually took the time to understand the stress that he has been under this whole time, you wouldn’t be so hostile toward him.”
“And what stress would that be? He’s been at the top of the food chain his entire life. His father has been mayor for as long as we can remember. Stop before you hurt yourself,” Zahra deadpans.
Ian turns to quiet Chrisette, taking control of the conversation. “Let’s be real, and you might want to let your new ‘friends’ know before it’s too late. You’re a menace and a monster, and the truth will come out sooner or later. I know about your rep in the A, ‘Diablo.’ You’re gonna need the support around you when it does, playa.”
“Thank you, but no thank you. I know you don’t have my best interests at heart, so why should I take any advice off you, huh?” I wrap my arm around Zahra’s waist to bring her close. “There’s nothing you’re gonna be able to do to rile me up, bro. You have to get close enough to do that, and why in the hell would I allow it?”
“Whatever, man, it’s your funeral.”
As Ian and Chrisette leave the group and the rest of the crowd disperses, Zahra turns to me, focusing her gaze into my eyes. “Are you okay, baby? I felt you vibrating when you pulled me to you. How did he know about your nickname in Atlanta?”
Gamba chimes in, confusing me over the timing. “Everything is okay for now, kiddo. I did what I could to keep things under control. There’s something about Ian that is triggering something darker in us. Until we can figure it out, there’s nothing to say to anyone.”
I stare into Zahra’s eyes to reassure her. “I’m good, baby. I’m not about to concern myself with how he figured that out. It’s been a weird day, and I may just need to take my mind off things for a bit.”
“I can think of a few ways to make that happen,” Zahra coos in my ear. “It is a bye-week, after all, so I’m sure we can find a few things to do.”
“You two need to get a room,” Kendyl chides, then plants a kiss on Kyle’s cheek. “Seriously, though, Ian’s becoming more of a problem than we thought, and now he’s got Chrisette turning into a hype woman. And what’s this ‘Diablo’ business that he was spitting?”
I grab Zahra’s hand, making our way to the parking lot. I have other, more pleasant things to think about. “We’ll figure them out later. Right now, Z and I need to get over to my uncle’s shop to pick up something for dinner. He and Ms. Lennox are going out on a date tonight, and we’ll have the house to ourselves for a few hours.”
“Oooh, I think I like where this is going. Having a man cook for me sounds absolutely lovely.” Zahra grins as she waves goodbye. “We’ll catch up with y’all later.”
As we head toward Storm and Raiden, I can’t shake the feeling that Ian knows more than he’s letting on. I just wish I knew who he found to give up that information. I tap on Gamba’s door, letting him know we need to start digging into Ian’s past and find something we can use for leverage. “I’m gonna have to keep him at more than an arm’s length. He’s got it out for us, and everything in me is telling me he’s playing a long game. We need to be prepared.”
“I’m with you, Ya-Ya, but that can wait until tomorrow.” Gamba peers through my eyes and sees Zahra next to me. “Right now, I need to make myself scarce. Based on the grin on your girlfriend’s face, you will have a need for privacy tonight.”