First Semester Read Free Page B

mail?”
    I quickly snatched it back.
    â€œI know who it’s from,” I said.
    â€œWell, hurry up and open it, blood,” Todd said.
    â€œI might not want to open it, right now. I think I’m gonna just wait till later.”
    â€œLater? Man, please. That’s the letter we’ve been waiting on,” Todd said. “If you don’t open it, I will.” He reached for the envelope.
    I held him off with one hand, while holding the envelope up and away from him as he tried to reach for it.
    â€œY’all look like some little kids playing possum,” Keisha said, with a giggle. “Would somebody please open the letter? I don’t care who it is.”
    Truthfully, I was stalling for a reason. I was afraid of what was inside.
    â€œOkay, I’ll do it,” I said as I took a deep breath and walked over to the window. As I looked across the street into an alley, I could vaguely see a few of the homies from the hood having a smoke session. Another was down the block making a sale to a crackhead. I just shook my head, then slowly opened the envelope. I could feel Keisha looking over my shoulder. It started off the same way as the rest of the rejection letters I’d received: “Mr. Dawson, we have reviewed your application. This year we had an overwhelming number of qualified applicants.”
    But the next sentence changed my life.
    It read: “We are delighted to inform you that you have been accepted to University of Atlanta.”
    â€œOh, my God, dog!” I said as the letter dropped from my hand to the floor.
    Keisha quickly bent down to pick it up.
    â€œWhat?” Todd asked.
    â€œHe got in!” Keisha screamed. “My baby got accepted to college!”
    â€œYeeeeaaaahhh, booooy!” he said, in his best Flavor Flav impression as he pumped his fist in the air and opened his arms to give me a big hug.
    â€œHere,” he said, passing me his cordless phone. “Call your mom and tell her. I know she’s going to be proud.”
    He was right.

CHAPTER 2
    LEAVING HOME
    I had been on the phone with Keisha for over an hour, but I was getting nowhere, fast. I just couldn’t understand why she would want to break up with me, two days before I was supposed to leave for college. I was frustrated because it seemed there was nothing I could say to change her mind.
    â€œAs hard as this is for me to say, I think it’s best you just do you, J.D.,” she said, sniffling.
    â€œDo me? What are you talking about, Keesh? Where is all this coming from?”
    â€œC’mon, J.D., don’t play dumb. I mean, I love you and all, but I’m not stupid. You’re going to be thousands and thousands of miles away from me in Atlanta.”
    â€œSo what?”
    â€œSo you’re probably going to be down there trying to sow your wild oats!”
    â€œWhat makes you think that?”
    â€œThink about it. I helped you write your admission essay for most of your college applications, and you didn’t even tell me that you were applying to U of A, so there’s no telling what other secrets you might be hiding.”
    â€œSecrets? C’mon now, I told you the only reason I didn’t tell you that I was applying there was because I didn’t want to be embarrassed if I didn’t get in.”
    â€œYeah, whatever. If I was that important to you, you wouldn’t keep anything from me.”
    â€œI’m not trying to keep anything from you! Why are you sounding so insecure all of a sudden?”
    â€œAll of my girls told me that when their boyfriends left for college, they ended up getting cheated on. And I’m not even trying to go that route.”
    â€œOh, so you’re gonna break up with me over some shit your girls told you?”
    â€œIt’s not even all about that. Let’s be real, J.D., you have a hard enough time keeping your zipper up out here, so there’s no telling what you’ll be doing