Enez Lyons
Music Production II
1:10 p.m.
Just as I'm getting seated in what I thought was my last class of the day, the principal comes on the speaker. "Sorry to interrupt. Students...there has been a misconception going on at Pastrami High School that this year there will be six class periods. I know that it was discussed last year, but that has not been made final. Until then, we have seven class periods."
I could hear everybody's groans down the hall.
"We get out at 2:56. I understand that a lot of students don't have a seventh period marked on there schedule, which has fed further into the rumors. That's a mistake on the school's part, and only for today- everyone will stay in their sixth period for both sixth and seventh period until we get everyone's schedules straight."
The principal goes off the speaker and I start texting the group chat.
Me: dis sum bull 😤😤
Stinka👄🖕🏽: omm 😤
Heat💔💔: I told dis shawty I was gon eat ha out at 2:00, now how I'm sposed to make dis work 😞
Die😈: girl just tell her at 2:56 now😂😂
Heat💔💔: this is just...... painful 🙄
Me: I bet it is
Stinka👄🖕🏽: shii at least my shift start at 4
Die😈: boss gave me late shift today 💔
Heat💔💔: im glad I don't have a job at 16 😙
Me: ur prolly gonna be a pimp at 17 Nina 🤭
Heat💔💔: I think u want a excuse to call me Daddy but ok 🥲
Die😈: yall chill wit da homosexual behavior in da chat
Me: we can make it a 3sum mamas 👄
Stinka👄🖕🏽: 👀👀
Die😈: im not answerin to dat 🙄
Me: but u just did
Heat💔💔: but u did doh 🤔
The teacher raps her knuckles on my desk. "Hey, can you put that away please. Thanks."
I slide my phone into my back pocket and focus on allat ass miss ma'am here got. I think I should pay attention in this class. You know, I'm a good student and all.
"My name is Ms. Letterman, like the jacket," she turns around to write her name on the board. She's really curvy, big breasts, decent sized waist, big thighs, ass, and nice hips. She would make a beautiful plus sized goddess, and her outfit was fire, along with her hair. She had a little lace front, dark brown that brought out the brown romper she wore with black strappy sandals. Ms. Letterman looked like she was ready for the beach.
But she didn't have to go there for me to make her wet.
I bite my nails as she talks. "I know everybody's a bit disappointed by the principal's announcement, but I promise you, y'all will forget about allat today. We're gonna be learning more about each other, playing with some production tools, going over a syllabus, and having some chill time. What do y'all say?"
The class begrudgingly agreed.
"Alright, we all know what music production is, right?" she asks us.
Everyone nods their heads, including me.
"Ight, well ima still explain for the ones who too scared to admit they don't. Now when them assignments need to be turned in, we start to see who really knows what music production is." Ms. Letterman walks to the board, pulling out a purple Expo marker. It wasn't just her body that captivated me: it was her personality and the way she talked about music production.
Passion seemed to stream from her.
All around, I could tell she was a beautiful person. In spirit, in mental, in physicality.
"Music production is the essence of music, guys. Without the people recording, the management, the graphic design, the albums, the release parties, the artist, the sound: you wouldn't have a music industry. You wouldn't have music. Of course there are ways to make music without all of those things, but I'm here to help you make it big. Or at least, help someone else do it," she shrugs with a smile.
"Let's go around and meet each other. Stand up and get yourselves into a circle." The class hesitantly looks around at one another. I'm the first one to stand. She ain't asking much from us. Just stand, dumbasses. "Now y'all acting all tired and I left my tennis shoes at home and I been walking in sandals all day. Get up, get up," Ms. Letterman laughs.
Eventually the class gets into a large circle spanning the classroom. "You go first since you stood last," she points at a boy in severe need of another hair cut. Crust is around his lips and his eyes are a deep green. His skin is brown and covered in pimples, he clutched his backpack straps with wacky Spongebob art on the back.
"My name is DaVohn, I'm 18, I been interested in music production since I was twelve."
I nod respectively. I don't even know when I started loving music, it's just always been with me. It's helped me through some tough times, especially because of the rough situations I've been placed in due to my parents. And Eda.
Students introduce themselves around the circle. I'm excited about my classmates being from different backgrounds and walks of life. That means we're gonna be making some real creative shit up in here.
"I'm Enez Lyons. I'm 17, a junior, and I been loving music since forever," I smirk. I look up and gesture to the next and last person to introduce themself in the circle.
"Wait, wait. Go back. So you flunked?" a shorter Hispanic boy asks me. I eye him. He doesn't look like he meant to call me out or disrespect me, so I answer. "Yeah, I wasn't taking care of stuff like I should. I should be a senior this year."
Everybody nods, then we go back to introductions.
After we're finished with introductions, we sit back down. I'm really bummed out that this isn't my last class of the day, because I really would be looking forward to this class. Despite everything though, I'm really feeling Ms. Letterman in a chill way, and I know that this class is gonna be my little taste of freedom when I got the entire world on my shoulders and my back.
When the class period crossed into seventh period, Ms. Letterman hands out her syllabus then gives us our promised free time. Immediately, the class begins to section off right before my eyes. The "cool kids" move towards Ms. Letterman's desk to pester her. It seems like a lot of kids obviously had her last year. The more so "nerdy" kids move off towards the equipment to ogle at it. Then everybody else does their own thing at their desk or by the charging outlets. On IG, sleeping, listening to music, checking out their syllabi.
I find myself walking over to DaVohn, who looks up from his pile of syllabi with suspicion. Did he think I was gonna bully him or something?
"Hey, I'm Enez," I hold out my hand.
He shakes it, and repeats his name.
"You had Ms. Letterman last year?" I ask.
"Yeah," his face breaks into a smile. "You new?"
I nod.
He gestured at a chair next to him. "You can gon head and sit." I find myself comparing musical artists with DaVohn, and really getting to know a nice man. Yeah, Pastrami High is really dope.
Dynera (Die) Ericks
Psychology
2:18 p.m.
I can already tell my sixth period teacher is boring, but fortunately, we were given free time for seventh period.
I spend it texting the group chat and Enez.
Me: y'all teachers all chill n stuff??
Heat💔💔: yea
Stinka👄🖕🏽: yea 🙃
Enez💨💨: what teachers y'all got?
Me: what for?
Enez💨💨: if we ever got da same hw, we can help each other out 😌😌
Enez💨💨: I got Mrs. Singapore, Mr. Waltrip, Señora Lackley, Teacher Chamomile, Mr. Mark, Ms. Letterman and ion know my seventh period yet
Me: in dat order?
Enez💨💨: yeah
Stinka👄🖕🏽: I only got Mrs. Singapore, ion have da rest of them for anything
Heat💔💔: I got Mrs. Singapore, but ion have nun of da rest
Me: I got Mrs. Singapore (like we all do), Teacher Chamomile, Ms. Tony, Mr. Waltrip, Mr. Mark, Mrs. Winter and ofc ion know my 7th
Enez💨💨: ayy so we got some of the same teachers, just different class periods 😌
Me: yup
Heat💔💔: lucky
Suddenly the school bell rang and I hopped up. Grabbing my mechanical pencil, I started texting Enez privately.
Me: where u wanna meet up at to go to da Galleria?
Enez💨💨: go to da student parking lot.... If my whip still there 🥲🥲
Enez💨💨: I'll just pull up to da curb and you can get in there. I'll tell u where I'm at
Me: Ight bet, ima go hug Londynn, den I'm on da way
Enez💨💨: okay...
I put up my phone, wave goodbye to Mrs. Winter, my psychology teacher, then head towards Londynn's class.
"Heyyy," Londynn gives me a side hug, then reaches into her purse. "I got some weed lip gloss if Nina's new shawty wanted it. Me and her used to chill back in sixth grade."
"She den got another one," I groan.
"Yup," Londynn laughs.
I take the lip gloss and pocket it. I don't even know if I'll get to see Nina before I get to Enez, but I'll try.
"Ight, hope you had a good day. See you at work some time this week," I shrug, giving her a light punch.
"Ight," Londynn gives me a weak smile then walks away with a girl with lavender hair.
It seems like she's a bit down since she doesn't have lunch with the gang. I'm hoping our little friend group doesn't fall apart, and that Londynn doesn't feel like Enez is replacing her or anything. I wanna make sure we all spend a lot of time together out of school then. Before and after, if possible.
I try to text Nina in the group chat, but I think she's already taking somebody's daughter's soul. It's past 2:56, so that's probably the case. I rush to go find Enez, coming up on the student parking lot and looking for the matte black Kia she described.
I don't know what's up with niggas and matte colors, but it has got to stop. I finally spot Enez's whip and it looks like if I swiped at it with a towel it would have a shining coat underneath. Not everything is built to have a matte color, but I ain't gonna tell her that shit.
Yet.
I hop in with my one mechanical pencil (ya girl came prepared for school today, don't do too much), and I close the passenger door. Her car reeks of weed and other shit, but she got the nerve to have a bottle of cologne and some air fresheners in this hoe.
"Hey," I say awkwardly, pulling on the seat belt as I fasten it. Enez didn't have hers on, but she follows my lead, her eyes vacant as a blunt rests between her soft lips. "Eda ain't at the Galleria no more."
I freeze, my phone sitting in my lap.
"What do you mean?"
She gulps slowly. It looks like it's taking the world to keep her together all in one piece. "My best friend Asia says she'll stay on IG to see if she gives any more updates, posts, or location drops. The last addy she can see is the Galleria, then some random Walmart."
"Okay," I say slowly. "Just keep trying to call and text Eda. We're going to find her, Enez," I promise her.
Enez shakily starts driving the car, pulling out of the way of the line and heading towards the school's entrance/exit. I remember to text my mom as far my whereabouts, and tell her I'm going "to the mall". She sends back a boring ass "ok", then I text Nina again to see what she wants me to do with this lip gloss.
"Asia says she sees she's at Galveston's Beach."
"She's going everywhere, huh?"
Enez only absentmindedly agrees.
"We gon find her, Enez."
"When I find her," Enez says slowly, anger heavy in her voice, "I just might kill her."