Free Kendra by Coe Booth Page A

“Then the next day, she was back with both guys, telling both of them that he was the one she picked. It was hilarious!”
    Adonna really does have the best stories.
    The bus makes one of those big, lopsided turns and the big-hipped woman practically lands in my lap. And it hurts. A lot. “Sorry,” she says over and over, but she can’t really get off me ’til the bus finishes making the turn, and by then my leg is just about numb.
    Now not only am I gonna be sore, I’m probably gonna be smelling like her all day, too.
    After a while, when the bus stops at a red light and I’m notbeing crushed anymore, Adonna asks me who else I invited to the show tonight.
    “Just you guys,” I say.
    “I still can’t believe you got me, my mother, and Kenny sitting together.”
    “I bought all the tickets at the same time. I didn’t know you wanted to sit by yourself.”
    Adonna rolls her eyes at me, but I can tell she’s just being stupid. “Well, I’m gonna act like I don’t know them,” she says. “Especially Kenny.”
    I ignore what she’s saying. “I’m just glad I have someone coming every day. You guys today, Nana tomorrow, and Sunday—” I cut myself off and close my eyes for a second, thinking about how dumb I can be sometimes.
    When I open my eyes, Adonna is staring at me, so I look away, outta the window as the bus passes the bank, the Jamaican patty shop, and the sneaker store that just opened up. I know she’s gonna start something, but I really don’t want me and her to end up in a fight today.
    “Don’t tell me Renée ’s coming in to see the show,” she says with that attitude of hers.
    I shrug. “Maybe.”
    “She moving back to the Bronx?”
    “I didn’t say that.”
    “What does she think, that sitting through your show is gonna make up for missing the last ten years of your life?”
    I don’t know why, but when she says stuff like that, I feel this weird pain in my chest. I wanna tell Adonna to shut up and mind her business, but I don’t. Of course.
    I just go back to looking out the window, like none of it bothers me.
    The showcase starts at seven that night, and by then Adonna is the last person I’m thinking about. Everything is just happening too fast. All of us on the crew are working hard and staying focused, and we don’t have time to think about anything except trying not to screw up. Even the guys are doing what they’re supposed to, not joking around like they used to do at rehearsals.
    Before I know it, it’s all over and all five of us are backstage sitting on the floor drinking water, trying to catch our breath. Darnell is sitting right next to me, both of us leaning up against the wall. We’re close, but not that close, and I still can’t tell if he likes me or not because he’s not really doing anything. I mean, yeah, he did sit next to me when he could have sat anywhere, but I’m not sure if it means anything. So I try not to think about it.
    On the stage, Mr. Melendez is on the microphone, calling the actors out for their curtain call, and they’re getting a lot of applause. It’s like it’s never gonna end. Then I hear him say, “The freshman/sophomore showcase is also an opportunity for our design students to show off their talents. And don’t you agree, this set is truly remarkable.”
    More applause. Which feels good for, like, a second.
    ’Til I hear him say, “So let me introduce our set designers, who have been doing double duty as the stage crew.”
    “Oh, no,” I mumble under my breath.
    Mara’s eyes open wider, too. “He doesn’t want us to—”
    I nod and slowly stand up as Mr. Melendez says, “So come on out, set designers!”
    As he reads off our names, we go out onto the stage as a group and take a bow. I’m practically shaking because this is definitely not where I wanted to be. The whole theater is packed and all those people are staring at us, and I don’t know how the actors do it because I’m definitely more comfortable behind