Decision Time by Earl Sewell

uncharacteristically. Keysha had smeared Lori’s lipstick off of my forehead. It was all too clear what Keysha had concluded.
    â€œHer lipstick is all over your face and your lips! Don’t even try to explain yourself, Wesley.” Keysha’s eyes were now spilling over with tears.
    I had no idea how to respond or how to even begin to explain myself. I felt like a deer caught in headlights on a dark highway.
    â€œI know how this might look to you,” I said, finally finding my voice.
    â€œSave it, Wesley.” Keysha’s voice trembled and cracked. “She’s not prettier than me—her outfit is wack and she needs a good weave. So she must be keeping her legs open 24/7.”
    A nurse came in to see what all of the commotion was about. “Is there a problem in here? You guys are very loud and you’re disturbing other patients who are trying to rest,” she said.
    â€œThis is so stupid!” Keysha turned and walked away from me.
    â€œKeysha, wait,” I called out, but she refused to acknowledge me. She grabbed her suitcase, picking up a pair of socks that had fallen out, and hustled out of the room.

nine
    KEYSHA
    I rushed out of Wesley’s room and down the hall to the elevator as quickly as I could. I didn’t want him or that tramp to see me crying. I pressed the call button several times out of aggravation because I wasn’t getting the instant service I needed. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity the elevator chimed. When the doors opened up I saw Wesley’s dad getting off along with an elderly woman who I assumed was Wesley’s grandmother.
    â€œKeysha?” Wesley’s father’s voice was filled with surprise and confusion.
    â€œHello,” I whispered quietly. I was so upset and didn’t want to explain myself or what had just happened to me in Wesley’s room.
    â€œWhat are you doing here?” he asked as he exited the elevator. He held the door open for me as I stepped in.
    â€œI don’t know,” I answered as tears streamed down my face.
    â€œAre your parents here? Where are you going?” All I could do was shrug my shoulders and press the button for the lobby. He tried to keep the elevator door from closing but it was too late.
    Once I reached the lobby, I exited the elevator and noticed a sign that read This Way to Chapel. I walked down a long corridor in the direction of the chapel. When I arrived I quietly entered the sanctuary and sat on a back-row pew. I was the only one in there, which suited me just fine. I sat heavily on the mahogany pew and pulled my legs up so my feet were resting on the bench. Hugging my knees, I let go of my emotions and sobbed in solitude.
    I felt so stupid, dumb and humiliated. My heart ached so badly that it felt as if the pain was choking my soul to death. I hated myself for thinking that Wesley would be waiting for my arrival. My emotions were overwhelming and unmanageable. I didn’t know if I’d ever bring myself to stop crying. I felt as if I’d been kicked in the gut by a mule. I hugged myself, rocking back and forth for a while, replaying how everything had just gone down. I then decided to lie down because I was exhausted and my head had begun to hurt. It wasn’t long before I drifted off to sleep.
    When I awoke I had a major cramp in my neck that I immediately tried to massage. I sat upright and stared at the wooden pulpit and the crucifix suspended high above it. I didn’t know what I was going to do or where I was going to go. The only thing I was certain of was that I’d screwed up big-time. My unreasonable emotions and disrespectful mouth caused me to blindly toss away the best life that I could’ve ever hoped for, over a boy who was playing me for a fool. Numbness weighed down on me as the reality of my existence hit me hard like a punch from a prizefighter. Jordan probably didn’t want to see me ever again, and I couldn’t