“Oh my god! have to hear about the freakin’ table of elements one more time…” I, Ellie ‘Eli’ Brooks, whispered to my oldest friend, Dominique Preston.           

     “Girl, I know what you mean. I can’t stand chemistry.”           

      I watched as Dominique aka Nikki leaned in towards me. I already knew what she was about to say and I was down. Ditching this class was the greatest idea I heard all day. I don’t need a headache.           

      “Skip this class with me.  Let’s take an early lunch. I mean, lunch is next period and the only people down there are the janitors. They’re not going to say anything.”           

     “You don’t have to convince me. Mr. Lorejeo, is so goddamn boring. I can’t stand his ass or his class. I mean, I know science is boring but shit!” I said before raising my hand.           

     Mr. Lorejeo looked at me but continued his lesson like I wasn’t there.  I waved my hand this time. Normally, I would start cussing in my mind but I thought it would be better if I showed him some courtesy, especially since I planned to ditch his class.

     “Mr. Lorejeo!”           

     “What, Ms. Brooks?”

     I could tell by his tone that he wasn’t in the mood for me. But that was fine with me because I damn sure didn’t give a shit about him.

     “I need to use the restroom.”

     “You need to go to the restroom? Ms. Brooks, you know my rule. If you have to go to the bathroom, you should go before class; not during. The answer is no.”

     He said it with such finality that it made me angry. I don’t like to be bossed around. Who the hell did he think he was, my daddy? My daddy is passed out in a jail cell somewhere, not teaching high school chemistry for sure.

     “Well, I could come up there and piss on your desk if you like? It’s your choice, Mr. Lorejeo.”

     I heard a lot of ooh’s and ah’s but I didn’t care.  I needed to leave this class before my brain melted into a puddle of goo. I looked over at Nikki who looked at me with a surprised expression in her hazel colored eyes. I don’t know why she was surprised. She’s seen me act a fool before but I guess I don’t do it often enough.

     “Ms. Brooks, I don’t know what has gotten into you—”

     I sighed; I was starting to get irritated,

     “Look, It’s that time of the month. I’m really looking for the best interest of everyone here when I ask you to let me go to the restroom.  So please make an exception.”

      I could tell he was struggling for an answer and I knew that the odds where in my favor that he would say yes. I mean, my face was adorable and I was giving him the most innocent face I could muster.

     “Fine, you can go but only this once.”

     I smiled and turned back to Nikki who was staring at me while shaking her head.

     I whispered, “What are you going to say to get out?”

     “Girl, I’m going to walk out. Ain’t nobody got time to be asking for a pass.”

     I couldn’t help but think that, that was something that I should have done but I have to be honest. I don’t have the balls to do that. I’m still caught up in the rules that my mama beat into me when I was young. ‘Always respect the teacher.’ I know that I’m not following it to the ‘t’ but it’s still in the back in my mind whenever I think about doing the wrong thing.

     I grabbed my book bag discreetly before walking out the class. I didn’t have to wait long before Nikki met me in the hallway; walking out as if she had done nothing wrong. I still can’t believe that me and her are friends and not because I’m boujie or anything it’s just that she’s so different from me. I’m black, she’s Dominican. I don’t like showing my ass all the time, she does.  I like eating Doritos with spinach dip and she thinks that is the most disgusting thing in the world. Even with all of our differences, no matter how minute they are, she’s still one of only two people in the world that I can talk to about anything to.

     We made our way to the cafeteria, dodging straying administrators and future career criminals selling their smack to wayward students. That’s one thing I’m proud about myself I’m not going to end up like my father doing something stupid like selling drugs. I want to be a lawyer to put away a fools like him.

     I know I mentioned that my father was in jail before but I should tell you why. He was charged with assaulting a female police officer sexually while heavily intoxicated. I don’t feel any sympathy for him. He deserved the seven years he got. He beat me mercilessly for the year I was with him. I can’t stand that bastard but I wish I wasn’t with my current foster family. While they aren’t as bad as my father, they are not angels.

     “Hello, can you hear me?”

     I snapped out of my thought and realized we were at the cafeteria.

     “Oh, no. I didn’t hear what you said.”

     “Mmmhmm,” she said incredulously.

     “What did you say?”

     “I said do you want to go get Sasha.”

     “Now?”

     Nikki had to be out if her mind if she thought I was about to search for Sasha’s class, then drag her but back to the cafeteria. Sasha was my best friend and all but she was a genius. She loved school and everything about it and the last thing I wanted to hear from her was how I was wasting my potential by running around the halls instead of having my nose in the books. Now, I’m not stupid or anything. My grades are pretty high but Sasha was the one in the honor society, busting A’s left and right. So, she felt the need to school us normal people about the importance of working hard for our education.

     I gave Nikki a ‘what the hell’ expression and she got the message loud and clear.

     “You’re right,” She said with a nod of her head. Her long black her fell into her face a little bit, “Sasha would kill us if we even approached her about ditching class and I don’t have time for one of her hour long sermons on how school is good.”

      I laughed. Sasha and her sermons could put anyone to sleep. I know that she is going to become a preacher after she realizes her dream of becoming a doctor and I will be there with her; every other Sunday.

     “So,” Nikki began after I had a chance to calm down, “I heard that you’re tutoring for some extra money. Why don’t you ask your Mom’s family for some instead of tutoring the snot nosed rich kids around here?”

     “Because, my mom’s family doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. They’re white and I’m not. When she died, they couldn’t throw me away fast enough. I’m fine with that because they’re the reason why my mom died in the first place. They made her have a heart attack with all the stress they were giving her.”

     I sat down at one of the benches, laying my books on it a little roughly.

     “Are you okay?” Nikki asked me.

     “I just don’t like to talk about them,” I needed to change the subject, “but you’ll never believe who I’m tutoring.”

     “Who?” She asked excitedly at the idea of trading gossip. 

      I was excited too. I know that I should be ashamed of myself for perpetrating an old female stereotype but I can’t help but get happy. It’s exhilarating.

     “Chad Johnson.”

      The happiness left Nikki’s face and disappointment showed on it instead.

     “Chad? I thought you was going to say someone worth talking about.”

     “Chad is someone worth talking about. I mean, I don’t like him or anything and I think he is a stuck up prick but he is the most popular guy in school by all accounts.”

     “He is good-looking.”

     “Freakin’ gorgeous,” I agreed.

     It was the truth. Chad Johnson was a sexy guy. He was about half a foot taller than me and I’m 5’5”. He’s charismatic, has a model’s face and a body that won’t quit. On top of that, his family’s loaded. They owned a small eatery on the right side of town called A Beautiful Affair. The most interesting thing about him was his family. They were black and Chad was white but he looked a little Italian because of his olive skin and dark hair.

     “I don’t know how long you will think that he’s cute.”

     “Why?”

     “I was gonna wait until Sasha was here to tell you this but,”I didn’t like where this was going.

      I hope Nikki didn’t say anything crazy.

      “He’s dating Brandi Fernandez.”

     “Brandi!” I shouted. “Ghetto Brandi? The slut who’s been getting on my nerves since middle school? I can’t stand that girl for nothing. She thinks she’s all cute ever since she found out that she’s half Cuban. She even changed her last name for goodness sake!”

     “I know, right? Brandi Jenkins was a real girl. I mean, she had our back no matter what but as soon as she changed her name, our Brandi died.”

      “No,” I dissented, “Our Brandi died when she decide to steal my boyfriend and have sex with him behind my back.”

      A few years ago, when I was in middle school, I was best friends with Brandi Jenkins; A funny, sassy girl that didn’t have a problem with telling you that you’re acting like a B****.  I trusted her like I would a sister. I trusted her enough to let her hang out with me and my boyfriend. Now I know how stupid that was. Those hangouts with me, my boyfriend, and Brandi soon only included Brandi. You want to know the way that I found out that they had been seeing each other behind my back? I heard it through the grapevine. Everyone at school knew that she was sleeping with my boyfriend except for me. When I approached her about it, she had the nerve to say that I should know how to hold on to my boyfriends. I could have killed the girl right there but she was lucky that I had more important matters to deal with, like an alcoholic father.  

     “What kind of guy would date a slut like her? Doesn’t he know that he can catch a disease or something? I’m sure she has chlamydia, Syphilis, and gonorrhea. The girl is a walking STD.”

      “Speak of the devil. Here she comes.”

      I looked behind me and saw Brandi coming into the cafeteria with her posse. I was told to never turn my back on an enemy so I changed seats so she can be in my view.

      “I should’ve known she wouldn’t be in class. The girl can’t read for nothing,”

     I mumbled to Nikki while not taking my eyes off of the subject in question.“Eli, it looks like she is headed your way.” 

     I watched as Brandi walked towards me; her hips were swishing to and fro like she was trying to catch a man. I guess she forgot that there are only women in this room and none of us wanted any of her diseases.  She stopped in front with her cronies on either side. Did she think she could intimidate me? How laughable is that?

     “I heard you’re tutoring my man,” she said with a nasty attitude.

     “So?”

     Brandi leaned on the cafeteria table, exposing her large bosom to me as she did. I wanted to vomit. Did she not have any self-respect?

     “Look, I know how you think—”

     “You do?”

     “Yes I do. I also know that you are thinking about trying to take Chad from me.”

     She was really starting to work my nerves. I looked over at Nikki and I could tell that she was bursting to say something but I beat her to the punch. This was a fight between me and Brandi. I don’t want Nikki to get herself involved.

     “I can’t take anything away that doesn’t belong to you and since slavery was abolished in 1846 Chad doesn’t belong to you. I can have my way with if I want to and there’s not shit you can do about it.”

     I wasn’t actually planning on messing with Chad but I didn’t like the b****. I was met with satisfaction when she glared at me openly and her face twisted into the monster that I knew she was.

     “Whore, you better not go near Chad!”

     “It’s against my control. The school wants me to be near him. If you have a problem, take it up with the principle. I’m sure you have been sucking Mr. Lenard’s dick long enough for him to listen to you.”

     “Why you fat b****.”

      Okay, that was uncalled for. I’m not fat. I’m deliciously plump. I may not be a size two but I have a dangerously curvy body that I have seen plenty of men, and some women, look at appreciatively.

     “You skinny f***!” I said as I jumped up so she and I were eye level. “Back the f*** up before I really put a hurtin’ on you. You know who dealing with and unless you want to end up in the hospital, you and your dogs better step off.”

     She headed my warning and without another word she and her friends left. She and I had a few fight before and you would think she knew what pain felt like.  How dumb can she be? I bet she’s one of those people that would put their hands in a fire just to see how much it hurts.

     “Damn girl. That was some impressive shit. I didn’t know she was messing with Mr. Lenard.”

     I laughed, “I didn’t either but apparently it’s true. She didn’t correct me.”

      Nikki laughed with me but we simmered down when the bell rang and knew that the other students would be joining us soon and I couldn’t wait to fill Sasha in on the latest events.

     “So, what are you going to do about Chad? Brandi’s going to be breathing down your neck.”

      “I don’t care. She can do what she wants because now that I know that he’s sleeping with her, I don’t want him and I lost all respect for him.”