So Not the Drama, page 34
Kelly broke the silence. “So, how should we start?”
Mina pulled herself back to the present. “Let’s just exchange first impressions, read them, react, then get our points together for the report.”
They took out their impressions and swapped. The room grew silent once more, as they read over the notes that revealed what they had thought of one another the moment they met.
Mina finished first. Her face was tight with anger. Jacinta’s mouth was pooched out in an expression they had all come to know as her poor attempt at pretending she wasn’t mad about something. Kelly put her paper down and kept her eyes down. Only Jessica finished and looked around the table, expressionless.
Kelly moved them along once more. “Maybe we should ...”
Mina cut her off, her voice tinged with hurt. “I don’t get it. Why does the fact that I’m talkative and friendly offend you guys?” She wasn’t quite sure why that bothered her. The clique called her Mouthy Mi all the time. But the impressions made it seem like she went on endlessly just to hear herself speak. And she couldn’t help the jealousy she felt from Jessica writing she could probably “deal” with Kelly.That was more then Jessica had ever done for Mina.
It was like she hadn’t made any impression outside of being a popularity-seeking chatterbox. Was she really that shallow?
No, wait, she didn’t need the answer to that—the comments said it all.
Jacinta sniffed, her offense clear. “I figured ya’ll all thought I was ghetto. But that doesn’t make me stupid.” She glared at Jessica.
Jessica met Jacinta’s eyes but said nothing.
“What’s with this, ‘Hello, contractions are our friend.’ Why do you care how I speak?” Jacinta asked.
Jessica’s tone was clipped. “We were supposed to be honest. I was. Your whole ghetto I don’t need to prove to anything to anyone ’tude, was my first impression ... and you’re still like that. So my impression isn’t that wrong.”
“I don’t have to prove anything to anybody. But it doesn’t make me stupid because I talk a certain way,” Jacinta said.
“Then why not try to make a better impression?” Jessica said. “I don’t see why you guys are mad. I’m not getting all upset over Mina calling me evil or Jacinta making fun of me because I’m mixed.”
“I said using your powers for evil. I didn’t say you were,” Mina said with an eye roll.
Silent bitterness festered until Kelly’s quiet voice dented the tension. “I could be upset that you guys felt I didn’t make much of an impression other than I had on a pair of cute pants, looked scared, and lived in a nice neighborhood.” She looked at each person as she regurgitated their comment about her. “But I’m not. The question is, are we still only those things to each other?”
Mina’s eyes darted around the table. She chuckled. “She’s right. It doesn’t matter what we thought then. We girls now, right?” She looked at Jessica and hitched her shoulders. “I mean, most of us.”
“I’m totally not offended to be left out of that clique,” Jessica said.
“We know,” Mina and Jacinta sang. They snickered.
Jacinta shrugged it off. “On the real, none of these observations surprise me.”
“Me either, really,” Jessica admitted.
“So, we’re all stereotypes, huh?” Mina asked.
“Looks like it,” Kelly said. She playfully offered each girl her hand, “Hi, I’m the Boogee Latina Princess.”
“Hi, I’m the Ghetto Chick,” Jacinta said.
Mina squawked in a high-pitched voice, “Hi, I’m the Bubbly Chatterbox.”
They waited for Jessica to flip a smart remark. But she played along.
“Hi, I’m The Ice Queen,” Jessica said.
Mina laughed. “Okay, I need a digital recorder. Can’t believe you called yourself that.”
A smile tugged at Jessica’s mouth. “I mean ice as in I don’t care what you guys think.”
“Hey, whatever. Nobody saying you’re wrong,” Jacinta laughed.
Jessica’s eyes popped. “Oh my God. Did you just use a contraction?”
Jacinta arched an eyebrow. “Umph, watch it, you’re damn near close to acting friendly.”
“Well, it’ll be one of the last times,” Jessica said without venom.
Kelly enjoyed the momentary lightness before bringing them back to their goal. “Okay, well, let’s get this report together.”
They took advantage of the truce to write and plot their presentation.
P*A*R*T*Y
“Go Shorty, it’s yo’ birthday!”
—50 Cent, “In Da’ Club”
The room pulsed with a dull sheen from hundreds of large metallic silver stars hanging from the ceiling. The words “Ease on down the road,” “Slide some oil to me,” and “The Wiz” were graffitied all over the walls in funky glow-in-the dark gel ink. The blackness of the dark room hid the fact that the words were written on black witches caps. Other props from the school’s production littered the room, a fake street light with half-torn flyers on it, a bashed-up trash can, and a wall-sized poster of a condemned building. It looked like someone had taken an inner-city street and dumped it in the middle of Mina’s family room.
The eerie glow from the ink made the ninety some odd people packed into the room look like beings from outer space and the spacious party area their mothership. Bass boomed, vibrating framed photos to shake off the wallflowers.
Mina raised her arms, moving closer to Craig as they shook in time to the bass line. He pulled her into him, smiling down at her as their bodies bumped in sync. Every few minutes someone would pass and say hello or comment on the party being hot or blazing, making Mina’s grin wide.
Popularity points dinged in her head like coins falling from a slot machine as she counted the number of Uppers in the room, including the one she was getting her grind on with. So she still cared a little bit about rising within DRH’s cliqueosphere.
Café here I come, she thought.
She had planned this perfectly. The fact that she might kill two birds with one stone—celebrating Lizzie’s lead in The Wiz and kicking up her café campaign—put pep in her step and she swayed against Craig, delirious with pleasure.
The turnout was phenomenal. The theatre set was there, including Lila and her flunkies, the jocks, even the glams stopped in, refusing to be left out.
Whatever else was behind the turnout, Mina knew two things were to thank: (1) DJ Beatz and (2) Homecoming.
Beatz’ jams were always hotter than a tea kettle. And if some people were there just to say they had gone to a Beatz party that was good enough for Mina. Because Beatz party was her party and she wouldn’t let a soul forget it.
With Homecoming next weekend, people didn’t mind setting off the Blue Devil spirit a week early and the clique’s party was the perfect vehicle.
She rolled her shoulders to the music and put the few tense weeks of planning out of her head. Craig’s voice tickled her ear. “Ay, JZ trying to get your attention.”
Mina glanced down at her watch. It was nearly eight. It wasn’t a surprise, but she wanted Lizzie to make an entrance. So Mina nagged her into showing up fashionably late.
She headed upstairs, where her parents manned the refreshments and directed new guests down to the family room.
“Do you want me and Daddy to come down there and show ya’ll how to groove?” her mom teased.
Mina groaned. “No. Not if it’s anything like your vouging.” She laughed. “Thanks for letting me have the party.”
“So where is this Craig I keep hearing about?”
“Mom, I can’t do a formal intro. He’ll think I’m going all girlfriend on him,” Mina said.
Her dad frowned. “Okay, what does that mean?”
“I’ll find a way to casually introduce you when he’s with a bunch of people. Nothing one-on-one ... yet,” Mina said, pecking her dad’s cheek. “Oooh Lizzie’s here.”
The O’Reillys came in.
“See how cute you look!” Mina squealed. She made Lizzie turn around so she could see her in the gauchos and high boots she and Michael begged her to wear. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. O’Reilly,” she said before dragging Lizzie off.
“Oh my God. It sounds like a lot of people are here,” Lizzie whispered, pulling back.
“What is this, stage fright?” Mina giggled. “This is your big debut. Lila needs to know you’re gunning for her spot.”
“Please don’t say that around her,” Lizzie said.
“I won’t have to. After tonight you’ll be on shine. Then when you rip it at the production, she’ll know,” Mina said, grinning.
She shuttled Lizzie to the top step entrance to the family room. Mina waved her hand, got DJ Beatz attention and the music went down to a thumping whisper. Beatz’ deep voice boomed over the speakers, “The Drama Princess is here! Introducing Lizzie-O, the new Dorothy of Detroit!”
Clapping broke out. A sea of well-wishers surrounded them, wishing Lizzie good luck with the play.
Lizzie gaped, looking from the crowd to Mina. Her face reddened from a mix of excitement and embarrassment. “I can’t believe how many people you got to come.”
Mina winked. “Didn’t I say I’d get us in before the semester ended? But this is about you tonight. With Michael’s help it was no problem getting the theatre clique here. And of course, JZ made sure all the jocks showed up.”
Lizzie’s eyes swam over the partygoers, the decorations. Was that Lila in the crowd? She laughed out loud. So Mina’s persistence (pushiness) worked on just about anybody.
JZ broke through the ring of bodies. He pulled Lizzie into the thick crowd and signaled for Beatz to pump it up. The dance floor flooded again and the party jumpstarted itself.
Jacinta wished Lizzie congratulations as she passed them. She stood by Mina and frantically fanned herself. “Girl, this party is blazing! Beatz is off the hook tonight.”
“I know. Kelly really came through on the hookup!” Mina shouted, pointing at Kelly dancing with Angel. She gave her a thumbs-up and laughed at Kelly’s shy smile.
“So much for him being her phone boyfriend.” Jacinta nudged Mina.
“I guess,” Mina said. She stared at Angel, wondering if anything about him could give him away to her parents. After a quick introduction to her mom and dad, Mina ushered Raheem and Angel downstairs, hoping their crazy parent radar didn’t pick up anything odd. But minus his Incredible Hulks, Angel fit into the crowd, thankfully, like all the other guys.
JZ’s voice rose over the thumping music. Mina saw his body bouncing. His mouth was moving, but she couldn’t understand over the music. She walked deeper into the family room, leaned in toward the crowd, listened again to catch on.
As she walked to the center of the room, Mina tugged Jacinta’s sleeve, then grabbed Kelly along the way closer to JZ and Lizzie. Michael came up, dancing behind her. They bounced along, joining JZ’s call:
“Who you wit’?”
“Rolling with that clique!” they responded before all six yelled, “The Del Rio Bay Clique, ’cause you know we roll thick.”
Can We Get Extra Credit for the Friend Part?
“I’m sky high. Sky, sky high.”
—Kanye West, “Touch the Sky”
Monday morning, Mina was still riding high from the party. But she put the fresh memories of spending nearly the entire party dancing with Craig aside as she waited for Mrs. Simms to get class started. A month of work was about to come to a head and Mina was excited to put an official end to the soc project. Had anyone accomplished the lofty goal of eradicating prejudice from their lives?
The students’voices rose and fell in eager waves.The air was thick with expectation.
Mrs. Simms let them chatter. The excitement coursing through her classroom was exactly what teaching was about for her. Before the noise reached a level that would disturb the other classrooms, she stepped in. “Well, I’m sure you’ve all found out that this project was neither as easy nor as hard as you expected.”
A murmur of agreement went through the room. It brought a pleased smile to the Guru’s face. She looked around the room expectantly. “Well, any volunteers to go first?”
Jacinta and Mina both shot up their hands, snickering at their anxiety.
“Okay, great. Jacinta, Mina, Jessica, and Kelly will go first.”
The girls walked to the front of the room. A silent signal passed between them and they all struck a pose. Kelly kept her head down. Her thick auburn hair waterfalled, covering most of her face. Jacinta mocked chewing gum, smacking loud and hard. Mina twirled her hair around her finger and danced from foot-to-foot in an anxious fidget. Jessica’s face was stony.
Soft murmuring went through their classmates. Who knew the report required a skit? Some threw anxious looks to their group mates, questioning the sufficiency of their presentation.
“Hi, I’m the Boogee Princess,” Kelly said in a soft, breathy voice, eyes downcast.
Giggles and whispers ran through the class.
“Hi, I’m The Ghetto Chick!” Jacinta asserted, sullenly, her hands on her jutting hip.
More whispers filtered through the room.
“Hi, I’m the Bubbly Big Mouth!” Mina said in a high, pitchy voice. She flipped her hair and cocked her head.
“Hi, I’m The Ice Queen,” Jessica swished her hair and folded her arms.
Some laughter and lots of confused stares and whispers rippled through the room.
Jessica stepped ahead of her group mates. She spoke crisp and clear, like the narrator of a documentary. “These are the first characteristics we saw in each other when we met. Our first impressions were based only on seeing one another and talking in class for about thirty minutes.”
Mina stepped up. “But, over the course of the semester we got to know one another by spending the night at each other’s houses. In one way, our first impressions were right. Kelly’s family is wealthy. Jacinta’s family does live in low-income housing. Jessica can be very stand-offish. And I am very talkative and curious.”
Jacinta joined in. “By spending one night in each other’s environments, we quickly learned that, no matter how much money somebody has, or whether they are black, white, Asian, or whatever, we’re all working toward the same things. We want friends who see past the outside and say, ‘Hey, you cool with me.’”
In a strong voice, Kelly summed it up. “It may sound cliché, but what we found was that we’re not all that different. Most of our differences were outside of our control. We couldn’t control who our parents were or what they do for a living, which meant we couldn’t control where we lived or how we were brought up.”
Mina added. “So, we’ve decided to eliminate prejudice and respect our differences,” Mina added. “But we found out it takes more than respecting differences for everyone to get along.”
“We’re not going to hold our differences against each other,” Jessica said. “But it didn’t translate into a unanimous decision to like one another.”
Mina piped in, brightly. “But some of us have decided to become friends.” She frowned and looked at Mrs. Simms. “Can we get extra credit for the friend part?”
Mrs. Simms roared with laughter.
Mina smiled and grabbed Jacinta’s hand. They all clasped together and took a theatrical stage bow. Mina, Kelly, and Jacinta burst into a fit of nervous laughter. Jessica started back to her seat.
Mrs. Simms beamed and enthusiastically applauded the girls.
Mina, Kelly, and Jacinta gave one another dap and headed for their seats.
“Who you wit’?” Mina whispered.
Kelly and Jacinta chanted back, “Rolling with that clique, the Del Rio Bay Clique. ’Cause you know we roll thick.”
Sociology
October 10, 2005
Jacinta Phillips: Last Impressions
This group of girls is unbelievable! But what’s more unbelievable is that they’re my girls. I never saw it coming, it just happened. In a way, I know I’ll always be the project chick to them because I see things a certain way—in a way they could never see it, based on where I’m from. I’ll always be able to add a new twist. Still it feels good to have a group of friends that at least tries to understand you. Could I ask for anything more?
Sociology
October 10, 2005
Observations by Kelly Lopez: Last Impressions
The poor little rich girl with no friends is dead! At least it feels that way.
I’m not the same girl that started this class, keeping to myself, afraid to speak my mind.
I have a whole gang of good friends and it’s new. It’s scary. But it’s real!
I finally found the right friends, people who won’t give me the cold shoulder just because I won’t do everything they ask.
Soc
10-10-05
Jessica Johnson: Last Impressions
I didn’t come into this project looking for friends or even approval. I still think that people will judge you within seconds and a lot of times nothing you do or say will change that first impression.
Mina still annoys me. Jacinta is still someone I wouldn’t even take a second look if we passed one another in the hallway. And Kelly is still someone who has potential if she were around the right people.
Right now, it’s all about survival. Mina swims around in a school of fresh fish to get through. But I’m the shark they’re watching out for.
Soc
10/10/2005
Observations by Amina Mooney: Last Impressions
My mother told me that your friends are a reflection of who you are. That you should never take making a new friend lightly because if that person was trouble, you would be too or at least people would see you that way.
When I look at myself through my friends, I like what I see: someone who is able to look at a situation and turn it over and over again until all of the possibilities are explored. There aren’t just two sides to every story, for me there are six: JZ, Lizzie, Michael, Cinny, Kelly, and ME.
