No Boyz Allowed Read Free Page A

birds,” Toi snapped. “Pigeons.”
    Ms. Grier sighed. “Toi, leave your brother alone. And Man-Man, I’m serious. You and all of these girls are getting out of hand.”
    “Ma, I told you I got this. And could y’all kill calling me Man-Man?” He popped an invisible collar. “I told you, it’s G-Bread, baby.”
    “What the hell is G-Bread Baby?” Cousin Shake asked.
    “Cousin Shake,” Man-Man said. “The Bread stands for Money. You know, dough, like dollars.”
    Cousin Shake shook his head. “Grier, when you gon’ get this boy some help?”
    Ms. Grier shook her head. “Listen, Man-Man, I want you to take Gem to the mall with you. She needs to get out and see some new things.”
    “Yo, this isn’t a field trip,” Man-Man said and then looked over to me. “No offense, but Blockers day was yesterday.”
    Ms. Grier shot him the evil eye.
    “It’s cool,” I snapped toward Man-Man and then turned to his Mama. “Did I say I wanted to go to the mall with him? Now back up!”
    I could tell I’d pushed Ms. Grier’s patience to the limit. “Gem, don’t speak to me like that—”
    “Then stop frontin’! And stop telling my brother what to do. You’re not his mother! I got this!”
    “I’m the mother of this house!” Ms. Grier said, and as she spoke I could see Cousin Shake’s shoulders start to bounce.
    “Whatever,” I said.
    “Gem, it’s really no need for you to be so upset,” Mr. Khalil added his two cents in.
    “And it’s really no need for you all to be phony!”
    “No one’s being phony, honey,” Ms. Grier tried to assure me.
    “And stop calling me honey! You know what? This is just too much for me! I don’t need your kids trying to babysit me. I don’t need your family trying to turn my brother against me. And I damn sure don’t need you trying to be my mama!” I rose from the table and stormed out of the kitchen. Once I made it up the stairs, I slammed my bedroom door behind me.

5
    “ P sst , Gem . . . Ge-emmm . . . wake-up. Psst, Gem . . .” Malik’s raspy voice and short, chubby shadow filled my bedroom doorway as he slowly pushed the door open. “Gem-yem-yem-yem . . .”
    I should just lay here and not say a word. Not. One. Word. I was used to Malik waking me up in the middle of the night, but dang his timing sucked. Somehow he always had a way of interrupting my dream at the exact point when Drake was down on one knee and about to ask to marry me.
    “Gem,” Malik called again.
    I sighed. “Yeah, Malik.”
    “You asleep?”
    He can’t be serious. . . . “No, I’m skydiving.” I peeked at the clock on my nightstand, which flashed 1 A.M. in vibrant red. I pulled my hot pink sheets up to my neck and turned over.
    “You’re not skydiving, Gem. You’re in the bed, asleep.”
    Duh!
    “Gem,” Malik called. “Do you always say crazy things in your sleep? Do you talk in your dreams?”
    Kill me. . . . “Malik, do you have your pillow?” I asked, trying like heck to control the edginess of my tone.
    “Yeah.”
    “Are you sure, ’cause you’re not sleeping on mine. You slobber way too much.”
    “I have my pillow.”
    “Then stop asking questions and just come on.”
    “Come on where?”
    “Little boy, you better stop playing with me. I already know you’re scared—”
    “I’m not scared. I’m just not friends with the dark.” His bare feet slapped against the floor as he walked over and hopped in my bed. “Could you share the cover?” He tugged on my sheet and that’s when I remembered to ask him...
    “Did you go to the bathroom before you came in here?”
    He hesitated. “Yeah.”
    I flicked on the lamp next to my bed and a dull yellow light filled the room. “You better not be lying.”
    “I’m telling the truth. I did use the bathroom.”
    “Malik, if you pee on me it’s gon’ be a problem.” I flicked the light off.
    “I haven’t peed in the bed in like a whole week. And why you gotta bring that up?”
    “ ’Cause I’m tired of