I'm A Gangsta, Ma' - Brea Isome (inspirational books for students .TXT) 📗

the morning, when my father was finally allowed to leave. The girls had stayed with me during those last five hours. In the waiting room we had joked and drank cafeteria coffee toward the end.

When I finally got home I was running on E. My father's day had ended but my mothers had just begun. She dragged me from the house- only allowing me time to brush my teeth and change my clothes- and we went to get Starbucks coffee. After that, she took me to her office.

I kept telling her that I was too tired to help in anything she needed but she wouldn't listen. She insisted that I was fine and that her needing help was more important than me sleeping. How inconsiderate, but I clamped my mouth shut and pretended to be the good little girl that my mother thought she had raised.

" sweep the hardwood," She commanded as she flipped on the lights in the waiting room of her office. Her office sat right on the beach, attracting all the insecurities like salt that floated in with the sea. " vacuum the carpet, and when you're done mop the floors in the operation room."

What ever happened to a cleaning crew?

I didn't huff or puff, just cleaned my butt off. All through the day there were women coming and going and a scattered few men too. Not only did I have to play little miss made but I also had to play receptionist and door woman and possible even the door matt with the way people stepped all over me. There were a few nice people but mostly everyone treated me like I was worthless. I didn't even treat my own maids like that, let alone someone who was just trying to help.

Around lunch hour things slowed down significantly and that's when I was finally able to curl up into a ball on one of the black leather sofas and take a short nap.

What felt like not even five minutes later I was being shaken awake by my mother, standing over me with a furious face.

" Sophia," She scolded, he accent shinning in through her all American façade. " you know better! Up!"

I swung my legs off the side of the couch and got back to work. I had actually been asleep a whole twenty minutes and you wouldn't believe how much damage was done. The floors were scuffed from some woman's high heel shoes and there were gum and mint wrappers littered around the floor.

I scoffed.

You would think that the rich and famous would also be clean and sanitary.

 

Ditch Date

-Sophia-

On Tuesday i had a yoga class and a running lesson. I signed uo for neither but i didn't have to, my mother had forced it onto me, taking it upon herself to sign me up and telling me that i needed to lose weight. Countless times i had looked over myself in the mirror wondering if i really needed to. I must have, right?

So early in the morning i got up and i put on a pair of purple track shorts and a matching tank top with plain white running shoes that i had yet to break in. I tied my hair up into a ponytail, making a note to get it done and then i left. Halfway to the destination where my running lesson would begin i got a phone call.

'who run the world (girls), who run the world (girls), who run the world (girls)-'

I picked the phone up off of my passenger seat long after it had finished ringing because i was now stuck in traffic. It was a number that i didn't know that had called me so i tapped in the number and called it back, gripping my stearing wheel in anticipation, hoping to move sometime soon.

" you called back."

" hello?" I asked trying to place the voice. They were talking so low i could barely even make out anything beside the fact that it was a guy. " who is this?"

There was noise in the background and then the voice came through a lot clearer. " You don't know who i am now, ma'? You knew at the hospital the other night."

I sighed. So i wasn't hallucinating? God, i had so hoped that i was that that i would never have to see his face again. He made me so nervous that i didn't want to be around him again, let alone hear his voice. And he infuriated me, which i was sure he did on pupose.

" What would you like, Spade?"

He chuckled. " not happy to hear from me, i take it?"

" definately not and besides, i'm busy. So, please, what would you like?"

" i would like to take you on a date. What? You thought i was playin' or some shit? Nah, i don't play like that."

" no thanks, right now i'm late for my running lesson."

" running lesson? You workin' on a marathon or something."

" no!" I exclaimed. I wouldn't do a marathon if the world depended on it. I sucked at hings like that, so did my stamina. " just exercise."

He grunted. " your idea?"

" yes."

No, it definately wasn't my idea. If it was up to me i would never even do it. They had treadmills at the gym and as far as i was concered they would do just a good a job as running through the california hills. Hell, we had a gym in our basement at home? Why wasn't that good enough?

I wasn't about to argue with my mother though, and i definately wasn't about to admit to Spade that i was doing something i didn't like because my mother forced it onto me. It wasn't any of his business.

" you're lying again."

" not i'm not!"

" you are."

" not!"

" are."

" not!" I screamed, poking my tngue out as if he could see.

He full on laughed now, not a chuckle or one of those nice smirks he had sported sometimes while i was around him. " you are but i'll let it go.So, what about that date?"

I sighed. I didn't want to take the running or yoga class and i wanted to get spade off of my back so i agreed to a -

" it's not a date!" I told him. " we're going out for coffee and then you're leaving me alone. Okay?"

" yeah, okay. I'll leave you alone as long as you don't like me. But if you like me-"

I cut him off, telling him the adress to the closest starbucks and hanging up the phone.

I honked my horn angrily as my lane opened up but a car swerved in front of me. " stupid!"

----

I opened the door to Starbucks and allowed the beautiful aroma to fill my senses. Oh, how i loved coffe and sugar and coffee. Did say i loved coffee, because if i didn't it deserved a special mention. I saw Spade sitting in a corner off to the left and he saw, signaling me over with a nod of his had but i made a motion letting him know i needed to order first.

" may i please have the Willy Wonka Frappuccino, venti."

The man behind the counter raised a perfectly arched eyebrow into a heep of blond hair that swung over his forehead. " no such thing."

I chuckled. " have long have you worked here?"

" today is my first day."

" and that's why there's not such thing. Just look, right there." i pointed to a piece of laminated paper sitting under one of the counters that i was sure had everything on it that he was looking for. " secret menu."

He looked at me skeptically, grabbing the sheet before sliding it back and going to make my drink. I paid and then i went to sit across from Spade at a table that he picked.

" what's is that, yo?" That shit look disgustin'."

I rolled my eyes and took a sip. " it's too advance fore you so let's just move it along."

He shrugged. " okay, can i start by knowing your full name?"

My eye twitched at the mention of my full name. " Sophia," i told him with no hesitation. " your's?"

He looked like he suspected i was lying but he didn't question me about it. " Spade."

" that is so not your real name!"

" it's not, but i'll tell you mines when you tell me yours."

A trade off was definately not happening. My name was none of his business as well as other things, Sophia was as close to my name as he was going to get at this point in time.

I took another nervous drink from my straw and changed the subject. " so, really, why are you in California?"

" you could say i've decided to make a move. I'm tired of Detroit, i've been tired, and i thought California would be just the place."

"why here?"

" because the weather is nice, and i enjoy the beautiful women." He said seriously, glancing out of the window as a woman strutted by." My little brother likes it here."

There had to be more to that story. Nobody just up and moves just because they don't like the weather. I didn't push it though. This was our first - thing, but not date.

Tapping a finger on the small table to get his attentin back on me i sighed. " ladies man?"

" somethin' like that. She is beautiful, but not my type."

" what is your type?"

" short, definately short." He said like he was thinking. " i wouldn't mind slim or thick really i've had it all."

" all? You shouldn't be too proud of having it all".

He laughed. " i'm very experimental, i like to try new things and because of that i'm very experienced.

I laughed, and probably very much infected too.

" no, i'm clean." Spade replied in a very amused voice.

I looked up at him in embarrasment. " that was supposed to be a thought."

" i'm sure it was but it's cool. don't mind somebody who speaks their opinion."

We fell into a small silence, he was staring out of the window again, this time at anything that passed by and i was staring at him.

I found myself asking him why he had tattoos on his face and if they hurted.He just said that they were all choices he had made in his youth and things he could never take back but that they hurt only a little.

" how old are you?" I crossed my legs, feeling the material of my yoga pants rub against itself.

" twenty- six." He looked at me for a reaction but i gave none. What was i supposed to say? He was eight years older than me. Besides the fact that he was from Detroit and that he had tatoos allover, his age was just another reason why there couldn't be a second "thing". But i said that about this one, i was so adament about there never being a "thing" and yet there were were having a "thing".

Half of that sit- down was spent talking about ourselves and the other half spent laughing and we shared weird experiences with eachother.

I found out that he wasn't big into music, that he had never been out of the United States, and that he had