Fifth Period Lunch

By the third day of school Rica's lunch table overflowed with cool kids. The rumors of her and Caleb dating raised her popularity stock. Even Tiara noticed.

"Dag, you and Caleb are always together," said Tiara to Rica.

"Just seems that way," replied Rica.

"But you guys are dating, right?"

"Hmph!" Rica didn't answer.

"Well, are you both going to Alexa's party Saturday?" asked Tiara.

"Caleb's invited, I wasn't. But you knew that already, didn't you?" asked Rica with an evil tone.

Tiara paused.

"I mean, I didn't know if Alexa invited you or not," she said, averting her gaze.

"Does she plan on inviting me?" asked Rica, glaring at Tiara.

"Oh, I don't know, I'm sure she will."

"Good, then ask her for me!" said Rica, putting Tiara on the spot in front of the other classmates.

"Me? You have to ask her," said Tiara.

Rica tightened the screws, "I don't know Alexa, but you do, Tiara. Don't you want me and Caleb at the party? Norman too, all of us?"

"Yeah, wassup with that, I didn't get an invite either!" yelled Norman from the table.

Everyone stared at Tiara. "Yes, of course I want you to go. I want everyone to go!" she declared.

"Good, when you see Alexa you let her know all of us want to go and we're all going to have a good time Saturday," commanded Rica.

"I'm not sure-"

"All eyes on you Tiara!" said Rica, turning her back on Tiara.

"Yeah yo, get us invites for Alexa's party at Skate Key! I could skate!" joked Norman.

The students at the table erupted in laughter at Norman and Tiara. Now Tiara would have to ask Alexa for invites or the fifth period lunch crowd would accuse her of choosing Alexa over her own class and cut her off. Social suicide for Tiara, and a clear demonstration of Rica's lunchtime power.

Be Nice

Rica continued making rounds at the end of school. She joked with classmates and made sure to defend some from others. She knew school popularity was a fickle beast and must be maintained with a both a generous and a firm hand.

Caleb watched Rica's actions, and told her about herself on the walk home.

"You know if you want to go Alexa's party you can go with me," said Caleb.

"Why? Is that what Alexa told you when you met her for sixth period today?" asked Rica.

"No, that's not what we talked about."

"Yeah, well going with you is not an invite," snapped Rica.

"I know, but you didn't have to treat Tiara like that at lunch."

"Yes I damn well did need to treat her that way, and you need to stop taking these girls' sides." she barked.

"I'm not taking sides, you're the one being confrontational with them, I mean Alexa was nothing but nice to you this morning and you were all cold to her," said Caleb.

Rica squinted at him.

"You think she was being nice to me?" she asked him.

"She was nothing but nice to you!"

Rica couldn't believe what she heard. Was Caleb so dense that he couldn't see that Tiara and Alexa did not like her? Or, maybe Alexa was being nice and Rica misread her. She wasn't sure. But she was sure about Tiara, and Tiara had it coming.

"Hmph!" Rica pouted, turning away from Caleb. Caleb, new to dealing with girls, fell into Rica's trap.

"Rica, stop all that, I'm just saying-"

"You're saying you like those girls and you want to be with them, so go be with them!" she snapped.

"What? I didn't say that! I just want to be cool with everyone. Why are you girls...?

"Why are we what?"

"Nothing...just.."

Caleb took Rica's hand and laced his fingers with hers. Rica's heart raced.

"Rica, be nice, not everyone's out to get you," he told her.

Preteen Rica never touched a boy before, let alone held hands with one. Caleb's hand felt so natural that Rica knew she'd been lying to herself. Her actions in school, from blackmailing Norman, taking over the lunch table, putting Tiara in her place and not trusting Alexa could all be reasonably argued as deliberate actions on the part of a professional protecting her client. That's what she told herself.

The truth was different. From the first day she met Caleb she thought he was a cutey and she liked him. His confident character, his wit, and now his hands. Rica was jealous of every girl who wanted to talk to Caleb.

How troublesome all these girls, hmph!

As the couple approached Caleb's block phone vibrated. The only person who'd call her now would be.

"Hello?"

"Rica, are you holding that boy's hand?" said Reyna on the other line.

"Mom? Oh, um...it couldn't be helped, eyes on me you know!" said Rica, with guilt.

"Right, I'm north of you on your one o'clock, shake the kid, he'll be ok!" commanded Reyna.

If Reyna was here Rica knew it must be important. She politely told Caleb she had to leave.

"Was that your Mom?" he asked

"Legally? Yes," said Rica.

"What?" asked Caleb.

"I'll text you later" she evaded.

Caleb laughed and said goodbye. Rica took off up the block and spotted Reyna's black BMW on the corner. Reyna lowered her window and embarrassed Rica.

"Rica? You aren't doing naughty things with that boy are you?"

"Eh? Like I'd tell you!"

"You wouldn't need to tell me young lady, I'd know!"

Rica entered the BMW and was assaulted with hugs, kisses and parental chiding about her hair from Reyna as Rica attempted to resist, but not resist much. This is the ritual Rica and Reyna share when they've missed each other.

"Ma, what's up! We got a job or something?" said Rica, fending off Reyna's hugs.

"Remember I told you I had to speak to that guy Asim about some things? Yeah, he told me some stuff..now we gotta move his body," said Reyna peeling off from the parking spot into traffic.

"Gross! you couldn't call Julio, he usually does that stuff?" complained Rica.

"Yeah, no. I don't want Julio and them knowing about this Caleb business. This contract is between James Roman and us. James is Caleb's father."

"Right, Caleb's father hired us..where is he?" asked Rica.

"He's dead baby....They killed him while we were in Texas. I told him to get Caleb out of the city, but..here we are."

"Really? Caleb's father is dead?....Does Caleb know this?"

"Yes he does, but Caleb is a gangster's son. He knows to keep his mouth shut and lay low. Caleb's apartment is really a safe house. James gave him the keys to it and told him to hide there. They were supposed to skip town, but James was a stubborn man, set in his ways. Boss Eli Tseka of the Kalaj crew got to him, but not before James contracted you and me to kill Tseka....Too late for him," explained Reyna.

Rica figured it out, "So that's the mission, I protect Caleb, you find Boss ..zek..zel"

"Boss Tseka, and I've been searching this city for days and I can't find him, so you know what that means?" asked Reyna.

"We smoke him out? But how?"

"My favorite way, baby!" answered Reyna, smiling.

"Eh? We start a war?" asked Rica.

Reyna turned and squeezed Rica's cheek.

"That's Right! Now who's Mommy's clever girl?"

....