Curves and All (On Hold)

Chapter 1

Tiana Smith



"Tatter tot! Aye get up!" I roll over and grunt pulling the covers closer over my head. Devante better gone with this wake up mess.

"Tatttterrrrr toootttt!"" He says climbing on top of me.

"Stop calling me that." I mumble. Been calling me that since I was born.

"Come on tatterr! Gotta get up to get that ed-ja-ma-cation!" He yanks the covers from my grip, exposing me to the sun. I groan loudly so he can hear my frustration. Doesn't he see I don't want to go? That I actually enjoy sleeping all day.

"Stupid,dumb, rathet ass-" I mumble getting up.

"Ohhh!!! Tatter tot cussin momma!" I look at him in disbelief as he smiles.

"Tiana Roger Smith! I know damn well you ain't cussing up in my house!" I hear my momma yell. A rule to learn:

Don't cuss in this house.

"No m'am! Devante up in here telling stories. Man! Why you fibing though?!" I smack my lips and grab a pillow, throwing it dead at him. His face got serious as I could tell he wasn't playing. My eyes get wide as I run to head into the bathroom. He catches me before I get a chance to even open the door and next I know, I'm in a fit of giggles off the ground.

"I don't know how you can pick my fat self up(189 lbs. to be exact)." As soon as I say it, he puts me down and spins me to face him. Devante hates when I put myself down.

"You ain't fat tater tot. How many times we got to tell you? F them people at ya school and anybody else. Ok?" I nod as he pulls me into a hug. I need to lighten the mood before I get to emotional.

"Devante?" He looks down at me. "You need to go brush ya teeth lowkey though." He smacks his lips and mushes my face.

"Says the tot who breath smell like corn chips and bounce that thang!" He walks out smirking as I laugh to hard though. Thats why I love my big brother. A1 since day 1 and gone be there till we in caskets. "School in an hour so be ready to go." I sigh as my laughter fades.

I don't want to go there. I hate being there. What is there to look forward to anymore. Sure ain't the harsh comments and all day bullying.

I walk to my closet and look at what I can find. I pull out some regular jeans with my black top with white writing saying DOPE. I pull out the varsity jacket that's all black. Lastly I pair the outfit with some white chucks.

I walk to my vanity and sit taking off my scarf. I start patting my head looking for my shower cap. Don't give me that look! We allll know that ah black girl gots to wrap that hair at night! Im actually natural but momma pressed it last night. Im a big girl with natural hair and I'm NOT mixed. The hell I always catch.

I finally find my cap in the bottom of one of the drawers with the a whole bunch of meaningless stuff. I get up and grab my towel from off a wall hook and my clothes. I make my way out of my room and to the bathroom, humming blurred lines. I make it to the bathroom only to see steam coming from under the door and Devante singing like he actually got skills.

I start banging on the door. "DEVANTEEEE! You KNEW I wanted to get in!" I stop banging looking at the door with dismay.

"Sorry not sorry Tater Tot!" He says in a sing song voice. I just huff and walk to the half bath downstairs. He knows he takes the longest showers in the house. He says its his only time alone with a house full of females. Bird bath it is for me.

I finish washing up, brushing my teeth, and combing my hair out. The only makeup I wear is black eyeliner on the top winged out and a lip color. Today im going with red. I may get bullied and all, but I will not walk out the house looking like a fool. I grab my phone off the bed and my backpack. Just as I walk out my sister, Alexis, is waking up. She goes to this performing arts college a little way from here.

It was cheaper for her to just stay at home. She is really talented. She can sing, dance, and always was about academics. She is 19 and doing the thing in my opinion. She has a different father than me and Devante. Her father was a umm...rapist. Nobody believes that a white man raped my black mother. However, my mom loves her like me and Devante. We are the light of her life.

I turn around and hug my sister, kissing her on the cheek. "Im off to school."

She smiles hugging me back. "Alright. I will see you at dinner." I nod walking out. "Aye Ti." I turn around hoping to hear those words from her.

"I love you Ti and your beautiful. Don't forget it." I smile thanking her and saying I love her to. She has been telling me that since I came home in sixth grade crying about what the kids said about be.

I walk downstairs and kiss my mom on the cheek mouthing I love you. Devante does the same since she is on the phone. My mom works at a important business as a secretary and she has to always be on her toes.

"Hold on real quick. Love you guys to. Money on the counter and I will see you at dinner. Bye!" She rushes out, closing the door behind her.

My mom was a working women no doubt. Before us, she had aspirations just like my sister. But when she got pregnant, she immediately pushed her dreams away to take care of Alexis. A year later she met my dad Robert and thus Devante and I were produced.

I grab our money and walk out the door with Devante behind me. We take our normal route to school talking about nothing important. We get to the corner and hit up our favorite little food stand.

"Sup Frank. The usual for us." I say looking at Frank and smiling. This guy has the best food that you can buy real quick. Ive been getting food from him on a daily basis since I started high school. Thats how we know his name. Real old french guy who has been working this corner for around 20 years. He has seen it all.

"Tiana and Duvante (he says his name weirdly.) my loyal customers! Of course. A meatball sandwich for you two with a cold soda!" He starts preparing it as we make small convo.

We pay and walk away eating in a comfortable silence. We stop by the trash and throw away our trash. I wipe my mouth with a napkin and grab my mouthwash from my bag.

"Open up." I say to Devante gesturing toward the mouthwash.

"Really?" He groans.

"Come on now. Don't want to be rejected for stank breath do you?"

"You right. Pour it up." He tilts his head back and I pour it in. I give him the bottle so he can pour it for me. We swish and swash, then spit.

"See ya big bro. Love ya." I pull him into the hug because this is the routine.

"Aite little sis. Love you too." He picks me up and twirls me around as I laugh. My big brother. Man do I love him. Without him and Alexis, my days would be nothing. We part and take our separate ways.

Hold up? Separate ways? But aren't we only one year apart?

Probably the questionings floating through your heads. Well see, Devante is really smart. Thought I was going to say athletic? He's that to but the school is for the extra smart and extra athletic. He was requested to join since he was to smart for my school. Now ain't that some bull?

But no, forreal. I'm happy for my brother. On to big things. I instead go to this hood rat infested, run down, and just terrible school here in the Bronx. I hate with all my heart. Staying where we stay is middle class...but this is the closes school. Walking distance anyways.

I sigh walking across the street to be met with the local potheads. Getting high before school starts. It also seems like they are still stuck in 2005 during barber shop time. Remember when Michael Ealy fiinnneee self wore the big jacket and timbs? That's them. They nod at me and I do the same.

Then I come up to the hustlers. The thugs with the drugs. The stay around here waiting to sell to us. We get to have lunch outside so that's when they get their most business. A nod here and there and I keep it moving.

This is who I hate approaching the most. Just walking by them, you are bound to hear words. They people who run the high school scene of Bronx. The girls and boys with the flyest gear and "swag". I say it like this because the term is played out. But that's all they say up here. These girls pop there gum and look at you like you stole their man.

Majority of the school is in this category, no lie. We all stay in the same area but again this beez the closes school. To breakdown the is easy.

The lowest of the lowest is the poor. Nobody really associates with them. Well I do because I'm friendly but besides that not really. They known as grimy and low class. You got the nobody's, which I'm part of. We got the middle class status financially but we are not"attractive enough" or "good enough" to be known or seen. The known are also middle class cash based, but they just have the looks or a talent or something.

Last is the upper class and the popular. Now, when I say this I mean you don't mess with this class. These are the sons and daughters of the streets. Simply, they are thugs and thugettes round here. They run this because they parents do (or even grandparents! The line can go back far!)

They do what they want, when they want, how they want. There are in betweens and all with our "caste" system but I fear the upper class. You could get smokes out here. I make my way over to my friends. Yes, I do have friends. We cool and all. Not that corny, "BFF!" Type mess. More like my left hand, my main chicks, or my ROD(s). Ride or Die chicks.

We got my Mexican chick named Isabella Sanchez. Next, my Albanian chick Victoria Dushaj. Lastly we got my black chick named Trinity Bakers. My circle small for many reasons that are common sense.

1: We nobody's. why join?
2: No new friends.
3: Snakessss

I smile and we hug but I see Isabella got tears. I already know the reason so im going to hear her out.

"Hey Isa-"

"That fucking Brandon broke up with me again! que se joda! Lo odio! que tan estúpido y tonto y follar ese truco dessi!-"

"English baby, english." Trinity say holding out her hand.

Isabella takes a deep breath. "I said fuck him and that I hate him. He so dumb and stupid and fuck that trick Dessi! So he text me last night with this long ass paragraph talking about some im sorry bae but we done and that Dessi getting on his case and that she saying I'm a wannabe and a hoe. Then he had the nerve to say I was only needed for a good fuck! Really like...UGH!

I'm about ready to BOTH of their asses like im tired Brandon-"

"No you not! Stop frontin B! You say this every time when you know you texted him back being hysterical. You.." I stop listening to their drama and I look around for anything rather than this. I mean I hear it everyday. As I am looking, my eyes lock with my former best friend, Lashon.