Give it a Chance

Chapter 3

Isha

As I made my way back over to where Quincy was seated, Opal was walking in the door on time as always. I was ready to walk up and mess with her as usual but her face seemed a bit pensive.

"Hey Miss Mamas." I greeted her with a smile. Her eyes meet mine and I knew something wasn't right.

"Hey girl." She said, a bit to melancholy for my liking.

"You good?" I reached my hand out to help her with her bag because it looked like she was carrying the weight of the world. She handed it to me while brushing her curtain bangs back and sighed.

"I will be." This girl is going to make me drag it out of her. Opal was the fun, outgoing girl that everyone thought had no problems but us girls knew her better than that. As we made our way to the back, we walked right by Quincy.

"Did the warden give you some yard time?" He asked as we came closer. He nodded to Opal and she gave him a tight lipped smile before walking ahead of me.

"I'm right behind you, girl. Gimme two seconds." I assured her. I turned my attention to Q.

"Yeah, lemme just talk to Opal real quick, change and then we can get outta here."

"I liked what you got on already, but I ain't never see outside your work clothes."

"Well if you think I'm cute now, just wait on it." I winked, walking away from him just knowing he was looking at my little booty. I turned my head right before walking in the locker room and I caught him staring hard. "Got him right where I want him." I thought to myself and smiled at him showing all 32's. Actually it was more like 27's because of wisdom teeth and candy but I'm cute so...

I heard sniffles coming from our bathroom and I knew Opal was back there trying to hiding herself from me. "Opal, you already know I'm not leaving till you come out so let's go." I'm not even playing with her because she knows I hate when she cries. She came out the last stall with her face buried in some tissue.

"I'm fine, Isha. Foreal. I'm just having a moment."

"So you gon' lie?" I questioned her with raised eyebrows.

"It's the same shit, just a different day. I can't complain forever." She shrugged her shoulders walking over to the sink to splash cold water on her face in an attempt to hide the redness.

"You never complain, you always 'grinning and bearing it'. Talk to me. Is it your mom?" She looked at me and rolled her eyes hard so I knew I was right. "What she say now?" She sighed heavily while drying her hands.

"She talking 'bout some in wasting my life because I work at a club. She basically called me, really all of us damn prostitutes saying that only uneducated girls looking for a meal tickets work in clubs. Which couldn't be further from the truth, at least for us. Meanwhile she ain't never work a job in her life and been living off my daddy since she trapped him at 18." She snapped to me while we walked back to the lockers. I looked at her with wide eyes and motioned for her to continue.

"I'm working to establish myself and that's not good enough her because I don't want to go to back to school and I'm not worried about a man right now. I have real dreams, Ish. I want to travel the world and live a life that I can be proud of. I don't want a mile long list of regrets when I'm 80 years old and she doesn't see it that way. All my older brothers are doctors and engineers with wives and kids and they're happy, don't get me wrong. But they have talked about how they wished they experienced life more when they were my age. They all just followed what my mom wanted for them not wanting to rock the boat but I'm about ready to sink the bitch." She huffed while changing into our uniform. I nodded, understanding her plight all to well having some familial issues of my own. When it came to black and brown parents, the struggle was all too real.