Who You Wit'?

Chapter 14

  When they arrived to JZ's to drop off Brian's truck, the game was over. Brian, Todd, and a few stragglers, including Stefan, the cutie, lounged on the bleachers talking smack about who had brought their A game. Michael dropped the keys in Brian's hand. "Next week, I'm balling. One of y'all can take these crazy dudes to the mall or whatever." He jabbed his thumb over at Mina and Lizzie, standing tight-faced and tight-lipped off to the side of the court. JZ walked over, stood between them, and put his arm around them. "What's wrong with my girls?" Mina shrugged his arm off. "Brian, can I talk to you for a minute?" There was a chorus of oohs as the guys teased Brian about being in trouble. "Uh-oh," JZ said. "And this is why the kid rides solo." "Naw, you ride solo cause you keep getting caught dipping with two shorties at  a time," Stefan said. JZ brushed his shoulder off. "I know, right." Brian doled out pounds and handshakes amid the laughter as he grabbed his bag. He sauntered over to Mina, his eyes peering through the darkening evening as if trying to gauge what was on her mind. Todd stood up, stretching his long, lean body before grabbing his bag. He put his hand out for another round of pounds. "I see y'all later, dude." He and JZ ex- changed a grip and pound to the back. "Deuces, Jay." As he passed Mina, whose arms were tightly folded against her chest, Todd said a low-key hey, then said the same to Lizzie. For a second, Mina's anger faltered. She instinctively went to protect Lizzie. "Todd, what's..." But Brian pulled her by the hand, leading her away. "Come on. What you want talk about?" As she and Brian headed out, Mina heard JZ say, "Ouch. What the hell is going on with everybody? You need a ride home, Liz-O?" Mina took one last look back and saw Lizzie nod her head before she and Brian disappeared around the corner toward his house.

Mina had never seen Todd act like that. Never. And she'd known Todd for six years. Her mind swirled, ping ponging between thoughts of Todd and Lizzie and she and Brian. She resisted the light pull Brian had on her hand, forcing him to stop walking. They stood at the top of JZ's driveway. "What's up?" Brian asked. He cracked open a Gatorade and drank. Mina folded her arms again, almost by instinct, as she reprimanded him. "Why did you tell Todd about us?" Brian's eyebrows scrunched. "About us? What about us?" He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Mina pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows as if that were somehow the an- swer to the question. "That we had sex, Brian," she whispered loudly. He scowled. "I didn't tell Todd." "Then how'd he find out?" Brian shrugged. "Did you tell anybody?" Mina asked. "Did you?" Brian snapped. "Cinny. But..." "Do you see me tripping over that?" "No. But maybe you would if Cinny went off and told someone you weren't ready to tell." Mina's voice rose. Brian shook his head. "Okay. I can tell you're ready to start popping some stuff that's either gonna be nonsense or some old bullshit only you and your girls would understand." His right eyebrow arched. "So just say what you're pissed about. I'm ready take a shower and chill." Mina faltered. Brian's straightforward way always kept her slightly off balance. It took her a few seconds to figure out her own point, but she found her voice. "I'm just saying it's not cool that you're bragging about it. What? Did you and Todd have some kind of bet or something, and you won?" "You watch too many of those corny ass TV shows, Mina." Brian snorted. "No- body had a bet." She looked him in the eye. "Then how did Todd find out?" Brian sucked his teeth. "I told him. Alright?" His voice carried in the quiet cul-de-sac, making Mina wince. She wondered if JZ and the rest were still out back and if they could hear. Brian walked toward his house, taking long strides, forcing Mina to speedwalk to keep up. "And it wasn't all dramatic like you making it. No- body was sitting around dogging y'all out." He cut his eyes at her as if he knew that's exactly what she was thinking. "Me, Todd, and JZ were kicking it. Todd was joking, saying how Lizzie wasn't really down with sexing and that he was putting down his best game trying to change her mind. JZ said something crazy about how you and her are best friends, so if one of y'all did it, the other one would, too.

So they kept tripping, asking had we done it. After a while, Todd was seriously asking, wanting to know, and I told him. So that's how he knows." "JZ knows, too?" Mina groaned. "Is it really a big deal?" Brian asked, annoyed. "It's not like they're not your peo- ples and don't already know everything else about you." Mina couldn't argue that. Still, she'd wanted to tell her friends in her own time and way. No doubt, if she voiced that, Brian would only say she was being dra- matic. They stood in front of Brian's driveway under a street light, silent. Stefan blew his horn as he drove past, and a few minutes later, JZ stopped his mom's Volvo convertible right next to them. He had the top down. Lizzie sat up front. It looked like she'd been crying. Michael sat in the back. "You want a ride, Mi?" JZ asked. Mina was about to say no. "Yeah, she does," Brian said. He gave JZ a pound, then Michael and headed up the driveway. "See y'all tomorrow." Mina's mouth fell open. She stared at the empty space that had been Brian seconds ago before climbing in the back with Michael. 

Hours later, her homework done, Mina sat at her desk, phone on vibrate in case Brian called to apologize, PC on but Away message blazing, "I'm away B*tches," until someone she felt like talking to logged on. Michael's satin blue masterpiece, hanging from the closet door, caught Mina's eyes every few seconds. She smiled at it, willing herself to think good thoughts about prom instead of the fact that both Lizzie and Brian were now mad at her. Check that, Lizzie wasn't just mad—she was righteously pissed. But at least she had a good reason to be mad. Brian was just being pissy. Eyeing the computer monitor, double-checking for Lizzie's entrance online, Mi- na shook Brian out of her head. She was not going to think about him right now. She had to make things right with Lizzie, let her know that she hadn't meant to let the secret linger. She would have definitely told her by...well, this Friday. She was sure of it. Definitely by Friday, she told herself, eyeing the phone. She tapped the digits for Brian's phone number on the keypad. Why hadn't he called or texted her? She hated when he got pissy. If he'd just told her he'd told Todd, she would have had to come clean with Lizzie sooner, pact pressure or not. How in the world was he the one mad? Just then, Todd's screen name bolded on her screen. Lizzie was MIA tonight, but this was the next best thing. Maybe she could help fix things. BubbliMi: Hey T. Wassup? BasketballT: Nuttin. BubbliMi: heard a vicious rumor today. BasketballT: uh-oh. It wasn't me BubbliMi: LOL see I knew it had to be all lies tht ur mad@ my girl Liz Five minutes went by before Todd finally responded. BasketballT: u tryna trap me into flaming her? Wht is she there w/u? BubbliMi: T it's not like that. 4real! Y r u mad @ her? BasketballT: it's b/w me n Lizzie Mina's face warmed, but she pressed on. BubbliMi: I know. Not tryna b up in ur mix. But she's straight bummed.

BasketballT: me n' her both. She played me BubbliMi: Todd, no harm but u know Lizzie is not like tht. Honestly, I thnk she's jus not rdy is all BasketballT: and she couldn't jus tell me tht? She had 2 take a pact? Mina felt the same way. But she didn't want to agree with Todd. She was saved when Cinny appeared online. Scrambling to ditch her away message, she was re- warded by a message immediately. CinnyBon: I missed all the fun huh?? BubbliMi: wht fun? CinnyBon: don't play it off. I'm on da phone w/Jay now BubbliMi: Ok it's official—JZ likes u. anytime he on the phone gossiping some- thing gotta b up! CinnyBon: ROFL he tol me 2 tell u stop tripping! Mina laughed, embarrassed that Jacinta had shared what she said with JZ. BubbliMi: Dayum Cinny. I didn't know u was gon' drop dime on me like that! She switched back to Todd. BubbliMi: u know how Lizzie is. Very organized. A pact is very her ? BasketballT: she "organized" me right outta the whole decision. WACK but w/e BubbliMi: she really likes u T. jus talk 2 her. Plse!! BasketballT: Oh like she talked to me abt the pact? BubbliMi: 2 wrongs don't make a right BasketballT: umm...did u just go ttly parental on me? LOL BubbliMi: yes. LOL seriously tho, jus talk. Please. Maybe it's not 2 late 2 meet in the middle BasketballT: wht's the middle of no sex and having sex? BubbliMi: a BJ? J/K. Totally J/K!!! BasketballT: LOL I like the way u think BubbliMi: T, I was j/k!!! if u tell Lizzie I said that I will so deny it ? BasketballT: I promise I'm not printing this as we speak. BubbliMi: better not be. I jus want u guys 2 b cool again BasketballT: yeah, I know. Gtg c u BubbliMi: c u 

Mina shook her head, smiling. It was hard to put this Todd together with the sweaty, stony-faced person he'd been this afternoon. She realized Todd hadn't made any promises about making up with Lizzie, but he also didn't sound mad anymore. She'd settle for that. A trail of messages from Jacinta littered her screen. Apparently, JZ had given Jacinta the entire scoop from earlier, and Jacinta wasn't above teasing Mina for get- ting herself bombed out by Lizzie. CinnyBon: now look @ u breaking ur own rules—lying 2 ur girls and whatnot. Bad Princess, Bad. Mina read it and Cinny's other messages, laughing. Jacinta had a weird way of making Mina feel like her problems were small and silly. And compared to the pregnancy scare hanging over Jacinta's head, the squabble with Lizzie and Brian's tude were silly. Mina picked up the phone. She couldn't take both her boyfriend and her best friend being mad. Having neither of them call or online was like extreme isolation. Like they'd both gotten together and decided to cyber ice her. Paranoid much, Mina thought, snorting nervously. Still, the silence was deafening. She had to squash one of the beefs. Her heart pattered against her chest. How come admitting you're wrong is so nerve-wracking, she thought as she dialed. She took a deep breath and braced herself for a scolding.