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perks.” She paused and tilted her head. “Now that I think about it, maybe you were running game all along. This probably was your plan.”
    It wasn’t, but it dang sure would’ve been had I thought about it. All is fair in love and reality TV. But since a small crowd was gathering and I wasn’t in the mood for drama, I didn’t say what I was actually thinking. Instead, I said, “Look, they told me they were planning to cut Miami Divas anyway,” I lied. “So it had nothing to do with our demands.”
    â€œBull,” Bali said.
    â€œYou don’t have to believe me.” I shrugged. “I don’t have a reason to lie to you.”
    â€œReally, you do,” Evian said. “Because what you did was low-down.”
    Several people had now gathered around like they were ready for something to jump off. The bell rang and nobody moved. I guess seeing a fight was worth getting a tardy.
    I let out a long, frustrating breath. See, this was why I needed a bodyguard. I could tell Tamara didn’t really think I needed one, which was why she said she would ‘look into it’. But I was going to let her know it’s mess like this why I did. But for now, I was on my own. Forget being nice. They wanted drama, I could definitely give it to them.
    â€œIf I were you, I’d be nice to me. Because maybe, just maybe I will put in a good word and let you make an appearance on my show,” I told them.
    â€œDon’t do me any favors,” Bali snapped, raising his voice.
    â€œYeah, screw you and your show,” Shay said. She was now all up in my personal space again.
    â€œAnd tell me again, why are you in my face?” I said, turning up my nose. “And you need a Tic Tac or something because your breath is aggravating my allergies.”
    â€œOooh, I wouldn’t take that,” someone yelled.
    â€œClock that chick in the eye,” someone else chimed in.
    Were they really trying to get a fight to jump off? I hoped not because I didn’t fight. I sued. And if any one of them laid a hand on me, I would have my dad’s attorney up at the school before they got to their next class.
    â€œCome on, Shay. She’s not worth it,” Evian said, taking Shay’s hand and pulling her back. “Now that we know what kind of backstabber she really is, she doesn’t have to ever worry about being our friend again.”
    I stared at both of them, not blinking. “Can someone pass me some tissue so I can dry my tears?” I said, my voice full of sarcasm.
    Several people busted out laughing. I wondered where the heck were the teachers. Usually, when the bell rang, someone was in the hallway ushering us all to class.
    Evian tugged at Shay, while Bali and Sheridan just glared at me. “Come on, I told you, she’s not worth it. She’s gonna get hers.”
    â€œYeah, and I’m gonna be the one to give it to her,” Shay snapped.
    I really didn’t understand why they were trippin’ with me. Any one of them would’ve done the exact same thing.
    Shay snatched her arm away, then stepped back in my face. “Payback ain’t pretty,” she said, spit flying from her mouth.
    â€œNeither is your face,” I said, turning to walk off. I wasn’t about to do this with them. But I hadn’t taken a step when Shay grabbed my hair and yanked me back.
    â€œOwww,” I screamed. Before I knew it, I turned around and pushed her as hard as I could. She stumbled back, caught her balance, then came charging toward me, slamming into me like a linebacker on the football team. She then grabbed my six-hundred-dollar freshly done hair as tight as she could and tried to fling me to the floor. Of course, I wasn’t going to let it go down like that. So, I grabbed her hair right back and tried to throw her down.
    â€œLet me go!” she screamed.
    â€œYou let me go!” I shouted back.
    We started rolling