After Class (Janet and Aaliyah)

Chapter 3

Aaliyah

She was so cool. I couldn't get over how much she did a straight 180 with her whole attitude once she was done teaching. And when she was cool like that, I started noticing things that made me want to catch a case with her.

Her laugh. Sexier than anything I'd ever heard before in my life. She had a smile that was lighting up the room. Her eyes were so kind, but there was something about them, way deep, that told me she was a freak on the low. When I hugged her, she smelled like strawberries, and I just wanted to be laid up with her all day, in her arms, because she felt so good.

When she said my name, something in my body heated up. It rolled off her tongue like a hot knife through butter. She made me want to go and write a song about her. When she wasn't a pent - up hard ass teacher, she was so fly. And she could get it. Teach me all the lessons she wanted to. Shit.

  I pulled up to my house, and immediately dreaded opening the door. My dad's car was in the the driveway, which meant both my parents were in there, probably starting some shit with each other that should have been finished when I was 13. All they did was fight, but wouldn't separate from each other for nothing. It pissed me off. We all knew they weren't happy here. It seemed easier just for them to let go, but they wouldn't. And they spent so much time arguing that they didn't give a fuck if I was selling drugs on the corner or hoeing around for money either. Sometimes, it was cool, especially for how much weed I smoke, but other times, like when I was failing classes and having mental breakdowns, it would be nice to see them shut the fuck up for 5 minutes to listen to me. I was an only child. Jazmine was my sister, Pac was my brother. I didn't fuck with nobody else. They were the only ones who understood me.

Even as I was walking toward the garage, I heard screaming. My mom. "Oh, here we go with this shit," I thought as I opened the door. This time, they were arguing about my dad always coming home later than he should have been.

  "Hey y'all," I said quietly. No response. "I'm staying over Jazmine's after work."

I grabbed my uniform from the dryer and went right back to my car. I kept clothes at her house for this exact reason. I was barely ever home, between Pac  and Jazmine. But I couldn't wait to tell her how much time I was about to be spending with teach, and how cool she really was. And how I wasn't graduating until we got something started. I was ready to throw all caution to the wind.

I worked at the grocery store, mostly checking out old ladies because my station was closest to the exit door. It was a drag, but if it meant money for myself and my music, then I was down. Sometimes Kadeem came to visit me and just keep me company which was nice, and we almost always hooked up afterwards. It was a routine.

As I was waiting for people to come to me, one face in particular kept creeping into my mind, someone whose lips were painted with that deep, mahogany red lipstick to match her hair. For the rest of my life, I'd be smelling strawberries and feeling her arms. That is, unless, I'd ever get to taste her lips, or better, taste her-

  "Excuse me, can you ring me up young lady?" A crotchety old man spat in my face. It snapped me out of my daydreams and forced me to start scanning his whole wheat bread as fast as I could.

  "Sorry, sir. That's $12.67."

  "Young people, always got their head up their ass." He grumbled, pulling out his wallet. I was used to it by now.

  "Have a nice day." He snatched his bread and limped out into the parking lot.

  "Can you ring me up next?"
Kadeem's voice bellowed behind my chair.

  "You know I don't like it when you sneak up on me, now!"

He moved my hair out of the way and kissed my neck. "Hey baby."