Not Like Us

By: Sailorjj07

2. Chapter 2

A/n: Already getting such lovely responses from everyone! Thanks so much yall! Oh yeah and quick question! Is it "Jasmine" or "Jazmine"? I'll write it with an "s" in this chappy, just to see if it comes easier to me than the "z".

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Actions

(Me!)

Disclaimer: I do not own!

Cindy bobbed her head in time to the music blasting in her ears. Riley had found a new rapper, courtesy of their hommie Thugnificent, and had been singing dude's praises all week. True to his reviews, the new rapper was decent, with good rhythm and really deep lyrics.

She wanted to sing along with the vocals, but that really wasn't her thing. She tapped her pencil against her desk, tapping out the beat as she stared at her homework. The first week of school and already, she was swamped.

Like a good little girl she had taken honors classes, along with Jasmine and Huey. Even Riley was in a couple honors classes although he was a grade below her and Jazzy. She had heard the sophomore teachers whisper in the halls about how Riley's English and math scores were positively amazing.

Speaking of Riley...Cindy hadn't seen him since last week at her basketball game. The small incident in the car had made him avoid seeking her out outside of school again - something Cindy definitely didn't want to happen. She heaved a sigh as she leaned back in her desk chair, dropping the pencil on the wooden surface.

How was she going to see Riley again? She really wanted to see him. Of course they talked all the time; she called him almost every day. The days they didn't talk were the days he had homework in his honors art classes.

But how could she get him to actually, physically see her outside of school? She knew he was getting his hair braided up today and he didn't want to be bothered, but he always wanted to step out when his braids were fresh. He'd definitely want to show them off.

Maybe she could accidently bump into him at the mall? Or "happen" to be walking near his house? Maybe Ed could let her meet up with Riley at his house?

Cindy sighed. It wasn't so much that she just had to see Riley. She wasn't obsessed with him or anything. But she loved to see him. In Riley, she saw everything she had ever wanted in a guy; everything she had ever dreamed of, right there in front of her. His mocha colored skin made her want to melt into a puddle every time she looked at him, and when his chocolate eyes met with her's, there was nothing else in the world that existed.

And she'd do anything for Riley; absolutely anything. She was his ride or die chick, no matter what.

Cindy sighed again as she thought about Riley - how his sexy arms looked when he was about to shoot a three-pointer, how he bit down on his bottom lip to concentrate; how his entire face would brighten when he saw something funny enough to make fun of...

Oohh Monday couldn't come fast enough.

Monday

Cindy had it all planned out. Today she was going to fail her English test miserably. It was going to be SO pitiful, she'd probably be threatened to be stuck in the remedial course or something. Then when she got her test back tomorrow, she'd ask Riley to be her tutor.

All she had to do right now was lay the bait. She had made sure to be extra cute today - she was wearing a pink sweater with as low a V-neck as was appropriate for school and her Pastry jeans with pink and black graffiti down one leg. Her hair was in a high ponytail and her make-up was modest with the eye light make-up to accentuate her blue eyes.

Cindy bit on her lip to make sure her lip gloss was still there as she strode over to Riley and his group of friends by his locker. Riley hung out with three chicks and one dude, a click that had started his freshman year.

The first and oldest of the girls was Kiko Wuncler, Ed's mail-order wife, from Japan. She was 18 and really didn't have to attend high school but had said she wanted to, for the American experience. Kiko was absolutely gorgeous with big chestnut colored almond eyes and straight hair almost to her waist. She was slim and tiny, standing at about five foot two. Since it was illegal in the US for the two to get married when she had first arrived in the States, she simply lived at Ed's as his girlfriend for a year until her 18th birthday.

Kiko quickly made friends with Riley and Cindy, but had also drawn in a new girl to the group, Miami Flaminco, a Latino girl from Arizona. Miami was the middle girl of the group, a junior like Cindy. She was curvy and exotic - just looking at her dark hair and eyes made Cindy jealous. She was tall too, standing at about five foot seven, jousting Cindy's five five height.

Cindy was extremely shocked but pleased to find out that Miami had a boyfriend already, Robin Mauve, a Native American dude from Oklahoma. His family had moved to Woodcrest after saving up some of their monthly stipends for being half Native American. He had straight black hair that stopped at his shoulders and was pretty buff. He was on the football team too, which was good since Miami was on the dance team (she said something about the cheerleaders not having enough "flavor" for her).

The youngest and possibly shyest of their group was Jalysa Walker. She was a cute little Black girl with a twin brother, Jaleile, although they weren't together that much. Jalysa was a total book worm and a nerd. The little freshman loved to read and play video games, so it was easy to find her - in the library or in the computer lab, working on something. Jalysa's cute little bob matched her light brown eyes perfectly.

"Hey yall," Cindy called as she strode over to the group. Various "heys" and "wassup", came from most of the people standing there, although Miami and Robin were a bit too preoccupied with each other to notice Cindy's arrival.

"Hey, C-Murda, what's good, mama?" Kiko leaned against her locker, staring down at the wedding ring gleaming on her finger before she looked back up at Cindy, grinning widely. Her accent was still clear in her speech, but Kiko had practiced English often while in Japan so it was coming easier to her now.

And Kiko really did love Ed. Even though they had about a ten year age gap, she honestly and truly loved him. (Ed was childish enough to make it more like a three year gap.) It was a funny thing to see; Ed Wuncler in love. Especially since Kiko was pretty much allowed to do whatever she wanted with his money.

"Not much yall. Just dreadin this test I'm bout to take."

Riley glanced at her as he shuffled through the books in his locker, and Cindy could feel her heart beat speed up. "What test, yo?"

"This English test. I gotta take it first period and I'm hella nervous."

"English? White gurl, you ARE English, whatchu nervous fa?" Riley asked, slamming the locker shut and leaning up against it. Cindy could feel his gaze traveling over her clothes, looking her over. She could feel heat warming her face, but tried to ignore it.

"Yo, Young Reezy, erebody can't be good at English like yo cheatin ass." Cindy punctuated her remark by gently poking Riley in the chest. He frowned at her and caught her single finger, wrapping his hand around it as if to move it away.

Except he didn't.

Cindy looked down at their hands, so close to each other...They weren't exactly holding hands but it was definitely close enough.

" 'ey! I don cheat! I pass fair and square!"

"Yeah, whateva nigga. You cheat."

"I don!"

"Prove it. If I fail, you betta help me since you so good at English."

"Help? Like aftaskool and stuff?"

"Well duh. If you actually passin on yo own, it ain't nuthin to teach somebody else, right?"

Riley's chocolate eyes narrowed for a moment. He regarded Cindy slowly, and she squirmed under his gaze as it appeared he may actually see through her plan.

'Don't figure it out, don't figure it out, don't figure it out-!'

"Awright. It may hurt my gangsta image a bit, but I'll help you. If you fail." Riley nodded, as if to confirm it with everyone around them. Jalysa grinned and gave Cindy a thumbs up, as if she knew what was up.

Hell, she probably did.

Cindy smiled her most grateful smile at Riley and he blinked at her with a start, not expecting the gesture, but clearly dazzled by it. He recovered his facial expression quickly though and turned to say something to Miami and Robin.

" 'Ey, you two! Get a damn room! Geez!"

"I couldn't agree more." Huey commented, walking by with Jasmine on his arm. He nodded in his brother's direction as Jazzy waved at Cindy and the others.

"Hey, there's a party tonight, are you guys coming?" Jasmine asked, looking the group over.

Robin, who have finally released his lip lock with Miami, nodded at the couple, pondering in the back of his mind how Jasmine had convince Huey to go to a party. Everyone knew the dude just wanted to sit at home and read, but if Jazzy was involved, he'd do anything for her.

He was just that sprung, he knew.

"Yeah me and Miami are going. The football team was invited and so was the dance team." Robin told Jasmine, who nodded in agreement.

"So was the cheerleading squad!" Jasmine cried, as if it was that big of a coincidence. If the football team was going, of course the cheerleaders were going.

"They invited the karate club too," Huey murmured quietly.

"That means the basketball teams probably were too?" Cindy asked, although she hadn't heard anything. Sure enough, in mere seconds, she and Riley's phones began to beep and a text message popped up.

"That answa yo question, Milky?"

Cindy giggled. Any other white person would find Riley's nickname insulting, but she was amused. She liked the cute little name, even it referred to her skin.

"Course it did. You goin, Reezy?"

"Hell naw. I got an art project."

Cindy tried to reign in her disappointment. It wasn't often that she got chances to dance with Riley, but if he wasn't going to the party, maybe she shouldn't either...

"Oh," Cindy said out loud, hoping she didn't look as disappointed as she felt. Riley's chocolate eyes looked her over quietly and Huey just shook his head as the bell rang.

Those two were idiots.

At Lunch

"Shit, Milky. You really failed? Fareal?"

Cindy resisted the urge to pump her fist in the air. She had bombed the test horribly. Not only that, but her teacher decided to grade all the tests during class! She had done so badly on the test, her teacher wrote a comment on it that said he knew she could do better.

Riley spooned some mashed potatoes in his mouth, stunned to say the least.

"How'd you fail a test this easy? What the hell?" Riley said, between mouthfuls.

"Maybe she didn't study, Riley, cut her some slack." Jalysa was trying to help Cindy out. She ate her ice cream cone thoughtfully as Riley handed Cindy's failed test to her. She nearly gagged at the huge 38 written on it in bright, red ink. "Damn Cindy. That is bad."

"See? I told you!"

"Cindy, I know you didn't do that bad, mija. Let me see." Miami held her hand out to look at the test and burst out laughing when she saw the grade. "How did you even pull this off? Bwahahah!"

"Thanks Miami. Love you too, chicka."

"Well, Cin, looks like you really are going to need Riley to tutor you." Robin winked at Cindy as he said this and thank goodness Riley wasn't looking!

"Yup. I'm sure I'll pass with Young Reezy as my tutor!" Cindy said happily. Her plan had worked so wonderfully.

Riley shrugged, trying to be nonchalant about the whole thing. In truth, he was pretty damn happy to be tutoring Cindy outside of school. "When's yo next test?"

"In two weeks."

"Well, with a grade like this, we gone have to study like every otha day. Damn, White Gurl."

"Riley, I can't say thank you enough."

"Hell naw, you can't." Riley replied, smirking. "But you sho' as hell could try, starting now. Gimme that pudding cup on yo tray."

"Here. Beggin ass," Cindy said, smiling mischievously.

"Young Reezy don't beg for nothing!"

End Chapter 2