Pushin' Read online

  “Okay, okay. I’ll tell her,” I say, reaching for the small accent pillows on the other side of the bed and propping myself up, ready to learn. “Now, tell me everything you can remember about your ability to chill a person’s mind out. It’s a dope power to have, Mom.” My mom smiles at my enthusiasm and I’m glad to spend some time with her. Finally, she is choosing time with her daughter over her man, and I’m grateful for it.

  “The first thing you need to learn is that everything has side effects, Jayd. Read the label carefully, which in our case is the spirit book. When you retained my vision from your dream, you should have looked for stories about things that happened to me after I started using my powers, not just the ways I used them. For example, the night I almost killed your father with my eyes when I tapped into his mind, witnessing his premarital infidelity firsthand,” my mom says, as cool as ice. “I scared myself I was so angry, and my powers almost got away from me.”

  “You never told me about that,” I say, writing as fast as I can. I should’ve got a tape recorder for this lesson.

  “Because you never asked. You should be much further along in your studies by now, Jayd. Even I know that.” She sounds just like Mama and Netta. I know I’m not on my game if my mom agrees with them. My mom and Netta have a tense relationship, but it’s improved over time.

  “But you know what a full plate I have, Mom. With cheer practice, the spring play, the debutante ball and being president of the African Student Union, I haven’t had much time to study.”

  “Like I said, everything has side effects.” My mom’s right. Luckily the cotillion and the play are temporary. I’ll have to find a better way to juggle the rest of my activities. My spirit work can’t remain the primary sacrifice.

  “The second thing you need to know is that cold things tend to be slippery, which can be both good and bad. When you want to easily access someone’s mind and cool his or her thoughts immediately, it’s a very good thing. But when the mind is too hot, it can tend to cause your cool to boil, causing a mental meltdown of sorts, and that can be very dangerous,” my mom says, pulling the comforter tighter. “I’ve literally almost drowned in someone else’s negative thoughts before. I don’t wish that feeling on anyone,” my mom says, shuddering at the memory. I’m shaking, and I don’t even know what she went through, nor do I want to.

  “Is that why women in our lineage are afraid of water?” I say, continuing my note taking.

  “Partially, and also because we have a healthy respect for nature’s power to build and destroy. Any type of drowning isn’t fun.”

  “I hear that.” I took swim lessons at the YMCA when I was ten years old and nearly drowned. Lifeguard or not, you won’t catch my ass in deep water again.

  “Those two lessons will go a long way when deciding whose thoughts to probe. Be careful who and when you try to help because as with Mickey’s labor, the experience can turn on you like a pit bull. If you had known then what you know now, you would’ve never jumped into your friend’s mind when you did.” My mom’s right. I have a lot to learn about her powers and my own. And with a few more sessions like this one between me and my mom, a sistah will be back on her A game in no time, good sleep included.

  My mom left late last night after we stayed up talking most of the time away. I fell asleep soon after and am grateful for the dreamless rest. I never did get to wash my hair last night, so I woke up early this morning to get a quick wash and blow-dry in before my school day begins.

  I turn the hot-water knob and then the middle one to full blast, welcoming the steam. Showers wake me up every morning.

  I step into the shower, closing the sliding glass doors. After bathing, I lather the shampoo, scrubbing my scalp good before massaging it through my hair. It always feels good getting a clean start in the morning. Rubbing the mango-scented lather into my tresses, my fingers suddenly feel like jelly and my head, cold. Am I dreaming? My fingers continue moving up my hair until I can no longer feel anything. Instead, my hair is feeling me.

  “Aaah!” I scream, opening my eyes, allowing the soap and water on my face to cloud my vision. The fingers in my hair continue to walk their way down my scalp and around my neck, stifling my sound. Without the use of my hands, I’m defenseless against my strangler. If this were a dream I would try to wake up, or at least have Mama somewhere around to help me. But I’m wide awake experiencing this nightmare, and alone.

  Water, Jayd. Use the water to rinse your eyes, my mom says into my mind with panic in her voice. This shit feels too real to be a regular vision.

  Near fainting, I turn around and rinse my face off in the water. The feeling slowly returns to my hands. I push my hair back and feel around my neck to loosen the ghostly grip, but I can’t. The steam seeps up my nostrils, clearing my airways and melting the fingers around my neck.

  That’s it, Jayd. Inhale and then exhale. It’s not real, baby. Mind over matter, my mom says, helping to calm my nerves. Finally free, I reach for the metal knobs to turn off the water to end this nightmare on Larch Street, but not before I lose my footing and fall flat on my ass, hitting my head on the back of the ceramic tub.

  “Ouch!” I say, rubbing my head in the same spot where I hit it falling on black ice in one of my dreams. It’s already tender from that experience and now I’ve reopened that wound. What the hell is really going on?

  It’s like I told you last night, Jayd. You’re holding on to the residual negative emotions from your clients. You have to get rid of it before it drives you crazy, and Mama’s the only one who can tell you exactly what to do. I hate it when my mom’s right and I’m suffering the consequences in the midst of her revelation. You have to tell Mama, Jayd. Now get yourself up and shake it off or you’re going to be late for school.

  “Can a sistah get a little sympathy?” I ask aloud, picking myself up and grabbing the towel from the back of the shower door to dry off. I guess I’ll be wearing my hair wet today with some leave-in conditioner since my shower was cut short.

  Hell no, you can’t get any sympathy. You asked for it and here it is. I know it sounds mean, Jayd, but I’m telling you the truth. There’s so much more to our visions you don’t know, and that ignorance alone can harm you. Tell Mama today. ’Bye, my mom says, checking out and leaving me to my Monday.

  I’ll tell Mama about this one as soon as possible, but I have to get through the rest of the school day first. I’ll see Mama at Netta’s shop when I go to work this afternoon. Until then, I’ll have to deal with this madness on my own.

  START YOUR OWN BOOK CLUB

  Courtesy of the DRAMA HIGH series

  ABOUT THIS GUIDE

  The following is intended to help you get

  the book club you’ve always wanted

  up and running!

  Enjoy!

  Start Your Own Book Club

  A Book Club is not only a great way to make friends, but it is also a fun and safe environment for you to express your views and opinions on everything from fashion to teen pregnancy. A Teen Book Club can also become a forum or venue to air grievances and plan remedies for problems.

  The People

  To start, all you need is yourself and at least one other person. There’s no criteria for who this person or persons should be other than their having a desire to read and a commitment to discuss things during a certain time frame.

  The Rules

  Just as in Jayd’s life, sometimes even Book Club discussions can be filled with much drama. People tend to disagree with each other, cut each other off when speaking, and take criticism personally. So, there should be some ground rules:

  Do not attack people for their ideas or opinions.

  When you disagree with a Book Club member on a point, disagree respectfully. This means that you do not denigrate other people or their ideas, i.e., no name-calling or saying, “That’s stupid!” Instead, say, “I can respect your position; however, I feel differently.”

  Back up your opinions with concrete evidence, e
ither from the book in question or life in general.

  Allow everyone a turn to comment.

  Do not cut a member off when the person is speaking. Respectfully wait your turn.

  Critique only the idea. Do not criticize the person.

  Every member must agree to and abide by the ground rules.

  Feel free to add any other ground rules you think might be necessary.

  The Meeting Place

  Once you’ve decided on members, and agreed to the ground rules, you should decide on a place to meet. This could be the local library, the school library, your favorite restaurant, a bookstore, or a member’s home. Remember, though, if you decide to hold your sessions at a member’s home, the location should rotate to another member’s home for the next session. It’s also polite for guests to bring treats when attending a Book Club meeting at a member’s home. If you choose to hold your meetings in a public place, always remember to ask the permission of the librarian or store manager. If you decide to hold your meetings in a local bookstore, ask the manager to post a flyer in the window announcing the Book Club to attract more members if you so desire.

  Timing Is Everything

  Teenagers of today are all much busier than teenagers of the past. You’re probably thinking, “Between chorus rehearsals, the Drama Club, and oh yeah, my job, when will I ever have time to read another book that doesn’t feature Romeo and Juliet!” Well, there’s always time, if it’s time well-planned and time planned ahead. You and your Book Club can decide to meet as often or as little as is appropriate for your bustling schedules. Once a month is a favorite option. Sleepover Book Club meetings—if you’re open to excluding one gender—is also a favorite option. And in this day of high-tech, savvy teens, Internet Discussion Groups are also an appealing option. Just choose what’s right for you!

  Well, you’ve got the people, the ground rules, the place, and the time. All you need now is a book!

  The Book

  Choosing a book is the most fun. PUSHIN’ is of course an excellent choice, and since it’s part of a series, you won’t soon run out of books to read and discuss. Your Book Club can also have comparative discussions as you compare the first book, THE FIGHT, to the second, SECOND CHANCE, and so on.

  But depending upon your reading appetite, you may want to veer outside of the Drama High series. That’s okay. There are plenty of options, many of which you will be able to find under the Dafina Books for Young Readers Program in the coming months.

  But don’t be afraid to mix it up. Nonfiction is just as good as fiction and a fun way to learn about from where we came without just using a history textbook. Science fiction and fantasy can be fun, too!

  And always, always research the author. You might find that the author has a Web site where you can post your Book Club’s questions or comments. The author may even have an e-mail address available so you can correspond directly. Authors might also sit in on your Book Club meetings, either in person, or on the phone, and this can be a fun way to discuss the book as well!

  The Discussion

  Every good Book Club discussion starts with questions. PUSHIN’, as does every book in the Drama High series, comes with a Reading Group Guide for your convenience, though of course, it’s fine to make up your own. Here are some sample questions to get started:

  What’s this book all about anyway?

  Who are the characters? Do we like them? Do they remind us of real people?

  Was the story interesting? Were real issues that are of concern to you examined?

  Were there details that didn’t quite work for you or ring true?

  Did the author create a believable environment—one that you could visualize?

  Was the ending satisfying?

  Would you read another book from this author?

  Record Keeper

  It’s generally a good idea to have someone keep track of the books you read. Often libraries and schools will hold reading drives where you’re rewarded for having read a certain number of books in a certain time period. Perhaps a pizza party awaits!

  Get Your Teachers and Parents Involved

  Teachers and parents love it when kids get together and read. So involve your teachers and parents. Your Book Club may read a particular book whereby it would help to have an adult’s perspective as part of the discussion. Teachers may also be able to include what you’re doing as a Book Club in the classroom curriculum. That way, books you love to read, such as the Drama High ones, can find a place in your classroom alongside the books you don’t love to read so much.

  Resources

  To find some new favorite writers, check out the following resources. Happy reading!

  Young Adult Library Services Association

  http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/yalsa.htm

  Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

  Hip-Hop!

  Teen Rap Titles

  http://www.carnegielibrary.org/teens/books

  TeensPoint.org

  What Teens Are Reading

  http://teens.librarypoint.org/reading_matters

  Teenreads.com

  http://www.teenreads.com

  Book Divas

  http://www.bookdivas.com

  Meg Cabot Book Club

  http://www.megcabotbookclub.com

  DAFINA BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2010 by L. Divine

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  Dafina and the Dafina logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  ISBN: 978-0-7582-6200-4