Read Online Fast Forward by Celeste O. Norfleet - Free Book Online Page B

They were there with him all the time, and I wasn’t. He was seventeen and I was sixteen tomorrow, but since he’d skipped a grade in elementary school he was like light years ahead of me. How was I ever supposed to fast-forward to him? And now that I wasn’t at Hazelhurst anymore, I need to stay on top of my game grades-wise or I’d lose him like everybody else in my life.
    “Hey, you know what time it is?” he asked me.
    I reached for my cell, but he took my hand instead. I looked at him just as his lips touched mine. Usually when we kiss it’s soft and sweet, but this kiss was different. It felt real, whatever that was. But I liked it. He was holding me, and I wrapped my arms around his body and leaned in. I pressed close, wanting him to do more, but he didn’t. We just kissed and kissed and kissed. His tongue slipped into my mouth, and I did the best I could to keep up with him. I swear I had no idea what I was doing, but seriously, it was nice. When the kiss ended he leaned back and smiled. “It’s exactly twelve o’clock and two minutes. Happy birthday.”

six
    BFF
    “Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me.”
    —MySpace.com
    I went to bed swinging on cloud nine. Terrence kissed me to ring in my sixteenth birthday. So somewhere between eleven fifty-nine and two minutes after twelve, I was being kissed. Not bad. Actually, as a matter of fact it was pretty good. I was still smiling.
    So now I’m getting dressed. It’s Sunday morning and I go to church with my grandmother. Since Jade is back in school and my mom wasn’t there, I decided that it might be a good thing for me to go. I don’t mind church. I actually believe in God. I just have a lot of questions to ask Him. Yeah, my mom dying like that was definitely the first one. So I’m dressed and I get to the bottom of the stairs and Terrence and my grandmother are standing there waiting for me. I was stunned.
    “What are you doing here?” I asked.
    “Manners,” my grandmother reminded me sternly.
    “Sorry. Good morning, Grandmom. Morning, lawn mower guy,” I said, using my favorite name for him.
    My grandmother opened her arms and pulled me in tight. “Happy sixteenth birthday, baby girl. Oh, I guess I’d better stop calling you that, huh? Happy birthday, sweetheart.”
    “Thanks, Grandmom,” I said, then wrapped my arms around her small frame and held her tight, wishing I was hugging my mom. Tears started to build in my eyes, so I quickly let go and stepped back.
    “Happy birthday, Kenisha,” Terrence said as he stepped up, kissed me quick, then hugged me.
    “Thanks, Terrence. So what’s all this? You’re going to church with us today?”
    “Yes, I am,” he said.
    “Tight, we’d better go or we won’t find a parking space,” I said.
    Terrence opened the door and Jalisa and Diamond and Jade were standing on the front porch. “Surprise,” they yelled. I staggered back and almost fell out. I had absolutely no idea they were gonna be here with me. “Happy birthday,” they called out.
    I started laughing. “What are y’all doing here?”
    “It’s your sixteenth birthday. Where else would we be?” Jade said as I stepped outside. I hugged her hard and long. She was my sister, and I loved her fiercely. I tried not to, but I started crying—not for who wasn’t here with me, but for who was.
    “Hey, happy birthday,” Jalisa and Diamond said in unison.
    I hugged them, too. My girls, best friends forever. I looked around at the smiling faces and felt so good. After everything, I have family and friends around me. I was just about to say something when the horn sounded. “Oh, no you didn’t,” I said, seeing the stretch Hummer limo parked out front.
    “Come on, we don’t want to be late to church,” my grandmother said, locking the front door.
    We all piled in the roomy limo. Ty, my sister’s fiancé and mega superstar singer, was already inside the limo. He gave me a kiss on