HBIC: Head Barbie in Charge

21 - Make a Wish

THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO be her night. Never in her wildest dreams did Tammy believe she would have the chance to be crowned queen of Winter Ball and her sisters were supposed to understand and be supportive. Leave it up to Bunny to ruin it.

"We've got all of Christmas break," Kim assured her. "We'll have plenty of time to think it through." Tammy smiled dryly. In all honesty, her mind was already made up. It was obvious that Bunny would not stand for not having things her way. In light of recent events, her safety had come into question. This had grown to a melodramatic Carrie kind of obsession. For all she knew, a bucket of pig's blood awaited her from the rafters of the stage, should she and Greg be crowned king and queen. Max was in love with her enough to do it.

The girls rejoined their dates. Deon, a poser extraordinaire, was ecstatic to be invited to mingle with the football team. "What happened in there?" Greg asked.

"You don't want to know."

Greg wrapped one arm around her, bringing her closer. In that moment, she felt no harm, physical or emotional, could get to her. With the sisterhood dropping like a bad stock, she needed security more now than ever.

A buzz from her clutch startled her. Greg insisted that she get it, but she didn't want to for fear that it would spoil her night even more than Bunny had. Her parents knew not to call her unless it was an emergency. By the third ring, she decided they had kept their promise. She excused herself outside until the music faded. "Hello?" she said, irritation ringing clear in her tone.

"Tamika, we're at the hospital."

The sound of Ma's worried voice made Tammy's spine icy. "Is everybody okay?" she said in a panic.

"Shiloh's running a high fever. She was burning up when we brought her."

The sound of that brat's name made her concern turn to annoyance. In Tammy's head, she was the world's biggest reality star whose only concerns were her girls, her man, and her wardrobe. Then Shiloh's incessant cries would stir her into her real reality. The reality that she had to put another life before her own. God help her for the thoughts that lingered in her mind, but this could have been the answer to all her problems. Maybe if Shiloh didn't make it through the night, she would never have to tell Greg about her past. "She's not dying is she?"

"Tamika!" Ma bellowed into the phone.

Tammy was almost to the point of tears. It seemed that every time something went right, a dark cloud followed her in an effort to shade her bright moment. "I'll see if Greg can give me a ride, Ma," she said. She almost threw her phone down on the hard concrete out of rage. There was no denying that she was a horrible mother to feel the way she felt about her own daughter, but these small moments, no matter how shallow, should have been at the forefront of her mind rather than a sick child. No, it wasn't right, but it was going to have to be okay. In fifteen years, Shiloh would have her moment, but right now, Tammy was still living hers.

She wiped her tears away and entered the room, where a student from the Winter Ball committee stood on stage relaying corny jokes to the audience. Greg spotted her and quickly grabbed her. "They're about to make the announcement." The nominees tightly linked hands with their dates in anticipation of hearing their names. Greg was content with whatever the result would be. She had never let him onto how much it would mean to her to be accepted by her peers. Even more so, what it meant for their relationship going forward. Tammy knew that Greg was a ladies man and that he had run away from commitment in the past, but he had been trying to change his ways and it felt good to know that she was the first girl he had bothered to try a monogamous relationship with. It was eating her up that she had this secret.

Tammy had become so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't even hear the sound of her name being called. She lifted her head to see all of the football players reacting wildly as Greg nudged her out of subconsciousness. "We won, baby," he said and smiled. She looked around and noticed for the first time that everyone was looking at her. She sucked in a sharp breath as a path was magically created for them, people stepping aside as they maneuvered their way through. The chairmen of the committee greeted them on stage, each with two gold crowns. Tammy bowed and allowed the girl to place the crown on her head. She smiled and received her audience graciously. They may have voted her to be their queen, but she felt she was the one unworthy of their praise. Greg saluted his teammates and they celebrated this particular touchdown like no other one before it. She spotted Kim on the floor, cheering her on. Ally and Bunny had all but disappeared. None of that Barbie stuff mattered anymore. She felt at that moment, she could toss that dysfunctional sisterhood out the window and speed off into the sunset with her bestie and her boyfriend. There was only one problem. A six-month-old problem that she wished had never come to life. Every time she inched away, she felt that tiny little hand tugging on her conscience. Tammy ignored the vibration coming from her clutch bag. She knew that Shiloh was in good hands, and if God took her into his own tonight, even better.