Free Cool Like That by Nikki Carter Page B

thousand times
    I love him
    Ain’t met another like him
    I love him not
    ’Cause yesterday…I met his other girlfriend.”
    The girl smiles and bows like she didn’t just say the angriest poem I’ve ever heard. As a matter of fact, I think that was the angriest poem on the planet.
    I don’t know how or when it happened, but somehow I ended up sitting close to Rashad on the little couch. He’s not trying to push up or anything, but I can feel the warmth of his arm as it brushes against me.
    Could I be digging Rashad like this and still be crushing on Ricky at the same time? I don’t even know the rules for multiple crushes. Like, if the two guys are friends, does it make it worse?
    Not that Ricky and Rashad are anywhere close to being friends, but what if at some point they got to be cool? Then what?
    After the poetry set is over, we take our time walking back to the dorm. Rashad slips his arm around my waist, and I don’t object.
    “You’re smooth, Rashad. You know that, right?”
    He chuckles. “What?”
    “Nothing. It’s cool.”
    I’m enjoying all this attention I’m getting from Rashad. I really am. So why, why, why did it just cross my mind how nice it would be if it were Ricky’s arm around me?
    I untangle myself from Rashad as I walk into the dorm.
    “What? You don’t want your boy to see us hugged up?” Rashad asks.
    “Wow. You calling me out, huh?”
    “Yeah, I’m calling you out.”
    “Well, the thing is I don’t want to hurt Ricky’s feelings if I don’t have to, you know. I’m just trying to be a friend.”
    Rashad nods slowly. “Would Ricky be mad about this?”
    Rashad pulls me into his arms and kisses the top of my forehead.
    “Maybe.”
    “Would he be mad about this?”
    I close my eyes as Rashad presses his lips into mine. It’s nice. So nice that I don’t care who sees us right about now. Not even Ricky.
    He pulls away first. “Good night, Gia.”
    “Night.”
    My lips are still tingling when I walk into my room.
    The tingling stops when I notice Sienna sprawled across Melody’s bed again.
    “Gia, I’m so glad you’re back. Can you help me try to wake her up?”
    “Wake her up? Why is she asleep in our room?”
    “We went to a hotel party for Dan’s producer, and they had lots of alcohol. I think she had too much to drink.”
    “Ya think?”
    Melody sighs. “Gia, just help me get her to her own room. It’s almost curfew, and I don’t want her to get in trouble.”
    I try to help Melody lift Sienna. The girl is kinda thick, so it’s not an easy task.
    I ask, “Are you sure she just had alcohol? I’ve never heard of someone being this gone. She’s completely unconscious. Maybe we should tell somebody. What if she has alcohol poisoning?”
    “Gia, she’ll be fine. She just needs to sleep it off. If we tell, she’s gonna get kicked out of the program.”
    “I don’t know, Melody. Won’t we get in trouble if we don’t tell?”
    “She’s got scholarship money riding on this, Gia.”
    “Okay, come on then.”
    We finally get her to stand up, but we’re practically dragging her because her legs aren’t moving on their own.
    Halfway down the hall, we run into Ricky and Sushil.
    “What are y’all doing?” Ricky asks.
    “Trying to get Sienna to her room before an RA sees us.”
    “Is she drunk?” Sushil asks.
    “Shil—come on!”
    Between the four of us—mostly the boys—we get Sienna to her room. Finally, as her roommate opens the door, Sienna wakes up and vomits all over the floor.
    I close my eyes and gag. “I gotta go, Melody. I don’t do vomit.”
    Ricky, Sushil, and I abandon Melody as she cleans up Sienna’s mess. I mean, what is the whole point of getting drunk if throwing up is part of the deal? How is that fun?
    “Gia, we’re going to see the Statue of Liberty tomorrow. Wanna come?” Sushil asks.
    I look at Ricky. “Do you want me to come?”
    He shrugs. “I don’t care if you come.”
    “You want her to come, Ricky. Stop trying