Where We've Been {Interracial Romance}

Timeline of Our Lives {Part Two}

Maya's POV

September 4, 2001:

For the summer, I went to see my grandma in Sleepy Hollow along with Jeremiah, Alyssa, and Marcus for three weeks and decide to go school shopping at the Galleria Mall in White Plains, NY along with my friends as well as the gift cards and money Grandma, Mama, Dad, and Mrs. Carter send me as the part of my graduation gift. I collect my outfit of the day from my closet and display them on top of my bed, figuring out what I will wear today. I decide to wear a V-neck blouse that doesn't show my cleavage because I'm not that kind of girl to wear fast clothes to speed my young womanhood. To add an outfit for my blouse, I'm matching it with a pair of high-waist jeans and a pair of sandals with the floral design on the front from Payless. Mirroring at my own reflection, I admire to skim the back of my fingers onto my small waist and curves I recently build for this summer after my first menstrual cycle three months ago and my boobs are still growing to B- cup turning to a C- cup. With the supplies that are already in my backpack last night including my new class schedule of the year, I gather my backpack, a cardigan just in case if it get's chilly, and my lunch money in my pocket before heading out of the apartment complex with Ryan.

"Hey, Maya! How was your summer?"

"Hi, Ryan! How was your summer?" Ryan and I question at the same time. "It was great and I went to my Grandma's for three weeks!" While I'm having a conversation with Ryan, I realize his eyes are at my chest. "Ryan! Eyes off of my chest!" I scold by snapping my fingers with my face in disgust.

"Gosh! You looked at me like a pervert!" I mumble, but widen my eyes at my mouth that belonged to Marcus' oh-so-congenial, but subversive girlfriend, Erica. Erica and Marcus have started going out on the month I started my first menstrual period. Well, after Ryan and I came back from Ruby Tuesday with our families; we came into my apartment to hear muffling moans. When we first heard it; I thought she was moaning in pain, but no! She's moaning with a different noun word with a different tone because my Mama exclaimed, 'Oh, hell no!' She bust down the door of Marcus' bedroom door to find Erica on her knees and hands on the bed and Marcus behind her. Mama and Dad starts smacking Marcus around in his room and watching what I saw with my own eyes, I lashed out at both Marcus and Erica, who happened to be six months pregnant at the time, fucking in his room on the day of my fifth grade graduation and ditching our family dinner, including using the 'F' bomb! Mama looked censure of me using profanity at eleven years old and said, 'Thanks a lot, Erica! For teaching my children to curse, especially my youngest daughter!' I packed my stuff to sleep over at Ryan's house for the night after having more fun than a barrel of monkeys at Sam's party. And this is when the nonstop yelling matches begin.

"I'm sorry, Maya!" Ryan apologizes. I look at him and his mouth twice when I listen to his voice cracking on my name. "Ryan, what's wrong with your voice?" I ask.

"It's puberty." Ryan sighs at the same time the bus arrives next to the bus stop to pick up Kara, Ryan, and I along with three unknown students I never see before. Ryan and I take the second front seat. "So, Ryan, how was your summer?" I query.

"It was great! I went to an upstate camp when I found out I was almost losing my voice and I wanna give you this." Ryan says as he turns around, unzips the pocket patch of his backpack, and hands me a bag of Doritos and a bar of cookies n' cream Hershey's. Thanks, Ryan!" I exclaim, sneaking a chunk of Hershey's in my mouth and savoring the white chocolate as it melts on my tongue. "Mmm!" I sigh with my eyes closed for a moment before I put both the Hershey's bar in a wrapper and a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos in my backpack. Ryan and I share our schedules this year and it turns out we almost have the same classes together! We have English for first period, second period is Social Studies, the third is Math 6, fourth period is Life Science for Day A and P.E. for Day B, then Lunch, and the seventh period is Reading for Meaning I while Ryan has Reading for Meaning I and I have Art for sixth period.