Page 13 of Grown

Malika:Anyways, like I was saying... the rental van to New Jersey will leave at seven thirty a.m. sharp from the town shopping center. No CP time. My mother, Mrs. Woods, and Mr. Stevens will be our chaperones. Enchanted, Mrs. Woods volunteered you to sing the black national anthem. You need the words?

Enchanted:Nah, I’m good.

Malika:Good at what?

Sean:Nah, she means shegoodlike she cool. Straight. Gucci. She got it covered. You keep forgetting she didn’t grow up in the ’burbs like us.

Malika:Whatever. Here, everybody. This is your packing list and the schedule. We need to wear business suits on the last day.

Shea:Chant...

Enchanted:Relax, you can fit into my old one. I’m wearing Mom’s.

Sean:Y’all! First night, party in my room! I already talked to my boys from the Brooklyn and Philly chapters and they’ll be—

Aisha:I don’t think Warren will like that.

Sean:Who’s Warren?

Malika:Aisha’s boyfriend.

Sean:Yo, that clown that dropped you off in that hoopty?

Aisha:Shut up, Sean! We all ain’t lucky enough for our daddy to buy us a BMW after he crashed the first one.

Sean:Man, whatever. So, what y’all drinking? I can have my boy from the Danbury chapter bring some bottles from his brother’s army base.

Malika:Look. I’m not trying to sound like... well, like a mom or something. But everyone has to be on their best behavior this year.

Creighton:Meaning?

Malika:No sneaking off to girls’ rooms or partying. No getting drunk at the teen social.

Aisha:Our chapter already has a scarlet letteron our backs. Let’s just not give them... anything else to talk about.

Sean:So we gotta be mad basic? That’s wack.

Enchanted:Is there anything else? I have to head out early.

Sean:What for?

Malika:We haven’t even gone over the schedule yet. We have a presentation to prepare!

Enchanted:Going to see Korey Fields tonight.

Sean:Oh, dope! I heard that joint was sold out. How’d you get tickets?

Shea:He gave—

Enchanted:Parents lucked up on tickets! That’s all.

Malika:Well. Have fun in the nosebleed section.

Chapter 9

VIP Stands for...

VIP stands for Very Important Person. I looked that up on Wikipedia.