Caught Up in the Drama Read Online Free PDF Page A

cropped House of Deréon jacket, with some matching jeans. Crystals ran all up and down one leg and across the back of the jacket. She had on a tight baby doll tee with the word “Diva” spelled out in crystals across the front. She’d waltzed into the Good Girlz meeting late, with some gigantic Super Fly glasses on. But the thing that had our mouths open was the wild chestnut-colored weave hanging down her back. It had only been three days since she’d won the talent show, and she was already getting the big head. I glanced over at Jasmine and could tell she was about two seconds from telling Camille about herself.
    â€œHey, you guys,” Camille sang as she slid into the chairbehind me. Miss Rachel, who had been at the front of the room talking about today’s lesson, shot her a disapproving look.
    Not bothering to hide her frown, Jasmine surveyed Camille’s appearance. “Your mama called.”
    â€œWhat?” Camille asked, looking confused.
    Jasmine pointed to her head. “Your mama called. She said to tell you make sure you bring her mop home after the meeting.”
    â€œOh, you got jokes,” Camille laughed. “You can’t tell me I don’t look fly.” She fluffed her weave.
    â€œReally, I can,” Jasmine said, turning back around in her seat. “As if the outfit isn’t bad enough, how many horses had to die for you to get that hair?”
    Camille patted her hair again. “Number one, it’s one hundred percent human, and number two, I’m trying a new look,” she said. “I sewed it in myself.”
    â€œI would hope you didn’t pay anyone for that,” Jasmine said. “If you did, let me know who they are so I can make sure I never go to them.”
    Camille was starting to get a little testy. “It’s not like you go to the beauty shop anyway. All that pretty hair and you keep it up in a ponytail,” she muttered. “But maybe if you save up all year, you can get a weave like this.”
    No, she didn’t go there.
Camille knew Jasmine was sensitive about being poor. I needed to stop her before she said something that really set Jasmine off. Luckily, I didn’t have to, because Miss Rachel stepped in.
    â€œThat’s enough, girls,” Miss Rachel said. “We only have an hour, and we are not going to spend it bickering.”
    We’d been in the middle of our weekly Good Girlz lesson when Camille had come strolling in. The meeting had started twenty minutes ago.
    â€œNice of you to join us, Camille,” Rachel added.
    â€œNo problem.”
    Rachel paused, then motioned toward Camille’s glasses.
    â€œOh,” Camille replied, “you like?” She fingered the glasses. “My future is so bright I gotta wear shades.” She laughed.
    â€œYou are soooo corny,” Jasmine huffed as me and Angel giggled.
    Miss Rachel sighed heavily. “Girl, take those glasses off. It’s bad enough that you come up in here late, then you want to act like you’re some kind of diva.”
    â€œMiss Rachel, haven’t you heard?” Angel chimed in. “She’s about to be a superstar.”
    â€œAbout to be ain’t the same as is,” Miss Rachel snapped as she walked over and removed Camille’s glasses herself. “And even if you are a superstar, show some respect for the House of the Lord.”
    We all giggled as Miss Rachel got on Camille. She needed it. She’d been trippin’ at school for the last two days. I knew she was loving all the attention she was getting, but I hoped this was just a phase she was going through.
    â€œAnyway, where were we?” Miss Rachel asked, returning to the front of the room.
    Angel raised her hand. “We were talking about how you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”
    We’d actually been having a good discussion before Camille had sauntered in.
    â€œThat’s right,” Miss Rachel