Caught Up in the Drama (7 page)

He answered on the second ring. “Hello.”

I hesitated, then said, “Hey, Xavier.”

He was silent for a moment before his voice took on a firm tone. “What do you want?”

“I just wanted to check on you and see how you were doing.”

“For what?” From the sound of his voice I could tell that he was trying to act like he wasn't fazed about anything, but I knew better.

I sighed. “Xavier, how long are you going to stay mad at me?”

“I'm not mad at you,” he said. “You do you. It's all good.”

“Xavier, you are trippin',” I snapped.

He blew a deep breath before saying, “Camille, I'm not even about to go there with you.”

I decided to try a different approach. “I just don't want us to be done,” I said softly. “I mean, can we at least talk about this?” When I'd dialed, I hadn't planned on begging him. On the real, I don't beg for any boy to be with me, but something about hearing his voice got me all emotional. Besides, I knew he was upset. Xavier really liked me. We started going together after he was assigned as my science lab partner. Out of all the boyfriends I'd ever had, he definitely was the best. Even though he was a jock, he was smart, cute and respectful.

Silence briefly filled the phone. “Are you still doing the video?” he finally asked.

I took a deep breath. “Yes, but—”

“Then it's nothing else for us to talk about,” he said, cutting me off.

“Let me ask you a question,” I said, preparing the speech I had practiced last night. “Do you think Jay-Z has a problem with Beyoncé dancing all provocatively and kissing dudes in her video? No, he doesn't. He understands that it's acting. That's what we do.”

He busted out laughing.

“What's so funny?” I asked.

“First of all,” he said, trying to hold back his laughter, “you ain't and you never will be a Beyoncé. So I don't know what all this ‘we' stuff is.”

I sat up straight in my chair, trying to make sure I'd heard him correctly. “What do you mean? You don't think I'm talented?”

“I mean, yeah, you can dance, and even blow, but Beyoncé? Get real.” He laughed again. “You couldn't even be a backup for Beyoncé.”

Now he was really making me mad. “Well, Sisco seems to think I'm talented enough,” I said. I hadn't planned on going there, but if he wanted to trip with me, I could trip right back.

He suddenly stopped laughing and didn't say anything. I smiled, knowing I'd made him mad.

“What, you ain't got nothing to say now?” I decided to keep laying it on. I'd sucked up my pride and called him, and he wanted to throw salt in my game? I don't think so. “In fact, truth be told, Sisco says I'm cuter, finer, and I even sound better than Beyoncé.”

I waited for his comeback, but instead all I heard was the sound of a phone slamming down in my face.

“Ugggh!” I screamed, tossing my cell onto the makeup table. “He makes me sick!” I screamed.

“Girl, who makes you sick?” asked this long-legged girl in Daisy Duke shorts, a cropped tank top and a long, curly weave cascading down her back. She was standing in the doorway of the dressing room.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” I said, standing up. “I didn't mean to be so loud.”

The girl walked into the room. She looked like she was in her early twenties. When she came closer, I recognized her as one of the dancers from the video.

“Girl, please,” she said, leaning over and checking her
lipstick in the mirror. “Sounds to me like you got man drama.” Satisfied with her lipstick, she turned to me. “I'm Maya.”

“You're one of the dancers, right? Sorry I didn't realize it right away.”

She shrugged. “That's all right. I'm in the background, so everybody don't recognize me.” She fluffed her hair. “But that's 'bout to change. I'm about to make a name for myself in the video game.” She looked me up and down. “I heard you out there. You got skills.”

I sighed heavily. “Not to let my boyfriend tell it.”

“That buster that jumped on Sisco?” she asked.

I nodded.

She waved her hand. “Girl, please. You don't need to be fooling with him anyway. You're major now. And see, regular dudes, they can't handle when their girl becomes a star. And you are definitely on your way to being a star. Along with me,” she added.

I immediately liked her. Even though she was dressed like a hoochie mama, she made me feel better with just those few remarks.

“Anyway,” she said as she took my arm, “you need to start hanging with me and my girls. We'll introduce you to the kind of guys you need to be dealing with.”

“I'm not trying to find a guy,” I countered. I definitely didn't want her to think I was all about hooking up with celebrities. “I'm just lovin' being in this video with Sisco.”

“Sweetheart, this is just the beginning. By the time this video hits the air, you won't have to find a guy. They'll find you,” she said, leading me out of the room.

I made my way onto the set. Sisco was already there,
going over some notes. “Hey, baby girl,” he said, looking up. I was grateful to see he didn't look mad anymore.

“Hey.”

“You good?” He motioned toward my black catsuit.

“I'm good,” I replied. The outfit was skintight, but it wasn't revealing, so I really couldn't complain.

“You got your boy in check? Because I would sure hate to check him myself.” He was trying to look all tough, even though he'd shown nothing tough the other day when Xavier had bum-rushed him.

“No, you don't have to worry about him,” I said, suddenly feeling sad about our fight.

Sisco pinched my chin, a sexy smile crossing his lips. “Truth be told, I ain't even mad at him. If I had a chick as fine as you, I'd probably be protective, too.”

That made me blush. “You tight, girl.” He looked me up and down, nodding his approval. “Real tight, with mad skills.”

I kept blushing. This is what I was talking about. At least someone appreciated my talents.

“All right. Places, everyone,” the director said.

We started from the top, and I ignored all the eyes that were on me as the music thumped throughout the building. I imagined that I really was Sisco's jilted girlfriend and that he was begging me for another chance.

I sang my part about taking him back. I threw my arms around him, as the script called for. He had just finished singing, and he was coming in for the part where we were supposed to kiss. I tried to relax. Even though none of my friends were on the set, I knew everyone and their mama would see the video.
But then I thought about Xavier tripping. So I pushed everything out of my mind and kissed Sisco back, long and hard as he pulled me closer. That part I could deal with, but then he lifted my leg, ran his hand up my thigh and squeezed my behind. I wanted to push him away, but I was too shocked, not to mention scared of causing any more drama.

“And cut!” I heard Mark, the director, yell as the music faded. “Love it, love it, love it! Boy, I tell you the chemistry between you two is great.” He looked so thrilled.

“Man, that is on fire,” someone standing next to him said.

I faked a smile as several more people came over to congratulate us, but when I found myself alone with Sisco, I had to say something.

“Hey, umm, what's with you feeling all over me?” Don't get me wrong, I'm no prude, but I couldn't appreciate some dude feeling me up. Even if that dude was a superstar.

Sisco flashed a lopsided smile. “That's what they call ad-libbing, babe. Shoot, the way you was kissing me, you can't tell me you didn't like it.”

“Actually, no. It was a bit much,” I said nervously.

The smile left his face. “Oh, you worried about ol' boy?”

I nodded. I actually wasn't thinking as much about Xavier as I was about my mom totally blowing a gasket. But I definitely didn't want to tell him that.

“Okay.” He sighed in defeat. “It's no biggie. I'll just tell Mark to have the editors take it out. They shoot a bunch of different shots, so it shouldn't be a problem.”

“Thank you so much, Sisco,” I said gratefully.

“I told you it's no problem, babe. Holla at you later.”

I felt so relieved as I watched him walk away. He really was one of the good guys.

Camille

I had just left the pizza line in the cafeteria when I heard someone say, “Hey, Camille, you wanna come sit with us?”

I turned to see Dee. She was president of the Theta Ladies, a high school sorority that I had so wanted to join at one time. But that had turned into a nightmare because of Tori, the girl who'd been president at the time. She had tried to keep Angel out of the organization because of the color of her skin, and the situation had turned messy. She'd graduated last year, but the whole experience had left a sour taste in my mouth for the Thetas.

“Thanks, Dee, but I'm supposed to be meeting Jasmine and Angel,” I lied. Every time I'd even tried to talk to my friends over the past two days, someone from Sisco's camp
would call and interrupt us. I knew they would start tripping about how busy I was, so the last thing I wanted to be doing was sitting up and faking the funk with Dee and her friends, especially because I knew the only reason they wanted me over there was because of everything that was going on with Sisco. Thanks, but no thanks.

“Whatever,” I heard this girl named Veronica mumble when I walked off. “She thinks she's all that just 'cause she's in a stupid video.”

I smiled to myself. Let the hate begin.

I glanced around the cafeteria, trying to find my girls. They usually sat in the back, so that's where I headed. I stopped in my tracks when I spotted them. Jasmine, Alexis, Angel, Xavier and two of his friends were sitting at the table laughing with some girl I'd never seen. My problem was the way Xavier was leaning over the new girl, looking at her like she was a tasty pork chop.

I eased closer to the table. “Hey,” I said meekly.

The laughing stopped as everyone looked at me. Alexis was the first to speak. “Hey, Camille. Where you been?”

“Where you think?” Jasmine snapped. “With her A-list friends. Alexis, didn't you get the memo? You're C-list. You can only hang out with Camille on the third Sunday of the month.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever, Jasmine.”

She must've noticed the strange look on my face, because she stopped laughing. “Girl, I'm just playing.”

I didn't respond. “Hey, Xavier.”

He pushed off from the table. “And on that note, Gerald, Smitty, let's roll,” he said to his friends.

I set my tray down next to Angel. I couldn't believe he was
being such a jerk. I mean, I know we broke up, but he didn't have to act so stank.

“Jaz, don't forget I need to copy your calculus homework,” Xavier said as his friends stood up. He turned to the new girl. “Tyeesha, it was nice to meet you. I sure hope to see you around.”

Tyeesha laughed. “I'll be here. And it was nice to meet you, too.”

I wanted to cringe as Xavier squeezed her shoulder. He walked past me without uttering a word. Gerald and Smitty tried to fight back laughs as they followed behind him.

My emotions were all mixed up. On the one hand, I wanted to cry. On the other, I was ready to go off. I took a deep breath. The last thing I needed to be getting into was some drama, so I just let it slide. If Xavier wanted to be a prick, then fine.

I looked over at Jasmine, Alexis and Angel, who had suddenly grown interested in their lunch trays. I was about to say something when it dawned on me that the new girl was still sitting there. “Ummm, do you mind?”

She popped the last of her pizza in her mouth and shrugged. “Not at all.” She took a long swig of her soda.

I tapped my tray impatiently. “No, I mean, that's my seat.”

Tyeesha (don't even get me started on her name) looked confused. Then she stood up, looked at the seat, under the seat and on the table. “I'm sorry, somebody must've taken your name plate off of here. You might want to take that up with your publicist.” She smiled, then sat back down.

Jasmine busted out laughing. “Okay, see, this is why I like this girl.”

Me, on the other hand, I didn't see anything funny.
“Look, Tyequanna, Myesha, whatever your name is, I really need to talk to my girls.”

“Okay, so talk,” she said.

“Alone.”

“We're all family now, so you might as well get to talking.” Tyeesha flashed a tight smile.

“What?” I wasn't in the mood to deal with this girl. “Who are you and what are you talking about?”

“I'm Tyeesha McCray,” she said, all friendly-like. “And I'm good, girl.”

It was my turn to look confused. “What do you mean, you're good?”

“Ummm,” Angel said hesitantly, “just what she said.”

Jasmine finally stopped snickering. “Oh, good grief. Camille, meet Tyeesha, our newest Good Girl.”

I'm surprised that I didn't faint right then and there. “Excuse me?”

Jasmine spun around on her stool. “If you had time to come to a Good Girlz meeting, you'd know she was a new member.”

“Since when did we start getting new members? And more importantly, why didn't you guys tell her Xavier is my boyfriend?”

“Dang, X-man is your boyfriend?” Tyeesha asked, wide-eyed.

“Technically,
X-man
is her
ex,
” Jasmine snickered.

Angel shoved her in the side. I knew Jasmine was just messing with me, but I wasn't in the mood. “Who the heck is X-man?” I snapped.

That made Angel and Jasmine giggle even more. At least Alexis had the decency not to be laughing at my misery.

“Chill out, Camille,” Alexis said. “We were going to tell her Xavier is off limits, but he'd just sat down before you got here.”