It Is What It Is by Nikki Carter

thrilled about Ricky being the starting quarterback this season. He’s shown so much promise, along with a running back, James, that there were scouts from Division I schools in our stands at the very first game.
    â€œDon’t you have Hi-Steppers practice?” Kevin asks.
    â€œYep, but Mrs. Vaughn will let me go early if I tell her it’s for Mother Cranford.”
    Kevin looks at his watch, “Where is Ms. Beckman? I am here to learn, not to watch her make a love connection!”
    â€œChill out, Kevin,” I say with a giggle. I wonder if he made that funny on purpose or if it was accidental.
    â€œAnyway, I was thinking we should get hotel rooms up in Sandusky instead of trying to ride back from the park late at night,” Ricky says.
    â€œDo you really think Gwen is gonna let me stay in a hotel room overnight without a chaperone? Plus, don’t you have to be at least eighteen to get a hotel room?”
    Ricky shrugs. “Brother Bryan is going and taking some of the young people from the church. He said he’d get the rooms for us. Why don’t you just ask Gwen? It’s not like you’ll be in the same room with boys. My parents already said yes.”
    â€œI’ll ask, but I’m definitely not making any promises.”
    â€œOkay.”
    Jewel and Kelani poke their heads inside our classroom and shout out, “Ooo-OOO!”
    â€œOoo-OOO!” I shout.
    Ricky laughs. “Y’all sound like a flock of carrier pigeons.”
    â€œDo not hate, Ricky.”
    â€œThat’s cool how you got Candy on the squad. I saw her in the hallway celebrating with her crew.”
    I reply angrily, “I did not get her on the squad. If it was up to me she wouldn’t even be riding the bench. I don’t need her participating in my extracurricular activities.”
    â€œAw, Gia, don’t be like that. She just wants to be like you. What’s so wrong with that?”
    â€œI’m unique, Ricky. Nobody needs a second Gia up in the spot. One Gia is absolutely sufficient.”
    Ricky cocks his head to the side and smiles. “Okay. Maybe you’re right.”
    Ms. Beckman finally closes the door to our classroom. I guess she got a date or something because she is grinning from ear to ear.
    Someone from the back of the class yells, “Did you get them digits, Ms. B?”
    She tosses her long, straight, Barbie-doll-blond hair over her shoulder and replies, “That is for me to know and you not to know.”
    Ms. Beckman continues, “Are you all ready for your first assignment of the school year?”
    A collective groan rises up from our class. I guess I’m the only one who likes writing essays. Even Kevin is shaking his head in disgust.
    â€œI just love your enthusiasm!” Ms. Beckman exclaims. “It is so refreshing.”
    She goes around to the other side of her desk and pulls out a stack of romance novels. She holds them up for everyone to see.
    â€œWhat do you all think these are?”
    Kevin says, “Those are the books they sell at the supermarket.”
    â€œYes,” Ms. Beckman replies, “these are romance novels. I bet you all are wondering what these books have to do with eleventh-grade English.”
    She needs to hurry up and explain where she’s going with this. There was not one romance novel on our advanced placement reading list. And if she says we’re reading this stuff, trust and believe Gwen will be up here with a quickness.
    Ms. Beckman says, “Romance novels have a formula. Boy meets girl, something happens to keep boy from girl, boy and girl work out their differences, and finally boy and girl live happily ever after.”
    Okay, what part of the game is this? I still can’t tell what this has to do with a sista’s SAT scores. She betta quit playing.
    â€œFor our first writing assignment of the year, I want us to do something fun!” Ms. Beckman continues.