So Gone - By Jennifer Luckett Page 0,40

by the railroad tracks?” I suggested.

“Yeah, I can be there in twenty minutes,” he agreed.

Twenty minutes later on the dot, Deuce drove up. I was parked with the engine off listening to a Jeezy Mix tape bobbing my head to the lyrics. When I saw Deuce get out of his whip and head towards me, I turned off the radio.

“What you got for me, Homie?” he asked as he opened the door and slid into the passenger seat.

My nine answered for me. Boc! Boc! Boc!

I leaned over his bloody body, opened the door, and kicked him out onto the cold ground. I cranked my whip, put it in reverse, and felt a hard hump. I had backed over his lifeless body. I put my ride in the wind and got ghost.

Blunt Free

Molaysia

Three days had passed since I finally ended things with Blunt. At times I thought about him, but those thoughts were not good. I seemed to be ridding my system of him one day at a time. I simply kept busy and continued to remind myself that I deserved so much better.

I reclined back in my office chair and glanced out of the window. The fresh smell of cut grass drifted up my nose. The school’s maintenance man was on a riding mower giving the front a badly needed grooming.

Through the open window, I saw that it was a beautiful morning, and the sun was out in its full glory.

The loud sound of arguing coming from the hallway drew my attention. I immediately went to investigate.

“Bitch, if I find out that you’re talking to my man, I’m gon’ beat the life out ya ass,” a rather tall, slender girl mouthed to another female student.

They stood toe to toe ready to rumble. The shorter girl did not look like she would back down.

“Hoe, please. If he's your man, why is he always blowing up my phone? And why did he creep through my bedroom window every night last week, huh?” She wagged her finger in the other girl's face.

I hurried between them before any licks were passed. “Ladies, cut out the foolishness and stop the foul language right now, or you’ll both be sent to in-school suspension.”

My threat fell on deaf ears. The taller girl slapped spit from the other student’s mouth, and the crowd that had gathered around let out a collective, “oooh!”

“Oh, now I’m ‘bout to kill ya ass, bitch,” screamed the smaller one. She threw her book bag down and pushed the girl into a row of lockers. Then she reached up, yanked her to the floor by her weave, and was beating her down.

“Stop it!” I yelled.

I snatched the smaller one by her arm and made her release the girl’s tracks from her hand. “Get in my office now! You two have no respect for authority!” I fussed.

The other student slowly got off the floor. My male assistant principal and a stocky male science teacher came down the hall and escorted them into my office. I readjusted my red Christian Dior pencil skirt with the matching short-sleeved jacket and ordered all students to get to their classrooms immediately.

Once we were inside my office, I asked my assistant principal to call both of the eleventh graders’ parents to let them know that their daughters were being suspended for three days and needed to be picked up from school immediately.

When everything settled down, I used the office phone to call Leesha.

“What’s up, Chick?” she answered, sounding as cheerful as always.

“Not a lot. But I'm excited about coming up to see the family this weekend.” I perked up.

“Are you coming alone?”

“Of course.” I rubbed my tired eyes and blinked twice before leaning my head back, staring up at the ceiling.

“Good because I have someone that I want you to meet,” she revealed. “Is it okay for me to give him your number?”

“Who is it, Leesha?” I asked with skepticism.

“A guy named Vincent.”

“Is he one of your rejects? Because I'm not that desperate,” I said seriously.

“No, Vincent is a new co-worker of mine. He's single, finer than old ass Keith Sweat, and get this --- he's thirty years old and has no children.”

“Hold up, Cuzzo. Before we go any further, you're going to have to take back what you said about Keith Sweat. I love me some him, and you do too. Don't even try to front because somebody threw their panties at him,” I reminded her.

“Oh, Keith can get it any way he wants it.” We both laughed.

“Girl, you're