8

A Different World

“Hey, being with you is a top priority/Ain’t no need to question the authority.”

—A TRIBE CALLED QUEST

 

 

When Jeremy finally arrives, I’m calm, cool, and collected. I don’t want him to worry about my drama with all of his own on the horizon. Instead, I want him to be in full acceptance mode so he can enjoy a cupcake or two in my presence, as the recipe prescribed.

“Hey, Jayd. Sorry I’m late. Are you all right?” Jeremy asks, gently caressing my face with the back of his right hand. “Mrs. Bennett said you were upset when you left her room. Why didn’t you stay and wait for me?” he asks, looking truly concerned. I doubt the broad told him about our conversation. Just thinking about it makes me hot again. But, I don’t want to spoil the few moments we have together.

“Oh, I had to catch up with an old friend,” I say as I regain my composure and force a smile, even though all I can think about is Mrs. Bennett and Misty. “I’m fine, and you?” I ask as he takes my hand and leads me toward the front of the school where he’s parked his car.

“I’m cool. It’s only been one day and I’m already bored out of my mind. My mom’s got me on total lockdown. I can’t even surf. All I do is sit up in the house and watch television or sleep, which is why I’m in no rush to get home,” he says as we approach his car. He’s not even supposed to be on campus, yet he parks where everyone can see him. The boy’s got balls.

“What about your schoolwork?” He’s on the A.P. track like me, so I know he’s got tons of work.

“Well, Mrs. Bennett’s the only teacher who allowed me to come and get my assignments ahead of time. All the other teachers are assholes. They think I won’t be back, so what’s the point of giving me work,” he says, opening the passenger door. Although I detest the broad, at least she has faith in Jeremy. That’s probably the only thing we have in common. “May I give you a ride home, Lady J?” he asks as chivalrous as ever.

“Hell, yes,” I say. I reach over and unlock the car door for him before putting my basket and backpack in the backseat; there aren’t any power locks in his vintage ride.

“So, what do you want to do now?” Jeremy asks as we head off campus toward Compton. I love the smell of his leather interior and coconut air freshener. He keeps this car immaculate.

“Now, you should know there’s no spontaneity allowed in my schedule,” I say, reminding him of how different our worlds are. “I would love to go to the beach, though. It’s a beautiful afternoon,” I wish aloud while placing my left hand on his knee. Just as I make myself a comfortable copilot, Jeremy busts a U-turn right in the middle of the road and heads toward the beach. Luckily, there isn’t any oncoming traffic or cars behind us.

“Whatever you want, my lady,” he says, grasping my left hand from his knee and bringing it up to his lips to kiss it. His lips are so soft, making me wonder what it would be like to kiss him. First kisses always make me nervous. But, I’ll get over it if he wants to make today the day for ours.

“Jeremy, I can’t get home too late. Unlike y’all out here, I got a curfew at all times,” I say, wishing it weren’t true.

“I’ve thought about it, and the way I see it is if I take you home every day, it saves you over an hour on the bus, right?”

“Yes, it would. But, you don’t take me home every day,” I say, kissing his hand back. So far, this is as affectionate as we’ve been.

“But, I can. Then we should have a good hour of chill time every day during the week, that is, if you can handle it.” Chill time. What the hell is that? Is he kidding me? Mama doesn’t even know this boy’s dropping me off at the bus stop because I make sure to get home at roughly the same time every day, regardless of how I get there. Now he wants me to willingly kick it with him after school? Well, I can’t say no. He’s just too irresistible.

I just know Mama wouldn’t approve. She doesn’t like me socializing too much during the week. She thinks it’ll distract me from my schoolwork, not to mention my spirit work. I know she’s right, because Lord knows I’m certainly distracted now, but I still want to hang with Jeremy and see where he takes us.

“Yeah, but don’t forget I still have to walk home from the bus stop,” I say, reiterating how crucial time is in my world. It takes a good fifteen minutes for me to walk home from the bus stop on Alondra to Gunlock.

“Man, Jayd, you got to learn how to relax, baby. Besides, why can’t I drop you off at home?” he asks.

“Oh, there are several reasons, the main one being I don’t want no more people in my business. Not yet, anyway.” I can already hear my uncles talking shit about me dating a White boy, not to mention all the nosey-ass neighbors. They already tease me enough as it is for going to a White school. Now all I need to do is show up with a White boy to seal my fate as the biggest sell-out in Compton’s history.

“Now, this is new. You, Jayd Jackson, caring about what people think of you. You never cease to amaze me,” Jeremy says, affectionately touching my chin with the tip of his index finger. When we approach the beach I see people are out everywhere. Do these folks have jobs or what? They’re walking their dogs, rollerblading, surfing, you name it, everything but working.

“That’s a good thing. At least I’ll always keep you on your toes,” I say as he parallel parks his fly ride in a metered space right off the sand. As Jeremy walks around to open my door, my cell vibrates, indicating there’s a text message waiting. I didn’t even hear my phone ring. I keep it on low while I’m at school.

“Where were u at lunch? Me and Mickey R going 2 the mall. Call u later. I know you’re with ur man now. Everyone’s talking about it already. Misty saw y’all leave. Later, girl.”

How could Misty have seen us? We were nowhere near the front gate where Mickey, KJ, and most of the other students park. And, why is it news that me and my new man are leaving campus together? Misty’s life is way too mundane if this is hot news to her.

“Anything important?” Jeremy asks.

“Not at all,” I say as he opens my door and takes my hand. On the sidewalk, I smooth my clothes out and step onto the sand, letting my toes sift through the warm grains. The sun lifts my spirit, and I know this is where I’m supposed to be.

“You look like me when the first wave hits me in the morning,” he says. “There’s nothing like the smell of the ocean to make you feel alive. Am I right?” he asks, taking a deep breath. He puts his arm around my shoulder and leads me to the shoreline. The bright afternoon sun shimmers against the dark blue water. I feel sorry for people who never experience the beach.

“I’ve got the blanket, the water, and you. What more do I need?” Jeremy asks.

I experience a brief moment of panic. Running back to the car, I say, “I forgot something.”

“I was wondering what was in that basket, Little Red Riding Hood,” he says, trailing behind me.

“I shouldn’t even give it to you now, making fun of my little basket,” I say, pushing him away from me, pretending to be hurt.

“Is that what they’re calling the cookies nowadays,” he asks, tackling me like he’s Chance. I never feel like this when Chance touches me, though.

“Get off me, punk, and open the door,” I say, pushing him toward the car. I climb in and grab the basket out of the backseat.

“Nice,” he says as I climb back out of the car.

“You better be referring to my basket of treats.” As I fix my clothes, Jeremy grabs me from behind while closing the door.

“So, what you got for me?” he asks, nudging his chin into the groove in between my right shoulder and neck. Oh, God, I’m so nervous. I just know he’s going to kiss me today. I purposely didn’t eat anything but Starbursts all afternoon so my mouth would be sweet whenever he did try. I hope we get it right the first time. I remember my first kiss with KJ was cool, but sloppy. I had to teach him to tone it down a bit.

“I made these for you last night. Now, please forgive their decrepit appearance. But, they should be quite tasty; it’s my mama’s recipe.” I fold back the yellow and orange cloths covering the cupcakes.

“Well, if they taste as good as they smell, I’m a very lucky man. I got a fine girl and she can cook, a double treat,” he says, taking a cupcake from the basket and shoving the entire thing into his mouth.

“Careful. You don’t want to choke,” I say, looking at him devour the cupcake whole.

“These are awesome,” he exclaims, grabbing another cupcake from the basket and greedily consuming it. “What are they? Like blueberry and lemon with cinnamon or something,” he says, carefully inspecting the next one before indulging.

“Exactly,” I agree, not wanting to give up all of Mama’s ingredients. I’m just glad he likes them. Now I have to wait to see if they work. By the time we reach the water, half the cupcakes are gone. This boy can eat.

“Hey, you want to walk or sit?” he asks, taking a break from his munchies.

“Sitting is good,” I say, leading him to an empty spot in the sand. There are people everywhere, and finding a good spot is hard. He takes the blanket and smoothes it out before sitting down, pulling me with him. I land perfectly in his lap and stay there, for fear of moving the wrong way.

“Make yourself and the cupcakes comfortable,” he says, lying back on the blanket and waiting for me to claim my space. I lie next to him so we can spoon and place the cupcakes in front of me. Mickey calls this little move blocking. I call it the ultimate protection. I always had my purse or sweater or something on my lap when I was out with KJ. Ain’t no slipping of the hand on my watch.

“Where are the cupcakes?” Jeremy asks.

“They’re right here,” I answer, guiding his hand to the basket. He takes another and devours it before putting his arm back around my waist, pulling me in close to him. Now, how’s he going to initiate our first kiss like this? I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. After we lie for a while, I stop tripping about the cupcakes and the kiss and just let the sound of the waves crashing against the shore chill me out. I’ve never done this before, especially not on a school day. This is what it must be like to live here. It’s a completely different world from the one I’m used to.

“Are you sleep?” Jeremy asks, reaching over my waist for the basket.

“No. Are you full?” I ask, flattered that he likes my baking so much.

“Never,” he says, moving the basket to the corner of the blanket above my head while carefully repositioning his body over mine, pinning me down on the blanket. Okay, I know he’s going to kiss me now. He looks into my eyes and puts his forehead on mine. “I think you’re beautiful,” he says, kissing the tip of my nose, then my lips ever so lightly. Finally. I return the kiss, matching his lips move for move. I’m so glad we came to the beach today. We kiss for what seems like hours before his cell phone vibrates in his pants.

“You’d better get that,” I utter, breaking our embrace. “Besides, I think we’d better go before we lose track of time,” I say, catching my breath. Damn, he’s a good kisser. I almost forgot where I was. As if I said nothing and his phone never went off, Jeremy kisses me again, this time more intense than the first. And I welcome round two. There’s no need to teach this boy a thing; he’s got it down. Right on cue, his phone vibrates again, once more interrupting our flow.

“What,” he says into the phone without looking to see who it is. “Oh, sorry, Mom,” he apologizes, smiling at me while rolling onto his back. He reaches above his head and grabs the water bottle sitting in the sand and hands it to me. I take a sip, ’cause Lord knows I’m thirsty, and pass it back to him. He takes a swig while listening to his mother through the phone and grabs another cupcake from the basket.

“Mom, I’m still at the school. Can we talk about this when I get home?” he says, putting the cupcake up to my lips for a bite. I shake my head indicating it’s all his, and he places it into his mouth. I guess even rich White boys have to lie to their parents when they’re on lockdown.

“Mom, I’ll be home in a little while, all right? Don’t worry. I have a feeling everything’s going to work out just fine,” he says, hanging up the phone and guiding me up by my chin to his lips for round three.

“I think that was fate telling us it’s time to go,” I say in between kisses. His mom calling didn’t even faze him. Now, if my mama called, I would’ve already been halfway to the car. But Jeremy’s just got it like that, I guess.

“Yeah, my mom’s worried about tomorrow,” he says. “She thinks I’m going to have to go to North P.V. if I get kicked out of South Bay.” North P.V. is a continuation school in Palos Verdes where all the bad-ass rich kids end up after every other high school gives up on them. They basically play football and chill all day, waiting for graduation and trust funds to kick in.

“You’re not that bad off, are you?” I ask, realizing I don’t know much about Jeremy’s past at all. Maybe he’s been in this kind of trouble before and this is the last straw. What then? Damn, I hope those cupcakes kick in soon.

“Nah, not at all. My mom just thinks the sins of the older brothers shall fall upon the younger one,” he says. “Besides, I’m not scared. This is just what I need,” he says, pulling me up into his arms. We lie there, holding each other while looking at the day begin to fade. Unfortunately, it’s time for both of us to go home.

 

When Jeremy drops me off at the bus stop in front of Miracle Market, Bryan’s just getting off work. As usual, he’s got his backpack on his shoulder and a spliff behind his ear.

“What’s up, little J,” he says, putting his arms around my shoulders, slightly knocking me off balance.

“What’s up is you smell like pickles and pig’s feet. What the hell,” I exclaim, pushing him off me and into the street. His stench is messing up my Jeremy high.

“Damn, girl. I see why you can’t keep no man; you’re too mean,” he says, falling back into step with me on the sidewalk.

“Well, you can ask Jeremy about that one,” I say, claiming my new love. Nothing’s going to keep us from making this new relationship as solid as gold. Nothing.

“Ooh, Jeremy. Did the White boy win?” Bryan says. KJ and Bryan play ball at Compton High together sometimes, and I know brothas can get to talking.

“Yes, if there was ever any real competition,” I say.

“Are you sure you’re over the brotha?” Bryan asks. “KJ’s cool. Don’t be so quick to cut him loose, Jayd.”

“So quick? He cheated on me, Bryan. I didn’t cut anybody loose. He let himself go.” Why do dogs always stick together?

“Why you getting so snappy? I’m just saying niggas make mistakes, that’s all. Besides, what do you really know about this Jeremy dude, other than he’s White and a drug dealer?” he asks, waiting for my response.

“KJ told you about that?” I ask, not knowing why I’m so surprised. “It’s not as bad as it sounds,” I say.

“Damn, Jayd, you can’t be that naïve. Everybody at South Bay knew but you, apparently,” he says, making me feel like a little kid. He’s right. I can be very naïve sometimes. But, not about Jeremy or KJ, at least not anymore.

“You know what, Bryan? You’re right. I can be naïve sometimes. Like when I first went out with KJ and everybody told me he was a dog. A fine dog, but a dog nonetheless. And, I was naïve for thinking that he really loved me when he was doing nothing more than trying to get the cookies. And, I was also naïve when he tried to get me to forgive him for getting me into that mess with Trecee. But, no more. I’m done listening to everybody tell me what to do and with whom,” I say, silencing Bryan. “Besides, you’re supposed to be my uncle. What happened to whipping a dude’s ass if he hurts me?” I ask, half-serious. My uncles, dad, or any other man I can think of has never gone to head for me, over nothing.

“Whatever, Jayd. You act like you don’t know how niggas are, and I’m not buying that. You live in a house full of them. So, you ain’t got nobody to blame but yourself.”

“Are you serious? How do you ever get girls to go out with you?” He’s getting on my nerves and ruining my whole vibe, making the walk home seem longer than usual.

“Girls appreciate my honesty,” he says, patting himself on the chest and smiling big, like he deserves a medal or something. When we get home, the rest of my uncles are hangin’ out on the front porch, drinking forties, smoking blunts, and talking loud to the neighbors hangin’ with them. Mama must be gone. Bryan sits down and joins the session while I go around the back and into the house to call Nellie. I can’t wait to tell her about my first kiss with Jeremy.

“Hello,” Nellie says. “Who is this?”

“What’s up, girl. It’s Jayd,” I say, like she didn’t check her Caller ID.

“What’s up, Miss Jackson? Or, should I say, Mrs. Weiner?” she says, being cute.

“Not yet, not yet. What’s up?”

“Nothing. Me and Mickey are still here getting our nails done.” Only ballers can afford to get their nails done at the mall. I’m glad I got a new man to distract me from how broke I am when I’m around my girls. “What’s up with you? Where did you and Jeremy end up going?”

“Ask her how was it,” Mickey yells from the background.

“Shut up, Mickey, and stop being ghetto before they kick our little chocolate asses out of here,” Nellie says, sounding embarrassed. How the two of them became friends, I’ll never know.

“Tell that nosey heffa that all we did was kiss, and it was the bomb,” I say, barely able to contain my excitement. I don’t want my uncles to hear me, especially not Bryan.

“Oh, Jayd. I’m so happy for you,” Nellie says, sounding genuine yet a little apprehensive.

“What, Nellie?” I say, bracing myself for her criticism. “What do you have to say?”

“Nothing, except that maybe you want to move slowly with this one, Jayd. I mean, damn. It’s only the beginning of school, and already you’ve almost been in a fight, got two dudes jocking, and one of them is going to jail,” Nellie says, sounding way too dramatic for me.

“Nellie, get over it,” I say, feeling tired. “You always act like somebody’s mama.” I have to admit I’m a little hurt my girl isn’t completely excited about me and Jeremy getting closer.

“Just be careful, Jayd. That’s all I’m saying. But, I am happy that everything seems to be working out for the two of you,” Nellie says, trying to save face.

“Whatever, girl. I’ll talk to you later,” I say, hanging up the phone. People can piss me off sometimes, ya know. I should’ve just kept my happiness to myself since I seem to be the only one genuinely happy about me and my new man. Speaking of which, I need to look real cute for him tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll be able to see him before his hearing. I think I’ll wear my pretty, bright yellow sundress and white sandals. He needs as much joy in his life as he can get, and so do I.