Read Getting Played for Free Online Page B

there smiling and laughing. It is so good to see them. I just start laughing, too.
    â€œHey,” Diamond says, as we hug. “Your grandmom let us in. She said to tell you she’s on her way out and to not get in any trouble tonight.”
    â€œYeah, like that’s gonna happen,” Jalisa jokes, as we hug, too. “Girl, you stay knee-deep in drama twenty-four-seven.”
    â€œExcuse me, but I do not get in trouble,” I say. “Much.”
    Diamond and Jalisa look at each other and then at me and break up laughing. I have to laugh, too. “Man, I can’t wait for Monday. It’s gonna be so perfect having you back at school again,” Jalisa says.
    â€œI know, right,” Diamond adds happily. “Watch out, Hazelhurst Academy, the girls are back in town.” They laugh, then see I’m not smiling.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Jalisa asks.
    â€œMy transfer papers weren’t at Penn today. They don’t know anything about me going to Hazelhurst on Monday.”
    â€œBut you passed the exam,” Diamond says.
    â€œYeah, you aced it. What else do they want?” Jalisa adds.
    â€œI don’t know. I need to talk to my dad and make sure he paid the tuition on time. You know how they get about money. Anyway, that’s the only thing I can think of holding it up.”
    â€œA’ight, that’s cool then. You just have to pay when you get there on Monday morning.”
    â€œAh, man, I can’t wait to see Chili’s face when you walk your ass back into class.” We start laughing again. “She’s such a joke. She’s got this little stomach and she walks around poking it out wanting everyone to see that she’s pregnant.”
    â€œYeah, and now everybody’s saying that it’s not even LaVon’s baby. They’re talking about her being with some college basketball player,” Diamond says.
    â€œI heard that. I also heard he was married,” Jalisa adds.
    â€œSeriously, I can believe it,” I say.
    â€œChili is such a skank and a liar.”
    â€œShe’ll say anything to get what she wants.”
    â€œAnd right now she wants LaVon, my sloppy seconds.” We laugh for a while this time.
    â€œOkay, come on now. I feel like dancing.”
    â€œYeah, me, too.”
    â€œMe, three.”
    Diamond and Jalisa head to the stairs. When I go the other way, they turn to look at me. “Where are you going?”
    â€œDownstairs,” I say. They look at me strangely. “Want to see something cool? Come on, check this out.” They come back and follow me to the closet door. I open it and they see boxes and linens.
    â€œIt’s a closet,” Jalisa says. I push the shelving on the side and it easily slides over. There is a small landing and stairs. “Oh, cool, check this out, stairs,” Jalisa adds.
    â€œI didn’t know you had a back staircase,” Diamond says.
    â€œNot a lot of people do.”
    â€œDid it come with the house?”
    â€œI guess. My grandmother was born in this house and even her grandmother was born here. It kinda gets passed down through the generations. She told me it was once owned by these abolitionists and they hid escaped slaves. So when the hunters searched the house, the runaways would either hide in here or run down and out the back door.”
    â€œThat is so cool,” Diamond says.
    â€œI know, right,” Jalisa adds.
    â€œWhere do they lead?” Diamond asks.
    â€œDuh, Diamond, downstairs,” Jalisa says. “Come on, let’s go down.”
    â€œNah, I just wanted to show you. I hate going down these stairs when the pantry light’s not on. It’s too dark and spooky.”
    â€œOh, come on, it’s cool.” Jalisa has already started down. “It’s not bad. It’s stairs. Just keep walking.”
    Diamond follows her and I go last. Seriously, I hate these stairs. I close the closet door and