CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SYMPHONY PERKINS
I.O.U.
I HAD BEEN GONE the majority of the day, running around trying to get someone to purchase my latest pieces for a decent price. Some people can be so cheap sometimes. How am I supposed to make a profit if every time I turn around, someone’s expecting a “You my girl! You know I’m good for it!” discount. Please! I can’t buy nothing with an I.O.U…. so I don’t see why they should from me.
I get in the house and grab a cold bottled water from the fridge. I pause when I notice that dishes are in the sink from earlier this morning. That was definitely not like Melody. There’s peanut butter and jelly dripped and smeared on the countertop and the loaf of bread is wide open. I see a chair up against the counter which means Harmony must have fixed herself something to eat. It was odd to me because Melody would usually do it for her to avoid the extra mess.
I walk upstairs to check on Harmony. She’s in her room watching a DVD of Frozen and singing along. “Do you want to build a snowmaaaan…”.
“Hey boo, where’s mommy?
“She sleepin’.”
“She been sleep all day?”
“Yes… no… I dunno.” She goes back to watching Frozen as she stuffs the end of her sandwich into her mouth and prances around the room as if she was Anna.
Even though it’s still daylight, Melody’s room is pitch black. She has her curtains closed, and a blanket is thrown over the rod. I yank the blanket down and open the curtains to let the sun beat down onto her face. She shrieks at the sight of light like a vampire. “What are you doing?”
“How long have you been in bed?”
“Why? She uses her arms to shield her eyes from the light.
“Because the house is a mess! You have Harmony fending for herself while you just lay here!”
“She’s fine!” Melody snatches the covers away from her and jumps out of bed. Her hair is in cornrows. That’s the way she usually wears it under her wigs. Nothing special just braided straight back. She yanks the curtains closed and pushed me toward her bedroom door. “Clean it up then! What do you do around here anyway besides prancing in the mirror?” She jumps back in bed and pulls the covers over her head.
I clutch the covers and for a minute we wrestle with them until she gives up. “When were you going to tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“About our money situation.”
“What money situation?”
I stood there and purse my lips for a moment because I couldn’t believe she would sit there and straight up play me like I’m stupid to my face. “I saw the bank statement, Melody. We had ten-thousand dollars left in the bank. I’m sure it’s probably less now.”
“Why are you all up in my business?”
“Because, your business is my business. It affects me too and don’t think for one minute I’m going back into modeling! I saw the pamphlets.”
“Who said the pamphlets were for you? How do you figure that when you haven’t worked for anything that’s in my bank account? That little money you modeled for is long gone!”
“Last I checked, there was no way you could have worked for it either?”
Melody shakes her head. “Nope, not having this conversation with you unless you’re trying to be adult enough to help rectify the situation.”
“So now you’re admitting that there is a situation?”
“What? No, there is no situation, if there was or will be I’ll make sure to let you know because you’re the mother not me, obviously.” She grabs the covers and place them back over her head.
I shake her. “Mother, if money isn’t the problem so you say, then what is?”
“Symphony! I have a migraine, now shut up and leave me alone!”
Yeah right, migraine my behind. Melody is stressing just like I am and like she said, it’s not even my problem. I’m sure she’s having some type of man problems. She gets like that if one of her dudes stop calling, don’t give her any money, or say they’re not leaving their wives.
♥♥♥
I’ve been having a real hard time trying to be cordial with Amber but I don’t know. It’s just something about her that just rubs me the wrong way. Just looking at her makes my skin crawl. Every time I try to be nice to her, my aspirations, just jumps ship and abort all operations.
I’ve been doing kind of good for the past few weeks. I still haven’t helped her with any of her damn make-up though. Every time I turn around, she’s begging me to redo her jacked up face! See, that’s why you can’t be nice to people. Once you do, it they expect it all the time! And then you find yourself in a use me situation. I’m not about to be used, by nobody. Especially not her!
Ok, y’all making me get all roweled up again. Let me calm down… whoosa…..
“Did you go get fitted for your tux yet?” I admit, I love to see the look on Amber’s face when I bring up relationship stuff between Roman and me. Not only can she not conceal those bumps on her face… neither can she conceal her jealousy.
“Tux?”
“Duh, for Winter Formal?”
“I gotta wear a tux for Winter Formal? Why not just a suit?”
“No! I let you wear a suit last year. Do you remember how you looked?”
Roman laughed, “You let me?”
“Yeah… I let you!” He knows I let him. Why is he trying to front for everybody?
“We still got time. Winter Formal is a ways off from now.”
“Maybe for you it is but not when you are designing a Designer Original by Symphony Sew Unique!”
“Wow!” Amber’s mouth was wide open. “You make your own clothes? Did you like take classes for that?”
“Girl no! Meesha taught me!”
“Who’s that?” Amber wanted to know.
“YouTube. Look her up. DIYMEESHA. If you ever wanted to sew but don’t know how, she’s definitely the one to show you how to sew easy.”
“Bae, you okay?” Roman asked me that because he knew how touchy this subject was for me. I don’t understand how someone could take someone else’s life like that. She had so much potential and helped so many people. I didn’t even personally know her, but I loved her just the same and cried my eyes out when I logged on to find no new post but horrible news that she would never make a post again.
“I’m fine.” I change my thoughts and turn to Hunter. “Hunter when are you going to come back over for a fitting?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“What’s wrong with you?” She seemed to have major stankness coming from her way.
“There’s nothing wrong with me. Why do something have to be wrong with me?”
Ok. I know she my girl and she tired. I’m going to chalk it up to being just that. I’m not even going to respond. Right now… I’m going to let the Winter Formal thing go.
We had about five minutes until the lunch period was over and a few hours away until the weekend.
“But fo-real though.” Roman placed his trash on his tray. “Y’all want to hit up the movies tonight? About 10pm?”
Quincy and I were the only ones who said yeah. Amber just sat there quietly like a bump on the log. Hunter said, “Can’t.”
“Why not?” Quincy looked at Hunter.
“Because my mom works tonight and I have to watch my brothers.”
“Can’t yo dad watch ‘em?”
“Yeah, but he can’t watch my little brother Josiah. He’s only a few months old Quincy.”
Symphony chimed in. “I can’t believe your mom had another baby.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, Hunter get your panties out ya butt, I’m just saying.”
“Saying what?”
Again, I could see that this conversation was going nowhere, because right now, I was doing all I could, not to come across that table and whoop Hunter’s sarcastic ass.
“Aight y’all chill out and put yo cat claws back in. Hunter I’m sure she didn’t mea
n nothing by it.” Roman stood up and grabbed his tray. “If not today, we’ll figure out something to do this weekend?”
I place my tray on top of Roman’s so he could throw my trash away. “Come on Amber, walk me to my locker.” As much as I hated to say it, I had to get away from Hunter right now. That girl’s funky attitude was about to make me blow a fuse.
16 CHAPTER SIXTEEN
AMBER STYLES
Mmm…Mmm… Good