1 Christian James

Every girl comes to a point in their lives where they start to notice boys, and even more dramatic the boys start to notice them. Then there are the next few stages that we slowly progress to on the way to adulthood. The curious stage, the master stage, puppy love, heartbreak, hoes stage, and of course we all strive to fall head over heels in love with one person. Depending on when we develop our lovely attention grabbing lady lumps, we might skip a stage or two, but as young ladies we have them all.

My name is Annette Brooks and I was always a bookworm, a good girl or so most people thought. I had big dreams as a girl of getting married to my first love, having children and getting into a career I loved. I grew up in the hood where everything always seemed to come to us the hard way. My mother always worked more than one job to support me and my two brothers and always gave us a nice comfortable home. She was wonderful. Me being the oldest, it sometimes seems like I got the short edge of the stick. My younger brother Charlie was something of a trouble maker, and kept a lot of her attention on him. While I only got into trouble when it had something to do with him. My youngest brother came along when I was thirteen and by that time I had gotten used to how my family moved.

The lack of attention and the two jobs was the reason that when at fourteen my lumps came in full force I didn't notice and neither did my mother. My eighth grade year came and when I got on the school bus that first day, I noticed something different. The same boys I had known for years were all up in my face and asking for my number. Of course I was too shy and surprised to take any of them up on their offers. I was absolutely shocked, these were the boys who used to tease me and pull my hair when I wasn't looking and they were trying to holla at me, and on top of that as far as I was concerned I had a boyfriend.

Not really a boyfriend, per say but we talked everyday on the phone. We never saw each other because he lived on the other side of town. Mick was the perfect over the phone, no pressure relationship and we had plans that included him being my first when I turned eighteen and going to the same college. As far as I was concerned I was taken. But that didn't stop the boys from trying, and much as it annoyed me it boosted my ego a bit.

I had never really considered myself to be fine or as the boys said a dime piece. I was always to short only five foot two, or to chubby size twelve, or the one I hated the most, to dark skinned. In truth I thought I was pretty and I just figured it would take a special guy to notice my beauty. I was short, dark skinned and what most people considered thick. My hair never grew to its full potential so I usually kept braids or a weave ponytail, but it stayed done. I got lots of compliments on how pretty my skin was, and how unusual my eyes were, so I knew I had certain attention grabbing qualities.

As I got older my friends became fewer and I kind of became a loner. By freshman year I was in a c cup bra and a hip hugging size fourteen. Still short I had only grew an inch or two. But whatever the guys liked, I seemed to have it. So a lot of my childhood friends started hating and for a while I was truly alone. I and Mick were talking less and less and my friends from the neighborhood always wanted me to go with them and do things but I couldn't. My mother was still working all the time and that meant that after school, I went straight home to babysit my baby brother. Getting out to me was sitting on my porch or walking to the store. So I took comfort in romance novels. They were my escape and earned me a reputation of being a nerd. Until one day it all seemed to change, when I met Christian James.

I had no idea impact he would have on my life. I had no idea of the life I would soon be living, of the changes I would undergo. The life I would live beside Christian and my friends would seem surreal at best. But our story is what could happen at any given time where we are from.

*****

I was sitting in the house as usual, mad at Mick for calling me some girl named Kim when my cousin came inside my house. She only lived downstairs and came by daily to try to get me to go on the block. I wasn't interested. Every time I went over there, it was so bullshit going down. I always ended fighting or getting pulled into a game that also ended up with a fight. I didn't have time. Her name was Ciara and while she was younger than me and she was at this point, my best friend.

"Girl, forget that boy, let's go to the block, and play some cards." She was saying, while picking up one of my books and flicking through it.

I looked at her and then looked down at myself, and thought she had to be kidding. I was wearing a t-shirt and a pair shorts that were only appropriate for the house. My hair was not done at all, just combed to the back and I was not about to change, my mood wouldn't let me. Ciara on the other hand had on a nice mini denim skirt and a pink tank top. Her hair was in a ponytail and she looked cool. "Look at me, do I look like I feel like going anywhere? Girl stop." I said snatching my book that she had. It was a favorite, and I really didn't want her greasy ass hands on it.

Ciara scrunched up her nose and said "Who you trying to impress this the hood? Everybody know you, and you got the right to a bad day, shit, fuck these people. Who really cares?"

"You know I don't for real." I said. I really didn't care. As much as I wanted to stay in the dumps I knew I had to get over it. I hadn't seen Mick in like six months. Ciara was right for once. I grabbed my flip flops. "One time around the block, and don't start no shit Ciara." Ciara was always getting us into some kind of altercation with somebody I didn't even know. I was known for kicking ass and she was known for running when it came crashing down. She was all bark and no bite whereas I was all bite and I did very little talking.

So we hit the block, with no fighting. Everybody was outside kicking it dominoes, cards, dice, a few dudes slap boxing in the middle of the street. Everybody was posted having a good time, and it made me hate how much I missed by staying at home. But it was what it was, that's how my life was. We hung out for a while, before making our way back to our building.

On the way home back to my nice quiet block I noticed a guy hanging out on the stoop down the street from me. I had never seen him before, so I had to scope him out. He looked nice from a distance, at least. I had no doubt we would all know him soon enough. As we walked by his stoop he tried to holla. I just knew he wasn't talking to me, since I was looking a hot mess. So I copped an attitude, because Ciara was only thirteen and he looked to be about sixteen, to old.

"Who you talking to?" I asked, with my hand on my hip.

"I was talking to you," He said smiling.

That's when I notice that he was cute, nice smile, tall, caramel complexion, but his grill was fucked up. I mean his two front teeth was straight Crip walking. I had to hand it to him though, he still seemed so confident with that big ass smile and the jogging teeth. Not to mention he was trying to holla at me when I'm at my worse. So with no intention of calling him ever, I took his number and name. His name was Christian.

When I walked away Ciara started cracking up. "Girl he was cute but his teeth need a doctor."

I laughed to, it was funny and true. "It's cool girl I won't be calling him."

But when I got to my stoop and looked down the street to his, he was still looking at me. Like he was gone be waiting on that call. He would be waiting, I thought as I walked inside.