Game On by Calvin Slater

education.

5
    SAMANTHA
    FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
6:00 P.M.
    Â 
    S amantha was chilling with her two girlfriends, grabbing a little bite to eat in the food court at Somerset Collection. It was an upscale, luxury shopping mall on Big Beaver Road, located in a very pristine area in Troy, Michigan.
    The three had made up their minds to attend the school icebreaker held at Northland Roller Rink on West 8 Mile in Detroit. The set was due to jump off in two weeks on September nineteenth, and Coleman High students were hyped.
    And of course they all needed new outfits. The only thing was that Tracy and Jennifer were flat broke as usual. But Samantha had saved the day by graciously allowing her girls to sponge off her as she effortlessly ripped up the stores, while her dad’s Black Card absorbed all of the damages. Shopping bags were sitting on the floor and tucked in every available space inside the booth.
    â€œGurl,” Tracy McIntyre said to Samantha, as the three sat eating Thai food, “thank you for tightening a sistah up with a trip to her favorite spot, bebe. Love the two nice, sexy outfits you treated me to.”
    Jennifer Haywood also joined in by raising her Styrofoam cup of soda. “Hear, hear, I second that. My mother doesn’t get paid until Friday after next, so I would’ve been the only chica there not flexing any new gear at the skating rink next Friday. I appreciate the outfits from Forever 21.” She held up her shopping bag. Jennifer looked like she just wanted to hop across the table and hug Samantha to show appreciation. But instead she said, “Thank you, girl!”
    Samantha smiled. “We’re like the Three Musketeers—all for one and one for all remember? Plus when we turn up together we have to have our game tight.”
    Tracy cracked up. “Listen to Ms. Fancy-pants trying to sound gangsta—‘turn up—game tight?’ ” she joked.
    â€œSounds like bad boy Xavier’s influence all right,” Jennifer cosigned.
    Tracy said to Jennifer, “Gurl, next thing you know she’ll start referring to us as ‘homeboy’ and ending her sentences with ‘you feel me?’ ”
    Samantha laughed. “Tracy, you’re talking out of the side of your neck. Don’t get cute with me. Remember, I still have every one of those receipts for your outfits, heffa.”
    â€œNo, you didn’t threaten to take back my bebe, boo-boo. Gurl, me and you will be rolling around up in here, pulling each other’s tracks out if you tried to take my bags from me.”
    Jennifer was laughing so hard she burped. “Oops. Excuse me,” she said, slightly embarrassed, with a hand up to her mouth.
    Samantha told Tracy, “That’s a fight you would lose.” She turned her head sideways to show off her flawless mane. “See, I’m all naturaaal. Unlike you, Choo-Choo Charlie, with all those train tracks in your head.”
    Tracy bragged, “That’s all right. I might have train tracks in my head”—she jumped up from her seat and started twerking while looking back at her booty going wild—“but I gots me a caboose that brings all the boys to the yard.”
    Jennifer was laughing to disguise her embarrassment at the attention Tracy was gaining. “We can’t take her anywhere,” she said to Samantha. She then looked up at Tracy. “Will you sit your hot butt down before you end up with a million hits on YouTube.”
    Samantha was giggling. “Girl, you’re crazy. I don’t know about it bringing boys to the yard, but if you don’t put that thing away, somebody is liable to get hurt.”
    Tracy sat back down, laughing. “You two are haters. Just plain haters.”
    â€œTracy, nobody is hating on you,” said Jennifer. “Trust me, my sistah, I have more valuable things to do with my time.”
    Tracy asked, “Like what? Chase down Derek