It was a beautiful Virginia day in late September and our coach decided to let the cheerleaders practice outside. We were just a stone's throw away from the football players and between cheers and cartwheels I watched as Coaches Boone and Yoast blew their whistles as the guys did countless up- downs. Ray had already left me a note in Algebra asking me to meet him when practice was over. We were still together even though I was still slightly sore at him from the dinner escapade at my house the week before. We hadn't talked much since and I guess if we were going to remain together, some of that would have to change. The cheerleaders finished up just minutes before the boys so I gathered my bag and waited by the track for the guys to be done. I smiled to myself as I had to admit that Ray looked pretty sexy in his practice gear with the sweat glistening off his body. By all standards at T.C. Williams, I was considered one of the luckiest girls around. I came from a pretty well off family, I was popular, a cheerleader and Ray Budds was considered quite the catch.
"What's up, soul sister?" Petey teased me as some of the guys made their way over to where I stood on the sidelines.
"Nothing brother", I joked back with him.
"What's up with the new nickname?" Ronnie smiled as he took a drink of water . "Oh you didn't know?" Blue grinned. "You missed it, Sunshine. The other night over at Rev's we had a shindig, boy! Man, it was a good time! Got some homework out of the way then we put on a mini concert."
"Hell yeah", Petey laughed. "Old Mary-Courtney here has got some soul. She tore it up on Ain't No Mountain High Enough."
"Cool", Ronnie said. "Maybe you can teach me some moves sometime."
"Maybe", I shrugged.
Our conversation was interrupted by the lingering presence of Ray.
"You ready?" he asked uncomfortably.
"Yeah...um, see you around guys."
"Sure thing", they said.
"Maybe next time we can see what you're working with on some Ike and Tina", Petey added.
"Sure Petey...as long as you get to be Ike."
I nodded and waved good bye to my friends as Ray and I walked over to his car.
"Wanna go to my house?" he asked. "My parents aren't home."
"I guess", I shrugged.
We made the short drive in uncomfortable silence. Ray opened the door and I took a seat on the living room sofa.
"What was that all about back there?" he finally asked.
"What?"
"Mary-Courtney Davis, the new soul sister."
I laughed in spite of myself at Ray's sarcasm.
"It's nothing. We were just fooling around after a cram session the other night."
"At the public library?"
"No...at Rev's house."
"Rev's house? You were at Rev's house? What the hell, Mary-Courtney? I thought these study sessions or whatever were at the library."
"They were...I mean, they still are. That day the library was closed for an inventory and I really needed some help with all the quizzes and stuff that are gonna be coming up. Louie was going over to Rev's for a little while and they invited me. No big deal."
"No big deal? You...Damn, Mary-Courtney, I can't believe you! Why didn't you tell me?"
"Jesus, Ray there was nothing to tell. You're making a big old mountain out of a mole hill."
"I can't believe you! Your father would have a fit! He didn't want you hanging out with Rev in the first place. It's bad enough you being seen in public with them but now going to their house?"
"So what, Ray? It was just like going to Alan or Gerry's house. It was a nice house in a nice neighborhood with nice people. They were real sweet to me. They invited me to sit down for supper and..."
"Supper? What? Oh God, that's gross, Mary-Courtney! Tell me you did not eat in that house."
"I most certainly did and it was good home cooking, too. A lot better than what your mama and my mama can do, that's for sure."
"You're a disgrace", he snarled, with disgust.
"Well if you really feel that way then maybe I should leave."
I stood up and grabbed my backpack but Ray yanked it from me.
"Sit down. You're not going anywhere."
"Excuse me? What, are you my daddy now? Ray, give me my bag. I'm out of here!"
"I said sit your ass down. You ain't going nowhere little girl."
"Ray Budds, you are not the boss of me", I screamed.
Before I knew what happened his hand landed square across my jaw. The blow sent me flying back into the chair. Almost immediately tears welled in my eyes.
"Ray..."
"Shut up! Shut up, Mary-Courtney, just shut up!"
I was terrified as he paced back and forth in front of me.
"Ray baby, please. You're scaring me."
"No Mary-Courtney, you're scaring me! What in the hell is going on with you? I just don't get you anymore. First Gerry, then Alan now you! What is it about them? Huh? We have to be around them, we don't have to be their friends and stuff."
"Ray, sometimes when unexpected things come along you just have to run with them, baby."
"I'm not running in that direction, Mary-Courtney and neither are you", Ray hollered. "I won't stand for it! No girl of mine is gonna be hanging out with a bunch of colored boys at their house eating their nasty food singing their stupid songs! Do you know how embarrassing that was for me hearing Petey and Blue and the rest talk about you all through practice?"
"They are my friends", I whispered.
"They are not your friends, do you hear me?" Ray screamed as he roughly grabbed me by the arms and began shaking me. "Those people are not your friends and I never ever want to hear you say that again, do you understand me? I won't have you associating with those animals!"
"The only animal I see around here is you, Ray. You're out of control."
With that he slapped me again, hitting me so hard that my entire head rang. I didn't know the man standing before me and I didn't want to know him. I began to cry, first huge tears that were eventually accompanied by earth shattering sobs. I couldn't believe it had come to this. As I sat there crumpled on the floor, Ray finally calmed down and began to come back to his senses.
"Look Mary-Courtney, I'm sorry alright? I didn't mean to...look, I guess I shouldn't have hit you. I'm sorry."
But it was too late for apologies. I was shaking so badly that I couldn't stop.
"Mary-Courtney..."
"Leave me alone", I whimpered as I grabbed my things and dashed for the front door.
When my feet were on his porch I took off running in a sprint down the block to my house as he stood on his steps calling after me. I didn't care. Nothing he could ever say or do would erase what he'd already done. I ran like a sobbing mad woman all the way home, through my front door, past my bewildered mother up to my room. I slammed the door and collapsed on the bed, finally crying myself to sleep. When I woke up a few hours later, the events of the day all seemed like one big, bad, hazy dream but the awful black and blue bruises on my arm were a devastating reminder that it had all been very real. I hated Ray so much at that moment. I think I even hated myself a little bit too but one thing was for sure. I'd never hate my new friends and I'd never stop calling them my friends either.
"What's up, soul sister?" Petey teased me as some of the guys made their way over to where I stood on the sidelines.
"Nothing brother", I joked back with him.
"What's up with the new nickname?" Ronnie smiled as he took a drink of water . "Oh you didn't know?" Blue grinned. "You missed it, Sunshine. The other night over at Rev's we had a shindig, boy! Man, it was a good time! Got some homework out of the way then we put on a mini concert."
"Hell yeah", Petey laughed. "Old Mary-Courtney here has got some soul. She tore it up on Ain't No Mountain High Enough."
"Cool", Ronnie said. "Maybe you can teach me some moves sometime."
"Maybe", I shrugged.
Our conversation was interrupted by the lingering presence of Ray.
"You ready?" he asked uncomfortably.
"Yeah...um, see you around guys."
"Sure thing", they said.
"Maybe next time we can see what you're working with on some Ike and Tina", Petey added.
"Sure Petey...as long as you get to be Ike."
I nodded and waved good bye to my friends as Ray and I walked over to his car.
"Wanna go to my house?" he asked. "My parents aren't home."
"I guess", I shrugged.
We made the short drive in uncomfortable silence. Ray opened the door and I took a seat on the living room sofa.
"What was that all about back there?" he finally asked.
"What?"
"Mary-Courtney Davis, the new soul sister."
I laughed in spite of myself at Ray's sarcasm.
"It's nothing. We were just fooling around after a cram session the other night."
"At the public library?"
"No...at Rev's house."
"Rev's house? You were at Rev's house? What the hell, Mary-Courtney? I thought these study sessions or whatever were at the library."
"They were...I mean, they still are. That day the library was closed for an inventory and I really needed some help with all the quizzes and stuff that are gonna be coming up. Louie was going over to Rev's for a little while and they invited me. No big deal."
"No big deal? You...Damn, Mary-Courtney, I can't believe you! Why didn't you tell me?"
"Jesus, Ray there was nothing to tell. You're making a big old mountain out of a mole hill."
"I can't believe you! Your father would have a fit! He didn't want you hanging out with Rev in the first place. It's bad enough you being seen in public with them but now going to their house?"
"So what, Ray? It was just like going to Alan or Gerry's house. It was a nice house in a nice neighborhood with nice people. They were real sweet to me. They invited me to sit down for supper and..."
"Supper? What? Oh God, that's gross, Mary-Courtney! Tell me you did not eat in that house."
"I most certainly did and it was good home cooking, too. A lot better than what your mama and my mama can do, that's for sure."
"You're a disgrace", he snarled, with disgust.
"Well if you really feel that way then maybe I should leave."
I stood up and grabbed my backpack but Ray yanked it from me.
"Sit down. You're not going anywhere."
"Excuse me? What, are you my daddy now? Ray, give me my bag. I'm out of here!"
"I said sit your ass down. You ain't going nowhere little girl."
"Ray Budds, you are not the boss of me", I screamed.
Before I knew what happened his hand landed square across my jaw. The blow sent me flying back into the chair. Almost immediately tears welled in my eyes.
"Ray..."
"Shut up! Shut up, Mary-Courtney, just shut up!"
I was terrified as he paced back and forth in front of me.
"Ray baby, please. You're scaring me."
"No Mary-Courtney, you're scaring me! What in the hell is going on with you? I just don't get you anymore. First Gerry, then Alan now you! What is it about them? Huh? We have to be around them, we don't have to be their friends and stuff."
"Ray, sometimes when unexpected things come along you just have to run with them, baby."
"I'm not running in that direction, Mary-Courtney and neither are you", Ray hollered. "I won't stand for it! No girl of mine is gonna be hanging out with a bunch of colored boys at their house eating their nasty food singing their stupid songs! Do you know how embarrassing that was for me hearing Petey and Blue and the rest talk about you all through practice?"
"They are my friends", I whispered.
"They are not your friends, do you hear me?" Ray screamed as he roughly grabbed me by the arms and began shaking me. "Those people are not your friends and I never ever want to hear you say that again, do you understand me? I won't have you associating with those animals!"
"The only animal I see around here is you, Ray. You're out of control."
With that he slapped me again, hitting me so hard that my entire head rang. I didn't know the man standing before me and I didn't want to know him. I began to cry, first huge tears that were eventually accompanied by earth shattering sobs. I couldn't believe it had come to this. As I sat there crumpled on the floor, Ray finally calmed down and began to come back to his senses.
"Look Mary-Courtney, I'm sorry alright? I didn't mean to...look, I guess I shouldn't have hit you. I'm sorry."
But it was too late for apologies. I was shaking so badly that I couldn't stop.
"Mary-Courtney..."
"Leave me alone", I whimpered as I grabbed my things and dashed for the front door.
When my feet were on his porch I took off running in a sprint down the block to my house as he stood on his steps calling after me. I didn't care. Nothing he could ever say or do would erase what he'd already done. I ran like a sobbing mad woman all the way home, through my front door, past my bewildered mother up to my room. I slammed the door and collapsed on the bed, finally crying myself to sleep. When I woke up a few hours later, the events of the day all seemed like one big, bad, hazy dream but the awful black and blue bruises on my arm were a devastating reminder that it had all been very real. I hated Ray so much at that moment. I think I even hated myself a little bit too but one thing was for sure. I'd never hate my new friends and I'd never stop calling them my friends either.