After Class (Janet and Aaliyah)

Chapter 60

Aaliyah

Our mixtape was officially live.

It was all anyone was talking about in the hallway, and I felt like a runway model as I strutted through them that day and gladly accepted all of the compliments we were getting. Jazmine was a little bit more shy and reserved than me and didn't care for all the attention, but I took it in stride. This is exactly how I wanted everyone to react. This is what I wanted to do with my life.

One person's comments about the tape caught our attention in particular. It was a boy named Mell, and he was known for going through school completely by himself with his headphones on most of the time. He didn't speak unless spoken to and even sat alone at lunch. Nobody knew what his deal was, but we all just let him be.

I heard him call us over from the stairwell where he was perched with his hood up. I gave Jazmine a funny look but we made our way over there.

  "Mell, hey."

  "What's good, y'all?" He dapped me up first, then Jazmine. "Let me holla at you. Y'all got a second?"

  "Ummm.... Just class in five minutes." Jazmine checked the clock on the wall. She was always so worried about being late. I shook my head.

  "It's fine. What's up?"

  "This tape is what's up." He pulled it out of his hoodie pocket and waved it around. "It's bananas."
 
  "Oh, you got it? Thank you." I said. Mell kept looking around like he was being watched, which made us uneasy.

  "Yeah, no doubt. Listen. You wanna take this to the next level?"

  "Uh, hell yeah. Why? And what you keep looking at?" I glanced behind me and crossed my arms. The 5 minute bell rang and the halls almost immediately began to quiet down around us.

  "Just making sure we alone. Look, though. Y'all know I don't normally do this..." his voice grew hushed the more it started to carry through the empty stairwell. I sat down on a step below him, intrigued. "But I could make y'all famous tomorrow," he said.

  "What you mean?" Jazmine asked.

  "Let's just say, I have some connections out here. Some people that are going to blow y'all up, overnight if you want it to."

  "Connections like who?"

  "My Uncle Tim and Auntie Mellissa."

  "Okay, who is your uncle? That could be anybody." I scoffed. He was starting to sound shady as hell and I didn't like where it was going.

  "Nah, for real. I can't really get into it right now, but y'all should meet me in the lot after school. And bring Pac. I could put y'all on. I'm telling you."

  "And why should we believe that?" Jazmine asked, crossing her arms. Mell stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets.

  "Come or don't. I'm just saying." He shrugged and ascended the stairs, leaving Jazmine and I there to figure out what the hell was going on. 

  "That nigga is weird," I muttered.

  "What if he's for real, though? I mean, he never talks. He might be telling the truth."

  "Or he might be tryna mug us! Come on." I started to head to Acacia's room. We were already late.

  "I think we should," Jaz said quietly.

  "Well, tell your man to pull up here with his heat and we can talk. But I'm not meeting that funny dude no where alone."

  "Welcome, ladies," Acacia said as we strolled into her classroom.