No Boyz Allowed by Ni-Ni Simone Read Free Book Online

’Cause this is not just G’s world, this is Popcorn’s world too, you feel me?”
    “I hear you.”
    “G is always trying to play me like I’m some jealous lunatic. Which, I’m not. I’m just passionate about my feelings.”
    “Okay.” I took another sip.
    “Girl,” she looked at her watch. “It’s 12:32 and by 12:37, I’ma be so over that boy it’ll be a shame.”
    “Wow, five minutes. That must be a record.”
    “It might be. But hmph, I’ma ballplayer, not a chaser.” She put up her hand for a high-five.
    “Okay!” I slapped my hand against hers.
    “Boom.” She turned back around and looked over at Man-Man. “You think I’m beat by that girl all . . . up . . . in . . . his face? Well, I’m not.”
    “Umm hmm.”
    Pop paused, squinted. “Hmph, it’s like she’s trying to swallow his breath they’re so close. She’s smacked and smashed all up in his grill.”
    “Dead in it.”
    She placed her hands over her eyes like a sun-visor. “Like she could eat him for breakfast, lunch, dinner—”
    “And a snack,” I added. “But you’re not beat for that.”
    “Not sweatin’ it one drop.” Pop squinted again. “But she really needs to back up. Wait, is that Janay?” Her eyes popped open. “Oh hold up, wait a minute. I’m ’bout to put some push up in it.” She snaked her neck, paused, and snaked it again. “Has she lost her mind?”
    “That’s the quiet chick you were with earlier, right?” I asked.
    “Yeah.”
    “Maybe she was just looking for you.” I shrugged.
    “Well, I’m over here, boo.” She snapped her fingers. “You know, I’m like 5’ 7”, size twelve, you can’t miss me. She doesn’t need to be in G’s face looking for me. Plus I have to keep an eye on Janay anyway.”
    “Why?”
    “’Cause she’s quiet and my grandma always said you have to watch the quiet ones. Plus, when she smiles at G her grin is more than one eighth of an inch.”
    Now that caught me completely off guard. “More than one what?”
    “One eighth of an inch. That’s how wide her smile should be when she’s looking at G.”
    “Why?”
    “Because that’s a nice-and-friendly respectful you’remy-friend’s-boo-type-of smile. But Janay hits G with a smile so wide a truck could drive through it. And that’s a sneaky smile. A smile that clearly says when my friend’s back is turned, I’ll be trying to side bag her boo.”
    “Wow.”
    “And that’s against all the rules! Plus, I don’t play that.”
    “Maybe it’s nothing shady. Maybe she really was looking for you and didn’t see you. Pop, it is a lot of people in here.”
    “Well, if she didn’t see me, she’s about to. And if it looks shady and Janay got that side-bagging smile on her face, then this party is about to be a beat-down crime scene.” She marched toward Man-Man and I walked alongside of her. “I ain’t the one,” she announced.
    “Let’s just hear what she has to say first, and anyway didn’t you just say you were done with him?”
    “So what? I don’t need her cleaning up after me. Suppose I want seconds? And besides it’s not 12:37, it’s 12:36 and I still have a whole minute to lose it!” Pop stormed in between Man-Man and Janay. She turned toward Janay and said, “And what’s this about?”
    Janay’s smile was nervous but wide—straight deer caught in headlights.
    Before they could say anything, Pop stepped into Janay’s personal space. “I know you’re not trying to be a homewrecking-homie-hop?!”
    A what?
    “No, girl,” she said, as if they actually understood what a homewrecking-homie-hop was.
    “I was over here because Kamani sent me to look for you,” Janay said.
    “For what?” Pop snarled.
    “’Cause we wanted to go and get something to drink.” Janay hesitated.
    “Well, I’m not thirsty,” Pop said, sarcastically. “But since you are, then you better get on.”
    “Whatever,” Janay said, as she hurried out of Pop’s way. Once she was out of eyesight Man-Man