Caught Up in the Drama by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

Author:ReShonda Tate Billingsley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pocket Books
Published: 2010-08-16T04:00:00+00:00

20

Alexis

“Ugggh!” I released a loud, frustrated groan. I already had my music as high up as it would go. The sounds of Lil’ Wayne bounced off the walls of my oversized pink bedroom.

I knew this fight was serious. If Lil’ Wayne wasn’t enough to get my mom to come barreling into my room, ordering me to “turn that crap off,” something had to be really wrong.

But then again, who was I kidding? I knew something was wrong. It had been wrong for a while. All my parents ever did these days was argue. And that whole divorce thing my mom had been talking about was looking more and more like a reality.

I knocked my history book off my bed, grabbed the pillow and put it over my head. I had a geography test tomorrow, and even if I hadn’t had the music blaring, I wouldn’t have been able to study anyway. My parents had been going at it for over an hour now. This was one of their worst fights ever. I so wished Sonja was here.

I picked up my phone to call Camille. She was the one person who could always make me feel better when my parents fought. I knew she’d been super busy, but I really needed her right now.

“Hello,” she said, answering on the first ring.

Before I could get a sound out, I started crying.

“Alexis?”

“Camille, I need to talk to you,” I said through my tears. “It’s my parents. All the fighting, it’s just getting to be too much, and I think it’s just a matter of time before—”

“Alexis?” she repeated. “Is that you? I can’t hear you. What’s all that noise?”

I hadn’t even paid attention to the fact that my iPod was still blasting Lil’ Wayne.

“Oh, hold on a minute,” I began, but she cut me off again.

“If you can hear me, I’ll call you back. I’m babysitting and these kids are out of control.”

“Wait, Camille, I really—” She hung up the phone before I could finish my sentence.

I was so upset that I just pushed the End button, then dialed Jasmine’s number.

“Hello,” Jasmine said.

“Hey, Jasmine,” I said.

“Hel-lo!” Jasmine repeated. “Alexis, is that you?” she yelled. “Why is it so loud? Are you at the club or something?”

I groaned, reached over, grabbed the remote and hit the mute button on my iPod system.

“What’s up, girl? And why you got the music blasting like that? Was that Lil’ Wayne?”

“Yeah, it’s his new album. The uncut version.”

“Ooooh, your parents must definitely not be at home.”

“Yeah, they are.” They were definitely making that clear. “But it’s not like it matters. It’s not like my parents will stop fighting long enough to even notice.”

Jasmine’s tone softened. “Dang, they’re fighting again?”

“Yes,” I said, fighting back tears. “And I don’t understand. How do you go from being so in love to hating each other?”

“I’m sure they don’t hate each other.”

I listened to yet another door slam. “That’s sure not love.” I couldn’t make out what my mom was saying, but she was being her usual dramatic self and screaming at the top of her lungs.

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