It Is What It Is by Nikki Carter Page B

won’t have anything to do with Hope and Ricky hooking up, but it has nothing to do with your rules.”
    â€œWhat is it then?” asks Valerie. “Do you want him for yourself?”
    â€œNo, Valerie. Everyone is not your competition.”
    Valerie seems satisfied with my somewhat truthful response. I don’t want Ricky for myself, not now anyway. But not because I think he won’t make a great boyfriend. It’s mostly because I think it would be an exercise in futility (you know how I feel about giving definitions ... expand your vocab!).
    In the gym, Candy is helping Dionna get a complex part of our Friday-night routine down. I have to admit that Candy is truly an asset to the squad. She and I have been practicing at home together, too. It’s the only time we’re not arguing.
    â€œY’all almost have it, but let me show you that clap/kick combination one more time,” I say.
    I stand in front of them and demonstrate the intricate move, and wait for them to copy me. Jewel and Kelani join us as well, because neither of them have it down either.
    Wait a minute, something is not right with this picture. Oh, now I see. Jewel and Kelani, as usual, are sporting matching hairstyles. Today they have afro puffs. Yes, you heard it correctly. Jewel has two giant bulks of blond synthetic braided hair attached to her very straight European hair. The result is a mess. An utter train wreck of a hotfoot mess.
    â€œWhy y’all trying to swagger jack me?” I ask Kelani.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œThe afro puffs?”
    Kelani pats her own puffs, which are several shades lighter than her own hair. “You like?” she asks.
    â€œUmm, no!” says Valerie, finally joining us from the locker room. “We’re only having one puff princess on this squad and that’s going to be Gia. If you two wear your hair like that on Friday, you’re gonna be on the bench.”
    â€œDon’t hate, Valerie. Participate!” Jewel says.
    We practice the routine over and over again, until it is perfect. Even Mrs. Vaughn is impressed with how it comes together. We’re going to look extra hot on Friday night.
    Everyone goes to the locker room to get dressed. I’m trying to ignore the chatter, because I have to rush myself over to Mother Cranford’s as soon as I leave here.
    Valerie holds up a very colorfully decorated piece of paper. “It looks like the rally girls are having a post-game party Friday night.”
    â€œBut we always go to IHOP after the games,” Jewel says.
    Valerie nods. “Yes, we do. It sounds like the rally girls are trying to compete with our tradition.”
    â€œWait, don’t the rally girls always have post-game parties?” I ask.
    Kelani replies, “Yes, during basketball season. Football season belongs to the Hi-Steppers.”
    â€œWhy would they want to challenge us?” asks Candy.
    Valerie balls the flyer up and throws it into the trash can. “There’s only one person who would want to wreck our flow.”
    â€œWho?” asks Jewel.
    â€œThink about it,” Valerie says. “Who wanted so badly to be a Hi-Stepper that she had us looking foolish on the field? Who quit the squad because she didn’t want to sit on the bench? Who joined the rally girls this year, because the Hi-Steppers didn’t want her back?”
    I roll my eyes and sigh. Clearly, Valerie is speaking about Hope. If Hope is behind any of this, I’ve got a suspicion that it has nothing to do with getting revenge on the Hi-Steppers, but everything to do with a certain football player crush.
    Kelani squeals, “Ooh, Candy! Those jeans are cute.”
    â€œYes, they are,” Valerie comments. “You’re wearing Lucky jeans? Wow, Gia, your new stepdaddy must be ballin’ for real.”
    I glare angrily at Candy. There is no way Elder LeRon bought her those two-hundred-dollar jeans. She looks back at me, her eyes