Chapter 11
By the time the school day ended Monday afternoon, I found myself actually wanting to stay and hang out. Really, I was willing to do anything to avoid working at Dreux’s mother’s salon.
It didn’t take a lot to notice she wasn’t so fond of me.
I wondered how long this charade would last. Hell, was she even going to pay me?
Scott probably didn’t want me working at the grocery store with him out of fear I’d embarrass him or something. Points for him for knowing I didn’t have the stones to challenge Angela. One pointed look from her and I knew my place.
I was so full of questions, I barely noticed Bonham had joined me at my locker until he started waving his hand in my face.
“Hey.” I chuckled as I swatted his hand away and shut my locker door. “What’s up?”
He nudged me with his shoulder and we began walking toward the nearest exit. “You wanna head back to my place? I’m tanking Economics 101 and I’m not too proud to beg for assistance.”
Beside me he clasped his hands together, making a cute puppy dog face as he begged for my help. He was such a babe.
“Can’t,” I told him as I frowned. “I have to go and start work today at Dreux’s mom’s shop.”
We entered the student parking lot and Bonham scowled. I knew it was futile to ask again about their beef. If he wouldn’t tell me, I’d get the answer out of Dreux. Someone had to fess up.
“Bummer.” He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his ripped jeans. “Now what do I do?”
“Isn’t Cameron a tutor?” I asked.
Bonham lifted a brow. “Yeah…?”
“She’s staying after school today to help tutor, go and ask her.”
Bonham chewed on his lip as he looked around the parking lot at nothing in particular. “She’ll never bite.”
“You need help, and Cameron’s not the type of girl to leave you hanging.”
“You just got here,” Bonham pointed out.
I may have been new to town, but I read Cameron pretty well. The same way I could read that Bonham was a decent guy.
I dug my phone out of my pocket and held it up. “Want me to text her and ask?”
My eyes must’ve been playing tricks on me, or Bonham was blushing.
Puffing up his chest a little, he stood tall. “I got it.”
I watched as he turned around and went back toward the building, walking confident and badass.
I almost felt like patting myself on the back. “I got faith in you!”
Instead of turning around, Bonham raised devil horns with his fingers and kept going.
Atta boy.
Dreux was standing at the trunk of his car with Aidan and Zion Wood, a boy I recognized from class.
Aidan was the first to greet me, offering a warm smile. “Hey, Cameron told me about Scott blowing her phone up. I just wanted to apologize on my brother’s behalf. He’s such a fuckup.”
He may have been Bonham’s brother, but he clearly didn’t know him that well.
I scowled and took a step back. “Actually, I make my own choices. Bonham had nothing to do with it.”
Briefly, a muscle in Aidan’s jaw flexed, and the smile turned a little smug. “My brother can be…charming, I’m sure, but he isn’t the best company, Saylor.”
I stood my ground. “I like Bonham. I think he’s great.”
Aidan’s eyes studied me intensely as he moved away from me and shook his head. Soon, though, that super friendly aura returned. “Just be careful.”
Aidan walked around me, turning and waving at Dreux and Zion. “See you guys later.”
Prick.
Maybe it was because I was an only child, but I didn’t like the idea of Aidan constantly bashing his own brother.
I let it go as I joined up with Dreux and Zion. “Hey.”
“Saylor, this is my best friend, Zion. Z, this is Saylor. I’m not sure if you guys officially met yet,” Dreux said as he introduced us. “Z’s on the baseball team with me.”
One thing that immediately stood out about Zion was his large afro. It was thick and brushed along his shoulders, appearing healthy and moisturized. I’d heard a few girls in our shared classes gush about his mane.
I lifted my hand in a wave. “Nice to meet you.”
Zion tipped his head toward me and slapped Dreux’s arm before backing away to leave. “Nice meeting you, Saylor.”
Dreux headed around the Bronco for the driver’s door. “Let’s go, Avril Lavigne.”
My mouth dropped open. “Really?”
His response was a grin.
Maybe it was the sun shining on him, or maybe it was our earlier talk, but I found myself realizing that maybe, just maybe, Dreux was too cute to strangle.
Together we climbed into his Bronco and I buckled in beside him.
Dreux began driving for the strip mall, and my stomach did somersaults at the anticipation.
“It won’t be that bad,” Dreux promised as he glimpsed at me.
The radio was playing, still on the hip-hop and R I found peace in the lyrics of the current song playing on the radio.
It wasn’t until the strip mall was in view that I realized how spoiled I was. Back home, I had the security of my AmEx card, swiping it was no issue whenever I wanted something of value. Here, Scott worked, not that my mother hadn’t, but here Scott had to, and now here I was, about to work too.
“Is she going to pay me?” I got the courage to ask as Dreux parked the car.
To this he laughed. “We’ll see.”
Working for free? I guessed this was punishment for staying out all night, getting drunk and high.
Dreux left our school bags in the car before leading me over to Angela’s Salon.
He opened the door for me, allowing me to walk in first.
Inside, along one side of the room, women were doing hair; on the other side, some were waiting under hair dryers while reading magazines or books. Toward the back, beyond the row of hair-styling chairs, were the nail stations, filling the room with the steady buzz of a drill.
In the front of the shop was a waiting area, where a young girl was doing homework at a coffee table while a children’s show played on the overhead flat-screen TV.
I had to question if she could even hear the show with the music that was playing throughout the shop.
I could tell it was either old school soul or R they all stopped what they were doing and froze.
Call me crazy, but I had a feeling I was the first White girl to ever step foot in Angela’s.
Dreux’s hands came down on my shoulders, the weight of his support and protection easing my nerves. “Hey, everyone.”
“Hey, Dreux,” they all said in unison, their eyes still glued to me.
Going along with the color scheme, all of the hairdressers were adorned in purple smocks, while the nail technicians wore black ones.
Dreux didn’t let me go. “This is Saylor, she’s going to be helping out around here. Right, Mom?”
Angela didn’t look too pleased as her eyes were fixed on us.
An older woman, one with dyed burgundy hair, high cheekbones, and glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose, spoke up. “Is this your new girlfriend, Dreux baby?”
“No,” Angela jumped in, the tone of her voice letting me know where she stood with the idea. I was not good enough for her son.
Angela left her client and came toward us. “You’re here to work, understood?”
I peered into her hard, dark eyes, wondering if she’d ever like me. “Yes, ma’am.”
She regarded her son. “You go on and get over to Chucky’s.”
Dreux gave my shoulder a good squeeze. “Be nice, Mom.”
She pursed her lips and crossed her arms. “Don’t make me say it again.”
Dreux left me alone with his mother and the room full of women, who were still staring, even their clients.
“He still seein’ that Tabitha girl?” the burgundy-haired woman asked.
Angela’s scowl deepened at the mention of Tabitha. “Girl, Josephine, no. That ended a while ago. Thank God.”
Josephine made a face as she ran her fingers through her client’s hair, fluffing it a bit. “I knew you never liked her.”
Angela didn’t deny this. “I know a fast tail when I see one.” Her eyes were on me, so unwelcoming and cold. “Well, let’s get you to work. You’re going to be responsible for a lot around here, okay?”
I didn’t have a choice, so I bobbed my head. “Yes.”
“You’ll clean, you’ll organize, you’ll answer the phone and set appointments according to availability, you’ll stay out of the way, you’ll be on time, and you won’t back talk.
Your breaks will be fifteen minutes, but I’ll give you a half hour lunch because I like your father.
Your pay after your first week will be fifteen dollars an hour should we reach a decision that you will remain working here, take it or leave it. ”
Fifteen bucks an hour was higher than minimum wage, so I guessed it was better than nothing, even if I were probably going to be working short days.
Again, I simply nodded. “Yes.”
In another moment, she was handing me a broom, allowing me to start my work.
The other women went about their business.
I grabbed the broom and started sweeping up all the hair left over from haircuts to extensions.
When that was done, Angela had me head for the back room and organize their products on their shelves.
That took me a while, because half the stuff I’d never heard of or used in my own hair, so I found myself stopping and examining each jar or spray.
From there, I went and sat at the front desk after going out to the car to get my homework. Angela was okay with me starting it while I played receptionist.
All in all, even if I felt out of place, it wasn’t so bad.