Read Online Game On by Calvin Slater - Free Book Online Page A

little of his time, and she might’ve come up with a plan to do it. His boys at the lunch table had been loudly talking about attending the icebreaker at Northland Skating Rink this Friday at seven. Dakota had decided if Xavier was going to be there, then she’d also be in attendance. Her mother wouldn’t create a problem. She worked the afternoon shift at some water treatment plant in Dearborn, Michigan. Evelyn didn’t clock out until one in the morning. Dakota would have plenty of time to share a word or two with her hero.
    She was scheming, hashing out the final details when a vintage rust bucket of a Pontiac Bonneville pulled up to the curb and slowly rolled beside her. The sight of SNLG gang member Mouse—red bandana tied around her cornrows—hanging from the back passenger window, her short torso leaning downward with what appeared to be a black tire iron clutched in her left fist, chilled Dakota to the bone. The angry snarl on the girl’s grill filled Dakota with the urgency to run.
    â€œWhat up now?” Mouse yelled at Dakota.
    If it was gonna be a straight-up one-on-one scrap, Dakota was down with it. But the car was filled with SNLG girls looking like they couldn’t wait for the car to come to a complete stop. Bangs was driving the bucket and shaking her head like she was going to enjoy the stomping they were about to put on Dakota.
    Bangs laughed out the open driver’s window. “Xavier ain’t here to save that ass, Supermodel,” she shouted. “You gonna have to take this ass whuppin’ today.”
    â€œI still don’t know what I did to offend you,” Dakota said, trying to talk some sense into Bangs. “Whatever it was, I apologize.”
    â€œNaw,” said Mouse. “The only way this is gonna end is you bleeding out.”
    Dakota tightened her right hand on the book bag strap around her right shoulder. She had to keep her wits about her. The numbers weren’t in her favor. If it came down to it, she could run. She had been known as the fastest runner in her middle school gym class. It wouldn’t be a problem to leave these girls in the dust.
    â€œCan we just talk this out?” asked Dakota, frantically looking around for help.
    There were no more words to be spoken. Mouse popped open the back car door and ran up on Dakota, swinging the tire iron. The first attempt whistled past Dakota’s left ear. She ducked it so fast she almost slipped and lost her balance. When the other girls started quickly unloading from the car, Dakota had to stay on her feet. Hitting the pavement would find her in even more trouble.
    â€œGet her!” Dakota could hear one of them yell at Mouse. Dakota was backpedaling now and doing a good job at staying clear of the tire iron. Mouse stepped in to deliver a skull-crushing swing that, had it connected, would’ve relocated Dakota’s lips to another zip code.
    A pudgy, brown-skin girl thought that Mouse needed some help and ran behind Dakota to deliver a ferocious shot to the back of her head, just about the same time Mouse unloaded with a blow that finally found its mark, blasting Dakota on the left shoulder blade.
    Dakota stumbled forward, yelping in pain but managing to keep her footing. She was seeing stars from the punch. The hot, streaking pain barreling through her shoulder was no joke.
    â€œI’ve called the police. Y’all better leave that girl alone,” warned a heavyset elderly black lady, dressed in a flowery house duster, raising her cell phone in full view and standing on her front porch. “They will be here in seconds—please believe me.”
    Bangs stood down her female soldiers and faced the old lady with a hard stare.
    â€œHoney, I’m not afraid of you,” the elderly woman let Bangs know. “And if the police need me to testify, I will.”
    Bangs looked over at Dakota with a menacing glance. “This ain’t over.”
    The leader