A Teenage Love: A Coming of Age Story

Chapter 3 - Water Works

I hugged my flesh and blood. He slapped my back. "Think you'll be able to go to the car show next Saturday?"

"Hell yeah," I said checking out all the bells and whistles on that new school, high powered, no pump action water gun he was toting. "See, this that shit that make me feel old as hell. A Power Blast button?"

"I know. It's disgusting."

I knew Rich well enough to know he had something on his mind.

"Rodney said you were broke down at the gas station a while ago. He has clean blue Camaro he wanted you to take a look at. It's perfect for you"

That's how I knew those tickets came with a price--Rodney and his brood. "You know what? About the car show. I don't think I'ma be able to make it."

"Aw, it's gonna be like that?"

"It's always been like that."

"Just thought you might have grown up a little bit."

"Oh, you wanna talk about being grown up? My water gun ain't have no power blast button on it," I said lightening the mood.

He snatched the gun and packed it up along with our differences.

According to Lyle, I had a green thumb so he never let me go more than a week without tending to his garden. He said I had a calling and it wasn't "messin with no engines or nothing like I was planning." Terrell hobbled out of the house and across the yard to Lyle's garden. I looked up about six feet while fertilizing Lyle's lilies. "Heard you been pushing them pain pills."

"Yeah..." He watered the grass with his spit. "Mama be needing them joints though. She can't even move some days."

"She tried weed?"

"Psh. You know Mama ain't smoking no tree."

"Might help. They say it's better for you anyway. I mean, Lyle does say I got the green thumb..."

We went to see the weed man, Rat, for some of that potent shit he gets from Lake City. Terrell thought we should just get her some kush and call it a day, but I was thinking about tomorrow. I spent some of the cash Lyle gave me to purchase everything I needed to harvest my own.

Ms. Johnson curled into a tighter ball when I came in the see her. She was thinning in every way possible. I kneeled at her bedside.

"Hey mama."

She turned her head away from me. "Now you know I didn't want you seeing me like this."

"I brought you something."

"You gotta come back later, baby. I don't feel good"

I pulled a fat blunt out of my pocket and held it between her eyes.

"I'ma beat your ass."

"It's not for me, ma."

"Boy, I'm dying," she said bluntly. I look at Terrell who was standing in the doorway. He shook his head and walked away. "Ain't smoked a joint since I was a nineteen."

"You ain't gotta be in here hurting like this though, mama." I put a flame to it and pushed it her way. "I know you still got that Training Day DVD. Bet you got enough life in you for that."

She tried to smile as she held the joint between her fingers. "You ain't smoking no more, are you?"

"I got four corners, mama. I don't do shit."

She took a hit while I put her favorite movie in the DVD player.

By the time the good cop realized how deep he was in the shit tank, she had worked up the taste for a chili dog. Terrell said she just liked the idea of eating but I was more than willing to pick one up for her. I slipped Terrell the other blunt. Judging by the stress in his eyes, he needed it more than all of us.

Michelle. A chorus of "Ews" slapped him in the face as he walked into RJ's covered in grime. Dirt on his shirt and hands, knees of his jeans worn to capacity, and face browned from the sun, he was still more gorgeous than ever.

The dimpled midget at the counter had thighs the size of hams. She lit up like a Christmas tree at the sight of him. He touched her face with his gritty hands making her wince with delight. I tucked myself into the aisle.

I heard Juan say, "What you looking for?"

I scooted a little deeper into the aisle.

"Michelle."

I gritted my teeth. He wasn't going to let me off the hook so I answered, "Yeah?"

"What you looking for?"

"Found it." Ryan took a step to the side as I hurried to the counter. His cool assurance melted away as his grimy hands brushed over his hair.

"Hi," I said casually.

"Hey."

I waited for him to charm me, make me giggle like his friend with the robust lower half.

"Check on Zee, for me?"

I agreed, slowly gathering my items and heading toward the door. "Bye," I said to Ryan

"Bye Michelle."

He wasn't a sprinter. His run was slow and steady. I told myself I could handle it, but my game was all about force and speed. I was at the finish line tapping my food while he paced himself for another 200 feet.

Jordan and I used to meet at the track in the evenings during the summer. She hadn't spoken to me since she found out Wonder Boy was into me. Funny, because I hadn't spoken to him either. A shiny, cobalt blue mustang started making an appearance every night around six, rolling through the empty lot like the patrol. The first couple days, I let him drift; even burned a hole through his tinted glass on my way back to North Springs. On day four, I knocked on the blacked out window of his Mustang. It came down smoothly and there sat the young faced, rosy cheeked driver waiting for an explanation for me touching his new ride.

"What are you doing?"

After looking me directly in the eye, his eyes floated to my flat, misty chest and fluttered over my strong thighs. I held my knees feeling insecure under his lusty gaze. "What?"

"I'm on the football team."

"Good for you. What are you doing here?"

He opened the door and climbed out. "I'm here for Kevin. He heard the girls were coming to give you a hard time."

"Thought you said you were on the team."

"I am."

"Don't you have practice?"

"I'm a bench warmer. I don't play." I could hear the disappointment under the pride.

"Don't you want to?"

He folded his arms, his bicep bulging.

"Then you should be at practice."

"I'll be here all week." He tucked himself into his shiny blue horse and slammed the door.

"Bring your workout clothes."

"Why?"

"To work out. They don't train freshman to be look outs and cheerleaders, do they?"

His eyes lit up, ready to accept the challenge but he quickly shrank back at the thought of overstepping his boundaries.