LITMIR.BIZ

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witty personality and good conversation keep Jayd on her toes and give Rah a run for his money—literally.

      Mickey’s Man

      Never using his name, Mickey’s original boyfriend is a troublemaker and always hot on Mickey’s trail. Always in and out of jail, Mickey’s man is notorious in her hood for being a coldhearted gangster, and loves to be in control. He also has a thing for Jayd but Jayd can’t stand to be anywhere near him.

      Nigel

      The new quarterback on the block, Nigel is a friend of Jayd’s from junior high and also Rah’s best friend, making Jayd’s world even smaller at South Bay High. Nigel is the star football player and dumped his ex-girlfriend at Westingle (Tasha) to be with his new baby-mama to be, Mickey. Jayd is caught up in the mix as both of their friends, but her loyalty lies with Nigel because she’s known him longer and he’s always had her back.

      Chance

      The rich white hip-hop kid of the crew, Chance is Jayd’s drama homie and Nellie’s boyfriend, if you let him tell it. He used to have a crush on Jayd and now has turned his attention to Nellie.

      Bryan

      The youngest of Mama’s children and Jayd’s favorite uncle, Bryan is a dj by night and works at the local grocery store during the day. He’s also an acquaintance of both Rah and KJ from playing ball around the hood. Bryan often gives Jayd helpful advice about her problems with boys and hating girls alike. Out of all of Jayd’s uncles, Bryan gives her grandparents the least amount of trouble.

      Jay

      Jay is more like an older brother to Jayd than her cousin. Like Jayd, he lives with Mama but his mother (Mama’s youngest daughter) left him when he was a baby and never returned. He doesn’t know his father and attends Compton High. He and Jayd often cook together and help Mama around the house.

      Prologue

      “Haven’t you heard of no white after Labor Day, Jayd?” Mrs. Bennett, my most hated teacher, says, commenting on my bright attire. Apparently, it’s okay for folks to wear all black on any given day. But put on white from head to toe, and you stick out like a sore thumb.

      “Other people’s opinions of you don’t matter, Jayd. It’s what you think of yourself and your heritage that counts,” Mama says, creeping into my dream as usual. Do all grandmothers have this ability, or is it just mine?

      “She’s right, Jayd,” my mom says. I guess my dream world has become community property. “I know it’s difficult sticking out in a crowd, especially at school, but it’s worth it. Trust me.” And I know she knows what she’s talking about. My mom gave up on her spirit lessons in high school. So why are they all up in my head this morning?

      “Look at that witch,” Reid says, no longer in character as Macbeth but joined by the rest of the drama class in his taunting. “My mom told me about people like you.”

      “Yeah, my great grandmother remembered hearing stories about slaves with strange powers,” Mrs. Bennett says. What is she doing in drama class? She and Mrs. Sinclair don’t get along at all. “They had to be put in their place to protect the others on the plantation,” she says, raising her pointer above her head, which she yields like a weapon in class on a regular basis, ready to strike.

      “Fight back, Jayd, like I taught you to,” Mama whispers into my ear as I stand my ground in the center of the room. Everyone has surrounded me, ready to watch the whipping I’m supposed to receive. “None of our ancestors took shit laying down, Jayd. We come from a long line of warriors. Girl, get up and fight!”

      “You have no right to judge me,” I say, taking a step back from Mrs. Bennett. None of my friends are here to help me. Only my enemies have come to watch. “And you damn sure have no right to hit me,” I say. Mrs. Bennett looks at me, her cold blue eyes shimmering like our wicked neighbor Esmeralda’s did when she gave me my headache from hell, which starts again as I stare back at her. What the hell?

      I feel like Alice in Wonderland. Watching me stumble and fall to my knees in the center of the circle, the entire class laughs hysterically at my demise. At any minute I’m going to vomit from the dizziness in my head. The laughing is getting louder and more dramatic. The scene switches and Reid is now in character. But instead of being Lady Macbeth, I’m one of the witches. Alia’s still laughing along with the rest of the onlookers as Mrs. Bennett readies herself to take a cheap shot at me while I’m already down.

      “Jayd, don’t you hear that alarm, girl? Get up,” Mama yells from her bed, instinctively saving me from my psychic beat-down.

      “Sorry, Mama. I’m off my game a little this morning,” I say, shaking my head free of the leftover pounding from my dream. I haven’t seen Esmeralda since I gave Misty her gris-gris ingredients last week and I leave out of the back door now always, just in case she’s feeling bold. After getting a taste of her powers, I’ll never give Esmeralda the chance to catch me off-guard again.

      “As soon as you realize it’s a game you can master, you won’t ever be off it again,” Mama says, giving me insight into my own visions, as usual. How does she do that?

      “She’s Mama,” my mom says, contributing her two cents. “You haven’t even seen ten percent of what she can really do. Why do you think I stay out of her way?”

      “If your mom’s in your head, please tell her to call me. It’s time for her to get a reading about this new man of hers,” Mama says, rolling over in her bed and returning to sleep. When did I become a psychic mailwoman?

      “Mama says to call her,” I say out loud, knowing they both heard me.

      “Damn, see what I mean Jayd? She probably already did the reading and wants to see what I have to say. Ain’t no hiding from Mama.” And don’t I know it. I’ll have to talk to her about my dream later. Now it’s time to get to school and face the music. Things have been really tense since everyone found out about me trying to help Misty, especially when I came to school wearing all white last week. But, I’m not going to be deterred from living my life. And with my crew back together as tight as glue, I know I’ll be just fine.

      1

      Above The Rim

      “The world is mine when I wake up/ I don’t need nobody telling me the time.”

      —ERYKAH BADU

      From my dream this morning, I thought my day was going to be much more eventful than it was. It was chill though, just going to my classes and getting my assignments for the week. Mrs. Malone still hasn’t returned my paper to me. I’m anxious to see what I got on the rewrite. It was a difficult assignment and I wasn’t into it at all. I hope there will be fewer red marks across the pages when I get it back this time.

      I did notice people staring at me, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. And me looking extra flyy today gives them a different impression than the one they had of me last week, even though I look flyy in my whites too.

      “Jayd, wait up,” Nellie says, joining me as I head toward the gymnasium. While I have dance class, she, Mickey, and the rest of the South Central kids have P.E. during sixth period. I usually don’t see any of them walk in because I’m always late for dress-up. Hiking up the hill from drama class is no joke and takes up the majority of the six minutes we have to get from one class to the other, no matter how far apart the classes are. Luckily, we have ten minutes to dress, which gives me plenty of time to get ready and be on time for roll call.

      “Why aren’t you in the gym already?” I say, speed walking up the steep hill. Students are rushing in every direction before the final bell for sixth period rings. “Don’t you have to run laps if you aren’t there for roll?” Regular P.E. is more stringent than our elective courses on the AP track, and I always hear about the tougher rules from both her and Mickey. They think I’ve got it easier because I seemingly have more options, but, like the saying goes, you can’t judge a book by its cover.

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