Reckless Entitlement

Chapter 7: Maya

"Just wait a second," Tasha said over the phone. "I'll be down in a second."

I waited in my car outside my house. It wouldn't be the first day of school without Tasha making us late because she decided on a last minute outfit change. She was lucky I was in a good mood or else I would have let her walk to school.

But thanks to my wonderful new apartment, I was able to get the best sleep of my life. I almost thought I was dreaming until I woke up and was still in my own bed with no small children running around or Roxanne stinking up the house with her bad cooking and cigarettes. I spent Sunday finishing unpacking my bags and I did it all without wearing any pants, or a bra, for that matter. It was splendid.

"I'm here! I'm here!" Tasha said running up to my car. She flung the door open and slid on the cracked leather trying to pull her skirt down in the process. She wore a short denim skirt with a sleeveless striped turtleneck, a red beret sat atop her curls.

"It's about time," I said. "I was going to leave without you."

"You say that all the time," she replied. "But you would never do that."

That's what she thinks. "How was your second night in your apartment?" she asked smiling.

"It was fantastic," I gushed. "I loved every minute of it."

"I bet," she said. "I would kill to have my own place. You know Trey had Monique over again." She rolled her eyes when referring to her brothers on again, off again girlfriend. She has four older brothers, Thomas is the oldest shortly followed by Terrell, Travis, and then Trey who was only a year older than us. And he was by far my least favorite out of the four. It's not even that he's constantly trying to sleep with me, but he's just downright annoying. He thinks his good looks are a substitute for a personality and that might be enough for Monique but it wasn't enough for me.

"Did she spend the night?" I asked as I drove us to school. My car dipped slightly as I went over one of the many unfilled potholes. Jefferson Heights needed some maintenance, to say the least. The city saves most of it's resources for Westbrook, but they should spend some of those tax dollars fixing up this neighborhood and buying new textbooks for the schools that desperately needed it.

"Unfortunately," she groaned. "And I could hear them having sex through my bedroom wall."

"Gross," I said disgusted. I would die if I had to hear that.

"I swear, Maya, the next time that loud heffer stays at my house. I'm coming to your house," she told me. "I can't take it."

"You're welcome anytime." I pulled into the school parking lot, there weren't many cars there. It was only the first day and still kids didn't bother to show up. Some were flashy with large shiny rims and dark tinted windows. Those were the cars of the drug dealers, here only to set up shop and sell their supply to the freshman that were stupid enough to take it. I stayed away from those guys they acted like their drug money and flashy clothes somehow meant they were gods and the rest of us were just peasants beneath them.

"Is it too late for us to transfer to East Chapel with Nia," Tasha asked looking up at the decaying building. "I know my test scores aren't that high, but I have an excellent personality."

"That you do, Tasha," I agreed. "And I'm a quick learner. Do you think they'll let me in too?"

She snorted, "Oh, who are we kidding? They're not going to let our asses in."

We laughed knowing it was true. Nia got the luck of the draw. She was here with us one day and she was there the next. It happened so quickly it didn't seem real.