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  "What happened with Coach this morning?"

  "It what everyone expected. I'm on probation until further notice. I guess I'll be sitting in the stands watching season opener."

  Chris sighed and put a hand on my shoulder.

  "That sucks man, but don't fear because I have some news that will brighten your day."

  "And what is that?"

  "Well thank your friend in advance because I saved you yet again."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "Before I tell you, how much do you know about cars?"

  I shrugged my shoulders and sighed.

  "I know a little about them. I know how to change my own oil and stuff. Why?"

  "I talked to my uncle who owns a car dealership on the north side of town. Right now he's short of a mechanic and I told him about your situation. He told me if you're interested, to come by the dealership after school."

  I looked at Chris and slapped him on his back.

  "Thanks for looking out Chris. This means a lot."

  "No problem. Too bad I haven't found a place for you."

  "Well since I might have a job, finding a place won't be a problem."

  "Make sure you go to the dealership after school. I really had to pull strings for you. Especially since you don't have any experience."

  "I will go. Thanks again."

  "See you at home."

  I smiled as I gave Chris the peace sign as I started to head off to home room. As I walked, I noticed Charlie was coming from the opposite direction. All of a sudden, everything went to slow motion as I looked at Charlie. She looked at me as she walked past me. Just seeing Charlie made my body ache. I wanted her and I didn't know if I could wait for later to see her. As I moved my head to the direction of the west end, Charlie nodded her head and smiled. A few minutes later, I was walking to the west end of the hallway. The west wing is a deserted area basically made for students to either cut class or make out. As I was walking near the janitor's closet, I felt an arm grab mine and pull me inside. I swung around to face Charlie as she threw me against the wall and started to kiss me.

  "How long do we have until homeroom starts?" she asked as she started to take off my shirt.

  "About ten minutes," I said in an out of breath tone.

  "I missed you so much this weekend," Charlie said as she started to kiss on my neck.

  Before we started into something we couldn't finish, I let go of Charlie and looked at her.

  "I have some good news and some bad news."

  "Bad news first,"

  "I'm on probation from the basketball team until Coach can see if I'm a team player again."

  "I'm sorry baby. What's the good news?"

  "I may have a job. Chris talked to his uncle who owes a dealership and he's looking for a mechanic. I have to go over there after school to talk to him. So wish me luck."

  "I don't have to wish you luck, you know you got it," Charlie said smiling.

  "Now all I have to do is find a place."

  "And you will. Everything will fall into place Mike. Just believe."

  I looked at Charlie and kissed her on the lips.

  "That is the reason why I love you. You know all the right things to say."

  "All I said is what's in my heart. I love you and I want good things to happen to you."

  I put a hand to Charlie's cheek. She closed her eyes as I slowly caressed her soft skin.

  "There are other ways to encourage me too."

  "Oh. And what that may be?"

  "You'll know in time," I said as I started to kiss Charlie's neck.

  As we started to kiss, our feelings from Friday suddenly resurfaced. I never had sex in school, but as I unbuttoned Charlie's shirt, I knew that was about to change. Not only did we miss homeroom, but we were almost caught by the janitor coming out of the closet. As Charlie and I walked hand-in-hand down the silent hallway, I had to admit that today was definitely starting to look a whole lot brighter.

  Charlie

  I can't believe I just did that! I thought as I walked into my English class. I don't know what's going on with me lately, but it seemed like I was becoming a whole different person. After Friday with Michael, all I wanted to do was be with him. Just being with him was so wonderful and exciting. I knew sex would be an experience that would change my life, but I never thought I would have all these emotions come out of me. Too bad Michael was busy this afternoon, because I could really go for another round. But I knew he needed to focus on getting a job and finding a place of his own. I'm really proud of him and what he's doing. He's so determined to become independent and to me, that's an achievement. As I sat down in my usual seat by Brandy, the thought of Derrick started to creep into my mind.

  Why am I thinking about him? I thought as I took out my notebook and pen. After seeing him and Danielle talking Friday, I knew who I wanted to be with. I can't believe that he would go after Danielle after confessing his feelings to me.

  Am I jealous that Derrick is talking to Danielle? I thought as I looked at the door. As I did, I watched Danielle walked into class with a happy expression on her face. She glanced over at my direction and gave me a bright smile. I looked at her and gave her a smirk. I didn't know what her agenda was, but whatever it is, I don't want any part of it.

  Danielle

  As I walked into my English class, the first thing I noticed was Charlie sitting at her desk looking like she was the queen of Belmont. As I looked over at Charlie, I gave her one of my brightest smiles. All the while, I wanted to go over there and strangle her. From the moment she stepped into Belmont's hallway, the girl had been nothing but trouble. She practically took everything away from me. My man, my cheerleading spot, even homecoming queen. The one thing she couldn't take away from me was prom queen. I'll make sure of that. What Charlie doesn't know is that her world was about to crash all around her.

  As I was about to sit down, I felt my phone vibrating in my Gucci purse. I took out my phone to check who was sending me a message. Turned out it was Derrick, who wanted to meet after school to discuss our plan. As I replied back to Derrick to let him know I would be there, I noticed Brandy walking into the classroom. She went over to the seat beside Charlie and the two started to talk like they were old friends.

  My mind started to wander to the time when Michael and Brandy were dating. I never understood how those two ever got together. But I know two people who were glad they broke up, and they were his parents. Mr. and Mrs. Collier have a problem with relationships and race. Don't get me wrong, they're not prejudiced people, it's just when it came down to their precious son, they felt he shouldn't step out of his race to date.

  When the two learned about Michael and Brandy, they had a fit that escalated into an all-out war. But of course that's not the whole story. Brandy ended up pregnant. After the baby's father, who no one ever knew, practically walked out on Brandy and her son, Michael stepped in and took care of him. I never understood why Michael went out of his way to help Brandy, especially after she cheated on him to have her son. I guess that is one of the reasons why I loved him. He would always come to a person's rescue, no matter how he or she treated him. Hopefully when Michael and I rekindled our romance, he could forgive me for cheating on him with Adam and we could move on with our lives. Charlie is nothing but a fling to him. He doesn't love her. He loves me, and always will.

  As I looked over at Charlie and Brandy, the two were laughing as if they were the only two in the room. I rolled my eyes at the two and started to take my English book out of my backpack. To be honest, I was looking forward to seeing Derrick after school. If I wasn't trying to get Michael back, I would have definitely made a play for Derrick. He was so fine; but I have to focus on my agenda and that is getting Michael back before the prom. Although Derrick and I are on the same team, I felt like he was withholding information from me. He told me enough when we went out this weekend, but it seemed like Derrick knew something more but believed I'm not trustworthy enough to handle it.
Whatever it is, it must be big. As I started to doodle in my notebook, I started to think about the conversation Derrick and I had at the Ridge:

  "I have to admit, you are a great guy. Why did you and Charlie break up?"

  Derrick took a curly fry off of a plate that was between us and smiled.

  "You want the long version or the short one?"

  "Whatever you prefer,"

  "She caught me in the girls' locker room with her arch enemy, which prompted her to leave Parker."

  I quickly threw down my bacon cheeseburger and stared directly into Derrick's beautiful hazel eyes. There are two things I like about a man: his body and his eyes. And right now, Derrick's light eyes are a definite turn on.

  "What did you say?"

  "I guess you didn't know why Charlie transferred to Belmont. Of course you wouldn't. She doesn't even talk to you."

  "Will you tell me why she transferred? This is something I've been wondering since she first stepped onto Belmont's halls. Now tell me."

  "Okay, Okay. Damn. She got into a fight with Theresa, the girl I was cheating with, and her parents were going to press assault charges on her because Theresa claimed Charlie broke her arm. So her father thought up this elaborate plan to send Charlie off to Belmont in order for the charges to be dropped."

  I smiled as I picked up my cup of Sprite. Not only was Charlie a home wrecker, but she was also a criminal. Wait until Michael hears about this!

  Derrick looked at me and shook his head.

  "Don't go there Danielle."

  "What you talking about?"

  "I know what you're thinking. I don't want you blabbing to the whole school about why Charlie transferred."

  "Are you telling me people should not know the truth about Miss Perry? People should watch their backs since Charlie is a criminal."

  "Charlie is not a criminal. She wasn't even charged for assault, Listen, what I told you about Charlie is strictly in confidence, so I don't want you telling anyone, especially Michael about this."

  I looked at the wooden table and nodded my head.

  "Fine, I won't say a word. Your secret will stay with me. Let me ask you something. Why don't you want me telling Michael about this? I mean, this is the perfect opportunity to break them up."

  "Because she would automatically know that I told you. She knows that we are seeing each other."

  "I don't know what's more pathetic. Michael and Charlie or you and Charlie."

  "Danielle, I care a lot about Charlie. What I did to her was wrong and thoughtless. I wish I would have thought about the mistake I made before I made it. She means the world to me."

  I looked at Derrick and started to roll my eyes. I couldn't believe how sappy this guy was! Why was he pining over Charlie, is beyond me. Well I guess it good that he was since I wanted Michael back.

  "Another question I want to ask you."

  "What's with all the questions?"

  "I'm a curious person, Derrick. If we do succeed in breaking up Charlie and Michael, how do you know they will come back to us? Michael really doesn't like me at the moment, and it seems that every time Charlie sees you, she wants to cut your throat."

  Derrick gave a tiny smile as he popped another curly fry in his mouth.

  "That is where you're wrong, Miss Peterson. Charlie only looks at me like that because she sees me with you."

  I looked at Derrick with a suspicious look on my face.

  "Why?"

  Derrick looked at me and realized that he said more than he should have.

  "It nothing. Just forget I said that."

  "No Derrick. Is Charlie jealous because she saw us together? Does she still have feelings for you?"

  "I didn't say that Danielle. Don't jump to conclusions."

  "I'm not. It just..."

  "Let's just drop it, okay," Derrick said as he started to look around the café.

  Suddenly, it seemed like a flash of lighting hit me. I suddenly realized why Derrick became so defensive at me and why he wanted to drop the subject about him and Charlie.

  I looked over at Charlie, who was flipping through her notebook. I wanted to rip her heart out of her chest.

  "I don't believe her," I said to myself.

  She can't have her cake and eat it too. When I tell Michael that she still has feelings for her ex, he will definitely leave her. And come back to me.

  This plan is starting to become more interesting by the minute, I thought as a smile started to form on my lips.

  Before this day was over, Charlie would be the laughingstock at Belmont, and Michael would be back in my arms forever.

  22. Michael

  It seemed like school went by in a blur. It was after school and I was driving to Chris's uncle car dealership to see about the mechanic job. After talking to Kenneth, he gave me the job on the spot.

  "Thank you so much, Mr. Thompson, for the job. I won't let you down."

  "No problem, Michael. I know from Chris that you are a dependable guy. And after talking to you, Chris's word does not do you justice."

  "Thank you, Mr. Thompson."

  "Mr. Thompson sounds so old. Call me Kenneth."

  "Okay. Kenneth."

  "Much better. Now I also hear from Chris that you're looking for a place to stay."

  "I had a disagreement with my parents and I moved out. Right now I'm staying with Chris and his parents."

  "I see. If you're interested, I have an apartment that is perfect for you. It's actually a loft, but it's really convenient to the dealership. It is a little far from the school though. Since you're working for me, I could knock off the price of rent, as long as you pay for the lights and water. And to take care of the maintenance whenever something goes wrong. But everything is working properly and you can move in as soon as you like."

  I looked at Kenneth as if he just told me I was on fire. Not only has this man offered me a job, but he gave me a place to stay too. This is too good to be true!

  "Are you serious?"

  Kenneth laughed as he gave me a slap on the back.

  "Yeah man. Chris already told me about the situation you're having with your parents. To be honest, when I saw you come in here today, you reminded me of myself at your age. I didn't have a good relationship with my parents either. With Chris's mother, they saw her as the perfect daughter; but me, it seemed like whatever I did, it just wasn't enough for them. Actually, it was just my dad who was giving me a hard time. It seemed like we couldn't agree on anything. From what to wear, to what school I wanted to attend, it always seemed like we would start an argument.

  "As soon as I graduated from high school, I packed up my things and went off to New York. After an unsuccessful run there, I decided to move back to Houston, where I went to the University of Houston to major in business. After college, I decided to invest in my own car dealership. Believe me, it was a struggle to start my own business. I had to take out several loans to finance the dealership.

  "Business was slow at first. There were even times when I thought the business was going to falter from slow sales. But after several months of praying and believing the faith God has given me to achieve my goals, business started to pick up. Now, I own over five dealerships and counting. I'm also thinking about investing in a few coffee chains. I'm thinking something like Starbucks, but with a little more variety, such as a club type atmosphere. How you think that would work?"

  I looked at Kenneth and smiled.

  "I think that's excellent. What made you want to go into business? Was it something you wanted to do or was it something you chose while finding your way in New York?"

  "I think it was a lifelong goal, it just didn't pan out until I came back home. I always thought owning a business was interesting, but I never had the drive to do anything about it because of how my life was. But as soon as I was able to free myself from all the negativity surrounding me, I saw my life clearly for the first time. I guess that was why I wanted to help you out so much. Not only because you seem like a well-rounded y
oung man, but I see myself in you."

  I looked at Kenneth and went up to him to give him a hug. For the first time in my life, I felt that someone cared about me enough to be there for me. That was something I missed so much from my parents. My parents were never there for me growing up. They never really cared about how I lived my life. All they saw in me was their model son. The son who did what he could to make his parents notice him. That's why I joined all the teams I could, became student body president, and did well in school. To make my parents proud of me. But it seemed that no matter what I did to please them, it was never enough.

  I pulled away from Kenneth and smiled.

  "Thank you," I said softly.

  "No problem, Michael. I needed someone for the job and the apartment is vacant..."

  "Not only that. But for everything."

  Kenneth smiled and went over to his desk drawer. He pulled out a set of keys and went back to face me.

  "If you need to talk, I'm here. Here are the keys to your place. Now get out of here so you can go celebrate or do whatever you young kids do."

  As I took the keys from Kenneth, I ran out of his office with a feeling of enjoyment. I couldn't believe how everything turned out. Early this morning, I had no job and no place to stay. But now, I had everything, including a new friend in Chris's uncle. I would have to call to thank him for everything. I also had to call Charlie to tell her the good news. As I got into my BMW, I realized the hard part was about to come. And that was going to my parents' house for the rest of my things. As I dialed Charlie's number, I leaned my head back on the headrest and smiled.

  "Hello."

  "Hey baby. I have great news."

  "You got the job?"

  "Yes. But there's more. Just be ready in twenty minutes so I can pick you up."

  "What's going on, Michael?"

  "You'll see. Just be ready," I said as I hung up my phone.

  As I started up my car, I turned on my radio. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis "Can't Hold Us" was playing. I moved the volume to full blast as I pulled out of the parking lot. At that moment, my life was beginning to look up.

  ~

  After calling Charlie, I called Chris to tell him the good news and to meet me at my parents' house to help me move. I also called Charlie back to ask if she could get Ashley to come too. I needed all the help I could get to move all the stuff I had out of the house. As the four of us finally reached my childhood home, I pulled out my keys to open the door. Hopefully my parents were not at home. I really didn't want to deal with them right now. As I tried to unlock the door, for some reason the key wouldn't budge into the lock.