That's What's Up! by Paula Chase Page B

secondsbefore lifting her head. Her fingers raked thoughtfully through her weave, which was straight, for the day. “I would say I’m looking forward to summer but ...” Her voice trailed off into a pregnant pause. When she spoke again, her nose wrinkled and she spit the words as if she were ridding her mouth of a bad taste. “My summer’s shot. My parents are making me and Sara get jobs this summer.”
    Mina nodded, knowing instinctively that Mari-Beth Linton wouldn’t be working this summer, which meant Jess would be left out of a lot of country-clubbing. Unable to help herself, Mina decidedto bright-side it. “You know, it would be cool to work at SeventhHeaven in the mall.You guys should try and work there.”
    Jess snorted softly and shook her head. Her voice was more amazed than annoyed. “You seriously try and find the good in everything. Don’t you?”
    â€œI’m just saying, their clothes are hot and they have a DJ—it’s probably like working at a nightclub,” Mina said, unapologetic about her sunny optimism.
    â€œI saw a cute pair of walking shorts in there last week,” Jess said.
    â€œOooh, were they pink and green?” Mina asked. As Jess nodded she gushed. “Those are cute. See, if you worked there you’d get a discount.”
    â€œTrue,” Jess said, without much excitement.
    Sara popped out of the room at that instant. “Ready,” she announcedloudly, dropping a sack full of decorations on the floor. “What are you guys talking about?”
    Mina busied herself poring through Sara’s décor goodies as she answered, “Summer.”
    â€œSoon to be known as the end of our childhood,” Jessica said, a sigh in her gloomy proclamation.
    There was no misery in Sara’s voice as she guessed at the root of Jessica’s sadness. “Yup. We’ve gotta earn our keep around the Johnson ranch this summer.”
    â€œIf only we actually did have a ranch,” Jessica snorted.
    Mina happily suggested Seventh Heaven again then joked, “I mean, the thought of having a discount by association at the mall’s hottest store never occurred to me.” She cut her eyes at both girls then popped them innocently. “I mean never .”
    Even Jessica laughed at the wink-wink hint.
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    Lying in bed later that night, or early the next morning, depending on how you looked at it, Mina thought about the evening and wonderedif it had been real. She’d had such a good time. Her arms—buried under the hotel’s thin sheet, a squeezably soft down blanket and a warm comforter—broke out in a million goose bumps at the admission.
    Fun. I had fun with Jessica Johnson, her mind whispered as it drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Drug Free
    â€œNever sprung, huh?”
    â€”Jay-Z, “Who You Wit II”
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    T hursday evening, Kelly and Angel walked along the quiet, empty street of her gated community, flush with McMansions and sculpted green lawns. She marveled at the way Angel fit in wherever he was. He was as easy and confident here as he was on the cracked pavementof The Cove’s basketball courts, which were always surroundedby spectators, young and old.
    Kelly secretly checked him out, playing her own game of Can Anyone Tell He’s An (Ex) Drug Dealer? As always, she lost. If Angel were on that crazy game show where the contestant had to pick which person was in what profession, that contestant would lose. Angel had on a pair of dark-wash denim jeans that hung loose, but not baggy. They gave the impression that he was skinnier than he really was. The multicolored striped polo was the kicker that made him look so normal, in Kelly’s opinion. Angel’s caramel complexion against the shirt’s vivid orange, yellow, and dark blue stripes was pale, but already taking on the soft glow of being in the spring sun, like maybe, just maybe, he’d been to a