Chapter 5
“Dirty ass bitch,” one of Brielle’s other little minions Navy uttered when I walked past. Ever since the incident in the cafeteria, I gained even more haters than I originally had. I never bothered anyone, so for the life of me, I didn’t get it. Instead of entertaining them, I rolled my eyes, continuing on to head to gym class. I hated gym with a passion, and having it with boys and girls made it worse.
I tried to avoid eye contact, whispers, and smirks as I stepped into the locker room to change. Coach Hammer took off points on our grades when we didn’t wear gym clothes, but the shorts were entirely too short. I spent the majority of my time yanking on them in between whatever game we were participating in.
Today, we were playing dodgeball, and I already planned to stand in the back. The boys were way too aggressive, and the girls stood together and targeted individuals they didn’t like. I chose to avoid them all by staying hidden for as long as I could. Sometimes, I purposely got out early to sit on the sidelines for the remainder of the game. I was sure the coach knew it, but she never commented on it.
Coach Hammer had us count off to see which team we would be on, and the moment I saw that I was on the same team as Nadia and Navy, I rolled my eyes. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about them trying to hit me with the balls. Coach blew the whistle, and everyone got in formation. We were mixed with juniors and seniors, but it surprised me to see Dre and Dinero here because this wasn’t one of their electives.
“We have a couple of students who asked to play since they have study hall this period. Dinero, you can go over to team A, and Dreis, you can head over to team B.” Unlike the rest of us, they were still in their school uniforms. As usual, Dinero looked good as he got on the front line.
I was bummed that he wasn’t on my team, but at least I would get to watch him in action.
When the game started, most of the boys were in the front, blasting anyone within their direct sight. The teams went from sixteen on each side to nine in a matter of seconds. I stayed in the back, thinking I would be free from the line of fire, but coach yelled for me to move up. Nadia and Navy whispered amongst each other when I stepped up. Dodgeballs were flying over my head, so I ducked a few times to keep from getting hit.
As I stood there, the feeling of a ball smacking me in the face caught me off guard, and I realized that it wasn’t from the opposing team. When I turned to face them, Navy laughed while holding her stomach. I wanted to beat her ass, but I couldn’t afford another write-up.
“My bad, it slipped.” Nadia shrugged her shoulders as if she hadn’t done it on purpose. I never understood what people got out of picking on someone else, but they had to have been miserable in life. Before I could respond, I got hit with another ball. This time, it actually belonged to the other team, so I dropped my ball and sat on the sidelines.
While taking my seat, I locked eyes with Dinero, and he seemed to be deep in thought. I focused my attention on him as the teams continued to battle back-and-forth. The next person he took out was Asia, one of Brielle’s friends. Normally, the boys went after each other because they were the most competitive, but Dinero seemed to be focused on that particular group of girls. After her, he took out Meena, Aire, and Navy, leaving Nadia by herself. He then turned his attention toward the other boys on our team until there were only three people left on each side.
Nadia faded into the background because the boys were focused on getting each other out, but I noticed a shift once it was only two on each side. Dre took out the second to last player on Team A’s side, leaving only Dinero. I assumed Dre would be focused on trying to take out the last standing player, but when he smirked at Dinero before allowing himself to get out with little effort, I knew something was up.
The girls cheered for Nadia to win, while the fellas cheered for Dinero. While this might only be a game, the fear in Nadia’s eyes made me smile. They tossed a few balls at each other, missing each other. Dinero played this game with skill, waiting for the right moment to strike. Nadia didn’t have any more balls, so she stepped back to grab one. Dinero jerked forward, causing her to take off running. She must not have been paying attention because she stepped on a dodgeball and lost her balance. It all happened so fast, and as she began to fall, Dinero fired both of the balls in his hand, hitting her in the back of her head before she crashed to the ground.
Coach blew the whistle and then ran over to check on Nadia, followed by the mean girl crew. Dre and Dinero dapped hands while Dinero smirked. He never even glanced back to look at the girls.
Nadia ended up being taken to the nurse’s office for rolling her ankle. I was sure she milked it in order to hide her embarrassment. We played another round of dodgeball until coach finally dismissed us to go change our clothes for the next period. Hurriedly, I raced in first to get dressed to avoid those bitches because I assumed they would be ready to resume their bullshit.
After I finished, I tossed my book bag over my shoulder and headed out through the side exit since everyone else usually congregated at the other door.
“Aye, wait up,” a voice called out to me, and I noticed Antonio Perry jogging toward me. We were in a few classes together, but he never spoke to me directly.
“Hey,” I said above a whisper. At first, I thought maybe he had confused me with someone else, so I stood there awkwardly.
“You’re in my calculus class, right?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“So, what’s up with you? I see you around, but I mainly see you chilling alone.”
“Oh, well, I don’t have many friends, so I stay out of the way.” While he may have been attractive, the acne on his face distracted me from what he was saying. I found myself playing connect the dots in my mind.
“You’re really pretty, and I’ve wanted to holler at you for a minute.” I froze because no boy had ever told me that. I mean, the men in the neighborhood complimented me often, but the boys in my grade normally chased after the pretty girls with nice clothes.
“Thank you.”
“Listen, Coach Hammer usually goes out for a smoke break during this period since she doesn’t have a class. Since we both have study hall next period, maybe you could come and chill with me.”
Mrs. Shaw never took attendance, so most of the students did whatever they wanted. She never cared because she liked to sneak off and talk to her man in prison. Antonio’s eyes were filled with lust, and it caused me to pause. We knew nothing about one another for him to try to go there with me.
“N-no, thank you.”
“Aww, come on. We can go into the locker room real quick. I promise I won’t tell anyone.” This time, he stepped forward, backing me into a corner. This exit had no other classrooms. It was nothing more than an empty hallway with a few windows.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. Besides, I have homework I need to work on.” My voice trembled, and I grew nervous because my words didn’t seem to register to him.
“I know enough about girls to know when they say no, they really mean yes. Don’t be nervous. I do this all the time. All you’ve got to do is trust me.” My fight or flight senses began to kick in when I realized he wasn’t gonna stop. His body towered over mine, but I raised my hands to push him back.
“Well, I can’t speak for those other girls, but I mean no. I don’t want to do this.”
“I can’t stand prude bitches like you. Do you think you’re too good for me? Huh, bitch?” Things escalated quickly when he shoved me against the wall, pinning me up.
“Get off!” I yelled, praying someone was still in the gym and could hear me.
“Quit making this difficult. Damn.” His hands reached for my pants, causing me to freak out. I’d dealt with men enough to know how this would play out if I didn’t do everything I could to fight back. Lifting my foot up, I kicked him as hard as I could.
“Argh! You bitch!”
With him injured, I figured I could make a run for it, but he caught me before I could get far. We both hit the ground, and he managed to get on top of me. Unfortunately, there were no cameras back here, and my countenance began to fade when he unbuckled my jeans. God, why me? I refused to go down without a fight, so I punched and scratched him. My eyes burned with tears as I fought with everything inside of me.
“If you would calm down, you might actually enjoy it.” His words reminded me of Mr. Dennis, and suddenly, his face replaced Antonio’s, making me fight even harder. My screams were so loud that I never even heard when another voice entered the room.
“Nigga, what the fuck is wrong with you?” Within seconds, Antonio’s body was yanked from mine. My adrenaline pumped so hard that my ears were hot. I scooted up to a sitting position. My shirt had been stretched, but nothing too bad. The two boys tussled, but nothing about the fight was fair. Once I stood up, I realized who Antonio’s opponent was. Dinero.
I’d seen a few videos of him fighting, but witnessing it in person was a completely different experience. The rage radiating from him scared me because it looked like he wanted to kill Antonio.
“You sick mothafucka! I always knew you were a bitch!” Dinero grumbled, raining blows all over him.
“Please!”
“Naw, don’t beg now, mothafucka. You didn’t want to listen when she told you no, so I don’t want to hear none of that shit.”
“Aww, shit. I knew when you ran off, you were about to get in some trouble.” Dre huffed, attempting to grab Dinero off the beaten boy. A few seconds later, a group of boys ran over to where they were to assist him. When they finally got ahold of Dinero, he appeared calm on the outside, but the fire behind his eyes told a different story.
“Aye, what the hell happened?” Dreis observed the scene between the three of us.
“I ran back in here to grab my hat, but I heard someone screaming. I walked in here, and this punk was trying to force himself on her. Before I could think about it, I started beating his ass. All these willing hos out here, and you want to take it from someone who doesn’t even know you. Weird ass niggas,” Nero spat.
“Damn shame. I heard him and his homies got down like that, but I ain’t wanna believe it. Are you straight?” Dre asked me. I nodded, even though I was far from okay. My eyes landed on Dinero, and it seemed as if he was looking into my soul.
“I should probably get going.” My eyes scanned the room in search of my book bag.
“Coach is on her way back in. What do you want to do?” Monte asked Dinero.
“I’mma tell her what happened. I don’t give a fuck about a suspension, but his ass damn sure going down right along with me. Dreis, can you walk her back to class? As a matter of fact, could you do me a solid and keep up with her until school is out? If they send me home, I won’t be able to make sure she’s straight.” My face frowned because I didn’t need anyone to trail me for the rest of the day.
“I got you. I wouldn’t trip about being suspended. Your actions were justified, and if they do suspend you, I’m beating his brother’s ass, so I’ll be right there with you.” The two of them laughed.
Coach Hammer along with Mrs. Welch took statements from Dinero and me before calling in the assistant principal. Once I explained what happened, they allowed me to return back to class. I wanted to stay to find out Dinero’s punishment, but they rushed me out of the room.
Dre ended up escorting me to my classes for the rest of the day. My nerves were so bad, waiting to find out what happened to Dinero. News traveled fast, so by seventh period, everyone heard what took place. Mrs. Maverick told me she would give me a few days off as an excused absence, but I declined. Being trapped at home would be more of a punishment than coming to school. At least here, I would get to eat. The moment class let out, I raced out of the room. I wondered if Dre would be waiting for me, but when I got out of the door, he wasn’t there.
Since I had to take the bus home, I headed outside. I got the shock of my life when Dinero pulled up to the school steps. The naive part of me wondered if he was waiting for someone else, but he shut that notion down when he yelled my name.
“Hey,” I greeted him, making sure to close my door correctly. I thought he would pull off once I got into the car, but he sat there.
“Are we waiting for someone else?”
He chuckled lowly, then tilted his head, “Naw, I’m waiting on your ass to put your seat belt on. You should know better by now, lil’ mama.”
“Oh, right. I forgot about that.” Reaching over, I placed the seat belt over me.
We drove in silence for a while until he finally decided to speak.
“Where do you want to eat? I’m going to grab you some food and then drop you off. They suspended me for a day, but I still have to practice for the game on Friday. I told the coach I left my shin guards at home so I could make sure you made it home without anyone messing with you.”
“Thank you again for what you did.” “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. Dinero’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.
“He won’t mess with you again. I can promise you that.” His words sounded so final that I chose not to question it.
“I don’t need to get food. I work tonight, and we get a meal for free.”
“All of that sounds good, but I prefer to see you with food in your hands. Don’t fight me on this. Otherwise, I won’t be able to focus on practice.” He gave a small smile that triggered one from me.
“Fine. We can go to Penn Station since it’s close by.”
“Bet. I can work with that.”
We grabbed our food pretty quickly and then it was time for him to take me home. Dinero watched me walk up to the porch before driving off. This time, Vera’s car sat crookedly parked in the driveway, so I made a point to stuff my food at the bottom of my backpack before heading inside.