It Comes Naturally

5.

"What's up, Rem?" Selby asked giving him a wide smile. His eyes lit up at her actions but dimmed when the guy beside her threw his arm around her shoulders. 

"Raine asked me to give you a ride home today. I know you have a dance practice so..."

"Don't worry about it, dude. I will take her home. I love watching her practice plus my practice is canceled."

Harem eyed Selby then the guy. "You okay with that Selby?" 

"Why wouldn't she be? I'm her boyfriend," the guy said aloud. No one missed the annoyed and rude tone of his voice. "Derek. Enough. Harem is simply asking what I wanted and looking out for me. Sheesh. How about we lower that macho man attitude of yours," Selby retorted. Derek was about to say something but the school bell stopped him. He eyed Harem who in return gave him a dull look, refusing to be intimidated. Derek tried to kiss Selby in the same dramatic fashion from earlier but she refused his advances and returned to Erica's side. "Harem will take me home after my practice session. You need to cool off," she said firmly. 

"You need to know how lucky you are to have me," he sneered before stalking off.

"Sellie."

Erica noticed how low and comforting Harem called out to the girl beside her. "I'm fine, Rem. You don't need to baby me," she snapped. Harem visibly flinched at her harsh tone but kept that beautiful smile of his on her. Erica knew then that this guy was crazy for his friend and she was in confusion about something. Deciding it wasn't her place to pry, Erica quickly changed the subject, Selby invited her to watch dance practice after school but declined. So many things were going through her mind and she didn't feel like herself. She hasn't been herself since she left the island. 
Giving her assurance of meeting up the next day, Erica escaped to the library she fell in love with. The library back on the island couldn't compare to this small town's high school library. Books she had to read online because of the physical unavailability of the books. The cool open space concept of the setup calmed her greatly. Her last two blocks of the school day were free, taking time to center herself was needed. Smiling at the two librarians at the circular check-out desk, she made her way to one of the small lounge areas away from the foyer. Thankfully, she brought along her laptop, a welcome home gift from her father. Setting it up, she checked the time and logged into Skype. Erica laughed softly when she saw the green available sign on all four of her friends' contacts. Quickly she created a conference call, placed her headphones on, and waited for them to connect. 

"Oooooo!!! Look at you, miss lady." 

A laugh escaped her when her friend Avi answered the call along with the other three. Hair natural dark hair unbound and dressed in a sports bra and shorts, Avi had the most genuine smile on her face, her eyes bright with mirth, happy to see her best friend. The girl was loyal to a fault, the first one to defend you against anything.

"Hi, Avi. Wassup?"

"Her ass decided to take a day off on ah Monday," Alissa interjected. Erica rolled her eyes at the brown skin, a curvy girl whose mouth has no filter. 

"Wait. Yuh cut ya hair?" Erica exclaimed. Alissa struck a sassy pose for them all, showing them her now low-cut natural hair with now honey blonde and pink highlights. Designs were marked on the lower half of her head, the new hairstyle accentuated her slightly round face and hazel eyes, she was a knockout. 

"Yes, girl. Mammy did it." Alissa beamed when she said this. Alissa's mom was currently a popular hairstylist with her own shop at a prestigious part of Scarborough. After growing up knowing how to do braids and weaves, Alissa decided to make that her career path with her mother's support. Her goal is to learn more about different hair types and styles before settling.