The Diary of Aaliyah Anderson Page 4

  I think we really should learn something from tennis players. You rarely hear about them fighting people in the club, getting arrested, or overreacting to any drama. They really don’t have the time for that.

  Sometimes when I’m in crazy situations, like the one this morning with Mrs. Conner, I ask myself, “What would Serena do?”

  Serena Williams is my favorite athlete and she’s had to overcome so much to become the best female tennis player in the world - at least in my opinion. They lied on her, said she looked like a man, halfway discriminated against her because of her skin color and gender, yet she still overcame and won all those awards and championships.

  I need to learn how to be mentally tough like Serena! The first insult the media threw my way, I would’ve definitely psyched out! I’m learning to keep my temper in check, though. Letting people play with your emotions like that definitely isn’t beneficial when you’re trying to be successful, especially with me wanting to be an entrepreneur one day.

  Allison’s seventeen-year-old sister Hailey dropped me off back at my “father’s” house in Hillyard around 8:35. I was so sore I barely could walk! I managed to get to the den where D was watching a recording of Momma’s talk show, working on one of his new stories on his laptop.

  “What’s going on, ‘Liyah?” he asked me as I limped over to the sofa to lie down.

  “Nothing much. I just got back from playing tennis with Allison on the north side. My legs hurt so much, it feels like they’re about to fall off.”

  D laughed. “That’s good!”

  I smacked my lips. “How is that good?”

  “Come on, Liyah. I know you’ve heard the saying, ‘No pain, no gain’. That pain in your legs is proof you’ve been working hard.”

  “Well, this pain may keep me from going to school tomorrow. How am I gonna get to school if I can’t walk?”

  D looked up from his computer and said, “Well, I guess you’re gonna have to limp to school or something. You can’t miss school, especially on the first week!”

  I laughed. Even through tough times, D always found some way to make me feel better.

  “So, how was your first day in high school? Were you nervous? Did you hear about the alternative school situation?” I asked him after a brief second of silence.

  He smiled. “It was straight, and I wasn’t nervous. I’m not really worried about the alternative school. I really don’t have time to deal with all that’s about to go on with football and everything in the next few months. Plus, what do I have to worry about? They’re not gonna affect me. I’m still gonna do what I normally do, chill and get on this schoolwork. With or without them being at Howard-Jones, there’s still gonna be drama. For example, Hazel got jumped by some senior girls at breakfast. The first fight of the school year! It was pretty bad, too.”

  I was shocked! “What? Who’d wanna jump Hazel? She’s so cool!”

  D shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s the exact same thing Vicky asked. Something must be wrong if Hazel started fighting.”

  Hazel is a good friend of my first cousins Victoria and Lyric. She was a cheerleader when she went to Clarkson and was always so quiet and shy. Why would those girls jump her? I guess Howard-Jones isn’t as safe as people say it is if they would let something like that happen. It’s probably gonna get less safe with all those bad kids coming down there.

  “Jeff started fighting with Rob after school in that abandoned Wal-Mart parking lot downtown too. I think it was over some gang drama. The police arrested him for trespassing, gang activity, and assault. Dad had to pay like a $500 bail to get him out. I swear, Jeff needs to chill before he gets sent back to jail. You know how it hurt Moms to see him get locked up that first time.”

  I just shook my head. D was totally right. Rob Ruben is a friend of D’s that he met during a football camp a year ago. Rob lives on the west side and claims the Killas, the Rydahz’s number one worst enemy. They hate the Killas more than King Street!

  He’s also another guy with a huge ego. Rob swears he’s bad because he’s tall and has a li’l bit of muscle on him. He definitely needs to get off that, because I’ve seen tons of big guys get knocked down to size here in Willowsfield. That really doesn’t matter.

  “Enough about what went down at Howard-Jones,” D said as he shut down his computer and turned off the TV. “How was your first day back at school?”

  D, being the great big brother that he is, knew I had a lot on my mind. After he asked me that, I told him about everything, from Mrs. Conner to Jakiyah’s new drama, how I really felt about the alternative school, the weed fight, and Miss Carter being announced as the principal.

  “Wow! You had a pretty interesting day,” D said after I was finished.

  I sighed. “Yeah, you could say that.”

  “’Liyah, don’t worry about any of that. Mrs. Conner is naturally a pain. She was the same way back last year when I was in her class. She used to act like she hated me back last year, too.”

  I laughed. “Really? She said that you were one of her favorite students and everything.”

  “She lied to you! Mrs. Conner used to give me trouble daily.”

  I was surprised! “Well, how’d you get past her class? She even said you had a perfect grade in her class.”

  “I guess her acting like that made me put more effort into my work. You know how I am, Aaliyah. If you challenge me, I’m gonna try even harder to prove I’m the best. Her class required me to put in a lot of hard work and effort to pass, so I accepted the challenge and gave it my all. You understand what I’m saying?”

  I understood exactly where D was coming from. He was pretty much telling me to not worry about her stank attitude and do my best.

  He continued to give me advice. “Jakiyah is always getting herself in trouble. Honestly, I don’t even understand why you hang around her. Her drama is not your drama. Let those girls beat her. Who cares? It’s her fault that she’s in that situation, not yours. It’s the same thing about the alternative school situation. It’s not a big deal. Everything’s gonna be okay for Jamarcus, Victoria, Lyric and me. You worry too much about other people’s problems.”

  D, once again, was telling me the truth. That’s why I love him! He always keeps it one hundred with me. I can’t let anybody, even ‘Kiyah, bring me down. Her big mouth is the reason she’s about to get jumped anyway. D’s right; why should I care? I gotta stay focused!

  ♠♠♠♠

  More Than a Woman

  My conversation with D really gave me a lot to think about. When I finally got the strength to walk up the stairs and go to my room, I fell on my bed, got my iPod Touch off my dresser, and went into my own world. Listening to Aaliyah, my favorite singer for more reasons than one, definitely got my mind off of the craziness of my first day.

  My theme song has to be “More Than a Woman” off her last album before she passed in that horrible plane accident. That’s the ringtone on my phone too. Aaliyah was such a role model. Even in the crazy music industry, she still kept her family and friends first and remained the same. Her swag was out of this world too. I mean, what female artist was dressing like Aaliyah before she came out?

  Whenever I listen to one of her songs, I can’t help but think about the plane accident that took her life. There had to be a way to prevent that from happening. Why did the airport employees let them ride when he knew that they were over the weight limit? I guess the pilot wasn’t of any help because he was high and drunk. Why was a drunken cocaine addict even cleared to fly the plane anyway? What was going on with that airport?

  Let me go on and go to sleep so I can get ready for tomorrow. There are a lot of obstacles being thrown my way, but I know God has me and I’ll get through it. I have to succeed. I really don’t have a choice if I wanna finally get to Howard-Jones, the high school I’m probably gonna go to, with D and my cousins.

  Love,

  Aaliyah Anderson

  ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤�
�❤❤

  TGIF (Thank God it’s Friday!

  August 17, 2012, 8:45 p.m.

  Thank God it’s Friday! This first week of school has been extremely stressful. I haven’t written much in here the past few days because I haven’t had any time. I had projects due for three of my six teachers, including Mrs. Conner, which had to be turned in by today. Did I mention it’s only the first week of school? I’ve really started to understand why D gets so personal when it’s comes to his stories. When you don’t write for a long period of time, it feels like a part of you is missing.

  At the end of the day on Tuesday, ‘Kiyah got jumped by those girls she was arguing with on Facebook. They came on Clarkson’s campus from Booker T and waited for her to come out. It turns out that these girls were juniors and they drove down just to fight ‘Kiyah.

  Really, seventeen-year-old juniors were waiting outside of a middle school trying to fight an 8th grader? And they were fighting over Facebook drama. I swear, people act so childish these days! The funniest thing about it is that ‘Kiyah didn’t just stand there and get beaten. She actually got some hits in, giving one of those girls two black eyes and even pulling out one of their weaves.

  Jakiyah got suspended for ten days while the girls got arrested for assault on a minor and trespassing, all over an unnecessary Facebook comment! If I was ‘Kiyah, I would’ve immediately shut down my Facebook. I mean, she just got jumped because of that b.s.! No website is worth all this ratchet junk that went down Tuesday.

  Instead, ‘Kiyah decided to take a different approach…

  An hour after the fight ended, she went to Facebook and posted a status about how she won the fight and that they could “get their round two”. I swear she doesn’t learn from her mistakes! Like I said, the girl got jumped because of Facebook drama and she’s gonna make things worse by lying and saying she beat those girls! Even though ‘Kiyah is one of my best friends, I have to tell the truth. She was flexing big time!

  Then, to make it even worse, some Rydah boys filmed it and uploaded it to YouTube and WorldStarHipHop.com. It was already horrible that we had high school students jumping one middle school student and they couldn’t even put her down. Now, the whole world can see how childish and petty Willowsfield can be! I’m so embarrassed!

  This situation made me think back to when I first met ‘Kiyah. We actually were about to fight over a boy named Desmond who was trying to be a player, talking to both of us at the same time back in 6th grade when I used to live in Riverstone Creek. No lie, I was scared when I heard she wanted to fight me! Yeah, that was back when I thought I was untouchable and I definitely wouldn’t have just stood there and got beaten up, but ‘Kiyah gets crazy when it comes to drama and boys.

  If it wasn’t for D squashing the beef between the both of us, I probably would’ve been in the hospital for a long while! But hey, I just would’ve had to take the loss or bounce back and see ‘Kiyah for that round two. That’s just how it is in Willowsfield, mainly Riverstone Creek. That’s how I was raised.

  After that, we just became friends. I don’t know how, but it happened. She even stuck up for me when some 8th grade girls wanted to jump me because they were mad that I was going with one of the finest boys in the school, 8th grade basketball star Xavier Johnson, back in 7th grade. That boy was tall, talented, and fine! For some reason, I attract older guys. That’s just the way it is. To be honest, I would’ve been mad too if I was them! It’s history after that.

  ♠♠♠♠

  Mrs. Connor Strikes Again

  Mrs. Conner had been trying to pick fights and arguments with me the whole week, but her problem with me went to a whole new level on Wednesday afternoon when she banned me from her class until I “learned respect”. She needs to learn some respect before she starts telling other people to! I can’t even go to homeroom! The crazy thing is that all this started because of a broken pencil.

  In 3rd period, Mrs. Conner told us to write a five page essay on why all the girls that started fighting this week were stupid and how they disgraced their family’s name in only twenty-five minutes or else she’d give us a zero for our first grade.

  I can’t believe this lady really told us that Jakiyah and the girls that were fighting at the assembly in the gym are a disgrace to their families! And she’s calling me disrespectful? If I was disrespectful, I would’ve told her about herself after she dissed ‘Kiyah on the sly. My bestie isn’t stupid; she just lets her mouth get her in trouble that could be prevented.

  Anyway, I pulled out some notebook paper and started writing my name down when the point of the pencil broke. I then turned to Allison and quietly asked if she had a spare pencil I could borrow.

  As Allison was looking in her purse to find a pencil for me, Mrs. Conner immediately turned around and shouted, “Anderson, didn’t I say that I wanted quiet?”

  Even though she just yelled at me, I held up my hands, maintained my cool, and said in a normal tone, “I was just asking for a pencil.”

  “But I told you to shut up and write that essay.”

  “But I told you that I was just asking for a pencil.”

  Some people started saying, “Ooh” which added more fuel to the fire. I hate when people do that, trying to instigate and start drama. I wasn’t trying to snap at her; I was just standing by what I said. She wasn’t hearing it though.

  “Little girl, I don’t care what you’re asking for! I told you to shut up and write that essay and there’s not a thing you can say about it! That’s the problem with you young people today. You have no respect! I’m the only adult in here. If I tell you to do something, you do it! That’s why y’all ain’t gonna be nothing in this world! All you wanna do is mess around, fight, and disrespect authority figures and each other. But you’re not gonna talk that way to me!”

  Some more “Oohs” started going around the class. I immediately snapped and said, “No respect? All I did was ask for a pencil so I can do your crazy assignment and you’re tripping! How am I gonna write your essay without a pencil? Here’s an even better question: why are we doing this assignment? What does this have to do with History? If you won’t let me get another pencil, I guess it’s just not gonna get done!”

  After I said that, a huge amount of “Oohs” were coming from across the class. I wished they would shut up!

  “Oh, you’re not gonna do my assignment are you?” she asked no one in particular as she walked over to her desk, pulled out an office referral slip, and started writing me up. I was extremely angry! The first write up of my school career, all because my pencil broke!

  After she was done, she gave me the slip and said, “I don’t want you in my presence until you learn respect. In other words, you’ve officially been banned from my classroom. You’re responsible for picking up your own work and are expected to complete any assignments I give, but I don’t want to see your face in my class until told otherwise. Have fun!”

  ♠♠♠♠

  Miss Carter

  As I walked to the office, heated, I read over what she wrote on the referral. She straight up lied on me! She had the nerve to put, “Class disruption, disrespectful, refuses to do work. She even said, ‘I guess it’s just not gonna get done’. She has been banned from class until told otherwise.” Is she serious? How did I disrupt the class? She was the one that was shouting!

  When I made it to the front office I sat in the holding area, still trying to think of what I did to get banned from her class. This is my first referral ever! I’ve never even been close to getting kicked out!

  Then Miss Carter came in…

  She walked through the office with Miss Simmons, the attractive, thirty-year-old office secretary, and I was amazed. She had on a really cute outfit: a gray Ralph Lauren blazer that was about $700 the last time I saw it on the website, a white button down shirt underneath, a reasonable-length gray skirt, gray Christian Louboutin leather platform pumps, and a Louis Vuitton shoulder bag. Miss Carter doesn’t play when it comes to dressing, that’
s for sure!

  I swear, the TV doesn’t do her justice! She’s about an inch taller than me at 5’4” with a petite yet shapely body. Her light brown skin was virtually flawless and her teeth looked as if she went to the dentist every week. She had medium length, straight dark brown hair that had a type of natural glow to it. She walked into the office with a confident, professional swagger. She knew she was the woman in charge!

  Honestly, I thought she was gonna ignore me. Miss Carter probably had some other business to handle, since it was her first week and everything. I thought she was just gonna push me off on the assistant principal Mrs. Hudson, who was over office referrals last year. If I went to Mrs. Hudson, her fat, mean self would probably give me about a week in ISS even though it was my first time.

  I have to stop thinking so negative!

  Miss Carter actually came up to me and asked, “Are you Aaliyah Anderson?”

  I nodded, speechless. I was surprised but paranoid at the same time.

  Why was she asking me that? Did Mrs. Conner send her an email about me? If she did, she was probably lying so I’m probably gonna get at least three days of ISS. Those were the thoughts that were rapidly circling around my head as Miss Carter stood before me.

  There I was, thinking negative again!

  She smiled and extended her hand. “So you’re Natasha’s baby girl! Wow! She used to always tell me about her two angels Damon and Aaliyah every time I came on her morning show. That’s my sorority sister right there. Sigma Beta to the heart!”

  I smiled and shook her hand, still too shocked to say anything. But my thoughts were weighing heavily on me.

  This is my favorite singer and she knows me. She’s probably gonna be mad when she sees this referral!