THE TRIAL

By the time the school day ended Monday afternoon, I found myself actually wanting to stay and hang out. Really, I was willing to do anything to avoid working at Dreux's mother's salon.

      It didn't take a lot to notice she wasn't so fond of me.

      I wondered how long this charade would last. Hell, was she even going to pay me?

      Scott probably didn't want me working at the grocery store with him out of fear I'd embarrass him or something. Points for him for knowing I didn't have the stones to challenge Angela. One good look from her and I knew my place.

      I was so full of questions, I barely noticed Bonham had joined me at my locker until he started waving his hand in my face.

      "Hey." I chuckled as I swatted his hand away and shut my locker door. "What's up?"

      He nudged me with his shoulder and we began walking towards the nearest exit. "You wanna head back to my place? I'm tanking Government 101 and I'm not too proud to beg for assistance."

      Beside me he clasped his hands together, making a cute puppy dog face as he begged for my help. He was such a babe.

      "Can't," I told him as I frowned. "I have to go and start work today at Dreux's mom's shop."

      We entered the student parking lot and Bonham scowled. I knew it was futile to ask again about their beef. If he wouldn't tell me, I'd get the answer out of Dreux. Someone had to fess up.

      "Bummer." He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his ripped jeans. "Now what do I do?"

      "Isn't Cameron a tutor?" I asked.

      Bonham lifted a brow. "Yeah...?"

      "She's staying after school today to help tutor, go and ask her."

      Bonham chewed on his lip as he looked around the parking lot at nothing in particular. "She'll never bite."

      "You need help, and Cameron's not the type of girl to just ignore you."

      "You just got here," Bonham pointed out.

      I may have been new to town, but I read Cameron pretty well, the same way I could read that Bonham was a decent guy.

      I dug my phone out of pocket and held it up. "Want me to text her and ask?"

      My eyes must've been playing tricks on me, or Bonham was blushing.

      Puffing up his chest a little, he stood tall. "I got it."

      I watched as he turned around and went back towards the building, walking confident and badass.

      I almost felt like patting myself on the back. "I got faith in you!"

      Instead of turning around, Bonham raised the devil horns with his fingers and kept going.

      Atta boy.

      Dreux was standing amongst Aidan and a friend of theirs, a boy I recognized from class named Joon Bae at the trunk of his car.

      Aidan was the first to greet me, offering a warm smile. "Hey, Cameron told me about Scott blowing her phone up. I just wanted to apologize on my brother's behalf. He's such a Neanderthal."

      Instantly I scowled and took a step back. "Actually, I make my own choices. Bonham had nothing to do with it."

      Briefly, a muscle in Aidan's jaw flexed, and the smile turned a little smug. "My brother can be...charming, I'm sure, but he isn't the best company, Saylor."

      I folded my arms across my chest and stood my ground. "I like Bonham. I think he's great."

      Aidan's eyes measured me out and he stood away from me and shook his head. Soon, that super friendly aura returned. "Just be careful."

      Aidan walked around me, turning and waving at Dreux and Joon. "See you guys later."

      Prick.

      Maybe it was because I was an only child, but I didn't like the idea of Aidan constantly bashing his own brother.

      I let it go as I joined up with Dreux and Joon. "Hey."

      "Saylor, this is Joon, Joon, this is Saylor. I'm not sure if you guys officially met yet," Dreux said as he introduced us. "Joon's on the baseball team with me."

      Joon, a tall senior, made a face at that remark. His upper lip curled up as he rolled his dark eyes. "Not this year."

      Dreux rolled his own eyes. "You say that every year, man."

      "This year I'm serious."

      I chuckled. "What, do you suck or something?"

      Joon shook his head. "Nah, not even. I only joined because of a deal I made with my dad, and he broke it so I'm out."

      By Dreux's frustration at the mere mention of this deal I was amused and intrigued.

      "Oh?"

      Joon gestured to himself. "I wanna be a rapper, and my dad ain't exactly feelin' it. He told me if I joined the baseball team and did well, he'd consider helping me pay for studio time down in Atlanta and taking me more seriously." Joon scowled as he faced Dreux who was waiting for the big reveal of the story. "A few homeruns and MVPs later, and he's still holding out."

      A lot of parents wouldn't be thrilled if their kid decided to take the musician route. It wasn't the most promising career. It was a gamble that didn't always pay off.

      The thought made me think of Scott.

      "So, do you rap in Korean or English?" I wanted to know.

      "Both," Joon said. "The crossover appeal is my goal. With the way the girls around here trip over K-Pop, I know I got a shot at this."

      "K-Pop and hip-hop aren't the same thing," I pointed out. From what I'd seen online of K-Pop, it was made of pretty boy groups or girl groups, that wasn't the market Joon wanted to appeal to if he wanted to be taken seriously as a rapper from what I was guessing.

      "You never know until you take that dive," Joon replied.

      He was determined and seemingly fearless, for that he had my support.

      "I'd download your mixtape," I told him.

      Dreux groaned. "I gotta get to work, I'll text you later, J."

      Joon saluted Dreux before tipping his head towards me. "Nice meeting you, Saylor. Thanks for the support, Dreux can learn a thing or two from you."

      His comment made me laugh as he walked away.

      "Let's go, Avril Lavigne," Dreux said, sounding exasperated.

      My mouth fell gape. "Really?"

      His response was a grin.

      Maybe it was the sun shining on him, or maybe it was our earlier talk, but I found myself admiring how cute Dreux kinda was.

      Together we climbed into his Sedan and I buckled in beside him.

      "So, is he any good?" I asked, bringing up Joon's budding rap career.

      Dreux nodded as he stuck his key into the ignition. "Yeah, he's got a shot."

      I didn't know my purpose, and I wasn't sure about a dream, but I sorta believed if you had one, you should chase it no matter what.

      Dreux began driving for the strip, and my stomach did somersaults at the anticipation.

      "It won't be that bad," Dreux promised as he glimpsed at me.

      The radio was playing, still on the hip-hop and R&B station from that morning. Even though I was a rocker at heart, I found myself finding peace in the lyrics of the current song on the radio.

      It wasn't until the strip was in view that I realized how spoiled I was. Back home, I had the security of my AmEx card, swiping it was no issue whenever I wanted something of value. Here, Scott worked, not that my mother hadn't, but here Scott had to, and now here I was, about to work too.

      "Is she going to pay me?" I got the courage to ask as Dreux parked the car.

      To this he laughed. "We'll see."

      Working for free? I guess this was punishment for staying out all night getting drunk and high.

      Dreux left our school bags in the car before leading me over to Angela's Salon.

      He opened the door for me before allowing me to walk in first.

      Inside, along one side of the room, women were doing hair, on the other side, some were waiting under hair dryers while reading magazines or books. Towards the back, beyond the row of hair appointments being attended to, were the nail stations, filling the room with a buzz of a steady drill.

      In the front of the shop, was a waiting area, where a young girl was doing homework at a coffee table while a children's show played on the overhead flat screen. I had to question if she could even hear the show with the music that was playing throughout the shop. I could tell it was old school, soul or R&B, I wasn't so sure, but by the way some of the hairdressers were vibing along, I knew the song was ahead of my time.

      The room was rich with a color scheme of purple and gold. Purple painted walls were accompanied by gold borders, as the furniture was gold with purple throw pillows. Pictures of famous Black people hung up on the wall, as decorative African figurines littered shelves and cabinets. One wall held personal pictures, and on it I could spot Dreux and his mother, and what was an old picture of the two with René even.

      All at once, as the shop bell went off—still managing to be heard despite the TV and music—the hairdressers all turned and looked at me. They didn't just look, they all stopped what they were doing and froze.

      Call me crazy, but I had a feeling I was the first White girl to ever step foot in Angela's.

      Dreux's hands came down on my shoulders, the weight of his support and protection easing my nerves. "Hey everyone."

      "Hey Dreux," they all said in unison, their eyes still glued to me.

      Going along with the color scheme, all of the hairdressers were adorned in purple smocks, while the nail technicians wore black smocks.

      Dreux didn't let me go. "This is Saylor, she's going to be helping out around here, right Mom?"

      Angela didn't look too pleased as her eyes were fixed on us.

      An older woman, one with dyed burgundy hair, high cheekbones, and glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose, spoke up. "Is this your new girlfriend, Dreux baby?"

      "No," Angela jumped in, the tone of her voice letting me know where she stood with the idea. I was not good enough for her son.

      Angela left her client and came over towards us. "You're here to work, understood?"

      I peered into her hard, angry eyes, wondering if we'd ever get off on another foot. "Yes, ma'am."

      She rolled her eyes and regarded her son. "You go on and get over to Chucky's."

      Dreux gave me a good squeeze. "Be nice, Mom."

      She pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "Boy don't make me say it again."

      Dreux left me alone with his mother and the room full of women, who were still staring, even their clients.

      "He still seein' that Tabitha girl?" the burgundy haired woman asked.

      Angela's scowl deepened at the mention of Tabitha. "Girl, Josephine, no, that ended a while ago. Thank God."

      Josephine made a face as she ran her fingers through her client's hair, fluffing it a bit. "I knew you never liked her."

      Angela didn't deny this. "I know a fast tail when I see one." Her eyes were on me, so unwelcoming and cold. "Well, let's get you to work. You're going to be responsible for a lot around here, okay?"

      I didn't have a choice, so I bobbed my head. "Yes."

      "You'll clean, you'll organize, you'll answer the phone and set appointments according to availability, you'll stay out of the way, you'll be on time, and you won't back talk. Your breaks will be fifteen minutes, but I'll give you a half hour lunch because I like your father. Your pay after your first week will be twelve dollars an hour should we reach a decision that you will remain working here, take it or leave it."

      Twelve bucks an hour was higher than minimum wage, so I guess it was better than nothing, even if I were probably going to be working short days.

      Again, I simply nodded. "Yes."

      In another moment, she was handing me a broom, allowing me to start my work.

      The other women went about their business.

      I swept the floor, getting up all the hair left over from haircuts to extensions. When that was done, Angela had me go towards the back room and organize their products on their shelves. That took me a while, because half the stuff I'd never heard of or used in my own hair, so I would find myself stopping and examining each jar or spray.

      From there I went and sat at the front desk after going out to the car to get my homework. Angela was okay with me starting it while I played receptionist.

      All in all, even if I felt foreign and out of place, it wasn't so bad.

      "Saylor," Angela spoke up. "That trash is overflowing. Can you take it to the dumpster out back?"

      I stood from the desk and went and collected all the trash in the shop before carrying two large bags towards the back door.

      Outside I bumped into Dreux, who also was taking out trash for his uncle.

      "Hey." He smiled to me before looking towards his mother's shop. "How's it going in there?"

      "Oh, it's going," I told him.

      "Need help?" he asked, gesturing towards my bags.

      "Nah, I got it."

      Dreux didn't listen, he came and took a bag from me anyway.

      I walked with him over to the dumpster where we discarded the trash.

      "She'll ease up," he told me. "She's just protective."

      I thought of back home and my mother. I had questionable friends, but she wasn't as protective in a sense as Angela came off. True, she didn't like my boys, but I couldn't recall her ever shooting them dirty looks that would still their bones.

      "I don't know what for, you're not all that," I responded.

      I was only joking, trying to get back at him for the Avril Lavigne comment.

      Dreux narrowed his eyes, and within the blink of an eye, he advanced towards me. In seconds I was airborne and then over his shoulder.

      "Ahh!" I screamed. "Let me down!"

      "No, what was that? I'm not all what?" he questioned, spinning around in a circle in an attempt to make me dizzy.

      I should've been scared, but I could feel Dreux's muscles as he kept a firm grip on me.

      "Nothing!" I swore.

      "That's not what I heard."

      Dreux spun around in another direction and I ended up laughing as I reached out to swat his butt.

      "Oh now you're dead!" he declared. "It would take—"

      "Ahem."

      Dreux stood froze, and by the tone of voice, I just knew it was Angela at the back door.

      Dreux set me down and I turned to see his mother and her continued disapproval.

      "Go ahead on lunch, Saylor." Her eyes were glued to me as she leaned against the doorjamb. "You get on back to work, Dreux."

      "Actually, I'm about ready for a break too," Dreux spoke up. "I'll show Saylor around."

      Angela looked like she wanted to protest, but she didn't.

      "Be back in half an hour," she told me before disappearing back inside.

      Dreux offered me a small smile. "Come on, I usually grab something at Marty's."

      A break from his mother sounded nice, so I followed behind him as he circled around front and began crossing over onto Marty's parking lot.

      Marty's was an expansive supermarket, making the strip where the barbershop, hair salon, and liquor store look like a lone trailer.

      Even if it were small in comparison, it seemed like good marketing. You could get your hair done and then run errands all in one setting.

      "What are you hungry for?" Dreux asked as we stepped inside.

      We were passing the floral department where Cas was out straightening up her roses. When she noticed me, she offered me a big smile.

      "Hey Saylor," she said as she greeted me. Her gaze flickered to the boy beside me. "Hey Dreux."

      Of course they knew him here.

      I was on the fence about Cas, but by her peppy demeanor, a part of me thought of her as a good candidate for Scott since they were both single.

      "Hey Cas," I replied.

      "You here to see your dad?" she asked me.

      "We're just grabbing some food."

      "Oh, don't let me stop you. If you do need Scott, he's out on the floor somewhere."

      Things with Scott were still messy, but I didn't clue her in as I accepted her help before following Dreux over to the Prepared Foods department.

      There were a couple of people in line before us, but I didn't mind, it gave me time to choose what I wanted to eat.

      In their glass case was a good variety of food. Fried chicken, baked chicken, fried fish, baked fish, chicken tenders, chicken wings, as well as a good amount of side options. In the end, once it was our turn, I opted for baked chicken wings and mashed potatoes while Dreux went with fried fish and macaroni and cheese.

      Instead of going back to the strip, we sat in the café at a table across from each other.

      Cameron hadn't lied, Dreux liked putting ketchup on his fried fish. A sight that almost had me gagging.

      But who was I to judge? I liked hot sauce on my mac and cheese.

      "She paying you?" Dreux asked curiously.

      "I'm guessing my first week is slave labor, but after that yeah," I said.

      Dreux smiled. "See, not so bad."

      I nibbled on a chicken wing, comfortably numb to all that my life was turning out to be.

      Well, almost.

      "So," I began as I gathered my Cherry Coke, "what's the story between you and Bonham?"

      Dreux's friendly expression fell as his eyes lowered to his Styrofoam plate. "Why?"

      "Oh, come on." I sat back and groaned. "Either you two are ex-lovers, or something big happened."

      Dreux rolled his eyes. "Saylor."

      "Dreux," I shot back. "Come on, give me something, I'll tell you what I did to land here."

      This seemed to perplex Dreux. "Scott didn't ask you to come?"

      "No, I got in trouble."

      Dreux sat back and focused on me, his dark eyes burrowing into my brown ones. The serious look on his face, made him that much more handsome. He tugged on the hooped earring in his ear. "My parents' split did something to me."

      In L.A., I'd seen a few kids lose their shit over their parents splitting up. "I can imagine."

      Dreux hung his head, losing contact. "My dad's a dick. He's always been a dickhead. Ever since I can remember, he was putting my mom through shit. He fussed with her about everything, so much I used to run outside and sulk on our front porch."

      "That's when Scott stepped in," I noted.

      Dreux agreed. "Yeah, I was a kid then, but it got worse during the later parts of their marriage. He's this big lawyer, and he's cocky about his wins. My dad started steppin' out, being an even bigger asshole to my mom about what wasn't 'good enough' around the house, and I needed to blow off some steam." His eyes met mine once again. "This was summer before last, when I was friends with Bonham."

      This was quite the revelation.

      Taking my stunned look as a cue to go on, Dreux continued. "Bon and I go way back, even though he was a year older we still got along and talked about movies, music, and girls. I never really messed with the drugs and alcohol, but when it got real bad with my dad, I did start smoking and acting reckless. Bonham was right by my side, telling me my dad was a prick who should pay for what he does.

      "One night, we got so stoned, and I was just thinking about going to my dad's law firm and torching the place or at least trashing it. To take something like what he was draining from my mom and me. Bon thought it was a good idea, it didn't take much convincing to get into his car. We were both messed up, and I guess he was speeding, he was so excited. That's when we got pulled over."

      I was beginning to get an idea of what happened, but I needed more confirmation. "What happened, Dreux?"

      He was ashamed as he frowned at the memory. "It was Rick. He could smell the weed on us and he was so disappointed. But it didn't matter, Bonham was driving, so Rick let me go and took Bonham in."

      My mouth fell open, immediately understanding Bonham's grudge against Dreux.

      "Holy shit," I let out.

      Dreux begrudgingly nodded. "Yeah, I spent the summer doing stupid shit, and my mom was getting fed up, and my dad didn't notice. This was a big strike, but Rick let me go. My parents found out, and that's when my mom rained hell on me."

      "And Bonham?"

      "Got in a lot of trouble. He already had a record, and the driving under the influence was the straw that broke the camel's back. He had to pay a fine, his license was suspended, and he got some time in juvie, and ended up failing his senior year because of it."

      "Oh Bonham," I sighed.

      "I always told him I was sorry," Dreux spoke up. "But he's got it in his head that I dimed him out to avoid getting in trouble."

      I wasn't sure which boy I liked more, but I was more on Bonham's side after hearing the story behind their feud. Sure, Bonham was driving, but for Dreux to get off while Bonham took the whole rap was fucked-up.

      "Did they know about the arson?" I asked.

      "God no, we would've really been in trouble then," Dreux said. "We just got in trouble for the weed and speeding. And even then, Bonham never ratted me out about my true intentions. He never even said anything about my being stoned too to the judge."

      Because he was a nice guy.

      "I started hanging out with Aidan, and Bonham's hated me ever since."

      "Well yeah, have you met Aidan, the guy's constantly tearing Bonham down."

      "Yeah, he's Bonham's biggest critic." Dreux smirked at the thought. "And the thing is, Bonham isn't that bad. He just likes to do stupid shit, but he's not a bad guy."

      He wasn't, that I was sure of.

      "You think you two could ever make up?"

      "I'm not sure what I could do to mend that bridge. I didn't ask Rick to take my side, but I'm family, so he just did it off of strength."

      I closed my food up, now interested in eating it later.

      Dreux came and propped his arms on the table. "So, I'm not the golden boy you think I am."

      "No," I disagreed. "You did your shit out of anger, everything I've ever done was out of pleasure. I can't say I blame Bonham for hating you, though."

      "Yeah, me too sometimes."

      "You told me he was bad news, and you're the reason he failed the twelfth grade and got his license suspended."

      "I didn't make him drive."

      "But it was your idea that got him out the door." I shook my head. That was like me blaming Jack for my crashing the police cruiser and landing me here in Meadow Grove, Georgia. He'd played a part in my breaking into my school that night, but it was my own doing that landed me where I was. "I take it back, we're all responsible for our own actions."

      "Don't just say that because you think you've hurt me," said Dreux.

      "No, I get it. The reason why I'm here? I got faded and smashed one night and my friend convinced me to break into my high school so he could get his jacket from my locker. A cop showed up, but we got away, or we would've if I didn't steal his cruiser and crash it."

      Dreux's eyes enlarged. "Shit."

      "Yeah, my mom's also married to an attorney. He got me off, and because it wasn't my first time, they made some deal with the judge to ship me off instead of throwing me in the slammer. That's how I ended up with Scott, a stranger I don't even know." I studied the customers walking around the Produce department as the whole situation weighed me down. "I mean, I knew I had a father and it wasn't Richard, but it was never a real issue until she shipped me here."

      "So out of nowhere she decided to just send you to your dad?"

      I shrugged. "Basically. I didn't even know she had his information. It's completely random."

      Dreux couldn't deny this. "In all your seventeen years, you've never met or spoken to Scott?"

      "No."

      Dreux appeared confused. "So why did he say yes?"

      The million-dollar question. "I don't know."

      And the scary part was, I was afraid to ask.

________________________
Voices in my Head / Stick to the Plan 🎶 Big Sean

https://youtu.be/BwBaA6B4zQI