No Boyz Allowed by Ni-Ni Simone Page A

said. “You know what’s relevant?”
    “What?”
    “This is.” She walked over to my radio and turned the volume up. “ ’Cause this ‘Cupid Shuffle’ throwback. Is. My. Jam!”
    “Pop, that song is fifty years old.”
    “I don’t care! ’Cause this is my song!” She kicked her legs and broke out into the full fledge Cupid Shuffle.
    Pop was so into it there was no way I could sit here and watch her kill the dance by herself. Nah, we both had to put it to sleep. So, I hopped up and together we broke it down. “ Now walk it by yourself . . .” we chanted.
    This was the perfect ending to the worst day ever; and just when the song changed and we were set to break down the Ole’ folk, Man-Man swung my door open—and no, he didn’t knock—he just stepped inside, stroked his goatee and said, “So this is how we doin’ it? Huh? What part of the game is this? The remix?”
    “What are you talking about?” I looked at him strangely.
    “Here I been downstairs, repenting and praying to God to just make me a preacher so that Mommy and Khalil didn’t kill me, ’cause I let you jump off a bridge.”
    “I didn’t jump off a bridge.” I twisted my lips.
    “How was I ’spose to know that? All I knew is that you cut school right after homeroom. Like you had a problem that school took up most of your day or somethin’.”
    “That wasn’t it—”
    “I don’t care what it was. All I know is that I was worried about you and I don’t do wrinkles in my forehead.”
    “Awwl, you were worried about me.” I held my arms out and walked toward him to give him a hug.
    “Back up,” Man-Man said as I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. “Back-up,” he repeated, breaking up our hug. “We ain’t ’bout to hug this out. I’ve been struggling to hide out from the homework police. Do you know how hard it is to hide from them? And based on my grades last year, I’m a wanted man right now. I’m hot and they all on my trail.”
    “Well—”
    “Well nothin’. ’Cause I don’t believe that all this time you been upstairs throwin’ back a throwback and poppin’ it to the floor? Well, G-Bread got a lil bit of a problem with that, homie.”
    “My fault,” I said, genuinely feeling bad.
    Man-Man never acknowledged my apology; he just turned and started in on Pop. “And yo, this how we droppin’ it, Pop?”
    “Yop.” She smacked her lips and popped her hips. “And I don’t have a hug for you, ’cause yop this how we droppin’ it, fa’sho. Boom! All on the ground and splattered around.”
    What the...
    “So what you sayin’, Pop?” Man-Man walked closer to her. “That you don’t love me anymore? That we’re over for good?”
    Pop smacked her lips. “I didn’t say that. Don’t be putting words in my mouth.”
    “So then wassup?” Man-Man said. “Just call it what it is then, ’cause I wanna get back together again, now. Right now. Being without you has killed me.”
    “Really?” she whined, sweetly. “Being without me has you dead now, G?”
    He placed his hands over his eyes like a sun-visor. “I’m so dead, I think I see Moses.”
    “Awwl.” She cupped his face between her palms. “Word?”
    “Word.” He nodded. “I’m straight trippin’ without you.”
    “Dang, boo.” She stroked his face and then took a step back. “Thing is, you gon’ have to trip for at least three more days, fifteen hours, twenty-five minutes, and a few seconds, ’cause I’m not feelin’ nor appreciatin’ what you did.” She placed her hands on her hips.
    “What?” Man-Man said shocked. “So we’re not getting back together today? Right now, at this moment?”
    “Hell to the fourth power of no.” She batted her lashes. “You’ve got Cameron “Popcorn” Hunter messed up. Like I told you earlier today, I didn’t like what you did. And you gon’ pay for that. How you just gon’ change your status to ‘It’s Complicated ’? You gon’ play me, G? Awl hell