"I said I needed to talk to you," she loudly reminds him. He's standing in front of Khalíd's bed with his giant arms crossed. "And not only did you sigh like I'm annoying you, but you pretended like I'm not here and babbled with your stupid friend!"
"He actually has the highest grade average in our group," he mumbles, and she rolls her eyes.
"I don't care! I should be more important to you when I'm clearly upset!" He stares at the large vein protruding from the side of her neck.
"First of all, calm down or get out. I don't yell at you, so don't do that with me." Judith takes a deep breath and scowls at the window. "And I don't know why you're getting worked up like we're a thing; we're not. You make it clear over and over that you don't like me, and you treated me like crap for bringing you that bike."
"I was dealing with something." Her voice is shrill, and her throat aches as she fights back tears. He rolls his eyes at her excuse.
"We're all dealing with something, Judith. Including me," Jerome tells her, and as she exhales solemnly, her body deflates into a slouch. "But that's never an excuse to take it out on other people."
"What're you doing now?" His expression gradually shifts to display his confusion.
"What," he calmly asks, and she stands up with her bottom lip quivering.
"You ignore how I feel, insult me," she says, taking slow steps toward him. "All that's left is for you to scream and hit me, and you'll be no better than David."
"Get the f-," he stops himself, and as he looks at the window, she leans over to find his eyes. "Judy, get out."
"Yeah, right. See, you pretend to be the one and only, but you're just like the rest." He meets her scowl with one of his own then watches her walk to the door.
"You look fuller, by the way." Judith stops with her hand on the knob and slowly turns her head to him. "Congrats on that."
***
"No way, he called you fat," Juniper says, looking at her over the top of her black cat eyeglasses. She's sitting on her sister's bed with her legs crossed and an open notebook between her knees.
"Yeah, I know. It was unbelievable." Judith turns to the window and stares at her reflection. "All day, like during my classes, I've been checking out my neck."
Fuck, am I really getting fat?
She watches Judy run her hands across the skin under her chin, then she returns her attention to her notes and says, "You look fine."
"You really think so?" With her lips pursed, she nods. Judith sits beside her and lets out a sigh. She glances at the papers in front of them and reads the subject: How to Administer Medicine. "You have Professor Chandler?"
"Yeah, but on Tuesday and tomorrow," Juniper says. "There's an exam coming up, so I gotta study. It stinks because I wanna go to the Monster Mash tonight, but I'm a terrible test taker."
There's a Halloween party tonight?
"You going?" Judith shrugs her shoulders.
Maybe I should. If everyone's going, then it'll be fine.
"I didn't even know there was one. I guess I've been gone for too long," she mumbles, and when Juniper doesn't respond, she clears her throat. "How's about I help you study tomorrow if you go with me to the party?"
"It's at eleven. That's like," she stops to check the time on her skinny leather watch. "Seven hours from now."
"Then that's just enough time for us to get ready." Judith darts to her feet and Juniper looks at her. With a smile, she says, "It'll be fun."
"I have to wait for Ronnie," she drones with uncertainty as if she's afraid to say no. "She and La'Shawna are the only ones who know how to do makeup."
"What about Kacey? Is she going?" Juniper scoffs and lowers her head. Judith returns to her seat and furrows her brows. "What?"
"You really did miss a lot," she mumbles, then sighs. "That white girl you hung around told our housemother that Kacey smokes reefer in here. They checked her pee, and now she's stuck in the dorms."
What the fuck?
"At least she didn't get thrown off campus." Juniper shakes her head at the situation. "She's lucky, whether she realizes it or not."
"Not really. Her parents are getting divorced, and her granddad is sick. That's why she was smoking," she explains. "So now, all I have is Jenny and Ronnie."
"What about La'Shawna and Cyrus," Judith asks, but she doesn't answer. "Is he upset with me?"
"No, but she is." They lock eyes. "She's angry that you almost cost him his scholarship, and I don't blame her. I'm angry too. My parents chastised me until Dean O'Connell finally let me back on campus."
"I'm sorry." Juniper fans her off, though her whiny voice is sincere, and she shuts her notebook. "If it makes you feel any better, my mom went apeshit and threw one of her bowls at the wall behind me when we were eating."
"What? Judy, that's insane." Judith looks around as Juniper turns to her with sympathy in her eyes. "Does she do that a lot? Are you okay?"
"No. No, no, no, Juniper, I don't wanna take away from you." She looks confused by her vague statement, so Judith elaborates, "You're upset. That's what matters, not how I feel."
"That's not true," she assures her. Juniper leans across her and sets the notebook on the nightstand. "I go to a shrink on Saturdays, and she's a wonderful lady. If you want, I can give you her card."
So she can shove pills down my throat and talk to me about nothing for hours? Who has time for that?
"No, thanks. Really, I'm fine." Kacey steps into the room with her bookbag over her shoulders, and she stops when she sees Judith. They look at her, and the door shuts behind her.
"You're back?" Judith glances at Juniper, then at Kacey as she drops her bag next to the door. Judy stands to her feet.
"Yeah, I got here today," she says. Kacey scoffs, nods her head with her lips pursed, and slowly approaches her side of the room.
"Well, that's just great." She sighs as she plops onto the edge of her bed. "I suppose Doctor Ahmed's offer wasn't worth it to you."
"Kacey," Juniper calls her in a feebly stern tone. They look at her, then at each other. Judith returns to her spot.
What's going on?
"June, honestly, fuck Dean O'Connell," she says, scrunching and relaxing her hands for emphasis. "If he wants to expel me, then so be it. Judy, did you check the news?"
"No," she answers with a questioning tone. "David and Mary asked me yesterday, and I meant to check when I got home, but I didn't have time. What's going on? Who's Doctor Ahmed?"
"He's a member of the NAACP," Kacey explains. Juniper reaches across Judith and slides her notebook off the nightstand. "I don't understand how you haven't heard of him."
"I've been busy doing everything at home, but if he called, my mom would've said something, or Mary would've if David knew." Juniper scoots further onto her sister's bed, leaning her back against the wall and flipping to the page she left off. Judith's eyes glaze onto the window as she mumbles, "She couldn't keep her mouth shut if you paid her."
"Yeah, I know. That bitch lied about me smoking around Juniper and almost cost me my scholarship." Judith and Juniper glance at each other. "Now she's fooling around with Black Ted Bundy."
Juniper cracks a smile, and Judith leans her head forward, her eyebrows pulled together.
"Are you talking about David," she asks. "Or someone else because last I checked, she was with him."
"I don't know his name, I just know what everyone calls him, and it's that," Kacey explains. "Anyway, Doctor Ahmed was on the News asking about you and Cyrus."
"Yeah, because apparently, the little Scottish girl isn't black enough to go to Morehead University," Juniper chimes in and scoffs.
"No," Kacey drones. "It's because Dean O'Connell didn't mention you. He was either too focused on vilifying Judith and Cyrus that he forgot about you, or you aren't a threat to the school."
"Wait, back up." They look at Judith. "Morehead University? That's the one in North Carolina, right?"
"Yeah," Juniper answers. They simultaneously turn their heads to the door as it squeaks open, and they watch Jennifer step in with a thick, ivy-green textbook cradled in her left arm.
"Oh, my God, you're back!" Her glee-laden voice puts a smile on Judith's face. She rushes to her bed, leans down, and embraces her in her right arm. "Oh, my God, we were worried about you!"
"Thank you. I got back on campus today," she says as they pull away from each other. Juniper flips to another page and clears her throat. "Hey, are you going to the Halloween party tonight?"
"Uh, yeah," Jennifer answers with a breathy chuckle. "I heard about it during my lecture, and I haven't been to one in a while, so I'd be a fool not to go."
"Groovy." Kacey stands up and walks to her dresser at the foot of her bed as Jennifer does the same. "Who're you gonna be?"
"Me, Ronnie, and La'Shawna decided to go as Josie and the Pussycats," Jenny tells her. Kacey rummages through the top drawer. "Right now, we're arguing over who is who, but we'll figure it out once they're out of class."
"And if I go, I might be Rita Hayworth in Gilda," Juniper chimes in. Her sister sets her textbook on her dresser and gives her a dark look.
"You won't be anything but in bed," she firmly tells her. Kacey shuts the first drawer, then opens the next. "I'm not fucking around. If I catch you at that party, you'll have hell to pay."
"Okay, Dad," Juniper sarcastically responds before rolling her eyes onto her notes. Judith's attention shifts to her respective shoes, and she reminisces about her father.
"Yeah, whatever. Maybe if Dad were as hard on you as he is on me, I wouldn't have to be bitchy." Jennifer turns her hips to watch Kacey behind her. "You know she got me fussed at by my parents?"
"No shit?" Kacey lifts a red dress and presses it to the front of her body. It's low cut at the chest and ends just above her knees.
"Yeah, because apparently, I'm my rebellious sister's keeper. If she bombs the school, it's my fault." Jenny opens her third drawer and sighs. Judith looks over at Juniper and notices tears on her lashes.
"Sorry for being such a burden," she forces the words from her mouth as she runs to the door. They watch her leave then they exchange glances.
"She's so fucking dramatic." Jenny shuts the drawer and walks to the door. "I'll go check on her."
"When you get back, if it's no trouble, could you help me get ready?" They look at Judith when she asks, then at each other. "I just need my hair pressed."
"I just do makeup. Sorry." Judy nods with her lips pursed and curled down at the ends. Jenny shuts the door behind her, and Kacey folds her dress against the front of her body.
"I can do it for you. Just tell me what look you're going for." She returns it to her dresser, and Judith begins to smile.
***
Judith walks through the autumn orange and black lights with the grass folding under her pink strappy heels. Her hair falls in voluminous waves like Farrah Fawcett's, but it stops just below her bra line.
She passes those talking by the porch, and when she steps through the doors, the bass of the song And The Beat Goes On pierces through her ears like a dagger cutting flesh.
Jesus H, I forgot how loud they play the music.