Читать книгу If I Was Your Girl - Ni-Ni Simone - Страница 13

It was July 4th weekend, the block association was giving a slammin’ outdoor pool party, and cuties were everywhere. Chingy’s “Fly Like Me” was bumpin’ and me and my girls were funky, fresh, and fly to death. Needless to say, it was now…(drum roll please)…officially on.

As we strolled along the crowded pool side with water splashing at our feet, me, Seven, and Tay gleamed like America’s next top model.

And yeah, Seven and Tay looked cute but my gear was puttin’ all the hoochies to sleep: Hot pink bikini halter, hip hugging Daisy Dukes (with the snap and zipper open, showing the top portion of my bikini bottom), BeBe kitten heel thongs, Aviator shades, pink bangles clapping down my right arm and a cherry Blow Pop in my mouth.

“So what’s the game plan?” said Tay, who popped her lips every time she spoke, as we eyed the assortment of tenders. “’Cause I need my hair and nails done.”

“I was thinking the same thing.” Seven laughed while twirling one of Tay’s deflated curls.

“Don’t hate, Seven,” Tay rolled her eyes. “It is so unattractive…But for real though, who we checkin’ for?” She pointed to the cats with Tims, jeans and R.I.P. spray painted on their white tees. “Ballers?”

“Girl, please.” I blinked my eyes a series of times. “Ain’t nobody messin’ with those ghetto birds.”

“Fa’ sho’.” Seven jerked her neck, blew a pink bubble and popped it. “I already have a boo, but if I didn’t, I wouldn’t wanna date nobody with a homie dying every week.”

“True,” Tay agreed, “’cause last year I was meeting all my new boos at funerals.” Her eyes started a new scan. “Okay, how about shot callers?” she pointed to the dudes with the too-tight swimming trunks and their bare feet slapping against the concrete.

“Can you say bootie chokers and athlete’s feet?” I snapped in disbelief that Tay even suggested that.

She sucked her teeth. “Let’s see,” she pointed again. “Brawlers?”

“Repeat after me,” Seven spoke slowly, “Juvenile…Detention…Center…Parolees.”

“Puleeze, puleeze…ah puleeze…”

“Y’all standards too high,” Tay said, aggravated.

“And that’s exactly why you need to look down here,” growled up from my knees. I should’ve known that it was too good to be true: I was in the hood and hadn’t seen a roach all day. Psyched my mind, because here was the roach that never died: Percy Elwood Jenkins and his crew, Cle’otis and Shim-daddy.

“I don’t have time for this.” Tay sucked her teeth.

“Me either,” Seven said as her attention was distracted by her boyfriend, Josiah, who’d just walked in. “There go my boo.”

“And he got friends with him,” Tay raced behind Seven as I continued to try and get away.

“But Toi—” Percy ran in front of me.

“Nope.” I wiggled my neck and tried again to walk away, again.

“Nope? You didn’t let me finish. I was sayin’—”

“Not gon’ happen.” And once again I tried to escape, but my legs were surrounded.

“What’s not gon’ happen—”

“Me and you, that’s what!”

“Girl, you know you want me!” Percy screamed and don’t you know this fool had the nerve to have an attitude? “I don’t even know why you fightin’ it,” he carried on, “you know I’m hot,” he pounded his chest, “delicious and nutritious, er’body want a taste of this tender crisp.”

“Lil’ Bootsy!” Ms. Minnie, Percy’s mother, lifted up the living room window and screamed his nickname. They lived next door to the community pool. As a matter of fact, they lived so close that you could be in their house and have your feet in the pool at the same time. She slapped the palm of her hand with a rubber slipper. “Lil’ Bootsy, get yo’ fake ass playboy behind in this house and wash these dishes! Left my dern kitchen a mess!”

“Mama, why you got to act like that?” He looked around, and if I ain’t know any better, I would think this fool was embarrassed. “And stop calling me Lil’ Bootsy!”

“Percy Elwood Jenkins,” Ms. Minnie snapped, “who in the bubble gum ass you talkin’ to? You better break yo’self fool, and recognize!”

“I guess I can leave now, Lil’ Bootsy.” I rolled my eyes and the next thing I knew, Percy had tripped me and I was headed for the pool face first…oh…my…God!

“Whooaa ma!”

Someone’s large masculine arm wrapped around my waist, attempting to save me from the water, only for him to fall in right behind me. So much for Brick City having a superman. You know I was pissed, right? “The least you could’ve done,” I said as I wiped the water from my eyes and blocked out the shock, surprise, and laughter of the people around me, “was not fall in behind me. You just made it worse. At least I could’ve played it off by myself.”

“Excuse you? Was that a thank you? ’Cause technically I ain’t have to do nothin’ for you. Last I checked, you weren’t my girl.”

Immediately, I looked up. I’d know that voice anywhere. Harlem. I swear I was melting in his arms. But wait…hold it…didn’t he just read me? Yeah, I believe he did. “Excuse you, Uptown, but you can calm down.” Don’t ask me how, but some kind of way my arms slid around his thick neck and my fingers locked. “’Cause last I checked, I didn’t ask to be your girl.”

“You should’ve called.” He gave a me a sexy look, his eyes meeting mine half staff while he looked down at me. “Maybe you would be my girl by now.”

“Yeah, right.”

“So, you still wit’ ole boy?”

“Psst, please. That boy was hella crazy.”

“Is that a no?”

“Of course it’s a no.”

“Ai’ight.” He smiled, “so why didn’t you call me?”

“Because—”

“Because what?”

“I don’t know.” What the hell was I talking about? I knew good and well if this dude asked me to marry him, I was gon’ do it. “Look…maybe…I should go. Thank you for trying to help me.”

“Where are you going?” he pulled me back to him.

I stared at him, trying to figure out why I was trippin’ over him so hard.

“What you thinking about?” He stroked my cheek. “A minute ago, you were Miss Fresh and Fly and now you melting in my arms.”

Heck, I’ve been melting in your arms. “Nothing.” I shook my head, my wet hair splashing against my shoulders. “I wasn’t thinking about anything.”

He laughed, “Still at IHOP, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ma come through tomorrow.”

“Alright.” I went to pull away again and he pulled me back.

“What?” He placed my arms back around his neck. “You got something against chilling right now?”

I wondered if this was too good to be real. “Nah, nothing’s wrong with us…chilling right now.”

“Straight.” He kissed me on my forehead and I almost passed out amidst my kitten heels, shades, and Blow Pop floating in the water. He rubbed the sides of my hair to the back and we started kicking it. Just like that. In the middle of the pool, as if we were always supposed to be here, with my hair slicked down like silk, my Daisy Dukes soaking wet, and the DJ playing Teedra Moses’ “Be Your Girl,” the very song that I just realized was spilling all of my secrets.