Chapter 8
Maliah
School was finally over, and for once, I was glad to be home.
I sat stretched across my bed, still in my school clothes with one leg hanging off the side, while I mindlessly scrolled through my phone.
But I wasn’t really paying attention to anything on the screen.
My mind kept drifting back to him, back to Tahari.
A small smile tugged at my lips as I stared at his name in my messages.
That simple “Good morning, baby girl, have a good day at school” text sat there like it meant more than it probably should’ve.
It wasn’t even long and wasn’t even deep.
But he made sure to constantly show me that he was consistent.
Lately, even if we didn’t have much conversation throughout the day, whenever I called, he answered.
And I always got good morning and goodnight texts.
He wasn’t like any other boy I had talked to.
He was just… different. I had responded that morning, but didn’t get a text back yet.
I just chalked his delay up to him being busy.
A piece of me noticed how he had become slightly distant since meeting my family, but I was pushing that thought to the back of my mind.
He was perfect in my eyes, and I didn’t want to start feeling otherwise now.
I rolled onto my stomach and hugged my pillow as I reread the text for the third time.
My mind started wandering into places it probably shouldn’t be.
Just thinking about Tahari had the pearl in between my legs throbbing, and badly I wanted him to touch it.
Or maybe I should. Right when I was about to roll over onto my back, a knock didn’t even come. My door just flew open.
“Maliahaaa!”
I groaned without even looking up or fully turning around.
“Girl, what?” I said with an annoyed tone as I turned over to address my annoying little sister.
Maylee came rushing in like she had breaking news.
Her backpack was halfway hung off one shoulder, and her hair was a little messy, like she had run all the way to my room once she had gotten out of the chauffeured van.
Unlike me and MJ, she is still attending private school.
She rushed all the way into the room and climbed onto my bed without permission, like always.
She was infamous for invading my privacy.
I watched how her teeth clanked together during her story time.
She had about a year left in her braces, and I could already see just how perfect her smile was going to be when they came off, just like how mine were when mine came off.
“You’re not going to believe what happened today,” she said with wide eyes.
That got my attention, so I pushed myself up and sat cross-legged.
“What did you do now?”
Maylee wasn’t a bad kid, and she was on the honor roll, but she always felt the need to talk back to teachers, and that is where she would get in trouble.
I don’t even think that she did it to be disrespectful.
She just had a thing for always voicing her opinion.
I honestly blame our mom because she always let us have open windows, which was a time when we had an open floor to say whatever we liked.
Maylee was my little twin for sure. Just like how I looked like Mom, she looked like a smaller version of me.
It’s just that she had Dad’s and MJ’s deep chocolate skin complexion.
Not to mention that the sass we all had would drive the men in the house crazy if we all were on our periods at the same time.
She stood before me with her arms crossed over her wrinkled uniform shirt.
Her long lashes stuck out when she rolled her eyes before responding.
“Not what I did,” she said quickly, “It’s what she did.”
I raised a brow.
“Who is she?”
Maylee sucked her teeth with annoyance.
“That girl I told you about. The one that be messing with me in school.”
Oh, I quickly thought to myself. She was talking about her bully. My facial expression shifted a little.
“What happened?” I asked as I gave her my undivided attention.
She stood up from the bed and dropped her backpack onto my carpeted floor. She was clearly ready to tell her story.
“So, boom,” she started going on a mile a minute and started using her hands to talk, “I’m in the bathroom, right? And she came in there with her little friends…”
“Of course she did,” I muttered, cutting her off.
“And she pushed me,” Maylee continued. “For no reason!”
My jaw tightened. I was protective as hell, and hearing of anyone putting their hands on her just riled me up.
“Maylee.”
“But I remembered what Tahari said!” she cut in with her eyes lighting up.
“What did he say?” I asked as I blinked in confusion.
“At dinner. When I told him about her, and he said I needed to put belt to behind!”
I froze. I had forgotten that he gave his two cents on her bullying situation. Maylee nodded fast as she spoke.
“So that’s what I did!”
I sat up straighter.
“Maylee, what did you do?”
“So, she pushed me,” she continued, acting it out now, “and I pushed her back. Then she pushed me again. So, I took my belt off.”
“You WHAT?” I almost yelled.
Maylee held her hands up defensively.
“And when I did that, she ran! They all ran.”
For a second… I just stared at her. Then I couldn’t help it. A laugh slipped out. She took what Tahari said literally, and the shit was so funny to me. He told her to put belt to ass, and she was prepared to do just that.
“Girl, ain’t no way.”
“I’m serious!” Maylee said, trying not to smile herself. “She ran out of the bathroom, and her friends followed!”
I shook my head while pressing my lips together. I was trying to stay serious, but I was failing.
“You were really about to beat that girl with a belt?”
“Tahari said put belt to behind. Did I do something wrong?” Maylee questioned.
“It’s a figure of speech, girl,” I corrected quickly.
“Well, he shouldn’t have said it if he ain’t mean it,” she mumbled.
That made me laugh again, but I quickly pulled it together. I reached for her hand and then gently squeezed it.
“You can’t just be out here pulling belts on people, Maylee. That will get you in trouble.”
“But she ain’t mess with me after that,” she shrugged.
I paused because if her little stunt did the trick, then she had a point. Still, I gave her a look.
“We just can’t make that a habit, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, but the little grin on her face told me she felt victorious.
I was proud of her for standing up to her bully.
I shook my head, laid back down on my bed, and stared up at the ceiling.
Again, my mind found its way to Tahari’s doorstep.
I bit my lip slightly as a small smile started to creep back.
Only he would say something like that, and at dinner in front of both my parents, at that.
And my little sister would take it seriously.
“Don’t tell Mama,” Maylee added suddenly.
“Oh, I’m definitely telling,” I said with a snort.
“Maliah!” she whined while flopping onto me.
I just laughed and started pushing her off when our mother’s voice halted our little playing session.
“Tell Mama what?”
Both of us froze. Slowly, we both turned toward the door. Mom stood there, leaning against the frame like she’d been there longer than we thought. Her arms were folded, and a knowing smirk was placed on her face. My eyes widened.
“Ma… how long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough,” she said while stepping into the room, “to hear something about a belt… and somebody running.”
Maylee sat up straight so fast that it was almost comical.
“It’s not what it sounds like,” she quickly said.
Mom raised a brow.
“Oh, I’m sure it’s not.”
She walked further in, looking between both of us before her gaze landed on Maylee.
“Maylee, your new name is Belt Buckle Billie,” she said while shaking her head.
I burst out laughing.
“MA!” Maylee groaned while covering her face, “That is not funny!”
“It’s a little funny,” Mom said, clearly amused. “You out here turning into a mini enforcer in the eighth grade?”
“I wasn’t gonna hit her!” Maylee defended quickly. “I just took it off.”
Mom nodded slowly, like she wasn’t really believing that.
“Mhm. And that alone made her run?”
Maylee sat up a little taller.
“Yep.”
A small smile pulled at Mom’s lips, and she glanced at me.
I already knew that look. She was trying not to laugh.
So many times, Dad would chastise me on something, and she would be in the corner with this same exact facial expression.
She could be strict at times, but everyone in the house knew that Dad was the real deal.
“Okay,” she said while holding her hands up slightly. “I’m not even mad at that part.”
“Ma,” I warned, trying not to smile.
“I said I’m not mad,” she repeated, then she looked back at Maylee. Her tone shifted just a little more serious but still soft. “But we’re not making a habit out of threatening people with belts, okay?”
“Okay,” Maylee nodded quickly.
There was a brief pause, then Mom leaned in just a little and lowered her voice like she was about to pass along classified information.
“This stays between us three, though.”
Maylee’s eyes lit up.
“For real?”
“For real,” Mom confirmed with a nod. “Because your father?” she shook her head. “He would not appreciate Belt Buckle Billie making her debut at school.”
I laughed again while falling back against my pillows.
“MA!” Maylee groaned, but she was smiling now.
“Your secret is safe with me,” Mom said with a wink.
Maylee relaxed instantly with Mom’s words. She was clearly relieved. And just like that, the tension disappeared. Mom stood up straight and then smoothed her hands down her shirt.
“Now, both of y’all better come downstairs in a minute. I’m about to start dinner.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said.
“Okay,” Maylee nodded.