Way Too Much Drama

three

MAYA

I was resting on my stomach when I was awakened by the sound of my cell phone. I wanted to ignore it, but I knew it was Keysha by the sound of the ring tone. Without looking, I reached for the nightstand where my cell phone was situated. Once I had it, I placed it to my ear.

“Hello?” I answered groggily.

“Wake up,” Keysha said in a chipper voice. I closed my eyes tighter.

“What time is it?” I asked.

“It’s time for us to get up and face the day,” Keysha said energetically.

“Seriously?” I asked, annoyed.

“Stop acting like an old lady and wake up.” It was obvious to me at that point that Keysha wanted me to do something with her.

“My knee still hurts. I’m not going to be out of bed anytime soon,” I griped as I moved my injured leg.

“What if I told you that I got up first thing this morning and my dad took me to driving school?”

I perked up. “What?” I readjusted the phone. “Stop playing.”

“I’m not playing,” Keysha answered.

I turned over and looked at my alarm clock positioned on my dresser across the room. It was 12:45 p.m. “Wow! I didn’t realize that I’d slept so late,” I said, stretching out my body.

“You always sleep late when you’re depressed,” Keysha reminded me.

“I’m not depressed,” I disagreed as I glared at the ceiling. I swallowed hard, noticing how dry my mouth was. “Are you really taking private driving lessons now?”

“Yep. I’m learning the rules of the road!” Keysha answered gleefully.

“Why didn’t you tell me today was your first day? See, you’re a crummy BFF. How could you keep something that major from me?” I asked.

“News flash! I was busy helping you deal with Viviana,” Keysha answered sarcastically.

“That whore.” I tossed my feet over the edge of my bed and sat upright.

“Did you get a chance to confront her about what she did?” Keysha asked.

“Oh, yeah. We had a big blowup yesterday after I got back home.”

“And?” I could tell by the tone of Keysha’s voice that she was hanging on my next words.

“She hates me, Keysha, and that’s all there is.”

“Does she hate you because of what went down with her father?” Keysha asked a question she already knew the answer to.

“Yep. She believes I ruined her life when I spoke up, and now all she wants to do is get even with me.”

“Damn! How are you going to live under the same roof with someone who has that much hatred for you?” Keysha asked.

“I have no idea,” I admitted.

“You should probably tell your mom about it. Maybe she can help Viviana work through her issues,” Keysha suggested.

“I care more about a baboon’s smelly behind than I do about Viviana. All she has to do is stay out of my way and leave Misalo alone.” My resentment toward Viviana was absolute.

“Speaking of feelings, boys and all that stuff, guess who I saw this morning?” Keysha asked.

“Wesley? Was he standing in the yard below your window reciting poetry?” I asked mockingly.

“No, silly, although that would be very romantic if he ever found the courage to do it.” Keysha giggled.

“Oh, God,” I responded as if I were about to puke.

“Whatever, Maya.” Keysha chuckled. “I saw Carlo this morning.”

“Carlo?” I spoke louder than I intended to.

“Yep.”

“What was he doing?”

“I saw him walking into the community center. I assume he was heading to the gym. Have you spoken to him since the fight?”

“No. I haven’t called him and he hasn’t called me. He’s probably ticked off at me for pulling him off Misalo when he was beating him down,” I admitted.

“So does that mean you guys aren’t an item anymore?” Keysha asked.

“I guess so. I’m not missing him at all, and he’s certainly not chasing after me, so it is what it is,” I answered as thoughts of Misalo filled my mind.

“Okay,” Keysha said and then paused.

“What do you have planned for the day?” I asked.

“Right now I’m heading over to the library to return some books,” Keysha said.

“The pool should be about to close for the season, shouldn’t it?” I asked.

“Yep. I only have to work two more days and that’s it,” Keysha said.

“Well, at least you’ll have plenty of money to do your back-to-school shopping with,” I said, envious of the fact she had been able to work all summer.

“No, I have better plans for the money that I’ve been saving,” Keysha said.

“What?” I asked.

“A car,” said Keysha.

“You’re going to spend all your money on a car? I thought you said your dad was going to buy you one?” I asked.

“That’s what he said, but I don’t want him to buy me some noisy jalopy. I’ve been able to save two thousand dollars. If he matches what I’ve saved, then I could get a decent vehicle for four thousand, don’t you think?”

“Hell, yeah. You should be able to ride in style for that kind of money,” I chimed.

“Do you want to head over to the library with me?” Keysha asked.

“Not right now. I need to stay off my knee for a little while longer. What are you doing later?” I asked, thinking we could do something then.

“I’ll be at work,” said Keysha.

“Then I’ll come by the pool and keep you company later this afternoon,” I said.

“Okay, I’ll see you then,” Keysha said before hanging up the phone.

* * *

Later that afternoon I put on my bathing suit, grabbed a pool bag, which I always kept packed and ready, and headed out the door. When I arrived at the swimming pool, Keysha was snapping off on some junior high school boys for playing too roughly. There was a mother with her toddler splashing around at the shallow end of the pool and a few other folks who were wading from one side of the pool to the other. I placed my things on an empty seat next to where Keysha’s belongings were. I got myself situated, put on my dark sunglasses and relaxed. A few minutes later I felt someone shaking my shoulder.

“What?” I asked, annoyed by the interruption of my quiet time.

“Misalo just arrived,” Keysha said, taking her seat beside me. I sat upright, and sure enough, Misalo had taken a seat at the other end of the pool.

“What are you going to do?” Keysha asked.

“I think I’m going to get in the water,” I said. I rose to my feet and carefully walked to the edge of the pool. My knee was still bothering me a little, but not to the point that I had to hobble. I sat down on my butt, draped my legs over the edge and into the warm water. I splashed some water on my thighs and arms so my skin would adjust more easily to the temperature of the water. I then submerged myself. By the time I came from beneath the water, I noticed that Misalo wasn’t in his seat. I glanced around, wondering where he’d gone. I looked below the surface of the water and saw that he was swimming toward me. I did a few strokes until my back rested against the edge of the pool. When Misalo surfaced, he cleared away the cascading water from around his eyes and approached me.

“Are you looking for me?” he asked, smiling innocently.

“I don’t know. Should I be?” I asked, not willing to allow the charm of his smile to soften my disappointment in him, for not talking to me, not believing in me and instead listening to that liar Viviana.

“Where is your boyfriend?” he asked derisively.

“Where is your girlfriend?” I fired right back with an equal amount of sarcasm for his former boo thang, Viviana.

“Maya, I don’t want to fight,” Misalo said earnestly as his tone shifted.

“Ha! You should have thought about that before you started dating my cousin,” I said.

“Oh, it’s like that. I thought we could have a real conversation, but I see that I was wrong,” he said and was about to swim away.

“I’ve been trying to have a real conversation with you for the longest time, but you’ve had your head up your butt.” I didn’t bother filtering my words.

“Okay, I’ll give you that. I’ll admit that I wasn’t the easiest guy to talk to, but I’m certain you can see why I reacted the way that I did.” Misalo gave me an innocent look.

“Misalo, you wouldn’t even give me a chance to tell my side of the story,” I said to him.

“I was angry, Maya,” he admitted. “Sometimes when a person is angry, they can’t see or think straight.”

“And an angry person can be pretty stupid,” I said, unwilling to soften my words or feelings.

“Whatever,” Misalo said with lack of concern. It irritated me that he wasn’t more apologetic.

“So do you want to hear the truth now? Or do you want to keep jumping to conclusions?”

“I don’t think I jumped to conclusions. I believe the evidence I saw spoke for itself, at least in the beginning. Now I’m not really sure what to think. I’m confused,” he admitted.

“You should’ve come to me for the truth instead of letting other people tell you their interpretation of what went down,” I said.

“Okay, Maya. I get it. I should not have been so stubborn. Do you have time to tell me the truth now? What’s really going on with you and Carlo?” he asked as he folded his arms across his chest and waited for me to explain my version of events. I paused momentarily and took notice of his muscles, which were much more defined. I exhaled before I began.

“Viviana and I snuck out of the house one night,” I said.

“You snuck out of the house?” Misalo blurted out the words.

“I know, it’s hard to believe, but, yes, I did. I was trying to prove to Viviana that I wasn’t a Goody Two-shoes. Anyway, she knew about this party that was taking place in the city, so we hopped into my grandmother’s car and went.”

“You don’t have a driver’s license and neither does Viviana.” Misalo immediately began questioning the credibility of my story.

“I know.”

“That doesn’t even sound like something you’d do, Maya. Besides, why would your grandmother give either one of you the keys to her car?” he asked.

“She didn’t,” I said, not wanting to admit that Viviana and I had pretty much taken the car for a joyride.

“You stole your grandmother’s car?” Misalo’s eyes widened as if he’d just been poked.

“Yes and no. Yes we took it, but we didn’t steal it. Viviana said that she’d taken our grandmother’s car lots of times.”

“I don’t believe a thing you’re telling me, but go on,” he insisted.

“It’s the truth, Misalo.”

“Maya, I’ve known you for a long time, and you’ve never done anything remotely close to what you’re describing to me,” he said as he repositioned himself next to me.

“It’s the truth. You can even ask Keysha if you want,” I suggested.

“Like she’d tell me everything. Keysha is your best friend and isn’t going to admit to anything that would make you look bad.”

“Keysha has no reason to lie, Misalo,” I said as I scanned the pool deck. Keysha had climbed in the lifeguard chair. She’d put on her sunglasses and was keeping a close eye on everyone.

“Whatever,” he said, dismissing my comment.

“So we get to this party and I don’t know anyone there. I thought Viviana and I would use the time to bond, but she left me as soon as we arrived. I was nervous and afraid. As the night dragged on, I began searching for Viviana, but couldn’t find her. It was then that I realized she’d set me up and left me. Her plan was for me to get busted for sneaking out of the house. Luckily, Carlo was there and offered to give me a ride home, but he wouldn’t do it unless I slow danced with him first.”

“Maya, your story sounds so lame.” Misalo was skeptical. “If that’s the case, how did Viviana tape you if she’d already left?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I just didn’t see her and she decided to record me,” I said.

“Or, Carlo picked you guys up in his car and drove you there himself because you were creeping around with him behind my back all of the time.” Misalo gave his own spin to the story.

“Misalo, stop making up stuff in your head that isn’t true. I swear, that is not what happened.” I attempted to put him back on the right track.

“You expect me to think that you actually snuck out of the house? I’ve asked you to do that for me countless times and you never would, Maya.”

“I did it that one time, okay. It happened,” I said more forcefully.

“Whatever,” he said. I could tell that he didn’t believe me.

“Now my turn,” I said, turning the tables.

“Your turn?” Misalo seemed surprised that I had an issue with him.

“Yes. I have questions of my own for you,” I said.

“I didn’t do anything,” he said.

“Ah, yes, you did. The photos that I sent to you. Why didn’t you delete them? Why did you lie to me like you had? You’ve humiliated me, Misalo. So many guys have tried to have sex with me because of those photos.”

“Okay, that technically wasn’t my fault. I didn’t really know that Viviana had gotten ahold of my phone and did that.”

“Dude! You should have deleted the pictures. She would not have had anything to forward had you done what you were supposed to do,” I raised my voice at him.

“I was stupid, okay. I never thought they’d ever leave my phone.”

I shook my head disapprovingly at him.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know I messed up.”

His apology didn’t seem sincere to me. I felt tears swelling. “Then you stooped so low by dating my cousin, Viviana. How could you even think that was cool?”

“It happened by accident,” he said.

“By accident! Are you joking! Do you understand what you’ve done to me?” I angrily barked at him.

“You guys are getting a little too loud over here,” Keysha spoke in a loud whisper as she walked past us. I had not noticed that she had come down from her perch.

“What was I supposed to think, Maya? Everything that I saw indicated to me that you and Carlo were an item. I even heard rumors that you and him had gone all the way.”

“What! I can’t believe you just said that to me. You should know me and know that rumor was a lie!” His words hurt me.

“I don’t know, Maya. I thought you’d never sneak out of the house, but you did. I never thought you’d date another guy, but you have. It’s hard for me to believe that you did not go all the way with him,” Misalo said as he began backing away from me.

“And what about you and Viviana? What does dating my cousin say about you as a person?” I fired back at him.

“So it is true. You did go all the way with him.” Misalo seemed transfixed on how far I’d gone with Carlo.

“Why do you even care? You were so busy running behind Viviana like she was the best thing that ever happened to you. How did you feel when you found out how she had played you for a fool?” I bluntly asked. My question left Misalo speechless and his ego bruised.

“I’ve got to go,” Misalo said and swam away to the other end of the swimming pool. He got out of the water, dried himself off and then left. I tried to hold on to my tears, but it was of no use. I buried my face in my hands and cried. I wanted Misalo back. I wanted the love we had to restore itself, but I didn’t know if we could forgive each other.

four

VIVIANA

I had just finished styling my hair and covering up my bruised skin with makeup. I put on a pair of sexy blue jeans and a nice top. I wanted to look as decent as I could because I had to speak to Misalo. I needed him to understand that everything I did and said regarding Maya was fully justified. After he heard what I had to say, I was certain he’d forgive me, and we could continue dating.

Once my hair and makeup were flawless, I called Misalo. I didn’t get an answer, but that did not stop me from calling him several times. After calling him at least ten times without an answer, I decided I’d go to his house and beg for five minutes of his time. As I walked out of the house, I saw Maya, who had just returned from the swimming pool. She looked as if she’d been crying, but I didn’t really care about her emotional state. I only cared about reclaiming Misalo before she tried to sink her hooks into him.

“Slut!” Maya spat the word at me as she walked past me. I flipped up my middle finger as I moved on out the door. While I walked toward Misalo’s house, I called him again, but still got no answer. As luck would have it, I caught up with him as he was exiting a local pizzeria.

“Misalo,” I called out his name as I quickened my pace to catch up to him. When he turned in the direction of my voice, his facial expression turned sour.

“What do you want, Viviana?” he asked disdainfully.

“I know you’re mad at me, and you have every right to be,” I began speaking at a fast pace.

“I don’t have anything to say to you.” Misalo turned his back to me and started walking toward his car.

“Please just give me five minutes to explain,” I begged him.

“Explain what, Viviana? You’re a sneaky liar, and I don’t like being around people like you. End of story.” Misalo’s words stabbed my heart.

“I deserved that and you’re right. I was sneaky and I stretched the truth in order to get back at Maya, but aren’t you curious as to why?” I asked, hoping he would be interested in understanding my justification.

“No.” Misalo opened his car door. I hustled over to the passenger door and pulled the handle. Thankfully the door was unlocked and I got in the car with him.

“What the hell, Viviana. Get out!” Misalo shouted at me. I didn’t move. I sat in the car with my head slumped submissively between my shoulders. I felt horrible about how I’d misled him, but I didn’t want him to hate me for it.

“Get out of my car, Viviana,” he yelled at me again. I looked at him and sniffled. Misalo met my gaze only for a moment and then turned away. “I’m not hearing it, girl. Get out before I come over and yank you out of the car seat.”

“Please, Misalo. Just let me get this off my chest.” My voice trembled and I smeared away the tears that were trickling down my cheeks.

“Viviana, get out of my car!” Misalo clenched his teeth as he spoke. I sat still and refused to move. I was going to make him hear me out one way or the other.

“Listen to what I have to say and then I’ll get out,” I promised.

“Talk.” Misalo released a deep sigh and finally gave in.

“Maya and I have been enemies for a long time. Because of her, my father is dead and I hate her for it. Because of her, my life was ruined. Being forced to live with her is the hardest thing ever.”

“So you used me to get back at her. I got it. Now get out,” Misalo said.

“No, it’s not like that. I mean—” I paused and tried to determine if I should be 100 percent truthful or continue to lie “—yes. At first, I only wanted to break up your relationship because I had gotten so sick and tired of hearing her brag about how perfect you were.”

“Wow, with a cousin like you, who needs enemies?” Misalo’s words stabbed me deeply.

“I’m not an evil person, Misalo. I only tempted you by showing you a different way of looking at your relationship with Maya. That’s all. If you trusted her fully and were truly in love with her, nothing I said should have mattered.”

“You manipulated me,” Misalo said.

“No, I didn’t. I fell in love with you. I did everything I could to protect that love and prove it to you,” I explained. Misalo glanced over at me, and for a brief moment, I lost myself in his eyes.

“I developed real feelings for you. You’re the first guy I’ve ever dated who seemed to really care about me. You actually talked to me and not at me. Whenever I would think about you, I would smile. I didn’t anticipate developing true feelings.”

“News flash, Viviana. You played me for a complete idiot. If that’s your idea of affection, you can keep it.” Misalo let me have it.

I placed my hand on his thigh and said, “If you would give me one more chance, I will show you how serious I am about you.” Misalo’s head craned downward and looked at where my hand was positioned on his thigh.

“Yes. That’s what I mean. I am willing to prove how much I care for you. I want to give myself to you,” I said earnestly. I wanted to be intimate with Misalo in every possible way. I didn’t want him to deny my offer of reconciliation.

five

MAYA

“I can’t believe today is my last day of work,” Keysha said. It was Sunday at 10:30 a.m., and we were sitting next to each other on lawn chairs. We both had beach towels wrapped around our legs because the air had turned noticeably cooler.

“Well, I can’t wait until next summer because I’m definitely going to be working here,” I said, recalling how I enjoyed the excitement of being a lifeguard.

“I don’t think anyone will be coming to the pool today,” Keysha said, reaching into her bag for a book.

“Dang, girl! What are you reading now?” I asked sarcastically.

“Well, I have become pretty good friends with one of the librarians named Robbie. She knows how much I enjoy reading and makes some really good recommendations. I’m reading a Kimani TRU book.”

“Is it any good?” I asked.

“I haven’t started yet,” Keysha answered as I fumbled with my cell phone. I opened up my Facebook app and updated my status. I let everyone know that I was chilling at the pool with my girl. I then clicked on to Misalo’s Facebook page to read what his latest status update was.

“Oh, this is interesting,” I said aloud.

“What?” Keysha asked as she shifted on her seat.

“Misalo says that he’s going to an end-of-summer party,” I said.

“Really? Who is throwing a party? I haven’t heard anything about a party,” Keysha said.

“Hang on. I’m still reading the details. It’s an end-of-summer party and OMG.” I stopped reading.

“What?” Keysha asked.

“Jerry is throwing the party,” I said.

“What!” Keysha sat upright and moved closer to me so that she could see what was on my phone.

“See, it says Jerry is throwing the party.” I showed Keysha.

“Well, I’m not going to that,” Keysha said.

“Have you heard from him at all?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

“No, and I hope I never do.” Keysha’s attitude was clear. I knew for a fact that she didn’t like Jerry at all.

“So let me get this straight. You were telling me that I should have forgiven Viviana when she called me up and asked for help when she was getting a beat down, but it sounds like you haven’t forgiven Jerry at all.”

“That’s different,” Keysha said.

“How?” I asked, giving her a chance to explain.

“Jerry and I could have had something really special, but he was too much of a jerk to realize it. But that’s water under an old bridge now. Anyway, considering all the drama that took place at his last party, I’m surprised he has the guts to throw another one,” Keysha said.

“Wait, wait, wait. Go back to the part where you said you and Jerry could’ve had something special. Would you date him again?”

“Oh, God, no! Dating him was one of the biggest mistakes of my life,” Keysha said as she repositioned herself and opened her book.

I turned my attention back to my phone and noticed that Viviana had posted a comment on Misalo’s wall.

“What the hell!” I blurted out.

“What?” Keysha looked at me, startled.

“Viviana just posted something stupid on Misalo’s wall,” I said as I read her post again.

“What did she say?” Keysha leaned toward me.

“She said, ‘I’ll be there, too, baby. I can’t wait to see you.’”

“Is Misalo still seeing her after the stunt she pulled on him?” I glanced at Keysha.

“I don’t think so. I hope he’s not that damn dumb,” I said as I began typing with my thumbs.

“What are you posting?” Keysha asked.

“A nasty message to Viviana that says, ‘I know you’re not online flirting with my boyfriend, Viviana!’”

“Ooo! You’re just going to call her out like that?” Keysha asked.

“Yeah, I want the world to know what type of tramp she is,” I said, feeling rather evil. A few seconds later my phone buzzed, indicating that a response had been posted. I checked my phone and read the response from Viviana out loud.