The Pledge by Chandra Sparks Taylor Page B

Cory, with your bad behind.”
    Cory looked really hurt.
    â€œShe’s not bad,” I said, jumping to her defense.
    Aunt Dani started to say something, but decided to repair her makeup instead. We sat there for about twenty minutes waiting on her, and Cory played her Game Boy while Allen and I texted each other, mainly about our date. Finally he called me.
    â€œWhere are you?” he asked.
    â€œAt the mall,” I said. “Where are you?”
    â€œJust chilling at home. Who are you with?”
    â€œMy aunt and sister. Why?”
    â€œI just wanted to make sure ain’t nobody hitting on my baby,” he said. He got quiet, and I heard loud music then someone talking in the background, but I couldn’t hear what the person was saying. “Hey, my mom is calling me,” he said after a few seconds.
    â€œI didn’t know you were seeing your mom this weekend.”
    â€œYeah,” he said. “I’ll call you later.” He turned up the music, then whispered, “I love you.”
    â€œI love you, too,” I said. It was the first time I had said the words to him, and it felt good knowing he felt the same way and he had said it first.
    â€œAin’t that sweet?” Aunt Dani said, ruining the moment. “You ready?” She looked at me like she’d been waiting on me.
    â€œYes, ma’am,” I said, and she looked at me like I was crazy.
    â€œI know you didn’t just call me ma’am.”
    â€œSorry,” I said. Sometimes I forgot she was only a few years older than me. I mean, she had lived in New York and L.A. She had dated celebrities. Sometimes it just seemed like she was older.
    Until she stepped out of the car.
    Then I thought she was my age, if not younger.
    She had on these tight pants with something written on the butt and a too-little T-shirt with BABE across her breasts and some high-heeled sandals, although it was November.
    Momma didn’t let me wear clothes with writing on it because she said it caused people to stare at body parts they shouldn’t be focused on, and I realized she was right because I couldn’t help but look at Aunt Dani’s butt and breasts.
    It was noon before we finally made it into the mall, and it was packed. We found my outfit in the first store we went in, Forever 21, but Aunt Dani insisted on going in almost every store, and she used her American Express in each of them. We stopped at the jewelry counter in Macy’s because she said we had to accessorize my outfit, and although I was tired, I agreed.
    We parked Cory at one of the makeup counter chairs with all our bags and a new PlayStation Portable, complete with nine or ten games, courtesy of Aunt Dani, then went to look at the jewelry.
    Aunt Dani picked out three or four necklaces and showed them to me. “Which one do you like for your outfit?”
    â€œOh, I don’t need a necklace,” I said, fingering my purity pearl. “I’m going to wear this.”
    She looked at my necklace and wrinkled her nose. “You can’t wear that ugly thing.”
    â€œWhy not?” I asked, a little insulted. “This is really special to me.”
    Her face lit up. “Did Allen give it to you?”
    Before I could respond, she said, “I knew I’d rub off on you. I’m glad to see you’re learning how to get things from men while you’re still young.”
    â€œWhat?” I asked, confused.
    â€œGirl, now that you’ve lost all that weight, you can hang with me, and we can pull all types of men. I can hook you up with one who will get you diamonds.”
    â€œI don’t want you to hook me up with anyone else,” I said. “I want to be with Allen. Anyway, he didn’t give me this necklace. This is my purity pearl.”
    She turned up her lip and rolled her eyes at someone who was trying to sidestep her. “It’s a what?” she asked.
    I explained about Worth the Wait