granddaddy, and heâs a sweet man. I know he and Mama have their fair share of problems, but his being a good provider isnât one of them.
âThank you, Daddy. Iâll talk to you later,â I say, walking out the door and closing it behind me.
âI look forward to it. Be careful,â Daddy says through the closed door. Iâm glad heâs not holding my words against me. Thatâs one good thing about family: You can show your ass, and theyâll still love you. Lexi, Mamaâs loyal pet, is asleep in her usual spot at the bottom of the steps. What a life this dog has.
When I get to the car, I see Bryanâs not there yet. Heâs got the two minutes it takes for my momâs Mazda to warm up before I leave him wherever the hell he is. I walk across the street and open my ride, ready to roll. But before I can get in the car, I see Misty leaving Esmeraldaâs house. I still canât get over the fact that she and her mom stay with their evil godmother from time to time. Since Mistyâs grandmother died, she and her mom have had a pretty rough time, and as high as the cost of living is in Los Angeles, Iâm sure theyâll be struggling for a while. I kind of feel sorry for her, but having too much sympathy for Misty is dangerous for me.
âGood morning, Jayd,â Misty says, switching her wide hips down the porch steps and closing the wrought-iron gate behind her. We wouldnât want the cats, birds, hamsters, chickens, and various other animals that call that condemned porch of Esmeraldaâs home to escape.
âMisty,â I reply. Itâs hard to be polite to someone who tried to steal my dreams from me, which reminds me I need to grill her real quick about what she remembers from that unspeakable experience. âYouâd think after you got your ass spiritually kicked, youâd be a little nicer to me, but I guess not, huh?â I ask, now that sheâs only a few feet away from me across the street. Misty better be careful on her way to school because in that outfit she could be mistaken for a hooker.
âWhatever, Jayd. That was one battle, but the war is still on, in case you havenât noticed.â Mistyâs got a little too much attitude for me this morning. Whatever she, her mama, and Esmeralda are doing over there has given Misty a new confidence I donât like. Too bad Misty uses her powers for evil, even before she started wearing her blue contact lenses. And like Nellieâs blond weave, the shit just looks wrong.
âWhatâs that supposed to mean?â I ask my nemesis, who looks quite fierce in her tight-fitting jean dress and black heels. She doesnât have a sweater on with those short sleeves and should be cold, but maybe evil never chills. If I didnât have on my pretty pink North Face jacket Jeremy bought me for Christmas, Iâd be an icicle by now.
âYouâll see, Jayd. Youâll see,â Misty says, turning on her heel and walking down the street toward Greenleaf, one of my alternate bus routes to Redondo Beach. I wonder why KJ didnât give her a ride to school. Something about Misty is bothering me more than usual, but Iâll have to figure out that messy mystery later. I open the driverâs door and place my backpack and purse in the backseat before sitting down and starting the car. I hope Bryan heard me, because Iâm ready to roll.
âHave fun walking to the bus stop in those heels!â I yell after Misty. Iâve got to give it to the girlâshe can strut. She can also be very vulgar with her hand gestures, but she doesnât scare me. Iâve already whipped her ass once, and as long as Iâve got my ancestors by my side, I can do it again if need be.
âJayd, you ready?â Bryan asks, getting into the car, visibly relaxed from his usual morning spliff and completely unaware of the drama in my world. If we had time to talk this morning, I
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