Bell Bottom High: Book 3: Junior Jewels Read online

  “Yeah, that’ll work,” Joyce said, pulling me away by the arm. “We’ve really got to run; see you later.”

  We double-timed it to the next building just in time to beat the final bell. Since we barely made it to the Social Studies class on time, the only available seats were in the front row right in front of our teacher. Ms. Walker was already standing behind her desk wearing a yellow dashiki over her long, slender body. With an afro the size of Angela Davis’s, she looked like a proud black woman who was ready to join the Black Panther Party or at least serve as a volunteer.

  “Class, I have some exciting news to share with you all today,” she began, standing up straight. “As you all know, we’re participating in the foreign student exchange for the first time this year. Our two students will be arriving from Ghana, Africa, two weeks from today, and I’ve selected someone from this class to present the welcome at the school-wide assembly. We’re going to have some very important people in this community attending, like the mayor and one of the city commissioners, so it’s essential that the person assigned with this task be one of our best students.”

  Everyone in the room got really quiet waiting on the announcement. Ms. Walker took her time strolling around the classroom, walking between desks, and looking at all the anticipating faces. Most of the students knew that it would have to be one of the top three students, but which one would it be, Leslie Harper, James Montgomery, or me?

  Finally, Ms. Walker made her way back to the front of the class, stopped at my desk, and peered into my eyes. “The special student that I’ve selected to welcome our foreign exchange students is Reecy Jones. Let’s give her a hand,” she said, leading the clapping session.

  Through the loud cheers, someone’s jealous voice rang out, asking, “Why did she get picked?”

  The sound of the students reacting echoed throughout the small space. Some were “oohing,” some were snickering, and others simply remained quiet wondering what had possessed their classmate to shout out like that.

  Ms. Walker ceased clapping and searched the room for the person who might have asked that ridiculous question. She didn’t have to look very far, because she already knew that it was none other than Leslie Harper, the skinny girl with the curly hair who thought she should always be chosen for everything because she was supposedly the prettiest girl at school.

  Locking eyes with the rude young girl, Ms. Walker stated her uncompromising position. “Well, if you must know, I chose Reecy because she is one of my best students academically. I’ve known her since she was a freshman. She’s very articulate and deserving of this honor. So if you still have a problem with that, Ms. Harper, I suggest you see me after class. Now, let’s move on with our lesson for today.” Ms. Walker stomped back to her desk, sat down, and opened her Social Studies book.

  Most of the students covered their mouths, trying to hide their laughter. Leslie slumped down in her seat, mumbling something inaudible, and rolled her eyes at me. Although her skin was the color of sweet, creamy butter, there wasn’t anything sweet about Leslie’s funky personality.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Joyce whispered, patting my back. “You can’t help if she’s jealous of you. That’s her problem.”

  I didn’t know whether to feel comforted by Joyce’s words or not. However, I did know that my feelings had been hurt, but knowing that Ms. Walker felt so highly of my accomplishments helped ease my pain. Turning to the proper page in my textbook, I placed a smile on my face, and raised my hand to read. I’ve got bigger fish to fry.

  Lunch time couldn’t come soon enough for me. I was dying to see R.J.’s deep-set eyes again. Once I’d gotten through the drama in class, all of my thoughts seemed to center on R.J.’s smiling face and kind words. Honestly, I had been daydreaming about him for at least the last two class periods.

  Sitting at the table next to Joyce, I scanned the cafeteria line. My heart was beating like an African drum at the prospect of seeing R.J.

  “Who are you looking for?” Joyce asked, sucking chocolate milk through a straw.

  “What? Oh, I’m not looking for anybody.” I picked up my hamburger and took a big bite out of it.

  “Sure, you’re not looking for anyone, just R.J.,” Joyce said, leaning over with laughter. “I tried to tell you that you were going to like him.”

  I kept eating and didn’t even acknowledge one word she had said.

  Joyce regained her composure long enough to ask, “So how do you feel about being selected to welcome the foreign exchange students to our school?”

  I swallowed that dry bite before speaking. “I’m glad Ms. Walker picked me and everything, but I’m really nervous about doing that. I don’t have any idea what I’m supposed to say.”

  “Well, don’t worry about it. I know you, and I know you’ll do fine. And that’s why you were chosen in the first place instead of that mean Leslie. I can’t believe she yelled out in class like that, can you?”

  “I know. I mean, I know she doesn’t like me and stuff, but she didn’t have to do that.”

  “It doesn’t matter, because nobody paid her any attention, and Ms. Walker certainly put her in her place. I bet she won’t do that again,” Joyce said, laughing again. “Did you see the look on her face when…”

  “Hey, chicks, how’s the lunch today?” R.J. asked, holding a tray full of food in one hand. Swinging both legs over the bench seat, he sat down beside me.

  “Ah, it’s pretty good,” I replied, trying not to stutter. Picking up a napkin, I wiped the corners of my mouth. My heart was pounding as if someone had a hammer inside my chest and was beating it to make sure it was still working properly. As much as I wanted to look into R.J.’s eyes, I couldn’t do it, because I didn’t want him to see me drooling over him more than I had drooled over the burger in my hand.

  “That’s solid,” R.J. replied, taking a huge bite of his burger and stuffing fries in his mouth at the same time. After swallowing some of his food down, he asked, “So tell me, what’s there to do in this place? Where are the hangouts, man?”

  Joyce and I looked at one another before bursting out in laughter. “I hate to tell you this, Cuz, but you’re not in Chicago anymore. All we have in Clifton is a Dairy Queen and a Sonic for hanging out and one little sorry movie theatre.”

  “That’s it?” R.J. asked, sounding surprised.

  Joyce and I nodded at him.

  “Ah, man, that sucks. What’s the next biggest town?”

  “Texarkana is probably it, but it’s almost an hour away. You’d have to have a car to get there,” Joyce replied.

  “And what about you, peanut butter cup, what do you like to do for fun?”

  “I–I just go to the movies or stay home and read,” I stuttered.

  “Reading, man, that’s no fun. You really need to get out more,” R.J. said, chuckling with Joyce.

  “That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell her,” Joyce interjected, right before her eyes landed on Chubby entering the cafeteria. “Hey, Chubby, come join us over here.”

  Chubby walked straight to our table, exchanged greetings with each of us, and sat down on the other side of me. “How’s it going, Cuz?”

  “It’s going good. Did you meet Joyce’s cousin, R.J.?”

  “No, I haven’t. I just heard we had a new guy at school, and I was wondering who it was,” he said, shaking hands with R.J. “Welcome to Clifton, man.”

  “So, ah, Chubby, what do you have planned for this weekend?” Joyce asked, leaning over her tray.

  “Actually, I’m going to a party at one of my friends’ house. You guys should come,” Chubby suggested, looking around the table.

  “Man, I’m there,” R.J. replied. “That’s the hippest news I’ve heard since I got here yesterday.”

  “Cool, then,” Chubby said, nodding his head. “It’s going to be at Jason Parks’ crib on Saturday night starting at eight. I can pick you guys up if you want me to.”

  “Oh, that sounds great,” Joyce chimed in. �
��We’ll be ready by that time, and you can probably pick us all up at my house. Right, Reecy?”

  “Ah, yeah, that might work.” I wondered how I was going to make that happen.

  “Okay, I’ll catch you all on the flip side, baby. I’ve got to go get me some lunch before they run out of food in this place,” Chubby said, grinning and rubbing his stomach.

  Joyce kept her eyes on the young fellow until he disappeared from her line of vision. Then, she turned toward me with a huge smile on her face. “Girl, this is going to be so much fun. I can’t believe we got invited to a real party. I can’t wait until Saturday!”

  I returned her smile along with a concerned expression. I wanted to go to the party as much as the others only I was worried that my strict parents might not share my enthusiasm, especially since boys would be there. My parents didn’t mind me going to all girls’ parties or sleepovers every now and then, but I had never attended a party with mixed genders. Although I wanted to attend, it would be hard convincing my daddy to let me go to this one. Now Mom might let me go, so I’ll have to talk with her first and make sure she’s on my side. Yeah, that’s what I better do. I can’t miss out on this party, especially since R.J. is going to be there. I’ve got to be there, too.

  “Okay, ladies, I’ve got to split,” R.J. said, rising from the bench. “See you later, Cuz, and peanut butter cup, I’ll see you later, too.”

  “Her name is Reecy,” Joyce stated.

  “I know her name. I just like calling her something sweet.” R.J. stood up like he was about to leave. Then, he sat back down. “Look, peanut butter cup, I know you’re just meeting me, but can I call you later?”

  I was speechless, so I just bobbed my head like a dummy.

  “Cool, I’ll get your number from Joyce. And one more thing, would you like to be my date for the party?”

  That’s when I did something I didn’t think was even possible for a girl with my skin coloring. My cheeks started burning, and I knew I was blushing with joy. I couldn’t get the words out fast enough. “I guess so.”

  R.J. clapped his hands one time and grinned. “All right then. I can’t believe my good fortune. I’ve got to book, but I’ll talk to you later,” he said, grabbing his tray.

  Watching R.J. return his tray to the kitchen area, I smiled as he strutted out of the cafeteria. I’m going to be the envy of every female at the party. Leslie is going to turn green.

  “Girl, what are you going to wear to the party?” Joyce asked, stretching her eyes.

  “I don’t have a clue. The only thing I’m worried about right now is asking my parents about letting me go. You know how they be tripping.” I slumped over the table, already feeling defeated. My joy was quickly turning into pain.

  “Come on, your folks are not that bad. Believe me, they’ll let you go if you ask them right. I mean, if they were that awful, they wouldn’t be letting you take company this year or date.”

  “That’s just it. They said that I could have a friend boy come to the house; they didn’t really say anything about dating. My parents don’t know anything about R.J., so they’d never let me go out with him anyway.”

  “Well, it’s not really a date. We just happen to be going to the party with Chubby and my cousin, R.J. If anything, it could be considered a group date and they did say you could do that, right?”

  “They said maybe I could go on a group date like if they know everybody in the group, but this is going to be at Jason’s house. There’s no way for me to know who all will be there.”

  Joyce was about to respond when the bell rang. Grabbing her tray, she said, “Come on, we’ve got to get to class. We’ll figure this out later.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  By the time I stepped off of the yellow school bus in front of my house, I had formulated the perfect plan for getting to the party on Saturday night. Smiling at the orange and yellow leaves covering the ground on a sunny fall day, I skipped down the walkway and rushed inside the house.

  As usual, I checked in on Grandma, fixed her a snack, completed my homework, and then went to work in the kitchen. I planned to make a special dinner for my parents before asking their permission to attend the upcoming party.

  “Hi, Reecy,” Mom said, creeping into the kitchen. “Is that meatloaf I smell in the oven?”

  “Yes, ma’am, and I made mashed potatoes, green peas, and rolls to go with it,” I replied in a perky voice. With a large pitcher of water sitting on the butcher block counter, I held a package of red Kool-Aid in my hand.

  “How was your day at school?” Mom asked, walking through the kitchen.

  “I had a great day, Mom. You’ll never guess what happened.”

  “Well, I know it must be something big for you to be making meatloaf during the week, and you set the dining room table with my best china.”

  “It is good news. Ms. Walker asked me to say the welcome for the foreign exchange students’ assembly. Everybody is going to be there, even the mayor.”

  “Oh, sweetheart, that is good news. I’m so proud of you.” Mom gave me a tight bear hug. After kissing me on both cheeks, she loosened her grip.

  “Thanks, Mom, I was nervous about it at first, but I think I can do it.”

  “Of course, you can. There’s no doubt in my mind that you’re going to do a fabulous job. And I’ll be there to see it for myself.”

  “That would be great. You’ll really take off from work to come?”

  “Yes, I’ll take off from work to see my daughter give a welcome in front of the mayor. Why wouldn’t I do that?”

  This time, I hugged Mom as tight as I could for several seconds. As I let her go, I plastered on my puppy dog, sad face, because I needed to ask Mom for a big favor.

  “Mom, Chubby invited me and Joyce to a party for one of his friends on Saturday night, and I was wondering if it would be all right for me to go with them. Chubby even volunteered to pick us up from Joyce’s house.”

  Mom sighed, crossing both arms over her chest. “I don’t know what your father is going to say about that, young lady. Maybe we can ask him about it over dinner.”

  We jumped at the sound of the back door slamming shut. We looked up to see Daddy dragging in wearing his blue uniform and carrying a black lunchbox under one arm. For a big man, he looked tired and worn out from working outside in the sun at the roofing company all day. Taking off his sweaty baseball cap, he wiped a dingy white handkerchief across his bald head and blew out a stream of hot air.

  “Hi, Daddy.” I rushed to give him a hug.

  “Hi, baby, it sure smells good in here. I know we’re not having one of my favorite meals tonight, are we?” he asked, looking hopeful.

  “Yes, we are.” Mama beamed, greeting Daddy with a hug of her own. “And we’re eating in the dining room tonight, because my baby has some special news to share with you.”

  “Let me go wash up, and I’ll be right back,” Daddy said, exiting the kitchen. The joy on his face was undeniable.

  Soon as Daddy was out of sight, Mama gave me a confident smile. Lifting my chin, I smiled right back at her. Then, I turned to make one final check of the dining table that was set for four with white and gold-trimmed china. While staring at the picture of the black version of the Last Supper hanging on the paneled wall, I said a quick prayer for all to go well this evening. I wanted to attend that party with my friends more than I had ever wanted anything in my life. Please let Daddy say yes. He’s got to say it.

  *

  I hate my life!” I yelled, running from the dining room table. I slammed the door to my bedroom with such force that the entire house shook. After throwing myself across my twin-sized bed, I covered my face in the pillow and cried. How could my plan have backfired like that? I just knew after hearing my good news and feasting on that great dinner that Daddy would let me go to the party, especially since Mama was on my side. But, no, he wanted to know if any boys would be there. Why does Daddy have to be so mean sometimes?

  I could still hear Daddy
’s voice resounding in my ears. “Who’s having this party, Reecy?” he asked, taking a bite of the juicy meatloaf.

  “His name is Jason Parks. He’s a friend of Chubby’s. And Chubby invited us to go with him. He’s going to pick us up at Joyce’s house.”

  “When you say us, who are you referring to?” Daddy asked, raising one eyebrow.

  “Joyce, her cousin, R.J., and me,” I replied, holding my breath. I was too scared to breathe. I almost didn’t mention R.J., but decided it wouldn’t be in my best interest to lie or even shade the truth. And I definitely knew better than to mention anything about having a confirmed date.

  “Is that the boy who’s living with them down here from Chicago?”

  “Yes, sir,” I confirmed, releasing my breath. Lifting my glass, I took a couple of swallows of red Kool-Aid, hoping to hide my nervousness.

  Daddy took another fork of meatloaf, swallowed hard, and said, “Well, I have to say no.”

  “Daddy, why can’t I go?” Questioning my father felt wrong, but this was too important for me to let it slide.

  “It’s no telling who all is going to be at that party. And I don’t want you around all those teenage boys that we don’t know.”

  “But Daddy, I just turned sixteen. And you know Chubby. He wouldn’t let anything happen to me.”

  “Yes, I know Chubby, but I don’t know that city boy from Chicago or most of the other boys that’s going to be there doing God knows what. Now, I said no, and that’s what I mean.”

  I looked over at Mom, expecting her to object at any moment, but she remained silent, and so did Grandma. I wasn’t surprised that Grandma didn’t say anything, because she made it a point to stay out of our family affairs. However, I thought that Mom had my back on this one. Now I was disappointed to find out something different. Why didn’t she stand up to him? Why can’t she ever stand up for me?

  I was still deep in thought when I heard someone tapping on my bedroom door. Barely raising my head, I whispered, “Come in.”

  It was Mama. She cautiously walked in and eased down on the side of my bed. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, your father needs a little time to get used to the idea of you going to a party with older boys there.”