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  “Alright, there they are.” Tareeq said pointing to them. Derek squinted to make out the boys.

  “Let me introduce myself.” Derek said. Tareeq groaned and got out of the car. He hated when his dad acted overprotective. He figured since he was almost eighteen, why should his father always make himself known to his friends. He wasn’t that type of kid and knew better not to hang with the wrong crowd, but his father never saw his son as a young adult only a child. Derek got out of the car as well following his son. King caught a glimpse of Tareeq and rushed over to dap him up.

  “Sup, bro!” King smiled.

  “Sup!” Tareeq greeted. He remembered that his dad was there and immediately turned to him to introduce his father to his friends. “This is my dad.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Cooper!” King replied, waving.

  “Hello, listen, what time is the pep rally over?” Derek asked looking at his gold watch.

  “It’s over at eight-thirty, sir.” Gary chimed in.

  “Alright, just want to make sure that my son is in good company.”

  “He is.” King snickered. Tareeq sucked his teeth.

  “Chill dad. I’ll be good.” He jibed. Derek smiled, pointing to his watch.

  “Eight-thirty I’ll be here.” Derek said. He turned, went back to the car and drove off. Tareeq, King along with the others, started walking towards the school’s entrance.

  “Your dad cannot be for real.” Jamir chuckled.

  “He’s as for real as a heart attack.” Tareeq mumbled.

  “You’re the only child?” Mason asked.

  “Yup.”

  “No wonder.” Mason replied.

  “At least you got your dad.” King chimed. “My father died when I was three.”

  “I know loss, too.” Tareeq said. “My mother died last year.”

  “Damn.” King said, hanging his head. Tareeq now realized that shared loss solidified their friendship. The group made it inside the school hearing the loud band music playing all the way from the gym. Tareeq watched as King greeted almost all of the students that lingered in the hallway or walked up to him. He was in awe at how popular King was.

  Once they made it to the gym, Tareeq saw that everyone filled the bleachers on both sides of the gym. The gym was loud with cheers and the now louder band music that played. He followed his friends to a section of the bleachers that were at the top and vacant. As they sat down, Tareeq was blown away by the school spirit that the student body had. The cheerleaders came out and started to do their routine to the tune that the band played. The Wittington Wolf mascot came out and did the ‘Milly Rock’, and other dances that entertained the students and faculty. The cheerleaders cheered with precision and grace; to him, the girls were all pretty.

  “This is lit, isn’t it?!” King yelled.

  “It is!” Tareeq yelled back. “I’m having fun!”

  Just then, the Wittington Wolvettes dance team came out and started their dance routine to a mash up of a Drake and Vybz Kartal song.

  “Bro, you did not tell me that the girls on the dance team was fine?!” Tareeq said with a sly grin.

  “I wanted you to see for yourself!” King beamed. The dance routine was over and the crowd cheered. Tareeq cheered as well. Principal Winters walked onto the gym floor and waved her hands to quiet down the students. She put the microphone to her lips and started to speak.

  “HELLO STUDENTS! WELCOME BACK TO WITTINGTON!” She yelled. The students cheered again and clapped. Some even chanted her name.

  “Alright, settle down.” She giggled. The students quieted on her command and waited for her to speak again. “I hope you are ready for another exciting school year. This year, we are hoping to achieve our great graduation success rate like the years before. This year, we are hoping to be the state champions for the fifth year in the row. This year, we are hoping to ensure a better learning system with new a new wave of faculty for courses designed with you all in mind. Finally, this year, we are hoping that we make your year the best one!”

  The students cheered and applauded again. Principal Winters started to speak once more.

  “We have a new wolf among us, students. I would like to introduce Tareeq Cooper who has just started his junior year at Wittington. Stand up, Tareeq!” She said. Tareeq felt like he’d just been kicked in the head. King cheered and patted his back while the other students clapped as well. With wobbly legs, Tareeq stood and waved to his peers. As he looked around, he spotted the Blue Crew. They were sitting on the bleachers on the other side of the gym. They looked to be laughing. He noticed that Tammy and Mia were pointing at him. Mia and Tareeq locked eyes and for some reason, he couldn’t look away from her. She smiled and winked at him. Tammy waved as well, but she looked to be waving to King.

  Finally able to look away from her, Tareeq sat down and shuddered. He just knew she was still watching him from her vantage point.

  “You okay, bro?” Gary asked.

  “Yeah, I’m alright. I didn’t know Mrs. Winters puts the new kids on the spot like that.” Tareeq blurted.

  “She does that all the time. She’s a good principal, though.” Mason chimed. “I see you got Mia’s attention.”

  “I didn’t want to.” Tareeq replied, shaking his head.

  “Just ignore her.” Jamir said. Tareeq sighed and continued to watch the pep rally.

  The pep rally was finally over and Tareeq and his friends got ready to leave. He didn’t think he would have had so much fun, but he did. He was starting to think that giving Springbrook a chance was a good choice.

  Walking down from the bleachers, he eyed the Blue Crew. They were gathering their fall jackets and purses, but they looked as if they were in a rush. He watched as they headed out of the gym’s back exit doors.

  “You coming or what?” King shouted. When Tareeq looked over his shoulder, he saw that his friends were already out of the main entrance of the gym doors. He looked at his phone and saw that the time read: 8:25pm. He had five minutes to spare before his father came to get him.

  “Yo, King!” He shouted. King came over to him with a stressed look on his face as if he knew what Tareeq was thinking.

  “Where’d you think Mia and the girls went off to?” Tareeq asked still looking at the exit doors. King sighed and groaned.

  “Listen man, your dad is on his way.” King said. “We don’t have any business with those girls.”

  “Come on, King. Let’s see where they went.” Tareeq said. He started towards the back doors while King reluctantly followed him. Once outside into the chilly night air, Tareeq zipped up his track suit jacket. He turned to his right and saw Brittany’s bright blue braids swaying in the night.

  “Come on.” He whispered. King sucked his teeth and then followed his friend. The girls were giggling and talking amongst themselves. They didn’t seem to notice Tareeq and King following them.

  Suddenly, all four girl stopped in their tracks. King and Tareeq hid behind the nearest bush, breathing hard.

  “I think we’re being followed, ladies.” Mia whispered.

  “I think you’re being followed.” Crystal said to Mia in her flat tone. All four girls giggled.

  “You think it’s King?” Tammy asked in a tiny voice.

  “Or Jamir?” Brittany giggled.

  “Or how about those Hamlin brothers?” Crystal added, giggling.

  “Bro, I’m not about to follow these girls.” King whispered. His voice trembled, but Tareeq didn’t care he wanted to know what they were up to. When he turned back to face the girls, King took off. Tareeq sighed and stayed still watching them. The Blue Crew started to walk ahead of him still giggling and talking to one another. Tareeq crept from his hiding spot and followed them.

  The girls headed into the dark woods, still laughing and talking about things that he knew nothing about. They finally stopped once they made it to Lake Springbrook. Tareeq looked up and saw that the moon was in its waxing crescent phase, but still illuminated its white light onto th
e lake, making it sparkle and shimmer like there was glitter in the waters. He crept closer to the nearest large tree and watched them from behind it.

  “That pep rally was so boring!” Tammy said. Tareeq noticed that they were removing their clothes. His face became hot from the blushing that he was doing and his palms became sweaty. His heart beat fast as he tried to look away from them. However, his teenage curiosity wouldn’t let him.

  “Tell me about it!” Mia replied. She kicked off her shoes and started to take off her shirt. Once all of the girls were down to their bras and underwear, they jumped into the lake and started splashing around. Tareeq strained his eyes trying to see them clearer. Suddenly, the splashing sounds stopped and he could no longer see the girls. The water was unmoving and quiet. The light of the moon still reflected on the waters. Tareeq’s heart started to beat even faster as he was starting to get afraid.

  “Where are they?” He whispered to himself. His cell phone started to ring which made him jump. He fished it out of his pocket and saw that he had ten missed calls from his father. This made him nervous; he had forgot all about meeting his father at 8:30pm. With a trembling finger, he answered his father’s call; ready for the tongue lashing that he was about to receive.

  “Hello?” He answered, still staring at the lake.

  “Where are you?” Derek asked quite calmly. “I’ve been worried sick.”

  “I-uh…I’m down by the lake.”

  “What are you doing down there?” Derek asked. He could hear the annoyance in his father’s voice mounting.

  “Just…wanted to go for a walk.”

  “Well, what did I tell you earlier?”

  “To wait for you. I know.”

  “You’re lucky that your friend informed me of what you were up to.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Yes, really.” Derek yelled. “Get yourself home as soon as possible son and not a minute later or you’re grounded, hear me?”

  Tareeq sighed and rolled his eyes, but he knew that his father meant business. He hung up the phone and started to head back to the road towards town. He made sure to look back once again over his shoulder to see if the girls had come up from the water. Tareeq became frightened at the possibility of them drowning and he couldn’t do anything about it. He waited a second longer and saw that all four girls came up giggling and splashing around. He took a sigh of relief and started the long walk back home.

  Tareeq came out the shower, dried off and put on his pajama pants and t-shirt. Derek was already sleeping when he got home, which made him happy that he wasn’t going to get a scolding that night. Tareeq climbed into bed and listened to the impending thunderstorm that was brewing in the cloudy, purple night sky. While he listened to nature, his mind wandered. He couldn’t help but think about the Blue Crew and their strange lake swim that night. He couldn’t help but think about seeing them strip down to their unmentionables and blushed. He shook his head and closed his eyes, hoping that his mind wouldn’t wander on the girls.

  Finally drifting off to sleep, his dreams were filled with images of Mia. He and Mia were walking to Lake Springbrook hand in hand; laughing and talking. But something bizarre occurred that made him stir in the real world; he was drowning in the water. Mia drowned him.

  Chapter 6.

  Tareeq lied awake with his arms folded underneath his head. He had woken up an hour early because of the dream that he had. What a terrible nightmare it was! He kicked himself for following them to the lake and not listening to his father.

  He got out of bed and shuffled into his closet to look for an outfit for school that morning. He didn’t feel like going to school, but he had a strong feeling that his father won’t let him stay home.

  Tareeq picked out an outfit of blue jeans, a black hooded sweater with a blue t-shirt to wear underneath it. He took a shower, brushed his teeth and got dressed as usual. He went downstairs to find that his father wasn’t in the living room or the kitchen. He poured himself a bowl of cereal and started to eat his breakfast.

  As he leaned on the kitchen counter, looking outside at the cloudy sky, his mind started to wander about Mia. He thought about her smile for the most part. He found himself blushing at the thought of her hair caressing his neck like before. Feeling a bit weird, he shook his head as if to get the thought of her out of his mind.

  “Pull yourself together, dude.” Tareeq mumbled. Once he was finished eating his cereal, he poured the milk down the drain and the left the bowl in the sink. As he proceeded to leave through the back door through the kitchen, he noticed that there was a note on the refrigerator. Tareeq read it aloud.

  “Went to the city to meet with Howie, I’ll be back this afternoon. Text me if you need anything. Dad.” He read.

  “Damn, I guess I’m roughing it.” He grumbled.

  Tareeq grabbed the house key from the key hook and went out through the back door; locking it behind him. He went around through the front as well and made sure that the front door was locked. He pulled his hood on his head and made his way towards the school in the same fashion that he did the day before.

  He made sure that his headphones weren’t too loud; he didn’t want anyone sneaking up on him, especially Mia Wayne. That wasn’t a prayer that was answered because Mia tapped him on the back. Before he could turn around, he already knew it was her from the way that she tapped his shoulder.

  Groaning in annoyance, Tareeq turned around and saw her smiling. She wore blue, tight fitting jeans this time and a gray cotton hoodie with the same slightly worn Converses on her feet. He took note that her thick kinky hair was in a puff on her head that looked like a black and blue crown.

  “Hey there!” She greeted with a wide grin.

  Although he didn’t want to, he blushed from her bright smile.

  “What’s up?” Tareeq asked, trying to play it cool. Mia walked ahead and Tareeq followed.

  “Nothing, just decided to walk with you.” Mia said. “I’ve noticed that you walk my route every morning. I guess we live on the same street.”

  “Seems so.”

  “What’d you think of the pep rally last night? Pretty corny, eh?”

  “Not really. I actually had mad fun.”

  “You’re definitely going to hate it once you get used to Wittington.”

  “I don’t think I will. My old school wasn’t so big on school spirit so, it’s actually kind of nice.”

  “You’re a good boy, aren’t you?” Mia giggled. Tareeq sucked his teeth and glared at her.

  “Yo, don’t call me that.” He replied. Mia giggled even louder, slapping his back.

  “Wow, you really sound like a New Yorker when you get angry.” She joked. Tareeq cracked a half smile.

  “Yeah well, don’t get me angry.” He quipped. They both made it to the school’s entrance and Mia stopped giggled. She turned and looked at Tareeq intently.

  “I’ll make sure not to get you angry as often.” She said. “Just make sure when you’re talking to me, you keep that lovely accent, Brooklyn boy.” Mia walked up the school steps once she saw her friends and disappeared inside of the school. Tareeq smiled to himself and walked into the school to head to his first class.

  Derek tapped on his steering wheel as he hummed to the soft jazz music that played through his car stereo. He was on his way back to Springbrook after meeting with Howie about the current book that he was working on. He expected the meeting to last all day, but the meeting with Howie was quicker than he imagined.

  Derek made headway onto the highway; he was going to be back home in no time flat. He turned onto the exit that led to the town of Springbrook. Once he was on the main highway, he decided that he would go to the supermarket to pick up some groceries. He made a left then a right onto Stoker Way and turned into the strip mall that housed the Springbrook supermarket. Derek checked his text messages to make sure that Tareeq hadn’t wanted for anything. He got out of the car, taking a whiff of the crisp autumn afternoon air, and made his way to the supermar
ket.

  Still humming, he grabbed a green shopping cart and went into the large supermarket. He looked around and saw that there wasn’t a lot of patrons in the store which made him happy.

  Derek strolled into aisle one and started looking over the types of cereals that the market stocked. He chose Tareeq’s favorite cereal and started to look over other dry foods. Through his shopping, he didn’t notice the woman coming down the aisle nor did she see him. Their carts collided and Derek looked up to see the woman that stood before him. His eyes widened as he looked her up and down. The woman was brown skinned with braid extensions that were wrapped neatly in a bun atop her head. She had almond shaped eyes that were a dark brown color in the iris. Her lips were full and her nose was plump. Derek closed his mouth thinking that he looked foolish, eyeing her in the manner that he did.

  “I’m so sorry.” The woman said with an embarrassed smile.

  “Uh, that’s alright.” Derek replied. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

  “I see.” She giggled. “I never seen you around here before. I shop here every time; I see almost the same folks shopping here.”

  “I just moved here with my son actually. I’m Derek Cooper.” He stretched out his hand and she took his and shook it.

  “I’m Elise Carter.” She said with a grin.

  “Nice to meet you Elise. Very nice name.”

  “Thank you, Derek. I’m assuming that your son goes to Wittington?”

  “Yeah, he’s a junior.”

  “Is he adjusting well?”

  “I believe so.” Derek furrowed his brow. “What’s with all the interrogation questions?”