Page 64 of The Prodigy

She must have thought I was about to fuss at her because she looked at the bags, then me, and said, “Okay, let me explain.”

“Explain what?”

“I didn’t mean to buy this much.”

She set the bags down and approached me cautiously. Her hand went into her brand new Louis bag and pulled out my AMEX. The corners of her mouth lifted slowly as she held it out to me.

“It was Jaz’s idea.”

“Oh, I know.”

“But I went along with it. Because apparently, I like pretty things.”

I chuckled at that. “It’s all good. Did you enjoy yourself?”

“I really did.”

“Good. You look good. Top to bottom.”

She beamed. “Thank you.”

“Just one thing, though.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“You ain’t gotta dress like Jaz to catch my eye.”

She looked down at her dress. “You don’t like it?”

“Nah, I told you. You look good. But you looked good to me yesterday. And the day before. And all the days before that. I mean, I like seeing you shine, but you ain’t gotta be extra unless it’s what you like. I’m good either way.”

She nodded.

“I just wanted you to know that.”

She took a step forward. “So I had already caught your eye?”

I nodded. “You caught my eye that night I saw you at the bar.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I was gon’ try to hook up with you but you didn’t seem to be feeling me like that. And then that other thing happened.”

“You didn’t think I was feeling you?” She made a face like she didn’t believe it.

I shrugged.

“Jakari.” She shook her head. “I was a freshman at Hightower when I first saw you. I crushed on you so hard, it’s almost embarrassing.”

I stared her down while I thought about that. According to most girls, I been fine since sixth grade. And being fine for that long, you get used to the admiration. You get used to getting chose. But hearing those words out of Malika’s mouth…I don’t know. It moved the needle.

“I still don’t know how I missed you back then.”

She bit her lip. “I didn’t look like this back then. I was skin and bones. My clothes didn’t fit. They were dirty sometimes, too. And I was really quiet.” She got a far off look in her eyes. “Nobody paid me any mind except to make fun of me.”

“Why’d you have it so hard?”

“Long story. We were already struggling when I was little, but after my mother disappeared, my father lost his job and couldn’t cope, and I basically had to fend for myself. And my little sister.”

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