Circa July 2014
Drew pluffed up the couch pillows and I worked on organizing the magazines on the table. Big Momma had told us to make sure we didn't have guests over with a messy house so Drew asked me to help him straighten up the living room where the boys would be. Drew planned a sleepover for him and his nobodies tonight. Junior would be there too since Gelo and Melo were going to be sleeping over to. I'd thought about how many games we'd play? I wish that we could stay up late, giggle and talk like we did. But Drew said that we couldn't since I was a girl and he was a boy. I was really starting to get tired of this boy, girl nonsense.
The thing I was most tired of was the fact Its been four days and I still couldn't figure out which ball brother it was that Mimi was talking about. I mean I automatically knocked out Gelo since he's fourteen and he's just a meenie. But I really wanted the boy to be Melo. I mean it was the only one who made sense. Why else would he had gotten so mad? Or why was he so nice to me? But even with all the clues pointed to him I wasn't sure who it was. I'd have to hear it come from someone else's mouth.
"Drew" I called out
I moved over to clean the mirrors since the magazines were light weight. Drew didn't look at me but he answered me from across the room while he took out as many blankets he could. "What?" Most of the covers for unfolded on their travel from the closet to the couch. He lets out a sigh and begins refolding them.
"Is it true that a ball brother likes me?"
He dropped the blanket onto the couch and finally looked at me, "who told you that?" He asked
"Nobody" I answered lowly
The way he responded made me not want to look at him. I turned around spraying the window cleaner on the mirror. But looking at it I could still see in the reflection his eyes burning a whole to the back of my head. "Carmen tell me who. Somebody had to tell you something for you to be asking me that"
"I heard Mimi-"
"Don't listen to her" Drew answered quickly and I turned around to read his expression "she don't know what she talking about she just mad at Melo over some stupid stuff." He shook his head picking the blanket back up
I tilt my head trying to see if I could read him. Mommy could always tell when Drew or I was lying, said that our noses always did a cute little scrunch. But Drew was looking down now and the blanket covered most of his face. "You sure?" His face reveals itself from behind the blanket and I knew that he wasn't playing "my bad, I was just checking!..stop looking at me like that Drew dang."
"You don't need to check for nothing Carmen. Even if Junior liked you, it doesn't matter. Y'all are eleven. Can't even find x yet. Y'all not gon do nothing, so there ain't even a reason for you to know. So just chill on that"
Chewing on my bottom lip I brought my head up a bit, "why does it have to be Junior? She said a ball brother and..and Juniors only my friend. He's my best friend, D."
"Melos about to be thirteen and Gelos even older. Do you want it to be another ball brother?" I shook my head being my body back around to the mirror wiping down the window cleaner.
"Ight then." I finished cleaning up the mirror and made my way to the couch to help him fold the blankets. "I don't want you hanging out with Mimi, CJ"
"But I wasn't"
He threw his folded blanket on the couch, "ion care what you gotta say to defend yourself, Carmen. You was around her enough to hear her put stupid gossip in your head. She crushing on Melo too hard and the second she say something bogus about you, you gon have to hit her with them Mike Tyson hands of yours. Better yet we gon have to swap bodies so I could get a few licks in." I laugh at his words but I could tell that in a way he was being serious
