Free Fast Forward by Celeste O. Norfleet

the cheek. “HB, little sis.”
    “Thanks, Ty,” I said.
    The limo drove us to church, then it was sitting there when we got out. Ty and Jade took us to breakfast at this super fancy restaurant in D.C. It was closed to everyone except for us. Then we drove around dropping everybody off. Grandmom went first. Then Jalisa and Diamond were next. They both got out at Jalisa’s house. Her mom and sister, Natalie, were already standing out front waiting for us. Jalisa had called them. There were also a few girls I knew from Hazelhurst standing waiting. I got out first and received birthday hugs. Everybody else got out. Ty was, of course, an immediate hit. The girls from school were going nuts. They were getting his autograph on CDs and were asking for pictures with him. He agreed but insisted that all pictures with him include me, the birthday girl. Cell phones and digital cameras came out from everywhere.
    Everybody was too impressed. I guess maybe they would be. Ty was a superstar. I suppose I was just too usedto seeing him hanging around with the family. We left after I got birthday hugs, some cards and presents.
    Next, the limo dropped Ty off at the airport. He was still on tour, but he took time off to be with me on my birthday. Now he had to get back to Atlanta for a sound check and concert that night. We said goodbye, and we waited for Jade, who walked into the private plane lobby area with him.
    When she got back in the limo, we dropped Terrence off at his dorm at Howard. I swear as soon as he got out, girls were circling him like he was a superstar. They were looking at him like they could eat him up. So I jumped out to say goodbye. I kissed him in front of everybody. He understood and hugged me tight. “Hey, you got me, okay?” he whispered in my ear. I nodded assured. “Happy birthday.”
    “Thanks, call me,” I said, then watched as he turned and crossed the quad headed to his dorm building. Girls were still checking him out. But for real, that suit did look good on him. So I got back in the limo. Jade was staring at me.
    “What was all that about?” she asked.
    “Nothing,” I said, slightly embarrassed now. I looked out the window seeing that the driver was headed out of the Howard University area. “You’re not getting dropped off here?” I asked.
    “Trying to get rid of me?” Jade asked.
    “Yeah, definitely,” I said, knowing exactly why she was hanging around. “Okay, let’s get it over with.”
    “Grandmom said that you got in trouble at school.”
    “I got into a couple of fights.”
    “And?” she prompted.
    “I got expelled until next semester. I can go back after I take a test to make sure that I’ve kept up with my studies. But I don’t know if I want to go back there. Grandmom said she’d enroll me at Penn Hall.”
    “Yeah. That part I heard,” Jade said.
    “You know mom was always talking about me going there at one time. I think maybe she’d be okay with it. My dad was talking about getting me a tutor for two months, but I’m not seeing that. I’ll do Penn Hall. Mom wanted it, so I’m doing it.”
    “Kenisha, it’s not about what Mom wanted. It’s about what you need. Mom is gone, and nothing we can do will bring her back. The only thing we can do is respect her memory and be the best people we can be. And that doesn’t mean fighting and getting kicked out of school.”
    “I know I was wrong to fight, but that’s in the past. There’s nothing I can do about it now.”
    “You’re right. There isn’t. We have to go from here. You’re still grieving. You’re angry. I get that. Hell, I’m angry, too. What you need to do is talk to somebody. Talk to me. I’m right here. That’s what big sisters are for.”
    “But you have school and Ty and…”
    “And I also have you. Part of growing up is venting anger the right way. Fighting isn’t it. Dance. You’re good, so get better. When you get mad about something, go to Freeman and kick it out.”
    I thought about