Who You Wit'?

Chapter 9

  The pool's water glistened, a perfectly still glass of blue until JZ threw a beach ball, raft, and floating chaise chair into the middle. A shockwave of ripples bounced the items around. They bobbed furiously like they had invisible ghost riders. "Good job, Jay," Mina muttered. "Remind me never to get you to help me do anything." "What?" JZ asked, his voice muffled as he rummaged in the tiny shed at the cor- ner of the large pool. He came back out with a tiny basketball hoop. "We can switch jobs if you don't like how I'm doing it." He dropped the hoop in and rushed toward her, threatening to scoop her up and dump her in. Mina fended him off with a flick of the long-handled net she was using to clean the pool, wetting him. "Alright, kids. Play nice," Jacinta warned, a safe distance from the flying water. She lay back in a brown-striped chaise, soaking in the afternoon sun.   

"I'm just saying. He was supposed to be stacking the stuff, not throwing it in." Mina squinched her nose at JZ's eye roll. She set the net on the concrete, then plunked down next to it and dipped her feet in the pool, wincing at the freezing cold water. "Okay. It's officially too cold to swim, y'all." "It's not too hot for the hot tub, though," JZ countered. Brian came through the French doors at the back of the house. "Who said any- thing about swimming? Y'all the hired, unpaid help." "That's messed up about you, B," Jacinta said. "For real. Your exact words were, 'y'all want come over and get in the pool?'" Mina laughed, nodding along. "Un-ah, you misheard me." Brian ducked the beach ball Jacinta threw his way. "I said, 'can y'all come over and clean out the pool?'" JZ threw a few more pool toys into the water, then pulled a chair up next to Jacinta's. He stretched his long legs out and put his arms behind his head, relax- ing. "I'm finished." "Truthfully, it already looks clean to me," Jacinta said, eyeing the pool's pure blue clear to the bottom. "Yeah, it's pretty much ready for some action," Brian agreed. He gestured to the cushions, toys, and floats. "But pulling out all this mess goes faster with a crew."

He sat down next to Mina, letting his long legs dangle in the water. "Y'all can thank Mina. She's the one inviting people over on Friday and whatnot." "Shoot, I didn't think that meant I was gonna have to work," Mina grumbled. She kicked lazily at a float heading her way. She bumped shoulders with Brian. "You have a problem with me trying to spend as much time with you as possible before you go off to college and forget all about me?" She cut her eyes cut toward him. "Now, there you go. Ain't nobody forgetting anybody." He nudged her back. Jacinta kicked at JZ's foot. "Mama Zimms have any good snacks at y'all house?" "Always. She gotta keep her baby boy happy." JZ grinned. "We be right back, y'all." "Where y'all rolling to?" Brian asked. "Yeah? Together and all couplelike," Mina said. She stretched her eyes at Jac- inta, who waved her off. "Over to my crib," JZ said. "Look, we're hitting the Jacuzzi when we get back." "You're getting in, Cinny?" Mina asked, surprised. She figured Jacinta didn't feel like getting her hair wet in the middle of the week. Normally, it wouldn't be a big deal, but Jacinta had let her hair grow out. No longer a short curly dyed blond 'do, it was now her natural shade of dark chestnut and cut in a cute pixie to her ears.

It was longer than Mina had ever seen it and actually made Jacinta look younger and less mature than the brassy blond look had. "Sounds like I don't have a choice," Jacinta said, hunching her shoulders. "So, yeah, I guess." She trailed behind JZ, and they disappeared around the corner of Brian's house. "Anyway, as I was saying...that's what they all say," Mina said, lowering her voice, bringing the conversation strictly between them. "We'll see when you're a bigtime Duke freshman." "Want to make a bet?" Brian challenged. Mina squinted at him. "A bet? That you won't forget about me?" Brian nodded. She put out her pinky, and Brian hooked his around it. They shook, then re- leased fingers. "Bet." "Bet," Mina repeated. Brian folded his arms, smiling smugly. "See, you're gonna be so burnt." "Not like I'm trying to lose the bet. But I can see you coming home with a new swag." Mina bopped her head to a silent tune, mocking a cool walk. "Thinking you're all that. I'm gonna be all, 'Brian, hey, it's Mina.' And you gon' be all, 'hey, high school girl.'"