Kendra by Coe Booth

fuck?”
    I try to act like it’s nothing. “Oh, I thought Renée would need a drawer, but—” Right away I feel stupid for bringing up her name.
    Adonna shakes her head but don’t say anything, which is a good thing. She just opens the next drawer down and goes through my tops. “Ooh, wear this.” She holds up my white wrap blouse, the one she practically made me buy when we went shopping together last month. I don’t even know why I bought it, because I know for a fact Nana would never let me leave here in something like that.
    Actually, I can’t wear most of the stuff I got that day. I mean, Adonna even talked me into buying a couple of thongs, but I stuffed them way in the back of my underwear drawer so Nana wouldn’t find them. I figured I wouldn’t get to wear any of the things I bought ’til I was living with Renée.
    But now I pull the blouse on without really thinking about it and tie the strings at the side. Then I look at myself in the mirror. The top is fitted and hugs my body, and the neckline is kinda low, too. Nana would go off if she saw me. She would say I was trying to be grown. Like that’s a bad thing.
    “I don’t know,” I say, still looking at myself. “You don’t think I look kinda stank ?”
    “Your titties ain’t big enough for you to look stank,” Adonna says, grabbing my wrist and practically pulling me outta the room. “C’mon—we’re gonna be late for the fight.”
    “Wait,” I say, slowing her down a little bit. “Can’t I at least cut the price tag off first? God!”
    When we go back down the hall, Renée’s zipping up her suitcase. “You girls leaving right now?”
    I nod. “Yeah, why?”
    “I’ll walk out with you.”
    Next to me, Adonna breathes out heavily. “We’re kinda in a rush.”
    “So am I,” Renée says, putting on a cute pale blue blazer. Then she turns off the CD player and grabs her suitcase and bag.
    In the elevator I’m all uncomfortable. In a way I wish it was just me and Renée in there, but then I feel kinda guilty for wishing that. I mean, I don’t wanna push Adonna away every time Renée’s around. Adonna’s the one that’s always been there for me when Renée was too busy, and I can’t just forget about that.
    So for a few floors, we’re quiet, ’til the elevator stops on nine and this lady, Ms. Jenkins, gets on. When she sees Renée, she gives her a big hug like she hasn’t seen her in years instead of months. She’s looking at Renée all proud, saying stuff like, “Girl, I can’t believe it! A Ph.D! See, that’s the kind of thing they need to put in the papers instead of all that negative stuff they write about kids from the projects.” She goes on and on for the whole rest of the way down. Meanwhile, Adonna has her arms folded in front of her, all attitude, looking as bored as she’s ever gonna get.
    Outside, there’s a line at Kenny’s Kandy, working people trying to get their coffee and buttered rolls before they get to the train. But as we get closer to the truck, Kenny leans his head outta the window and yells, “I know that ain’t Renée!”
    She hurries up ahead of us and gets to the truck about a second after Kenny opens the back door and jumps out onto the street. Renée sets her suitcase down and Kenny grabs her up in a big hug, smiling like a crazy man.
    “Damn, you look good, girl,” he tells her, letting her go just enough to check her out. “Look at you.”
    Renée laughs. “You’re looking alright yourself.”
    Kenny grabs her in another hug. “You don’t know,” he says. “I been waiting to see you.”
    Me and Adonna look at each other, and it’s like I can read her mind. And she’s right. This is embarrassing, at least for Kenny. And all the people that are waiting in line at the truck are watching him make a fool outta himself, like he’s some little boy that can’t get over his first love.
    “Um, Kenny,” I say, when we’re close enough to him, “don’t forget, you have customers