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Authors: V. C. Andrews

Tags: #Horror

Ice (5 page)

BOOK: Ice
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"Where the hell you been? We thought you went AWOL on us.," the tall, red-headed young man on the right cried. The girl with him looked unhappy, almost in pain. She had very short, dark hair and a mouth so soft, the lower lip looked like it was unhinged in the corners.
"Had to do the please-the-parent-thing first," Shawn explained. "This here's Ice, Ice meet Michael," he said nodding at the tall, red-headed man. "Buzz
-
y." he added pointing to a stocky African-American man who looked older than everyone else.
-.
and Sonny," he continued.
Sonny looked the youngest. He had a caramel complexion with dark freckles peppered on his cheeks and forehead.
They all said. "Hi," and then Michael
introduced the other girls. The one with him was Jeanie and the one with Buzzy was Bernice. She was stout and big busted with light brown hair that not only was the color of straw, but looked like it had the texture of it grass.
He paused before introducing the girl with Sonny and said. "What was your name again. honey?"
Dolores," she said, very annoyed that he didn't remember. She looked Latin. maybe Mexican. I thought she was the prettiest of the three because of the dazzling color of her dark eves that flashed when she showed her temper. She got over it quickly, however, and continued moving in her chair, enjoying the music. "When are we going to stop all this talking and dance?" she cried.
"Sonny, get up and dance with the girl, will you?" Michael said. "Her engine's been running at high speed all this time and you're in park."
They all laughed.
Shawn took my coat off and put it over my chair. All of his friends stared at me as hard as the one at the club's entrance. It made me wonder if I had done something wrong. Mama had insisted on my wearing one of those wonder bras.
I
know I was showing a lot more cleavage than I would have liked.
I sat and Shawn quickly ordered a gin and tonic for himself and then looked at me and said. "Give her the same."
I didn't say no. but I thought I wouldn't drink it if I didn't like it.
"Why are you called Ice?" Buzzy asked leaning over the table, "You don't look cold to me."
They all laughed again, even Jeanie who seemed incapable of smiling. "She's not cold," Shawn said. "She's cool."
"Ice, you can dip your finger in my drink anytime." Sonny quipped. They all laughed again.
"How long you know this work of art?" Michael asked me indicating Shawn.
I thought a moment.
"Twenty minutes." I replied and he roared and told everyone else what I had said. That seemed to be the funniest thing they had heard
their whole lives. I thought the laughter wouldn't end.
The music stopped and the audience applauded. Our drinks came and Shawn nearly finished his in a single gulp.
"I needed that," he said. "Meeting a mother always makes me thirsty."
"I bet you've met a few," Buzz said. "Are you from Philly?" he asked me.
I nodded. There was so much noise in the club, you had to shout to be heard and I knew what that would do to my throat in short order.
"You know how dangerous this guy is that you're with?" Michael kidded.
I shrugged.
"His life story is X-rated."
"You're right," Buzzy said after more laughter. "She's cool. She doesn't look a bit worried, Shawn. In fact. I think you'd better start worrying."
The music began again.
"You like this music, Ice?" Sonny asked. grimacing.
"She loves it," Shawn said. "She's a jazz-aholic."
"Sure," Michael said. "You know this one?" he asked nodding at the band.
I smiled.
"It's a Benny Goodman tune," I said, They all turned to me. "Called 'After Awhile,' It's about 1929," I told them. Their mouths opened, jaws dropped.
"She's kidding. right?" Buzzy asked Shawn. He shook his head.
"Her mother said she's into it and guess what," he added, "she sings, too,"
"No. All this and talented too?" Michael cried. The other girls looked annoyed at the attention I was Zetin2. Dolores finally got Sonny to get up and dance and then Shawn asked me if I would like to dance.
I smiled to myself, remembering some of the steps Daddy had taught me.
I nodded and we tot up. Shawn had no rhythm and couldn't do much more than pretend. but I ignored him, closed my eyes and let the music into inc. I didn't realize how I was stealing the attention of the entire audience until the music ended and people applauded, looking more at me than they did the band. The leader, a tall black man with gray temples and friendly eyes, smiled.
When we returned to our table, the boys were all raving about me and the girls were looking much more annoyed. Shawn ordered another drink for himself. I had just taken a sip of mine.
"C'mon, drink up," he urged. "We've got a lot of night ahead of us. . ."
More reason to drink slowly, I thought, but everyone was ordering another drink by now.
We danced some more. Dolores tried to capture more attention with some very sexy moves. When Sonny asked me to dance, she looked like she would leap over the table to scratch out my eyes.
"Go on. Give him a thrill,' Shawn told me. "I'd rather not." I said as gently as I could.
It seemed to take the laughter from all their eyes. When everyone was drinking and being silly, there was no room for any serious thoughts. I realized. It put a damper on things.
"That's being cold," Michael told Sonny. "Now I see the ice."
"Hey, give her a rest," Buzzy said. "Besides. it's time she sang." I shook my head.
"No." I said.
He didn't listen. He jumped up and went to the bandleader. who looked my way and nodded. fuzzy beckoned to me.
"Go on," Shawn urged. "Show them a thing or two,"
"No," I said shaking my head. People in the audience were all looking at me.
"What's the matter, this crowd's not good enough for you?" Jeanie asked me.
I looked at her.
"I never sang a solo." I said, hoping that would be enough.
"Tonight's the night you do," Michael declared.
Shawn started to help me up.
I shook my head again.
People were clapping on the right, urging me to get up. I continued to shake my head, but by now they were all cheering at our table, the girls the loudest, hoping I would make a total fool of myself.
For once., I thought Mama had named me correctly. My blood seemed to freeze in my body. I was numb with fear. And then. suddenly, I heard a familiar voice behind me.
"Go on. Ice."
I turned to see Balwin Noble, the senior at school who played piano accompaniments for our chorus.
"Balwin! What are you doing here?" I cried.
"I thought you said she doesn't talk,' Sonny shouted at Shawn,
"I come here often and play with Barry Jones. Do 'Lullaby of Birdland,'" he urged. Occasionally, when no one else was at the rehearsal yet, he and I would fool around and I'd sing. Like Daddy, he loved my rendition of Ella Fitzgerald's hit song. "I'll get on piano."
"Really?"
"Who the hell is this?" Shawn demanded.
"I play piano for the school chorus," he told him.
"Well, this ain't school, stupid.'
"I won't go up unless Balwin can,"
I
declared.
The audience was getting impatient. People were clanking silverware against their glasses. Shawn looked around.
"Let him go," Michael said. "What do you care?"
Shawn stepped aside and Balwin and I walked to the small stage. They all did know him. The piano player got up to let Balwin take his place.
"Hey. Balwin," the bandleader said. "you sure about her? This isn't an easy crowd tonight."
"She's in the chorus. She makes it," he bragged. Then he leaned over and said. "C'mon, lets show them." He turned to the bandleader. "Do 'Lullaby,'" he told him.
"You've gotit."
My heart wasn't pounding. It was clamoring, raking like a caged beast in my chest. The only thing that gave me some comfort was seeing Balwin at the piano. His familiar face and smile gave me
encouragement.
"Wipe the doubt off their smug faces." he said.
I was given the microphone. Buzz
-
y took his seat. My table all gaped at me. the girls looking furious. Then the music started. I thought about Daddy and me in the living room and his happy smile and I began: soon, I wasn't in the Kit-Kat, I was back home. I was safe, and the song kept me safe.
When I finished, the audience was on its feet; even the girls at my table reluctantly stood to clap.
"Come around any time you want," the bandleader told me. Balwin looked so proud.
"I knew you could do it," he said.
"I wouldn't have if you weren't here. Balwin.''
"I'm glad I was," he said.
Shawn stepped up between us quickly.
"Nice," he said. "Really nice. Cmon. We're all a-going to Michael's house to party and celebrate,"
"What? Why? What's wrong with staying here?"
"We're finished here," Shawn said.
I looked at the group getting up from the table and I thought about my father's advice.
"I don't want to go to anyone's house. Shawn," I said firmly,
"Why not?"
"We were supposed to go out to dinner. We haven't even eaten yet."
"We'll get something to eat there," he said.
"Maybe you should just take me home," I told him.
"Are you kidding?"
I shook my head and the smile of incredulity turned to a look of annoyance.
"Why?"
"I don't want to go to anyone's house," I said.
"I thought we were going to have a good time. Don't you want to have a good time?"
"Yes, but I don't want to go to anyone's house for it," I said.
"Aw, c'mon."
"No," I said as firmly as I could.
He glared angrily at me for a moment. Then he went to his friends to tell them, and they all started on me.
"We were just going to listen to music, have something to eat, enjoy the night.'
"We can really party."
"What's the problem?'
I didn't reply to any of them. I sat at the table, my arms crossed under my breasts, fixing my attention on the stage and ignoring their comments and pleas.
"You got yourself a chunk of ice all right,' Sonny told Shawn. He stared down at me furiously.
"I'm leaving and going to Michael's," he finally said. "You coming or not?"
I looked up at him.
"No means no." I said as hotly and as firmly as I could. He snapped his head back as if I had slapped him across the face.
"Fine. Then let the fat boy take you home," he cried and turned away from me. "Next time my sister wants to fix me up with someone. I'll tell her to think twice. Go call your sister. Delores," he told her. "I should have listened to you and taken her out. This one's jailbait anyway."
All the girls laughed. I glared back at them and then turned away.
"Hey," Buzzy said leaning over to whisper in my ear. "You ever want to go out with a real man, call me. I'm in the Yellow pages under Real Man."
He laughed and they all walked up the aisle, leaving me sitting by myself at the table. I was sure everyone around us was staring at me. Whenever I lifted my eyes from the table and turned. I met someone else's. I felt so stupid and frightened, very much an adolescent drowning in the world of adult quicksand. But I didn't move.
"What happened?" Balwin rushed over to ask me as soon as they all had left the club.
I told him quickly.
"How could he just leave you like this?"
I didn't reply. I stared at the table, my whole body still trembling. I felt his hand touch my shoulder gently.
"Hey, don't worry, Ice. I got my mother to give me the car tonight. I'll take you home," he said. "Do you want to go home?"
I nodded.
"I heard you say you haven't eaten. How about we stop for some pizza on the way? I'm hungry too. I'm always hungry," he confessed.
"Okay," I said. I would have agreed to anything to get out of here.
But as I rose to walk out the door with Balwin. I thought about Mama.
She was surely going to hate me.

4 Allies

I decided not to tell Mama. Both she and Daddy were watching television when I arrived. I tried to be very quiet about it, but the moment I opened the door. Mama was up and in the living room doorway.

"Where's Shawn?" she asked looking past me. "Didn't he escort you to the door?"
I shook my head.
"Doesn't surprise me." Daddy called from the living room,
"And that doesn't surprise me," Mama shot back. She threw a suspicious glance at me and said. "Well, come in and tell us how it was."
"Fine," I said.
"Fine? That's it? Fine?" Daddy looked up at me.
"I heard he took you to the Kit-Kat. They got Barry Jones playing there. right?"
I nodded.
"See, Lena, you didn't want to go there when I asked you to go last month, and here Ice goes and has a good time. Talented combo. What did they do?"
"Ellington, some Benny Goodman, a good Miles Davis," I recited, Daddy's eyes lit up.
"Oh, that you can talk about in detail, but when I ask you a question. I get 'fine.' What's all this talk about the music? What about Shawn Carter?"
"What do you expect her to tell you about him after only one time?" Daddy asked.
Mama shook her head at him and turned to me. "Did you have a good time with him?"
I shrugged. "It was all right."
"Doesn't sound anything like a nice time to me." she muttered. "Ellington, Goodman. Miles Davis, they had a better time. Did you meet his friends? How were they? Did you make any new friends? Are you going out with him again?"
"Why don't you give her a chance to answer one question before you ask her another?" Daddy said.
"I'm waiting for her to say something that tells me something. anything. Cameron, thank you.
I
put in a lot of work for this and we
spent a lot of money to get her out of this cocoon she's wrapped herself in, no thanks to you."
"They were all older girls. Mama. I don't think they want to be friends with me. I'm still in high school."
"You don't look like a high-school girl. Ice. They should want to be friends with you. I bet you were the prettiest one there. right? Huh?"
"You're embarrassing her. Lena."
"She oughta be proud of herself and of me and what we did together. You can brag a little. Ice. Well?"
"I suppose I was. Mama." I looked at Daddy, "I sang 'Lullaby."'
You did what?" Daddy was almost up and out of his chair. "No kidding? With Barry Jones?"
I nodded.
"How did it go?"
"They all stood up and clapped." I said.
"You hear that. Lena? They all stood up and clapped."
"And what was Shawn Carter doing when this was going on?" Mama asked.
"Listening and clapping, too. I suppose," Daddy replied for me. I nodded.
Mama narrowed her eyes.
"What kind of a date was this? You sang with the band?" she wondered aloud.
"She had a good time. Lena. Leave it at that."
"I'm tired," I said. "Good night."
"All she talked about was the music," Mama moaned behind me. "When I went out with a man. I had a lot more than that to say.
"I bet," Daddy quipped and she turned on him.
I shut my door on the bickering and let out a hotly held breath.

BOOK: Ice
11.65Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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