Read Online The Way We Roll by Stephanie Perry Moore - Free Book Online Page B

crazy note trying to scare me away from Kade? It could be only Sharon. Was I the only sane one living in a crazy world?
    â€œMom, I gotta go. I’m about to call the police.”
    â€œMalloy Murray, I’m telling you don’t do that. Let’s not make it a big deal. I’ll pay for the window tomorrow. Tell your brother to let you drive his car. You call me as soon as you get back to your apartment.”
    â€œMom, I don’t even see Mikey anywhere around here. I have money in my bank account to pay for the window. That’s not even the point. The one who did this should pay for it, and I know who did it. Precious sorority sister or not, she is going to pay.”
    My mom yelled back, “Now, you listen here! You didn’t see anybody do anything. Calm your little self down. You shouldn’t have been out there this late anyway. I told you nothing good happens out late at night in them streets. Some lessons you just have to learn the hard way, and obviouslythis is one of them. Malloy, am I making myself clear? You hear what I am saying to you? This is over. No police. We will take care of it on our own.”
    â€œMom, I don’t want to pledge, okay?”
    â€œAnd quit saying all that, too. You’re all hot under the collar. As soon as any little thing happens, you don’t want to pledge. That’s why you need to be in a sorority. So you can get some discipline and understand what sisterhood is all about.”
    â€œIf sisterhood is someone coming over to my car and breaking it because they can’t have their little way, I don’t want to be a part of the sisterhood! It seems like a whole bunch of sisters from the hood, if you ask me,” I blurted as I hung up.
    I wanted to smash my phone through the window that was still in one piece—vandalize my own car, that’s just how frustrated I was from hearing my mom side with her stupid sorors. I knew we didn’t have the best mother-daughterrelationship, but I certainly wished she would have taken my side for once. I had thought we were gainingground. Why she kept standing up for those girls who wore lavender and turquoise was beyond me. When would her own daughter come first? As I listened to Loni and Torian tell the crowd to mind their own business and I looked at the crushed glass all over my backseat, deep in my heart I knew I would never get all my mom’s love unlessI was a Beta.
    â€œCome on, now, we just asked y’all to leave. You see she’s upset about her car, dang!” Torian yelled out.
    Though I was disappointed that my new buddies didn’t support my view that Sharon did this, I really appreciated the two of them having my back. Even if folks weren’t listening,they didn’t want me to be a sideshow. As I cried, they shielded my body from direct view.
    After I got myself together, I finally looked up and saw only Torian. “Where’s Loni? I’m sure she wanted to get away from this whole scene. I can’t blame her—you can go, too. I’ll be fine.”
    â€œNo, no, she went inside to find your brother.”
    Dang , I thought, they really are good friends . I did need to find Mikey. Why he wasn’t out here, I didn’t know. When we were growing up, he could always sense my tears as they formed and always came to my aid without me callinghim. Not this time. In despair, I leaned over my vehicle.
    â€œDang, what y’all looking at?” I heard Kade yell.
    When Kade came over to me, I rushed into his arms, and he held me tight. A part of me felt like all this was just a bad dream, but now, in his embrace, I was in a sweet slumber, and everything would be all right.
    â€œWhat happened? Did you see who did this?”
    â€œI know who did this!” I told him, feeling like the judge and jury.
    The crowd wasn’t going anywhere, because we were playing out a soap opera, and I really got folks talking when I popped my trunk and pulled