Chapter 15: Singer
"GTA four or five?" Miles asks, staring at me.
"I don't play video games." I tell him.
"At all?" He says, surprised.
"Yeah." I tell him, shrugging. "All my free time is dedicated to homework and work."
"That's so boring. What time do you use to unwind?" He asks me and I look away. Staring at the skating pit.
"Unwinding is for people without problems. I can't afford to sit around and unwind when there's money to be made." I say, playing with the hem of my crop top.
"But you're a senior in high school. You're young, you should act your age." He says, placing his hand on top of mine. I look up staring into his eyes.
"Sadly, I can't do that. Maybe two years from now my life wouldn't be so complicated." I tell him
"Are you planning on going to college?" He asks and I shake my head.
"I don't see college in the cards for me. I'll probably go to art school." I say, intertwining my warm hands with his cold ones.
"You draw?" He asks and I nod.
"I also paint." I add.
"Wow, I would have never guessed that." Miles says, pulling me closer to him. The cool breeze fanning my skin.
"Well, there are a lot of things you don't know about me." I say, looking into his eyes. His face is two inches away from mine. I can feel his hot breath on my cheek.
"You have the most beautiful eyes." Miles tells me, smiling.
"Kiss me already." I say, rolling my eyes. He leans in and gives me a quick kiss on the lips.
"What was that?" I ask him, chuckling.
"Did I do it wrong?" He asks me, pulling away.
"That wasn't a kiss. That was a peck." I point out.
"Well, you're kinda the first girl I've kissed so." He tells me and I laugh. His expression changes and I stop laughing.
"Oh, you're actually serious." I say, staring at him. "How is that possible? You're a senior in high school. Kissing someone is inevitable."
"Not for me. I kept to myself throughout the ninth and tenth grade. I just recently made some friends this year." He tells me and I nod.
"Well, you being a conservative isn't the conversation I thought we'd be having right now." I joke.
"I'm not a conservative." He quips.
"Oh, yeah?" I say, raising an eyebrow as I stare at him. "Touch my boobs."
"W-what?" He stutters.
"You heard me. Grope these titties." I say and he lets out a nervous laugh.
"Just do it." I tell him. I grab his hands and lead him to my chest. He chose my right boob and I smile at him.
"See? Now, was that so hard?" I ask him and he shakes his head.
"It's still unbelievable that you've never done anything intimate with anyone." I tell him and I can feel him massaging my breasts.
"Why is it unbelievable?" He asks me and I shrug.
"Guys are known for their high sex drive and need to always get it in. So, you being a male specimen, it's expected that you've done these things and you're literally almost twenty." I tell him.
"I don't think it matters. It's better than screwing the biggest asshole in our class." He says and I glare at him before I take his hands off me.
I scoff.
"Wow." I exclaim. "Now, that was a low blow."
"Sorry, but it's true." He says and I stare at him.
"If you hate him so much, then why are you here with his girlfriend?" I ask him, folding my arms.
"Because his girlfriend is a lot more chill than he is. And she's pretty so that's a plus." He says and I roll my eyes at him.
"The sun is setting. Duty calls." I say before I stand up from the concrete slab we're sitting on.
"Whoa, hold on there tiger." Miles says, wrapping his arms around my waist.
"Where do you think you're going?" He whispers in my ear.
There's no way this guy hasn't gotten laid before. His mannerisms say what his mouth won't.
"Work." I reply, pulling away from him. I grab my backpack from the floor and I start walking towards the gate of the skate park.
"Wait up, would ya?" Miles yells behind me and I ignore him.
I walk out of the park and start heading to the nearest bus stop. Miles slings his arm around my shoulder as we walk together.
"Are you auditioning for the talent show?" He asks me.
"What talent show?" I ask him.
"The school's organizing a talent show the week before homecoming." He tells me.
"I didn't know that. And no, I will not be auditioning." I tell him.
"Fair enough. I'll get to win it all by myself." He says and I roll my eyes.
"Don't make me audition for that stupid talent show, just so I can whoop your ass in real-time." I earn him.
"Oh please do. I would love to get my ass whopped in real-time." He pleas and I smack him.
***
"What do you think you're doing?" Aaron asks, standing beside me. I am currently, getting lunch.
"I'm getting lunch." I say, confused as I stare at him.
"You know they always serve us." He says, rolling his eyes at me.
"I know. I just wanted to get my own lunch today." I say, grabbing a plate of salad.
"How about you come over tonight." He says, wrapping his hand around my waist as he leads me to our table.
"I have a shit ton of homework." I tell him.
"Oh come on, my mother hasn't seen you in forever. She misses you." He says and I smile at him.
"Invite Aaliyah over. She's the one you're currently screwing." I mention.
"What did I say about bringing her up?" He says, glaring at me.
"Sorry." I say before I sit at the table. We're the first ones from the crew to arrive.
"All you have to do is keep to your end of the deal which you already agreed to and we're good. We can have the best senior year experience ever." He tells me and I nod.
This boy won't see me coming. I'll fucking end him.
"Sure. We're the perfect power couple after all." I quip, opening up the salad.
"You know it." He says, smiling. "I have to get to practice."
"Okay." I say, digging into my salad. Ignoring him completely.
"What? No goodbye or nothing?" He whispers in my ear. I roll my eyes out of frustration before I give him a light peck on the lips.
"That's more like it." Is the last thing he says before he walks off.
"Hey, hey, hey." Chanel says as she sits beside me with a tray of food in her hands.
"Hi." I respond.
"Well, someone's happy to see me." She says, sarcastically rolling her eyes at me.
"Sorry, I'm just kinda out of it today." I tell her.
"You don't have to lie to me. I saw Aaron leaving the table as I was on my way here." She tells me.
"We're fine." I tell her and she shakes her head.
"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" She asks me and I scoff.
"You're impossible." I tell her.
"That's because I'm honest." She says and I don't reply. She may be right, but I won't show her that she is.
***
Iggy Azalea's "Team" plays through my AirPods as I walk down my street. I'm not working today, so I spent my afternoon and early evening at the skate park with Miles.
"Baby, I got me. And that's all I need. Yeah, that's all I need." I sing along with the song.
I get to my house and I enter through the backyard, placing my skateboard beside the door. I'm walking down the hallway when I hear my mother call my name from the living room.
"Yes, it's me." I say, letting her know.
"Can you come to the living room, please?" She asks me and I walk into the living room.
Christopher is having tea with my mother. The teapot sits on the coffee table with cookies surrounding it.
"What's going on?" I ask her, confused.
"Chris told me that you work at his club." She says, smiling at me.
He told my mother that I was a fucking stripper at his stupid club?
Why would he do that?
And why is she smiling?
What happened to white men not being welcome on the property?
"You didn't tell me you took another job?" She says and I honestly have no words to answer her with.
"I-" I begin to speak but Christopher cuts me off.
"She told me she was tired of waiting tables and working at the club was better, money-wise." He says, with a smile on his face.
Oh, I'm going to wipe that stupid smile off his face.
"And I didn't know you were singing professionally." My mother says, staring at me as I look at her confused.
What?
"You know, at the club. Chris told me you sing there." She says and I nod, getting on board with the lie.
"Yes. You know singing has always been a hobby of mine and I thought why not make some money from it." I say, staring at Christopher.
"And I thought you were a stripper." My mother says, laughing. Chris and I join her as we stare at each other.
"Well, Bernice, it's been an absolute pleasure, but I have a flight to catch." Christopher says, placing his cup on the coffee table before he stands up.
"It most certainly has been." My mom says, standing up with him. He gives her a short hug.
"Jasmine, see him out, would you?" She ask and I nod, faking a smile.
"After you." Christopher says as he stands in front of me.
I walk to the front door and open it. I see Christopher's car out front. I walk down the porch steps with him trailing behind me.
"Well, goodnight." I tell him.
"Good night." He says, leaning in.
My mother is watching us from the front door. She goes inside and I smack Christopher on his chest.
"Why would you come here?" I tell him.
"You've been avoiding me." He says and I roll my eyes.
"You've been pretty preoccupied with that redhead that's been coming in for the past two weeks. Is she going to be the next new girl? I ask him. "Because I'm hearing some rumors." I add.
"I have no idea what you're going off about." He tells me.
"Sure. Just go please. You've done enough damage as it is." I tell him.
"How?" He asks, shrugging.
"My mother may seem stupid, but she is very smart. What the hell am I going to do when she insists on seeing me perform on one of the nights I'm working? Or even worse, she Google's the name of the club. I'll be dead meat." I tell him.
"I didn't tell her the name of the club and besides you can always lie and tell her that you quit. Look, I just needed to see you." He says, trying to change the subject.
"Then you could have given me a call like a normal human being." I say, getting frustrated.
"Like that was going to work, you've been ignoring me." He says and I take a step back.
"Just stay away from me." I tell him before I turn around and walk back into the house.