Indigo Summer. Monica McKayhan
thought back to all the girls in my fourth period. I didn’t remember her face.
“I sit two seats behind you in class,” she said. “I’m Alicia.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“And I’m Shauna,” her friend said. “You going to the homecoming dance?”
“I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about it.”
I wondered if Indigo was going, and if so, if she already had a date. Maybe I’d ask her.
“Well, if you decide to go, who you taking?” Alicia asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, I don’t have a date,” she smiled.
My eyes found the door of the gym as they swung open and the girls trying out for the dance team rushed out. I searched for Indigo in the crowd, and spotted her walking and talking with another girl. She wore pink shorts and a white top that hugged her small breasts. Her wild hair fell softly onto her shoulders, and her skin was flawless.
“Indigo,” I called her, walking away from Alicia and Shauna, leaving their questions and comments to dissolve into the air.
Indigo’s eyes found mine.
“What’s up?” She asked.
“I been waiting on you. Wanted to tell you how good you were in there.”
“Thanks. Hope I make the team,” she said dryly, as if she doubted her own skills.
“You will,” I said.
“What you doing hanging around in the girls’ gym anyway?” she asked.
“Watching the tryouts.”
“You stayed after school just to watch us dance? Don’t you have anything better to do?” she asked, frowning. “Why aren’t you on the football team or something?”
“Because I don’t play football…anymore,” I said. “But I watched the team practice for a while. Then I decided to come over here and see what was up with the dance team tryouts.”
“Well, good for you,” she said and walked away from me, through the glass doors and to the outside courtyard.
I followed.
“You got a ride home?”
“My father’s picking me up,” she said, searching the lineup of cars that sat at the curb; parents waiting for their children to come out.
“…’cause I was gonna say, I could give you a ride, since you live right next door.”
“That’s alright. He’s already here,” she said, and took off toward her father’s truck.
Didn’t say goodbye. Just left me standing there, unaware that I thought she was the finest girl in the entire school.
Chapter 6
Indigo
Pushing my way through the crowd, I made it up to where the list was plastered on the wall. My heart pounding, my mind drifting back to Miss Martin’s words, “…tomorrow morning, a list of those who made the cut will be posted outside the cafeteria.” Who would’ve thought that a list, a piece of paper taped to the wall, which held the names of fifteen girls who made the first round of dance team tryouts, would cause so much chaos? The fifteen girls whose names appeared on that list had been handpicked by Miss Martin, who had been the dance team coach for at least ten years. She had delivered an impeccable dance team year after year, one that was considered to be the best in the metro Atlanta area. Making that list meant that she thought you were good enough to come back for a second look; good enough to potentially carry on the school’s legacy. Meant that she thought you were better than the fifteen other girls whose names did not appear on the list.
As I reached the list, my French-manicured nail scanned the names until I got about three quarters of the way down the page. There it was in bold black letters against white paper, INDIGO SUMMER. The sight of it made me want to dance through the hallway; made me want to jump and shout. Made me want to pull out my cell phone and call Jade right at the moment and tell her the good news, but I knew better than to use my parents’ daytime minutes for anything other than emergencies. I did that before and ended up getting my phone repossessed for a month. It’s hard being cut off from the rest of the world like that. My cell phone was my lifeline. To cut that off would be like cutting off my air circulation.
I had made the first cut! I closed my eyes for a brief moment and thanked God. He’d obviously heard my prayer the night before and that morning on the bus. He was probably tired of me bugging him. But bugging him paid off, because he came through for me. Again.
The second name from the top of the list was Tameka Brown’s. She’d made the first cut, too. The problem was, her dance partner Michelle Smith’s name was not on the list.
Michelle’s eyes were bloodshot as she leaned up against the wall.
“I don’t see how she picked you and not me,” Michelle was saying to Tameka. “We were a team. Did the same moves and everything. I don’t know what happened.”
“I don’t know either,” Tameka told her, looking for words that would console her friend, but she was at a loss for them.
“It’s not even fair. I can’t stand Miss Martin!” Michelle said and then stormed on down the hall.
Tameka shrugged as she spotted me.
“Congratulations,” I said.
“Same to you,” she said. “I knew you would make it.”
I’m glad she was so sure, because I hadn’t been. I’d tossed and turned the entire night before thinking about it. By the time I had finally drifted off, it was almost time to get up, get showered and dressed for school.
I was more than surprised to see my name on that list. My heart pounded as I thought about the second round. Round two might not be so generous.
“Heard you made the first cut for the dance team.” Quincy found me at my locker, pulling my world geography book out for my next class. Dressed in blue jeans and a Michael Vick jersey, he smelled so good. News sure did travel fast.
“Yeah, the second round is after school today,” I said, slamming my locker shut and pulling my book to my chest. My heart started to flutter and the palms of my hands got all moist at the sight of him.
“I didn’t even know you could dance,” he said with those kissable-looking lips. Jade should see these lips. She would compare them to Usher’s. I found myself wondering what it would be like to kiss them, especially since I hadn’t kissed a boy since I kissed Andre in the seventh grade. And his lips weren’t nearly this kissable looking. “If I didn’t have football practice I would come and check you out.”
I thanked God that football practice and dance team tryouts took place at the same time. His being there would make me nervous and I would probably mess up my entire routine. I was grateful.
“Yeah, it’s too bad you got practice.”
Before I knew it, his lips were against mine, and for at least ten seconds I stopped breathing. I closed my eyes, wanting to savor the moment that Quincy Rawlins kissed Indigo Summer for the first time. I could’ve sworn I saw sparks flying after I opened my eyes. His eyes were opened the whole time, watching me.
“Well, I gotta get to class. I’ll check you later,” he said, walking backwards and then disappearing into a crowd of students.
I wondered if he had felt the same butterflies in his stomach.
The gymnasium was packed with people wanting to see who would make the second round of the dance team cuts. Five girls would be going home tonight, a swarm of emotions interrupting their sleep because they hadn’t made the team. Their egos would be crushed,