Cold As Ice by L. Divine

granddaddy, and he’s a sweet man. I know he and Mama have their fair share of problems, but his being a good provider isn’t one of them.
    â€œThank you, Daddy. I’ll talk to you later,” I say, walking out the door and closing it behind me.
    â€œI look forward to it. Be careful,” Daddy says through the closed door. I’m glad he’s not holding my words against me. That’s one good thing about family: You can show your ass, and they’ll still love you. Lexi, Mama’s 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 Bryan’s not there yet. He’s got the two minutes it takes for my mom’s 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 Esmeralda’s house. I still can’t get over the fact that she and her mom stay with their evil godmother from time to time. Since Misty’s grandmother died, she and her mom have had a pretty rough time, and as high as the cost of living is in Los Angeles, I’m sure they’ll be struggling for a while. I kind of feel sorry for her, but having too much sympathy for Misty is dangerous for me.
    â€œGood morning, Jayd,” Misty says, switching her wide hips down the porch steps and closing the wrought-iron gate behind her. We wouldn’t want the cats, birds, hamsters, chickens, and various other animals that call that condemned porch of Esmeralda’s home to escape.
    â€œMisty,” I reply. It’s 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. “You’d think after you got your ass spiritually kicked, you’d be a little nicer to me, but I guess not, huh?” I ask, now that she’s 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.
    â€œWhatever, Jayd. That was one battle, but the war is still on, in case you haven’t noticed.” Misty’s 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 don’t like. Too bad Misty uses her powers for evil, even before she started wearing her blue contact lenses. And like Nellie’s blond weave, the shit just looks wrong.
    â€œWhat’s that supposed to mean?” I ask my nemesis, who looks quite fierce in her tight-fitting jean dress and black heels. She doesn’t have a sweater on with those short sleeves and should be cold, but maybe evil never chills. If I didn’t have on my pretty pink North Face jacket Jeremy bought me for Christmas, I’d be an icicle by now.
    â€œYou’ll see, Jayd. You’ll see,” 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 didn’t give her a ride to school. Something about Misty is bothering me more than usual, but I’ll have to figure out that messy mystery later. I open the driver’s door and place my backpack and purse in the backseat before sitting down and starting the car. I hope Bryan heard me, because I’m ready to roll.
    â€œHave fun walking to the bus stop in those heels!” I yell after Misty. I’ve got to give it to the girl—she can strut. She can also be very vulgar with her hand gestures, but she doesn’t scare me. I’ve already whipped her ass once, and as long as I’ve got my ancestors by my side, I can do it again if need be.
    â€œJayd, you ready?” 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