Step Up Read Free

explained.
    â€œShe’s just gonna miss you, Vance. And so am I.”
    â€œGonna miss you, too.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “But if me and Jaylen don’t get on the road soon, it’ll be dark when we get there.”
    I had already said my goodbyes to Tameka the night before, holding her while tears filled her eyes. She had so many fears about my leaving, and so many questions. She was concerned that I might meet someone new, or that I might forget about her. She wanted to know how much partying I planned on doing and if I would still call and send text messages on a regular basis.
    â€œI just wanted to see your face again…before you left.” She smiled. “You look fly in your Celtics jersey, with your fresh haircut. You smell good, too.”
    I had chosen my Kevin Garnett jersey and my Calvin Klein cologne for the drive. Not that anybody would be smelling my cologne except Jaylen. It would be worn off by the time we got to Grambling, but I didn’t care. I would just refresh it once I got there.
    â€œI’ll see you, girl. You take care of my baby. And call me as soon as you start having pains or if your water breaks. I don’t know if I’ll be able to come home, but I’ll sure try.”
    â€œI’m glad you’re still going away to college, Vance. I’m glad the baby didn’t ruin it for you.”
    â€œYou can still go, too, Tameka. The baby doesn’t have to ruin it for anyone. It’ll be hard, but you can do it. I believe in you.”
    â€œI believe in you, too, Vancey Pants.”
    She’d come up with this new nickname for me and it drove me crazy…sounded feminine… Vancey Pants.
    â€œI don’t know about that name,” I said. “It sounds kind of sissified.”
    â€œYou’re just being homophobic.” She laughed and then wrapped her arms around me, her stomach in between us. Her lips found mine and we kissed. “I love you.”
    â€œLove you, too,” I told her.
    Love. It was such a strong word. I wasn’t quite sure what it meant for us. I only said it because I thought I should; because my baby was growing in her stomach. Because I was leaving and wouldn’t be back anytime soon. It seemed the right thing to say, especially since she’d said it to me first. You could love people all day long—heck, I loved Jaylen for that matter. We were brothers, and had been for many years. I guessed I could love Tameka, too.
    â€œLet’s go, bro,” Jaylen said. “Tell that girl bye and let’s go.”
    â€œShut up, Jaylen,” Tameka said and stuck her tongue out at him.
    â€œI really do need to go,” I told her and pulled myself from her embrace. “I’ll call you.”
    â€œWhen?” she asked.
    â€œAs soon as I get there,” I said and then exhaled when she shook her head okay. I was grateful that she didn’t want a phone call every hour like my mother did.
    I hopped into my car and started the engine. Tameka stepped back, the palm of her hand caressing her belly. She waved and then blew me a kiss.
    I breezed through the streets of College Park and thenhopped onto I-20 headed west. With the wind blowing through the windows, and Tyga rapping in my ears, I knew that Jaylen and I were just a few hours away from being full-fledged college men.

three
    Marcus
    Harvard. It looked nothing like the pictures I’d seen on the Internet. It was far more interesting, with its old buildings and beautiful green grass. It was fascinating when I found out that Harvard had been around since the pilgrims had landed on Plymouth. I’d read about the pilgrims in elementary school, but to actually see a piece of history in real life was a trip. Harvard started out with nine students, and I tried to imagine how a college with so few people had grown into a university with more than eighteen thousand students trying to get a degree. So much history on these