“It’s just for your protection, I’m sure,” Mario said, seeing the sudden change in her mood. “The type of dude in a high position like your father, there’s gotta be hella niggas after his head. He gotta stay clear on all sides and protect his family, you feel me?”
“Sounds like you know a lot about the underworld,” she teased.
“My uncle taught me a little something something. But, nah, for real, your father sounds like a smart man.”
“He better be smart since all he seems to have time for is work these days,” Tiara said with a little bit of salt in her voice.
“You and him aren’t very close, I’m guessing.”
“Nope.”
“Well, don’t take it to heart. I don’t know what his life is like, but I can only assume that it’s hectic as fuck.”
“He shouldn’t have had a kid then.”
“Ooookay,” Mario said, realizing his words hadn’t really helped any.
“I’m sorry,” Tiara knew she was targeting her bitterness at the wrong person. “I didn’t mean to sound like a bitch.”
At that moment the bell rang, signaling that their lunch period was now over. Mario grabbed both of their trays and took them to the trash can.
Great! You just blew your chance with him! Tiara thought to herself standing to her feet.
Mario came back to the table and grabbed his book bag. “I have a way you can make it up to me,” he said, interrupting her negative thoughts. “Go out with me this weekend? To dinner on Saturday. Maybe we can go to a movie or somethin’?”
“That’s perfect!” Tiara said a little too fast. “I mean, uhh, let me check my schedule, and I’ll get back to you. Here, take my number.”
She hurried up and gave him her number. Then she looked over his shoulder and saw Brandy standing at one of the cafeteria exits looking impatient. She grinned, knowing that Brandy was dying to know what had transpired during their lunch period. She told Mario she would see him later and walked away without looking back. When she reached Brandy, the two girls linked arms and bustled their way through the mounds of students in the hallway.
“Soooo?” Brandy shook her arm a little bit. “You’re killin’ me, Smalls!”
“I like him,” Tiara said with a dreamy look on her face. “I like him a lot.”
* * *
Tiara went to Brandy’s house that day after school to go over their homework from that day. She sent a quick text to her mother when her driver drove her and Brandy away from the school. When they arrived at Brandy’s house, Tiara said a quick hello to her mother and kissed Brandy’s little brother Lawrence on his forehead. Brandy led the way to her bedroom and once there, both girls threw their book bags to the side.
“Well, I guess they haven’t called home yet,” Brandy said. “My mom is being nice.”
“They probably already called my house,” Tiara said. “I doubt Stephanie told my mom, though. You know she doesn’t give a fuck about what I do. There would be no point.”
“That’s crazy,” Brandy said. “Anyways, back to Mariooooo.”
The singsong voice she used made Tiara roll her eyes. “What about him?” Tiara tried to sound nonchalant.
“Bitch, now it’s ‘what about him,’ when you were just hella geeked at the school behind his ass!”
“Nah, I’m just kidding,” Tiara said, grinning. “He’s just so cool. I don’t know, there is just something about him that I like. He’s not like the other guys who I thought liked me. They all just tried to use me to get on with my papi’s business. Mario didn’t even care that I’m Blake Rogers’s daughter. I was just Tiara today at the lunch table, and you don’t know how good that felt, Brandy.”
“Well, shit,” Brandy winked. “You’re always just Tiara to me. You don’t get special treatment, ho!”
“Shut up,” Tiara said, smiling dreamily. “I’m trying to be serious with you!”
At that moment, she felt her smartphone vibrate in her pocket. When she checked the name, she squealed excitedly and used her butt to bounce up and down on Brandy’s bed.
“It’s him!”
“What’d he say?”
“Ummm,” Tiara checked the message. “He said, ‘wassup, ma?’ Ahhh! What should I say? What should I say? I don’t want to sound too geeked. Should I wait like ten minutes before texting back?”
Brandy looked at Tiara like she was an alien and burst out laughing.
“Brandyyyyy!” Tiara poked her lip out and looked desperately to her friend for help. She had never really talked to a boy that she liked so much, and she didn’t want to mess it up by saying the wrong thing.
“Okay okay okay,” Brandy said. “Just ask him about how his day was. That’s always a good conversation starter, and then after that, just let it flow naturally, chica.”
“OK,” Tiara said, sending the text and while she was sending it, Brandy was eyeing her.
“Ti Ti,” Brandy told her, “before you get that pretty head wrapped up in a boy, just remember the rules to the game.”
Tiara raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side. “Rules? What rules?”
“Rule number one is to never give too much too soon. Rule number two is to never lose yourself behind any man. And rule number three is to always remember that you are beautiful and young. The guy you meet now most likely isn’t who you’re going to marry, so there isn’t really a point in trying to get in too deep.”
“You mean fall in love?”
“Exactly.”
“OK, Confucius,” Tiara said sarcastically.
“I’m being serious, T!” Brandy laughed. “For real, just follow those rules and I promise you will be saved from a world of heartbreak.”
“Well, I’m a firm believer of following whatever path you’re on at the moment.”
“Bitch, you just made that shit up.”
“So?” Tiara laughed.
Tiara stayed over at Brandy’s house for the next few hours. She texted with Mario on and off, and the girls
