"Exams are done! I'm completely drained from studying and Graham's consistent questions!"
Iris extends her arms out of the embrace as I shook my head. I pull down of her hands, "stop your pre-mature celebration, Cinderella, we still got our results to handle."
She snapped back into reality, her eyes found mine. "Don't say that—you make it sound like I did bad!"
I chuckle, "well, did you?"
She shakes her head, "I don't want to sound too cocky and lead into a bad grade, but I would say I did good. I think Graham did good too, with me tutoring him all of my stuff this whole year."
"So you're saying," I said, walking backwards as my body faced Iris. "That either Graham fails or succeeded, is because of your studying materials? Me, included since I sneak some of your shit?"
She smiles, "simply."
"Oh, great," I roll my eyes, turning my back towards her as I begin to walk towards my car. School had just ended our latest exam and our final one. The ending of the exams calls for the ending of the school day, and we're exiting out to go into going home.
"Graham is going to practise, right?" I queried, as Iris nods her head. "Julian too?"
"Last time I checked," this time, Tasha didn't have anything to hold Julian up and finally allowed time for him to go back to the team. Julian had to literally ask Tasha. What I remembered; they were happy about their returning captain, but the trio of theirs wasn't talking—still.
"Alright, let's go home—"
"Francena!" A voice screeched me from pulling forward. My eyes found their way to the back of the school building and finding Tasha running up to us. She was wearing a band tee, ripped jeans, a red-black flannel wrapped around her waist and combat boots. She manages to get to us quickly, before placing her hands on her knees and letting out a couple of pants.
I turn to Iris, who points down to Tasha and mouths mood.
"Are you—" she pants, "are you going prom shopping?"
"Not last time we checked," Iris answers before I got the chance to open my mouth. "Why?"
"Well, I heard it's coming up in like a week, and with exams now over, I can finally have to the chance to go to find something for Julian." She answers with a sly smile, "but since I'm a tomboy—" Iris rolls her eyes, "I don't like dresses."
Of course you don't, Iris mutters.
"Um, I didn't plan on going shopping for prom." I answer, turning back to Tasha as she gives me a quizzical look. "I just plan on using one of my old dresses for prom."
"Oh, how come?"
"I don't like buying dresses for one occasion. I have this dress from Graham's sister that I planned on using—"
"No! We have to go shopping together," Tasha hook her arms around us, arms wrapped around shoulders. "I've never had girl friends because so, since I have you, I want to experience the normal girl stuff."
"I don't know, Tasha. Francena and I—"
"Sure," I answered for Iris, finding her giving me a bewildered look as Tasha cheers. She smiles, going over and hopping into my car as Iris turns to me. Her eyes questioning my intentions.
"We're her friends, aren't we?"
"Didn't you tell me she said she would cut you—"
"I think she's trying to sound intimidating. She's too nice to do all that stuff,"
Iris sighs, running a hand through her curls, "you're too nice, Francena Nakamura."
"Julian loves her, alright? She deserves a chance. If I want Julian in my life, and I do, then I have to think the best for him. Y'know, give people the benefit of the doubt. There must be a reason why Julian likes this girl."
Iris bit her lip, and I added, "plus, I'm not too nice. I'm just nice. I will be a bitch once they show me I need to."
Iris laughs and nods, "are you coming or what?" Tasha yells from the window and Iris' attention brought away from me and look towards the black girl before turning to me.
"Are you coming or what?" She mocks.
—
"Tasha if you don't buy a dress soon, we're just going to go home." Iris cross her arms against her chest as Tasha stares across her countless choices as she laid out on the given couch they offered. Tasha has been going back and forth on the same dresses for almost an hour—indecisive on her choice.
"I know, I know," she waves Iris off, "I just–it's a hard choice. I usually don't wear anything girly so it's hard!"
Iris turns to me and rolls her eyes, she grabs a hold of my arm and pull me down to her level, "if this girl keeps mentioning that she's not like other girls, a tomboy, again—can we leave her?"
I shove Iris off, shaking my head but slightly chuckling. It's true, throughout our trip, Tasha had mentioned that she's a tomboy about twelve times, she wasn't like other girls usually about seven times, and that she isn't girly almost twenty times. She really wanted us to get it.
"Okay, okay," she points to a blue dress, "I want this one—wait, no, I want—wait!"
Tasha switches over to a black one, the one that I told her looks quite gorgeous on her body. She picks it up, examining it as she pulls the dress into her arms. "Okay, I decided—this one!" She announces, turning back to us as we nod in agreement. Iris marches away from the dressing rooms to the checkout station and waited. I turn back to Tasha.
"Come on," I announce as she follows, hooking her arm around mine as she drags me over to the checkout. Tasha drops the dress down on the counter and waited for the girl to check it out. The amount comes out in a couple of hundreds as Tasha pulls out a credit card in her hands.
"Wait," I grab Tasha's wrist, reading the name on the card. Julian Dean. "That's Julian's card?"
She nods, handing it over to the lady. "Julian lets me use to buy my dress. He said don't spend too much, but you know, a girl's gotta have her night."
The lady rings up the dress and place it into a nice bag, handing it to Tasha and commencing her to come again. I clenched my jaw, walking up behind Tasha and grabbing her arm.
"Wait, if Julian told you that you shouldn't—"
"Don't get all worked up on it," she giggles, "he's my boyfriend. He'll be okay with it."
"Why didn't you ask him?"
"What are you? A therapist?" She scoffs, shaking her head, "I know my relationship better than you."
I was quiet as we begin to walk out of the store—despite spending almost three hours at the mall. Iris and I decide not to buy anything. Iris had already coordinated her outfit with Erin, and like I said, I was planning on wear the dress Tara wore to the gala.
Iris found my side, asking questions through her eyes as I stared in thought. My eyes found the ground, as we walked.
"Tasha," I said slowly, "what do you think about Julian's friends? Nick, Isaac and Colin?"
She scoffs, shaking her head. "They're terrible to him. They're always in our business, trying to tell Julian things about me, like there's something horrible I've done to him. I never cheated, I don't abuse him—but they're always trying to tell him things. I'm glad he doesn't hang out with them anymore."
"So, you hate it when people question your relationship with Julian?" I ask slowly.
She nods vividly, "yes! It's none of their business! Not to mention, I hate people that tries to give me input to my relationship with Julian. We're perfectly happy with each other."
"So... couple therapy is a no?"
Tasha paused, a hand on her hips as she turns to me, "are you trying to tell me something? Francena, I just told you—"
"No, no!" I replied, shaking my head as my feet pulled down to a screeching stop. "I just–I was wondering, I'm not suggesting anything."
"Oh," she resumes walking, "okay then. Yeah, therapists are a no. They're greedy and they are only after your money. They don't care about you, they care about what you bring in. The more the problems, the bigger the dough."
I nod, wordlessly slowly clicking together everything. We reached my car and we come inside, Iris taking the passenger and I'm driving us back home.
Tasha told me her address and I drove her home. The entire car-ride, I was silent. My eyes focused ahead as thoughts swarmed my head like wasps. I was piecing things together like a puzzle.
I drop Tasha off first, as she bids her goodbyes to us, we did the same with less enthusiasm.
"You good, Francena?" Iris asks, once I pull out of Tasha's driveway. My hands clenched around the steering wheel.
"I understand now," I said slowly, "why Julian wouldn't go to the therapists. Why he would always suggest they're bad. Almost everything."
"Why?"
"It's Tasha," I clenched my jaw, "she's the reason. He's listening to her. She's toxic."