Sunday Clique'n
“Turn around and bless me with your beauty.”
âBobby Valentine, “Slow Down”
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L
izzie's legs, long and slender, went on for days. Especially in the canary yellow pants with fine gray pinstripes.
Mina never understood how someone with legs as long as Lizzie's wasn't considered tall. But Lizzie wasn't. She was only an inch or so taller than five-foot Mina. But where Mina had curves and muscles, Lizzie was thin, not quite shapeless but definitely unassuming, until she wore an outfit that accented her slim waist and slender-hipped legginess. It was a shape perfect for modeling because everything fell just right on her. So Michael said, constantly.
As Michael's creations for the school's theater productions becamemore and more everyday wearable, Mina had once whined, “How come you never want me to model?” Michael seriously had some outfits that she'd sport in public in a heartbeat.
In answer, he'd merely dismissed her with a tap to her athletic buns.
Standing alongside Kelly, Mina admired yet another Michael James masterpiece.
Michael fluttered about Lizzie, busily pinning the pants leg, tuggingat the waist and generally fussing the costume, a 1930s-style man suit, into perfection. The pants, pleated in front, hung loosely on Lizzie's long-legged frame, ending in a more precise fit at the ankle. Under normal circumstances Mina would have laughed out loud at the notion that she'd like a pair of bright yellow pants. With pinstripes, no less.
But she marveled, mouth agape, at how even with the pinstripes it was easily an outfit that would get compliments. It was hot.
Michael had done it againâgiven a retro outfit a funky update. It was, in Michael's own words, a modern day zoot suit (swearing he'd made up the term, Mina had to Google it) with a definite hip edge.
Lizzie fiddled with the suspenders, another risky fashion choice that Michael had made work, careful not to move an inch where Michael's hands danced around her legs. Her arms glowed tan against the stark white sleeveless tee that fit snug around the low waist of the pants. She rattled on, already talking about the summer production and possibly trying out for The Players, Del Rio Bay's premier theater production company, now that Michael had an in and was doing costuming for them.
Mentally sizing up whether she'd look as good as Lizzie in the pants (probably not), Mina turned to ask Cinny what she thought and stopped mid-inhale at the cozy scene across the room.
JZ and Jacinta were playing pool.
If pool consisted mostly of Jacinta scratching up Michael's pool table with her choppy attempts, and JZ staring squarely at Jacinta's lush backside wiggling in the air each time she bent over to take a shot.
“Okay, Cinny. Can you at least pretend to know what you're doing?” JZ cracked. He shook his head at yet another pitiful attempt by Cinny to whack the ball with her cue stick.
She waved him off and bent back over. JZ's eyes followed her butt like a magnet to a refrigerator, openly ogling.
Mina cleared her throat in an exaggerated “ahem,” but she was too far away for them to hear.
JZ and Jacinta had been awfully cozy the last few weeks, openly flirting but pretending it was dissing.
They weren't fooling anybody. Something was popping off and Mina had made it clear, in a very nice way of course, that she thought it wasn't such a good idea. She'd casually reminded Jacinta how many girls JZ had already gone out with since the school year started.
“Girl, who you telling,” Jacinta had laughed. “I think he's trying to break a record.”
“You must be trying to be girl number fifteen,” Mina had joked. But the way she'd looked at Jacinta provided the unspoken,
are you?
“Hell to the naw,” Jacinta had said, cracking them both up again. “You know Jay my buddy.” She'd shoved Mina's shoulder. “Don't worry. I'm not gonna put you in the middle like I am with Angel and Kelly.”
Mina had felt a ridiculous amount of relief. It probably showed on her face and she was almost embarrassed. It was selfish to begrudgeJacinta a little fun. After her very public breakup with Raheem,whether it was JZ or Justin Timberlake, Jacinta deserved to enjoy a little playing the field.
There was a lot Mina hadn't said, that day. She knew she didn't have to. Jacinta knew exactly how Mina was feeling. The back and forth between Angel and Kelly had been a thorn in Jacinta's side for months. Known for speaking her mind, she'd admitted it many times to Mina, to Kelly and anyone else who would listen.
Still, Mina felt bad for being such a bulldog about the no-flirting-with-friendsrule. She wanted to not care. Let JZ and Jacinta have their fun.
Jacinta knew JZ was a player. And she was way savvier about guys and relationships than Mina would ever be. But whenever they got too cozy, alarms rang in Mina's head.
Jacinta's ex was one of JZ's chief rivals on the hardwood and in football. Mina knew the last thing JZ would ever do is give an opponent fuel in the game, especially not over a girl. Still she wondered if JZ saw flirting with Jacinta as another competition with Raheem. That's what worried her.
Nothing good could come of JZ and Jacinta's increasingly affectionate“playing.”
After carefully positioning herself for what seemed to Mina a good five minutes, confirming for Mina that Cinny knew JZ was watching her (and liking it), Jacinta's stick still scratched more table than it did ball. JZ sucked his teeth. But even from across the room, Mina knew he wasn't nearly as annoyed as he was making out.
“Seriously?” JZ exclaimed as the ball Jacinta was aiming for stood stock still. She hadn't even come close enough to stir up a breeze near it. “Raheem never showed you how to play pool?” He raised his voice loud enough to be heard on the other side of the room. “You're as bad as Mina.”
“Whatev, Jay,” Mina hollered back.
JZ stood behind Jacinta, positioning her arms. “Look, I'm down with winning, but you're not even competition. Come on, girl.” He bent over Jacinta, imitating the proper stance, forcing her body to mock his. “You're not putting enough force on the right end of the stick.”
The two of them stood locked in the pose until Jacinta hit the ball to his satisfaction. JZ lingeredâa second too longâas they watched the stick connect with the green ball, sending it rolling slowly a few inches away.
Okay, playtime over,
Mina thought.
Just as Michael asked, “What do you think, Diva?” she left the conversation abruptly and strode over to the pool table.
“Umm ... what's all
this
?” Mina gestured grandly to JZ and Jacintabefore folding her arms in mock disapproval.
“What?” JZ said, but his smile was crooked and pooched at the same time, in that “caught” kind of way. “Why you rummin'?”
Mina squinted. “Why am I what?”
“Oh, y'all don't know nothing 'bout that,” JZ yelled, teasing. “That's that new hotness I just made up. Rummin', it means tripping.”
“That word is not hot,” Mina snorted.
“Alright, don't let me find out later that you jocked my word,” JZ said.
“Yeah, whatever.” Mina nodded her head toward Jacinta. “What's going on with y'all, all buddy-buddy?”
Jacinta laughed. “Uh-oh, the Princess is suspicious.”
“Man, I'm just trying get a real game going on here,” JZ said. Reluctantly,he put more distance between him and Jacinta. He and Mina had an unspoken thing about him scoping out her girlfriends. She hated when he did itâso he tried not to do it in front of her.
“What's the rule, Princess? JZ not allowed to mack on anyone in the ...” Jacinta took an exaggerated bow, her hands together. “Inner circle.”
Mina pointed at JZ, a silent “you know better” passing between them.
A huge grin spread over JZ's face as he yelled, “Ay! Man, I'm glad you're here.”
He laughed, loud and hard, at Mina's confused look.
Brian came up behind Mina and wrapped his arms around her, teasing. “You stirring up trouble, toughie?” He threw up a fist in a “what's up” in Michael's direction.
There were murmurs of “hey” and “what's up” from Kelly, Lizzie and Michael.
As if Brian's voice and touch flicked a No Nagging switch in her head, Mina immediately went soft and flirty.
“Hey.” She giggled. “Now when do I ever cause trouble?”
That set the whole clique laughing.
“Y'all are so wrong,” Mina said, a small grin dancing at the cornerof her mouth.
JZ took a quick shot at the striped yellow ball, barely taking aim, and sent it flying to the corner pocket as he tattled, “Your girl all up in my bidness.”
“No, that's you and Cinny all up in each other's business,” Mina said, enjoying the way she and Brian rocked slowly back and forth in his strong warm bear hug. She never tired of him holding her like that.
“You gotta give it to him, Mi. He did wait till she was boyfriend-less,”Michael quipped. He stood upright, finally finished hemming one of Lizzie's pants legs, and surveyed his work.
“That's right, boyfriend LESS,” Jacinta chirped.
Mina listened for any sadness in the proclamation. For weeks Jacintahad been in a bad way about her and Raheem's breakup. But just recently, around the same time she and JZ's flirting was on the up tick, she seemed to really be over Raheem. If there was such a thing.
Mina had a feeling Cinny simply had good and bad days. Today must have been a good one because there was nothing but happiness in her voice.
Mina was glad. A little wary maybe, that a little canoodling masked as a pool lesson was a classic JZ mack move ... but Brian smelled good (sporty rustic) and felt good (strong, athletic arms). She had better things to do than fuss with JZ.
Still, she couldn't resist one last parting shot. “You go ahead messingwith Cinny.” Mina stuck her leg out and took a swipe with her foot at JZ's ankle, as far as she could without leaving the comfort of Brian's arms. “You're gonna be hurting when she goes running back to Raheem.”
“Man, she can run, walk or sprint, that's her business,” JZ bragged.
Jacinta snorted. “Who? How about none of the above?” She arched her right eyebrow and shot Mina a look. “Me and Raheem are finished. O-V-E-R.”
“Uhh ... that doesn't spell finished,” Lizzie pointed out from across the room. Michael gave Lizzie's pants a light tug, dismissing her from the stand.
She stepped down and went behind a large rice-paper screen to change back into her regular clothes. Michael busied himself tidying up the corner of pins, swatches and miscellaneous costuming tools, only partially tuned in to the conversation as the clique did what they did best, give one another a hard time in the name of friendship.
Jacinta turned back to the pool table. Sizing up a ball, she bent over, fixed her body the way JZ had shown her, and tapped the ball just enough for it to rock.
She took a silly curtsy as JZ clapped daintily, his kudos small like her accomplishment. Grinning, she picked up where she left off in the conversation. “Naw, me and Raheem are done like the ThanksgivingDay turkey.”
“Um-huh,” Mina said, openly skeptical. “Like I said, JZ, don't come crying to me when your flirt buddy all hugged up with her man.”
JZ made a face like “as if,” then took one last shot. He sat down on the corner of the pool table, his long legs splayed in front of him, the game forgotten. “So we're still on for the Extreme, right?” he asked Brian, rubbing his hands together at the thought of the road trip. “Your moms still cool letting us stay at y'all condo?”
“Yeah.” Brian tickled Mina's side, then walked to the corner to get a pool stick. “Everybody knows they're on their own with grub though, right? I'm not gonna be cooking for a bunch of hard heads. And respect my crib or else my people's gonna be all over me about responsibility blah, blah, blah.”
He nudged Jacinta out of the way gently and racked up the balls.
She took a seat next to JZ on the pool table. Her feet, dangling two feet from the floor, kicked lightly.
“Man, as long the honeys in full effect, I'll eat project noodles everyday,” JZ said. “I'll pack a few extra packets and bring my secret ingredient.”
Lizzie made her way over and pulled up a stool next to where Mina stood. “Jay, you're such a gourmet,” she snickered.
Kelly brought over a bar stool for herself and one for Mina. The three of them stationed themselves just far enough from the pool table so they wouldn't be knocked out with a pool stick.