Ivy
******
"Ivy!" My foster mom called.
"Yes." I said getting up from my bed.
"You're gonna be late for school." She said.
"I'm about to leave now." I said grabbing my bookbag and phone before going downstairs.
"Did you eat breakfast?" She asked.
"I'ma grab a banana and eat it on the way to the bus stop." I said.
"I'ma be working late again tonight." She said. I nodded since I'm use to her working overtime. "So you can eat leftovers tonight. I'ma go grocery shopping when I get off tonight."
"Okay." I said.
"I'll call to check on you later and you know to call me if you need anything."
"Okay, see you later." I said.
"Hey Ms. Monica." I heard my friend Tashae's voice when my foster mom opened the front door to leave.
"Mhmm, hey girl she's in the kitchen." My foster mom said.
"Hey Tink." She said calling me my nickname when she entered the kitchen going straight to our pantry.
"Girl get out, you always do that. Eat at your own house." I said when she grabbed a poptart opening it.
"I don't got no quick food at my house right now." She said.
"And we barely do right now. Whatever, come on we are gonna miss the bus."
"What the hell are you doing?" I ask snatching the blunt out of her mouth that she was about to light.
"Come on damn." She said snatching it back.
"Ain't no come on. Don't disrespect this house when you know I like it here and she doesn't even play that type of stuff going on in her house."
"Whatever. Come on I need to smoke before I go to this bullshit ass school."
I rolled my eyes as she walked out the kitchen. I grabbed my water and banana before following her out of the house.
I am 16 in the 11th grade and I live in Chicago. I don't have a close relationship with my foster mom since she works so much, but I love it here. After going from foster home to foster home all my life this is the best one and hopefully the last one until I'm 18 and out of the system.
I've been here for a year so far. She use to get a couple kids at once, but now it's just me. She lost her husband last year and I guess her heart just isn't in being a foster parent anymore.
"Tashae, what's good sexy?" This boy from our school said driving along side where we were walking.
Tashae stuck her middle finger up at him.
"Tinka tink, why ya friend be doing me like this?" He asked speaking to me.
I rolled my eyes ignoring him. I don't get involved with Tashae and her niggas.
"Tashae, come here. I'll drop you off at school." The boy said to her.
"You lucky I wanna smoke this first." She said going over to the car.
"You need a ride Tink?" He asked.
"You know damn well you and Tashae are going to have some type of sex. Thanks for trying to be nice tho." I said and he just laughed.
"No, none of that is going on." Tashae said.
"Sure." I said continuing my walk to the bus stop.
"I'll see you at school, Tink." Tashae called and I threw up a hand.
•
"Tink, guess what?" Tashae said walking up to my locker. It was after first period and she was obviously just getting here.
"What?" I ask.
"Johnny is having one of his big parties tonight, you have to come with me this time. Please." She said referring to an older boy that lives in our hood.
"You know that's not my scene." I said. I've been to parties with Tashae and I usually have an okay time, but this boy's parties be over packed and being cooped up with a bunch of drunk people is not my thing.
"Girl, you need to come out and have some damn fun. Maybe even get them cobwebs cleaned out."
I gave her a straight face. "What?" She asked. "You ain't no innocent little virgin."
"Didn't say I was, but I'm not looking for constant one night stands either."
"You're coming, I don't care."
"And my brother is gonna be there you gotta meet him." I've known Tashae for a little over a year and I've never met her brother since when I'm at her house he's never around, but her and her mom mention him every once in awhile.
"I don't know, Tashae." I said.
I don't need to be at no party where there is a chance of something going down, I mean this is Chicago and hood parties end with some type of violence.
"Bestfriend, please." She said hugging me.
I laughed, "Get off me. I'll think about it."
•
"Yo ass on my block everyday." Slim, my little homie, who lives right next to the corner store said to me.
"And yo ass be minding my business everyday." I said back.
"I have to." He said with a chuckle. "Got ya chips I see."
"You know it." I said holding the bag that had my bag of ranch Doritos and hot Cheetos in it.
I come to the corner store everyday after getting off the bus. I kinda have a chip problem. Everybody keeps telling me it's gonna catch up to me, but I'm addicted.
"Stay safe Slim and away from those idiots." I said pointing to his older brother and friends that were coming across the street.
"I love you too, Tink." His brother Deandre said with a chuckle obviously hearing me.
"I love Slim, not you." I joked.
"My heart." He said placing his hand over his chest.
"Bye boy. See ya, Slim."
"You better stop acting like I wasn't the one that popped that cherry when you were 14. That's mine." He said pulling me to him wrapping his arms around my center.
"Ew, stop." I said laughing pulling away. "That has nothing to do with nothing nasty ass."
"It got everything to do with everything."
"Bye crazy," I said. "You still focused in school more than this street shit?"
"Always."
"Mmkay." I said.
"Aye, you at Johnny's party?"
"I don't know yet Tashae has been asking me, but you know that's not really my scene."
"You need to stay from round that hoe."
"That's my friend." I said.
"That ain't ya friend, that's a hoe."
"Bye Deandre." Everybody else calls him Black, but he'll always be Deandre to me.
"I'ma see you Tink." He said grinning.
Deandre has been my friend for years and I had lost my virginity to him when I was 14 and he was 16. it didn't go further than that tho since I moved soon after. And now we are back living in the same area. He's my friend forever though.
•
"We need to find you something to wear." Tashae said sitting on the kitchen counter while I put a frozen pizza in the oven.
"I'm wearing jeans and a shirt on some basic shit."
"No you are not, Tink."
"Girl, you are not going to get on my damn nerves. I will change my mind and say I'm not going at all. This is a hood party not no fancy hotel or some shit."
Tashae rolled her eyes, "You are so damn difficult."
"Oh well." I said.
"Okay, well none of them loose ass jeans you be wearing." She said.
"I love my loose jeans." I said and she rolled her eyes.
"At least wear a crop top, Tink."
"You got a lot of shit to say about my stuff, are you gonna buy me all new everything? No. Then get over it." I said.
I don't have money for the newest phones, brand name clothes, and shoes. I get what I can afford and make it work.
"Fine, Tink. Fine." Tashae said.
After eating the pizza we just chilled until it was like 8 then I got my clothes I wanted to wear together and we went to her house.
I texted my foster mom letting her know I'ma be staying at Tashae's tonight and we're going to a party since I knew she'd be home soon. She isn't overly strict which I like she just always wants to know where I am at all times.
"Ya mom's not home?" I ask Tashae when she lets me inside.
"No, she's at her boyfriend's house." She made a throw up face making me laugh.
"Okay so what are you wearing?" She asks.
"Jeans and a tshirt."
"Tink!"
I rolled my eyes, "I brung loose yet fitted ripped jeans and a shirt that shows a little belly, it's cute so shut up."
"So what are you wearing a bikini?" I asked.
"Bitch, fuck you." She said pushing my shoulder as I laughed.
•
"What the fuck?" I said when me and Tashae entered the party.
It was too overcrowded in here. And people were obviously already drunk or high.
"I'ma go see if I can find my brother." Tashae shouted over the music. I didn't like that she was leaving me alone here, but I just nodded okay.
I was gonna go get something to drink when I bumped into this boy. "My bad." I said, but he just stared at me so I just continued on my way.
"Thought this wasn't your scene." Deandre came up to me asking as I stood in the kitchen drinking a soda.
"It's not, it's not yours either."
He shrugged, "My boys wanted to slide thru I ain't staying."
"I'm probably not gonna stay either it's a little too much going on." I said watching a boy stumble up the steps before falling back down them.
"Find me before you leave so I can make sure you get home safe." He said and I nodded.
I got tired of waiting around for Tashae so I was going to try to go find her.
But what I seen in the living room had me blown. I just watched the boy that I had bumped into do a line of coke.
"Wow." I mumbled to myself. That's when I knew I had to get up outta here.
"Tashae, I'm leaving." I said once I found her hugged up with some boy.
"Ooh, wait I want you to meet Jigz."
"I can't stay here another second, honestly." I said trying to pull away as she pulled me.
"Don't be a party pooper." She said. "Jigz!" She called. "This is my bestest friend Tink."
I looked up and it was the boy who did the line of coke the same boy I bumped into.
He looked at me, "Pretty girl." He spoke sniffing as he rubbed his nose.
"Yeah, I gotta go." I said looking back at Tashae.
"Fine, I'm staying tho. Here." She said handing me her house key.
I got out of there quick and started walking home before I heard my name being called by Deandre.
"I told you find me. You don't need to be walking these streets at night by ya self." He said catching up to me.
I thanked Deandre once I got to Tashae's house I went inside, took another shower, then laid on the futon bed she has in her room that I always sleep on when I stay over here.
•
"You're just getting home?" I ask waking up seeing Tashae climb into her bed with a big tshirt on that wasn't hers. It's a little after three in the morning.
"Yeah, I had so much fun."
"Why didn't you tell me that was a party where they'd have hard drugs? Fuckin narcotics, Tashae!"
"So what, ain't like we were doing them."
"So what shit, because if that house would have got busted into we would have all been going down too using or not." I snapped.
"Girl," She said flagging me off.
See that is what pisses me off about Tashae her noncaring ass attitude.
"Ooh, guess what? Jigz was like put me on, about you. He wants him so Tink and I'm all for it. My best friend and brother. We'll be sisters!"
I made a face, "I'm not interested."
"What the hell you mean you're not interested? My brother's not ugly." She said sitting up.
"I didn't say he was, looks has nothing to do with it. Y'all do know he's on drugs right?" I asked.
"Who isn't?" She asked.
"What?" I asked. "No, I don't mean weed. I mean Cocaine."
"My brother is fine. He knows what he's doing."
"So y'all know about this and are okay with it? Not trying to get him help or anything?"
"He's not addicted. Like I said, he knows what he's doing."
"Wow." I said. "Being in and out of different foster homes I've seen what drugs can do to a person and the ones they love so I don't know how y'all are okay with that. So called functioning or not."
"Okay, so are you interested or not?" She asked.
"What the fuck? No." I said. "You're really ignoring everything I'm saying."
"No you're trying to diss my fuckin brother."
"No I am not."
"You can get out my house, Tink."
"You are really mad because I won't date your fuckin brother?" I ask.
"Get the fuck out!" She said.
I got up grabbing my bag and putting on my slides and heading back to my house at 3 in the damn morning.