HOPE, CHARITY & FAITH-THE CONCLUSION PART TWO
* All characters in this story are of legal age. *
Two weeks later Ricky was already in basic training and making a pretty decent go at his new life. We communicated from time to time via snail mail, but he was fast becoming a part of my past while I was still figuring things out, post-graduation. He'd gifted me his car before leaving making my mother partially unhappy because now "I would be gone all the time trying to get girls pregnant to make her a young grandmother." Proving I still had a long way to go mentally, I pointed out that she was in her late forties receiving a butt whipping as reward for insulting her vanity. Mom would occasionally ask about Faith like we'd been talking or something, necessitating an umpteenth repeated explanation that was starting to get old.
Truth of the matter, I thought constantly of Faith wondering what her life was like and if she'd forgotten me in China. I'd only been given a fleeting glimpse into her new life by her erstwhile protegee, sophomore Lisa Jackson. We talked occasionally but I could never work up the courage to ask her to let me see the pics again. Sometimes I chaffed inside thinking she probably had some Chinese boyfriend by now and was living the life.
"Hey Jaleel; how're you doing?" Lisa seemed to read my mind as I sat in the cafeteria having an early breakfast of an overpriced danish and bottle of juice.
"I'm good, what's up?"
"Uhm, just checking in with you; seeing how you're doing is all."
"I'm doing as good as I was yesterday, which is uh, bored to tears." Lisa always seemed so formal in our brief interactions, laughing a bit manically at my snarky asides. Today as usual, she was standing a foot away from the cafeteria table I was sitting at, worrying me a little.
"Things will look up if you get in the right mindset."
I didn't know what to make of her, worried that she might like me in some respect. There was no way I'd mess around with an underclassman and no way I'd let one get clout for being seen with a senior student.
"Man, what's up Lisa Jackson?" She giggled like she always did due to my intentional habit of using her whole name.
"Well uhm, is there like somebody you like at school?"
"Huh?!" The hair stood up on the back of my neck as I anticipated some sort of confession involving a sixteen year old's unrequited for a socially awkward senior.
"Do you got a girlfriend Jaleel."
I froze at the question staring at the slightly chubby girl standing before me looking even younger than her sixteen years. There was no way this would end without disaster as I considered running for my life.
"OMFG, WHAT-THE-FUCK?!! SO YOU GOING FULL PEDO JALEEL?!!" The last of my great female nemesis Treena, reared her shitty face in dramatic fashion tied in a bow accentuated by her raggedy Jack O' Lantern smile. Never mind that her own forced clique was ninety percent underclassmen.
"Oh you again?"
"SO WHAT'S UP; YOU CHANGING DIAPERS NOW?!!" Her clique giggled at the dumb attempt at humor while I simply leaned on the table resting my chin on my fist.
"You'll have to take a number, but I'll charge extra to shave your hind legs."
"Oh, that's supposed to be funny, huh?!!"
"No Treena; I'm not gonna get in trouble for breaking the rules." Lisa stood off to the side. She always enjoyed my perpetual verbal duels with a resurgent Treena, the social last of her kind. Treena was a lackey without a boss.
"Oh yeah, what rules is that Jaleel?!!" She sounded like an idiot as I held my hand up making a blabbing puppet out of my fist aping her goofy voice.
"Don't feed the animals, bitch."
Some students at an adjacent table burst into laughter startling Treena. I'd long noticed the fact that she always wore her cheerleader letterman jacket to accentuate her shabby clothing.
"FUCK YOU!!"
"Not even if you won the lottery biatch!! Girl, I gotta tell you to get yourself together cause you tore up from the floor up Treena girl!! How many days you gonna wear the same dirty ass skirt if you ain't shaving them hairy ass werewolf legs, huh Treena?!! Nigga try a bit of makeup besides that crayon shit on your fucking cheeks making you look like Raggedy Anne, girl!! Um, damn Treena girlfriend-JUST WHAT IS THAT FUCKING SMELL COMING FROM NO MAN'S LAND DOWN THERE, HUH GIRL?!!"
I lit into her using a faux sister girl, stereotypical gay voice throughout the complete verbal burn as more students whooped and jeered not necessarily in Treena's corner. Ripping her apart like this was becoming passe and boring, but Lisa was doubled over laughing hysterically along with a few members of Treena's clique.
"ASSHOLE!!" Treena looked like a trapped animal unable to turn in any direction without being confronted by a laughing face.
"OOOOH GIRL, PLUG THAT NASTY CLAM UP AND GIVE US SOME RELIEF AROUND HERE!! PEOPLE IS TRYING TO EAT UP IN HERE BAAAAA-BEEEE!!" The crowd exploded in uproarious laughter as Treena fidgeted trying to figure out what to do.
"YUH- YOUR MAMMA BITCH!!" She screamed but found her bland retort drowned out by peer commentary and laughter.
"YOU GONNA CRY TREENA GIRL?!!" I interlocked my thumbs under my chin creating a fluttering butterfly shape, batting my eyes at her effeminately.
Treena turned tail bolting from the student cafeteria unused to being the butt of public shame and embarrassment. Thankfully, the bell sounded as I noticed Lisa gone into the crowd with some mutual friends. It was one of the few times Treena's incessant stalking came in handy. I wondered how I'd let Lisa Jackson down without bruising her feelings as I walked to the wall to dump my tray.
"Hey, let's hurry up and get to the girl's locker room." Two freshman girls were standing in front of me dumping their lunch trays.
"Why Rolanda?"
"That senior girl, Treena; she gonna jump Lisa Jackson up for laughing at her." My tray hit the floor as I sped out of the cafeteria running towards the corridor leading to the girl's locker room.