Chapter Five

“I’ll go with you,” Robert said.

“No, I can go by myself,” I told him.

“Huh?” he asked.

“You heard me. First period will start in a few minutes anyway,” I told him.

“Ok,” he said confused.

“Bye Alana,” I said waving.

She threw me a questioning look, as if to ask why I was leaving so early.

I mouthed to her, ‘AJ’. She nodded her head and smiled. I walked off, hoping to see AJ before class. I hated not being able to walk down the hallway with my boyfriend, but it was worth it. I walked to my locker and felt my heart pound as I saw Ricky, AJ, and Nick standing close to my locker.

“Hey baby,”Ricky said as I walked up. I glared at him. I saw AJ shoot him a dirty look. I laughed to myself.

“So, how are you this morning, baby?” Nick asked moving closer to me. I saw AJ glare at him.

“Fine,” I said opening my locker and grabbing my book for first period.

“Oh, damn Ricky, look Chelsea’s coming right for us,” Nick said laughing and pointing at Chelsea.

I took a deep breath and rolled my eyes.

“Where the hell is Rock?” she demanded coming up to Nick, Ricky, and AJ.

“Yeah, where is Rock?” Ricky asked.

“I dont know,” Nick answered.

“I dont either,” AJ lied.

“Where the fuck is he bitch? You seem to have been spending some time with him,” she said looking at me.

“I dont know where he is. He’s supposed to be your man, you should know,” I said, snottily.

She glared at me and walked away.

“Let’s go look for Rock,” Ricky said.

Nick and Ricky began walking down the hall.

“Meet me here twenty minutes after first period starts,” AJ whispered to me.

“Ok,” I said smiling. I just wanted to lean over and kiss him, but I couldnt.

“Bye,” he said smiling.

“Bye.”

I shut my locker and watched AJ walk down the hall after Ricky and Nick.

I smiled to myself.

“You are too obvious,” Alana whispered in my ear. I swung around, she scared me.

“Oh my G-D, Alana, you scared me,” I breathed.

“Yeah, well the way you stare after that boy, Anthony or someone is gonna see you and begin to wonder,” she said told me.

“Yeah, well,” I shrugged.

“Does any of his friends know?” she whispered.

“No, well, Rock, but he moved,” I whispered back.

“Where the hell is he?” Chelsea asked coming up to me.

“I dont know!” I shouted.

She jumped back, a little startled.

“Whatever,” she rolled her eyes and walked off.

“Damn, I swear,” I said and walked off.

Just then the bell rang and I walked to my first period class. I dont even know if Alana was following me, but I didnt care, I was just irritated.

*Twenty Minutes Later*

“Hi,” I said walking up to AJ.

“Hey,” he said kissing me quickly.

“I swear if I get in another fight with Chelsea because of Rock, Im going to go crazy,” I laughed.

“She’s pyscho,” AJ told me.

I laughed.

“I wish I could walk around with you, holding you and kissing you,” AJ whispered.

“Me too,” I said softly.

“Im going to write you, I’ll put the note in your locker during second period, because I dont think my teacher is going to let me out again, unless I ask to go to the office or something,” he told me.

“Ok, now what if I want to write you a letter?” I asked smiling.

“I dont know. I dont use my locker. I dont even know the combination,” he said smiling.

“Well, I guess I cant write you any letters,” I said.

“Nah, you can. We can sneak it to each other in the hall between classes,” AJ told me.

“Ok,” I smiled. “I dont know what it is about you Melissa, but you turn me on,” he whispered.

“Why arent you two in class?” asked a teacher coming up to us.

“She had to get something out of her locker and I was going to the bathroom and just stopped to say hi,” AJ lied. I smiled at him and then looked at the teacher.

“You two better get back in class,” she ordered.

“Ok,” we smiled.

She walked off and we faced each other again.

“Dont forget to check your locker after second ok? And right after class, come to you locker, I just want to be able to see you again,” he told me.

“Ok,” I knew I had the goofiest grin on my face, but I dont care. AJ just did that to me.

“Get back to class, ok? And think about me,” he told me.

“Ok, only if you promise to think about me too,” I said.

“I always do,” he told me.

“You sure do know how to charm someone,” I smiled.

“I only charm when I love someone,” he told me.

“You love me?” I asked.

“I think so,” he whispered.

I smiled, blushing slightly.

“Well, get back to class. Im not expecting you to say it to me,” he said looking into my eyes.

“I’ll write you AJ,” I whispered.

“Give me a kiss, I wont be able to kiss you all day,” he said smiling.

I leaned up and pressed my lips to his. We opened our mouths at the same time, sharing a kiss that I’ll be thinking about all day.

“Bye beautiful,” he whispered.

“Bye.”

I walked back to class and sat in my seat. I looked at the board, but I couldnt concentrate on what the teacher was talking about, I was just thinking about AJ and how much I just wanted him to hold me and kiss me.

I pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and began my letter to him.

AJ,

hey babe! Whats up? Im sitting in class and I was thinking about you, so I decided to write you this letter. I hope no one sees me give you this, at least not someone who would run off and tell one of my brothers. I really wish we could walk down the halls together and act like a couple instead of pretending we barely know each other. But, as long as I get to kiss you and just look at you after school or something, I’ll be happy. It’ll be so great when we leave this place. We wont have to worry about your boys or my brothers seeing us together and wondering what they would do. Well, the teacher is coming and I dont need her reading this allowed, so talk to you later babe!

Melissa

I folded up the note, looked at the teacher, who was staring accusingly at me and put it in the back pocket of my jeans. I looked up at the clock. Five more minutes, thank G-D. I gathered my things and waited impatiently for the bell to ring. Finally, it did. I stood up and walked out into the busy halls. I walked to my locker and opened it. I stuffed my notebook in it and shut it. I turned around and saw AJ walking down the hall. I smiled as I felt my heart skip a beat.

“Melissa!” Pete yelled coming up to me. I turned and looked at him.

“Yeah?” I asked annoyed, I wanna see AJ.

“Hey me and your sister got together,” he told me.

“You did? Are you going to take responsiblity?” I asked.

“Yeah, it’s all good now,” he told me.

“Good Pete, Im glad. My sister must be feeling a lot better, huh?” I asked.

“Yeah, she actually smiled,” he told me. His face was glowing.

“Hey Melissa, when we gonna hook up?” Louis asked coming up to us. (in case you dont remember he’s one of Ant’s boys)

“I thought you were with Lisa?” I asked.

“Hell no I dumped that bitch, so when we gonna hook up,” he asked.

“I dont think so Louis,” I said.

“And why not?” he asked.

“You saw what happened to Carlos,” I told him. I looked past him and saw AJ talking to some girl. He was leaning up against the locker, looking down at her, smiling. I felt my heart begin to pound and anger rush throughout my body.

“Who you looking at?” Pete asked turning around.

“No one,” I said forcing my attention back on him.

“Whatever man, see you later,” Pete said and walked off.

“Come on beautiful, I’ll walk you to class,” Louis said putting his arm around me.

I took his arm from around me as gently as possible and began to walk to homeroom, my second period. Somehow I lost Louis, and just walked by myself. I heard the bell ring and I realized I was late. No one else was in the halls.

“Melissa,” AJ said running up to me.

“AJ,” I said smiling, then I remembered the smile on his face when he was talking to that girl, and my face dropped.

“What’s wrong?” he asked stopping me.

“Nothing,” I lied.

“Melissa,” he looked at me.

“Who was that girl you were talking to?” I asked.

“Oh Gina?” he asked.

“I guess,” I shrugged.

“That was my cousin,” he told me.

“Oh,” I said, a smile returning to my lips.

“I wrote you,” I told him.

“You did?” he asked.

“Yep,” I said giving him the letter. Yours will be in your locker when you get out of homeroom, I put it in there when you walked off,” he told me.

“Ok, well get to class,” I told him.

“Bye baby,” he said and ran off.

I walked into homeroom, hoping the teacher wouldnt notice I was later. Well, she did.

“Late, again?” she asked looking at me.

“Sorry,” I muttered and took a seat next to D and Mike.

“Hey Melissa, guess what?” D asked.

“What?” I asked.

“There’s gonna be a huge fight Friday night,” he told me.

“Why?” I asked.

“Ricky and his boys are getting their asses beat,” he laughed.

“Why?” I asked a little defensive.

“Why? Because we dont like them pussy’s,” Mike answered.

“Why do you guys fight all the time? I mean can you honestly said they’ve done something so horrible that you have to fight them ever given moment?” I asked.

“What’s wrong with you?” D asked.

“Nothing,” I muttered.

“Marissa, Carlos wants back in the gang,” Mike laughed.

“No way,” I said, shocked.

“Yeah, that bitch was begging,” he laughed.

“So, let me guess, he’s back in?” I asked.

“Hell no, he knows the procedure,” D told me.

“He gets his ass beat and then he gets in. He has to earn his trust all over again,” Mike told me.

“Oh well,” I nodded.

Finally, homeroom was over and I rushed to my locker, anxious to get AJ’s note. I swung open my locker and sitting on top of my books was a folded up note. I smiled as I picked it up and stuffed it in my pocket.

“Who was that from?” Alana asked coming up to me.

“You scared me,” I said jumping back, I looked around and didnt see anyone.

“Who was it from? Him?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I answered.

“Hey Melissa, let me walk you to class baby,” Louis said coming up to me.

“That’s ok Louis, you dont have to,” I said giving Alana a pleading look.

She just giggled and walked away.

I turned to the locker next to me where AJ, Nick, and Ricky usually were. He was standing there, talking to his ‘boys’. I made sure Louis wasnt looking when I smiled at AJ. AJ smiled, but didnt make it obvious that he was smiling at me.

“Come on baby, let me walk you,” Louis said looking at me. I looked past him and at AJ. He had heard what Louis said to me.

His face was flushed with anger as he glared at Louis.

“What are you looking at man?” Ricky asked turning.

“Nothing, let’s go,” AJ said.

The three guys walked off, leaving me alone with Louis.

“Well, I gotta go, Im gonna be late,” I said taking off for my class.

As soon as I got in, I took my seat in the back and unfolded the letter from AJ, anxious to read and feel his words.