After Class (Janet and Aaliyah)

Chapter 14

Aaliyah

I was sitting in math class the very next day when all of the shit that happened totally hit me like a drive by. I told Pac we could try the whole girlfriend boyfriend thing while I still got a whole nigga I ain't spoken to in 3 days, and on top of it, tryna get me a girl who told me I wasn't supposed to have no boyfriends if I wanted her too. And if this shit wasn't selfish, then ion know what is.

I had to make some decisions, and fast.

  "Aaliyah, can you read us the problem, for the third time," Ms. King's cold, detached voice shrilled from the board.

  "Yeah, uh... which one?" At least today my book was open on my desk.

  "34."

I felt everybody looking at me. Why was she always putting me on the spot like this?

  "Okay, um.... yeah. Alright, suppose an isosceles triangle with angles that measure-"

  "Wrong page, my dear, Jazmine, can you please read number 34 on the right page."

  "Yeah, it says, um, Solve the right triangle for x, and y..."

Jazmine shifted uneasily in her seat. Okay, that was kind of cold. Everyone else thought so too as they looked around at each other with raised eyebrows. Why was she so mean to me in class?

I got really embarrassed and put my head down. Soon I was trapped in my own head, prioritizing my entire fucked up life.

I was dropping Kadeem. Simple as that. He didn't do nothing for me, He was getting too damn controlling, and his dick game was nonexistent. Easy.

Now Pac. I could get out of that little bet fairly easy, as long as I just blame it on the weed. But he wasn't playing when he told me he had feelings for me, and I know it would probably break his little heart. It was only day one though. We weren't deep in it. I could just give him his lil 30 dollars or whatever and we could keep being homies.  We made it this far.

And Acacia. Right now she was on my last damn nerve, embarrassing me in front of the whole damn class like I wasn't letting her smash. I mean yeah, I was supposed to be trying harder and studying and shit, but part of it was her fault. We got together and that was a wrap. Wasn't no tutoring going on. But I knew I wanted it. All of it.

  So that was that. Dropping my niggas for her. Cool.

Jaz nudged my shoulder. I lifted my head up and saw everybody still paying attention. I looked at her, confused.

  "Liyah, you buggin for real. Ms. King just looked at you like she was gonna take her belt off on sight."

  "Shit, for real?" I glanced to the front of the room. Her back was turned to me now, but if that's the way she was looking at me, no doubt she was gonna want to talk to me after class, and not in the good way.

  "What's wrong? Why you so spacey?"

  "I got a lot of shit on my plate right now, that's all." I closed my book. Wasn't no use in trying now, my jig was up.  I looked at the clock. 7 more minutes.

  "You wanna tell me what the fuck's been going on the past 2 weeks? You been acting real strange."

  I sighed. "I just can't, Jaz. Nothing personal, okay?" I shifted in my desk. It was suddenly unbearable to sit here any longer, and if I get a look at Acacia and she's as heated as I think she is, then it's not gonna be pretty.

  "Can you tell ya nigga to stop calling my house, please?" She whispered, her eyes still on the board as she took notes. I don't how how  the hell she balanced it all.