Infatuation

Chapter | 1

I leaned against my car, sipping my caramel frappé. My big sunglasses sat on my face as tiny beads of sweat glistened in the sun on my forehead. I checked my watch.
"7:20." I thought. "20 minutes late, really?"
Just then, Loren's sky blue Mustang pulled into a parking spot next to me, Rihanna blaring on the radio. She hopped out the car.
"Sorry, bad traffic on the interstate." She said, going to the trunk.
Rosa hopped out right after her. "Yeah, it was a wreck. Like people act like they don't know how to drive no more." She popped her gum.
I grabbed my purse and dance bag out the front seat. "Whatever, let's just go. The senior meeting start in 5 minutes." I locked my doors and headed towards the front doors of the school, with the girls trailing behind me.
"Where's Randy?" I asked, referring to Loren's little brother who's in the 10th grade and goes to school with us.
"Got picked up by Kobi." She answered.
"I hope it's some finer boys this year. I'm tired of the same ole niggas." Rosa retorted.
I swung the door open, walking into the air conditioned school. "I know, but we been wishing that same wish since 9th grade and it ain't came true yet."
We headed towards the auditorium, where the senior meeting was being held. 3 tables sat in front of it. One had a piece of paper taped the front saying A-K, another saying L-Q and the last one saying R-Z.
"I'll meet y'all in there." I said, heading to the line in front of A-K table, seeing as though my last name was Gardener.
Rosa and Loren went to the R-Z line, being that their last names were Rodriguez and Williams.
I picked at my long acrylic nails as I waited.
"Does it always take this long?" A deep voice behind me said.
"Yep." I replied, popping the p.
There was a short pause before he spoke again. "I'm Langston."
I looked up and saw a lightskinned guy with pretty eyelashes and some big, plump lips.
"Briana." I simply stated. "You must be new here."
He smirked and readjusted his hat on his head. "It's that obvious?"
"Nah," I shook my head no. "It's just kinda a small school. Everybody knows everybody and I been here 4 years now."
He nodded. "Well, I am new."
"Where you transfer from?" I said, running my fingers through my hair.
"Culver City Academy."
I opened my mouth to say something else but the lady at the table interrupted me.
"NEXT!"
"See you around." I walked forward.
She looked up at me. "Name?"
"Gardener. Briana Gardener."
She flipped through the pile of schedule cards until she seen mine. "Here ya go."
I grabbed it from her and headed to the entrance of the auditorium. I walked down the aisles until I spotted Rosa and Loren sitting on the 3rd row from the front. I sat next to Rosa.
"Oh my gosh, I can't believe I got Lopez for English!" Loren exclaimed.
"Should have signed up for AP Lit like me and Briana." Rosa stated. "We got Ms. Temple."
Loren rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I already got two AP classes, a third class would be too much."
We were silenced by the lights dimming. I crossed my legs and sat back in my seat. Our principal, Mr. Tidwell, walked onstage.
"Hi everyone and may I welcome you to the Class of 2016 Senior meeting!" He smiled at the podium.
The crowd uproared in applause.
He waved his hands down, trying to shush us. "Okay guys, now I know you might think it's time for you guys to slack off, but some of you need these credits. So I would suggest you be on your P's and Q's and finish your last year of high school with a bang."
We applauded again.
"Now for my new seniors, East Los have lots of activities you could involve yourself including Eagle Football, lead by Coach Joe Johnson and team captain, Rodney Lewis."
Rodney stood up flexing while his fellow teammates barked and fist pumped the air.
"There is always our undefeated basketball team, lead by Coach Ronald Thomas and team captain, Kelton Richardson."
Kelton stood up and started jigging, being the class clown he is. His teammates just egged him on.
"Alright now, Mr. Richardson." Kelton sat down. "For the ladies, we have our 3x All-American cheerleading team, led by Coach Vanessa Middleton and team captains Kelly and Kelsey Tucker."
The twins stood up and waved at everybody before quickly sitting back down. They were two blond, stuck up brats. I couldn't stand them. I rolled my eyes at them.
"There is also our 5x All-American, 7x Los Angeles Grand Champions Eaglettes dance team, also led by Coach Vanessa Middleton and team Captain Briana Gardener."
I smirked before standing up and smiling at everybody.
"Go Bri!" Rosa yelled.
I smiled again and sat back down.
Principal Tidwell looked as though he had something else to say but was interrupted by the bell ringing. Everybody got up and headed for the door.
"Have a good school year and go Eagles!" He yelled after us.
"We gone be on fire this year!" Loren exclaimed as soon as we got in the hallway.
"I know, especially with Bri as captain instead of nagging ass Kendra." Rosa replied, referring to our old captain.
"All I know is it's our senior year and we about to turn up." I said, smiling.
"Aye Bri! Bri!" A voice yelled.
I stopped and turned to see Langston running towards me.
"It's you again." I smirked, crossing my arms across my chest.
"Yeah, You the only one I know here and I don't where my first period is." He said, trying to catch his breath.
Loren cleared her throat. "Who's your friend, Bri?"
"My bad." I turned to my girls. "Langston, this is my bff's Loren and Rosa. Loren and Rosa, this is Langston." I smiled.
"How are y'all?" He smirked.
"We good, and we also don't wanna be late on the first day, so Bri? Let's go." Rosa said, pulling my arm.
I snatched my arm back and grabbed Langston's schedule. "Oh, You have Ms. Hill with us first period. Come on." I turned and continued to walk with the girls.
We walked up to the third floor.
"I didn't know you danced. You even the captain." He smiled beside me.
"It's a lot of things you don't know about me." I replied, pulling my dance bag further on my shoulder.
"So Langston, why you come to East Los?" Loren asked, snacking a red vine that was hanging out the side of her mouth.
"Ma wanted us to come to a public school closer to the city."
"Us? And public school?" Rosa scrunched up her face. "You must be one of them private school brats who want a taste of the real world."
I glared at her while Langston answered. "Not at all. And us is me and my homeboys, Day Day and Julian."
"Y'all live together?" I asked, looking up at him.
"Nah, my ma is just kind of the parental figure for all three of us." He stated.
Just then, we made it to Ms. Hill African American Studies class. My girls and I sat in the middle row while Langston sat in the front. The bell still had 2 more minutes before it rang so everybody was just talking and catching up.
"Hey ladies. Hope y'all had a good summer." Landon smiled at us, flashing both of his dimples.
Landon is this lightskinned, short dude on the basketball team. He was known as a class clown, a player and for throwing some hype parties.
"It was good, especially since we didn't have to see your crazy ass." Loren giggled, eating another Red Vine.
"Aw come on now, Lo. You know y'all love y'all some Landonnnnnnn." He said, singing his name.
"Of course we do," Rosa said, draping her arm over her shoulders. "So when you and Kelton throwing this back-to-school party? We been in dance camp almost all summer." She said, glaring at me.
"Hey, I don't make the rules." I said, reapplying my lipgloss. "Talk to Coach Middleton."
Landon chuckled. "It's this weekend, y'all sliding through?"
"You know it!" Loren smiled as she high-fived Rosa.
"Cool, I'm finna go sit in the back, see y'all at lunch." He smiled again before leaving us.
"I swear, if Landon didn't have a babymama, I'd be on him like white on rice." Loren moaned.
"Girl, I swear." Rosa agreed, sitting in the desk Landon was previously sitting on.
I was going to ask Langston did he want to sit by us but was interrupted by the bell and Ms. Hill entering the class. She sat her bag in her seat before speaking.
"Goodmorning students, and welcome to African American Studies." She smiled as she wrote on the board. "Please write down the objective as I take attendance."
Ms. Hill was actually really pretty. She had a dark chocolate complexion, long straight black hair and a tongue piercing, which I thought was unprofessional but that's none of my business.
"Okay, let's start with Landon Brooks." She glanced up from her paper.
"Right hurrrr!" He yelled from the back of the class, causing a few people to laugh.
"A simple raise of the hand would have sufficed, Mr. Brooks." She looked back down as she continued to take attendance.
"So there isn't a Juli-" She was cut off by a banging on the door.
We all snapped our heads towards the door.
"What the hell?" Ms. Hill mumbled as she opened the door.
"Sorry, I'm late." A boy said, walking in. "Couldn't. Find. Your class." He managed to get out due to his lack of breath.
"It's fine, since it's the first day but please be on time, next time Mr.-"
"Julian Goins, and I will be." He sat in the seat next to Langston.
"What's up man?" He dapped him up.
Ms. Hill proceeded to hand out the student information sheets.
"So this is your homeboy you was telling us about?" I whispered, leaning up so he could hear me.
He turned around and hit him on the arm. "Yeah, that's Julian. Julian, this Briana."
He flashed a smile at me. "What's up ma?"
I sat back in my seat. "Nothing too much." I started on my sheet like the rest of the class.
We did our introductions and before we knew it, 45 minutes passed and the class was over. We proceeded to do the same routine for 2 more classes before lunch. Rosa, Loren and I stood in line at the Chick-Fil-A down the street as we gossiped.
"Then it was this boy named Roberto in my Theater class, and I promise I was finna hop on him cause y'all know Mexican boys are my weakness." Loren said as we moved forward in the line.
"I think I seen him, he got black spiky hair and some cute ass teeth?" Rosa asked, digging for her wallet in her purse.
"Yes! I couldn't believe Mr. Harold put us in a acting exercise together." She gushed.
We made it to the front and ordered our food. 5 minutes passed and our food was being handed to us.
"So what you think of Langston, Bri?" Loren asked, eating a waffle fry as we sat in the parking lot in her car eating.
"I don't, what you mean?" I asked, popping a nugget drenched in ranch in my mouth.
"Girl, don't stunt!" Rosa exclaimed from the backseat. "I seen the way you was blushing."
I felt my cheeks turning red. "I mean, he cute but I ain't for relationships right now. Y'all know that."
My last relationship with my ex, Amari Reynolds was ruined over the summer. He started selling drugs and he just changed. So I declared myself free of relationships until I was ready.