Marissa

          I glanced at the screen of my phone and smirked at the message that flowed across the screen before placing my MAC blending brush on the marble counter and picked up my phone. With ease my thumb pushed the slider screen up to reveal the QWERTY keyboard and quickly typed my response. As I waited for a reply I heard my bedroom door open and my mother's voice call out to me. After securing my silk robe over my scantily clad body, I walk out my bathroom to see what she wanted.

          She flipped the collar of her silk button up over the lapels of her black blazer before continuing her thought. "I'm heading out. I won't be home until after seven tonight so maybe you should order some pizza or something when you get home. Also don't forget to send out those college applications I gave you two weeks ago. There are stamps on the desk in my office if you need any."

          "Will do," I confirmed as I parted my robe as I balanced my left leg on my desk chair and proceeded to smooth a golden tinted body moisturizer over my legs. "Have a good day."

          "Thank you," my mother replied before turning and leaving my room. Five minutes later I heard her car start and her peel out of the driveway.

          I'd adjusted the straps of my practical La Perla bra before grabbing the denim mini skirt lying on the chaise and stepped into it, buttoning the garment once it sat low on my waist. Just as I shrugged on the printed Craig Taylor button up I'd set aside my private line started ringing. A frown crossed my face as I padded across my room barefoot and answered it. Who would possibly be calling me first thing in the morning?

          "Hello?" I questioned before balancing the phone between the crook of my neck so that I could continue getting dressed.

          "Rissa?" a familiar voice questioned. "It's Amanda."

          "What's up Dimples?" I asked her as I pressed the speaker button on the charger and placed the cordless on my desk.

          "Can you swing by my house and pick me up?" she questioned as I slipped my feet into my black peep toe pumps.

          "Missed the bus?" I asked although I already knew the answer to that. The girl overslept on a semi regular basis.

          "You already know I did," she replied in amusement at her situation.

          I grabbed my yellow v-neck sweater and carefully pulled it over my head, as to not get my foundation or eye shadow on the garment, and folded the collar of my button down over the edges of the sweater's neckline before giving Amanda my answer. "Give me an hour."

          "Thank you," she replied before ending the call so she could finish preparing for another long day of school.

          Seeing as I now had to carry Amanda to school I didn't have the luxury of taking my time to gather everything I would need for the day. Because of that I made a quick chore of making my bed before walking into my closet, flicking on the light, and grabbing my keepall 45 duffel. I placed the brown and tan monogrammed bag on the island's marble top and unzipped it before bending down to open the bottom drawer and retrieve a pair of tan shoe covers that I could place my Nike’s in.

          "Marissa?" a voice called out as I tied the ties of the drawstring to keep the shoes in place.

          "I'm in the closet Roberta," I responded as I placed the covered sneakers inside of the duffel bag.

          "Here you go," she replied as she placed the chocolate protein shake she held on the island.

          "Thank you," I told her as I neatly folded the clothes I'd be wearing to the tutor session I had over at the Boys and Girls club.

          A quick glance at my watch urged me to consume my protein shake before tossing my textbooks inside of the duffel, slinging the strap over my shoulder, and exiting the closet. I mentally double checked that I had everything before grabbing my car keys and leaving the house.

Amanda

          "Alright ma," I replied as I jogged out of the house. She was once again complaining about me over sleeping and missing my bus but I didn't ask her for a ride so I didn't know why she was tripping.

          "Watch your tone young lady because I won't hesitate smacking the taste out of your mouth," she called after me.

          "Whatever," I mumbled to myself as I smoothed the thin cotton of my Local Celebrity tee over the waist of the low cut Frankie B. jeans I'd donned for the day. I'd barely pulled the denim of my jeans out of my ballet flats when Marissa's silver Chrysler turned the corner. I stood and grabbed my messenger bag and walked towards the edge of the sidewalk as she parked across from me.

          "Hey girl," I replied brightly as I slid into her empty passenger seat.

          "Hey," she replied before pulling off and going in route of our school. "You really need to start setting your clock."

          "Not you too," I groaned.

          She laughed before saying, "Your moms got on you?"

          "You know it," I replied before mimicking my mother's tangent.

          "She's not that bad," Marissa defended.

          "That's because you don't know her. I mean she's not horrible but she's annoying," I replied. "She's lucky Marcus is at an away game or I'd have called him and you know we wouldn't have made it to school."

          Marissa laughed at that and said, "You and Marcus need to slow up before your ass winds up pregnant."

          "Not even," I argued. I loved Marcus and everything but I was hardly ready to be his baby's mother.

          It didn't take but fifteen minutes to get to school and already student parking was packed. Marissa parked in her assigned spot and placed her parking pass in her windshield before stepping out of the driver's seat. We'd barely gotten past the entrance hall and to the lockers when we saw Alejandro and Isis going at it. Better yet, Isis was yelling at him in rapid Spanish and he looked at her as if he hadn't a care in the world. Truthfully, it was a wonder why the girl bothered because he didn't take anything she said to heart. He did whatever it was he wanted and she just took it. The dick must speak to her because the shit she took from him was outrageous.

          As we passed Dro's eyes left Isis and turned towards me and Marissa. He nodded his head at me before allowing his eyes to linger on Marissa. Marissa, being the person she was, didn't even notice and headed straight towards her locker.

          "Are you going to Corey's party tonight?" I asked Marissa as she quickly spun in her locker's combination.

          "Probably not," she replied as she pushed her auburn hair out of her face putting the large hoop earrings weighing them down on display. "I have a lot to do and you know how my mother is about my curfew."

          That was true. Marissa's mother was ridiculous with her rules and regulations. She was one of those uppity mothers who strived for perfection and micromanaged her life and everyone else's around her. Most people assumed that Marissa was conceited or felt as if she was above them because of all the standards her mother made her live up to. I'd known her since elementary school and so I knew her better than most and I can say that she was honestly one of the coolest people to chill with. She was very unassuming for the most part and could get along with anyone but she didn't take asshole syndrome or childishness well; it was all well and good to be slightly goofy or crazy but being petulant wasn't something she could stand. Marissa loved a good party as much as the next person but with her mother stressing her about staying on schedule with college deadlines, doing community service, filling out scholarships, and being apart of various scholastic clubs---it really didn't give her much time to have a life. Unfortunately her father was always out of town promoting an album or touring so she didn't have him to play interference.

          Mr. Campbell was actually the more relaxed of Marissa's parents. He wanted her to go out and experience life; to actually enjoy her teenage years but with him being away from home so often it allowed for Mrs. Campbell to have free reign. What she said went which was why Marissa didn't have much of a life outside of the commandments, which was what I called the long list of restrictions her mother put on her. Real talk, I found the list one summer when we were in junior high and the shit was crazy. For instance, she wasn’t allowed to bring home more than two B's on each report card, she had to be apart of and hold titles in at least three school sponsored clubs, and she had to keep up appearances. Keeping up appearances meant that she couldn't repeat outfits unless a minimum of three weeks had passed, her hair and make up had to be flawless at all times, and she to uphold herself at a lady at all times. How she managed it was beyond me because I would have tossed those rules out long ago.

          "Are those canary diamonds?" I asked as the light bounced off the stones encrusted in the metal brought my mind from its previous thoughts.

          "No," she replied as she pulled her locker open. She unzipped her duffel and pulled out a few textbooks before hanging it inside the steel locker. "They're yellow sapphires. I wish my parents would buy me a pair of canary diamond hoop earrings." Just then the bell rang signaling that we had five minutes to head to our first class. "I'll see you in third period?"

          "Most likely since I don't have a car and Marcus isn't here," I reminded her. She laughed and gave me a wave before turning and sauntering down the hall towards her 13A/P Biology class.

Marissa

          I'd just got myself settled into my microeconomic class when Elyse Santos walked in. Her thick hair framed her face in wild waves and the significantly lighter reddish brown tint of each tendril clashed against the brown hue of the plunging tunic designed top that did nothing to cover the turquoise blue leopard accented bra she wore, which happened to match her sneakers perfectly. She tossed her books on the desk beside mine and plopped down in the seat, crossing the bare legs that were visible from the short length of her shorts. A gasp forced itself from her glossed lips and her brown eyes hardened as she hissed besa mi culo, tu maricón before slamming her cell phone close.

          She glared at the white sidekick for a moment before turning to me and smiling. "Hey mami."

          "Hello Elyse," I replied with a smile of my own at her nature. "Jason again?"

          Obviously someone had pissed her off and my first assumption was that it was her boyfriend Jason. The two of them had been together since freshman year but they had that whole love/hate thing going on. It seemed to work for them since one moment they were calling each other names and looking about ready to go to blows, then the next moment they were hugged up and in love.

          She rolled her eyes and said, "You don't even want to know." Before either of us could respond to that statement our teacher walked in and started his lecture.

Elyse

          "Come with me to my locker right quick?" I asked Marissa and Amanda as we walked out of our third period accounting class.

          Next was lunch so it wasn't like we were on the normal time crunch we had to get to our respective classes. Both of them shrugged with indifference and walked with me to my locker before heading to the cafeteria. As we headed to the lunch line we ran across my brother who was posted against a wall flirting with some random female. As we moved to pass him he glanced up and called out to Marissa. The three of us paused from walking as she turned towards Alejandro.

          "Yes?" she asked.

          I saw his eyes darken and knew he was going to say something inappropriate. Before I could grab her and pull her away he opened his mouth and said, "Usted necesita caer que el tipo usted esté con y conseguir con mí mami. Puedo garantizar que puedo satisfacerle de maneras que él no podría incluso soñar con."
(You need to drop that dude you're with and get with me mommy. I can guarantee that I can please you in ways he couldn't even dream of.)

          She looked at him in confusion but before she could ask him to translate what he said, I grabbed her arm and pulled her away from him. I loved my brother but he was too much like our father and I wasn't going to stand there and just let him lure Marissa into being one of his many tricks. Alejandro gave me an amused look and shook his head before turning his attention back to the girl who, like a fool, had stayed and waited for him while he turned his attention away from her and onto another female. I swear these females were stupid over my brother. You'd think that seeing the way he treated Isis would curb the enthusiasm of wanting to get with him but obviously they couldn't see that he wasn't going to suddenly up and change because they wanted him to. Chicks always wanted to be the one to change the player but I learned from watching my father that men don't change unless they want to and as far as Dro was concerned he was in the prime of his life so wife-ing a chick wasn't an option.