Monica Johnson is a feisty fifteen-year-old growing up on the west side of Chicago where everything from teenage pregnancies and abusive relationships are at large. Will she win the battle between true love and heartbreak?

Amethyst

If love was a color what would it be?By Schay Jackson

Trafford Publishing

Copyright © 2012 Schay Jackson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4669-6104-3

Chapter One

"Monica?" "Mickey what do you want?" "You!" "Don't play wit me!

"I aint playin!" "Four feet Mickey!" "Aight I aint gon touch you! You comin to my game tonight?" "Probably!" she said shrugging her shoulders. "Aight...." "Mickey?!" Monica yelled his name when she noticed he was staring at her body. "My fault mon!" he said smiling. "You can't blame a brotha for lookin, I mean damn girl you stacked!" "Try tellin me something I don't know!" "I would tell you that chou gon be my wife but chou already know that!" "As if you could handle me on that level! Bye Mickey!" "Aight mon!" "He is so fine!" Monica thought to herself smiling as she watched him walk down the hall.

"Hey Tia!" "What's up MJ?!" "You goin to the game tonight?" Monica asked sitting down on the side of Tia at the lunch table. "Tray playin?" "Yeah." "Well in that case I'll be there!" she said smiling. "Eww what do you like about my brotha?" "You aint know?!" "Don't tell me!" "Yo brotha did it so." "Shut up Tia!" Monica said cutting her off before pushing her. "What's for lunch? I'm hungry!" "You always hungry riah!" "Know what? Shut up tiff!" Mariah said rolling her eyes at Tiffiny. In just the month that Monica, Tiffiny, and Mariah had been hanging out they had all became the very best of friends. Later on that night after the game. Marshal beat Crane by twenty points. The score was 73 to 53 and Monica and her friends decided to go out and celebrate their win.

"You seen yo ol'boy right?!" "G-man you got some nerve! You only shot like two three pointers!" Tiffiny pointed out as they hung out in a parking lot. "Shut up tiff!" Grant grumbled. "Why it's the truth!" she said laughing. "You got mad skills mick!" "Aw that aint nothing compared to what I can do!" Mickey said putting his arms around Monica's waist. "You saved the game wit them four dunks at the end of the game." Tray said sipping off of his pop. "I know but uh.... When can I play on yo court?" Mickey whispered in Monica's ear. "Neva, now take yo nasty hands off of me!" She said moving his hands. "You aint gotta act like that girl! I was just playin!" "Where ya'll wanna go?" "I'm hungry! Mind yo business!" Mariah warned Tiffiny. "I wasn't even finna say anything!" "Good!" "What time is it?" "9 o'clock! C'mon Mon you wit me pops not gon trip!" "I want some pizza!" Tia said looking up at Tray. "What about chou MJ?" "I'm in! Stop touchin me Mickey!" Monica said punching him in his arm.

"Ahh! You almost dislocated my arm girl!" "Are we goin to get the pizza or what?!" "Yeah ya'll go wit Tia and we'll ride wit mick!" Tray said finally releasing Tia from his iron arm hold. "Mon why you be frontin?" "About what?" "You know you liked when Mickey was holdin you around yo waist!" "No I didn't!" "Even wit chou knockin his hands down!" "It was at least six or seven minutes before you did that!" Her friends said teasing her. "Ya'll make me sick!" Monica grumbled crossing her arms. "You know you wanna be the next Mrs. Jordan!" Tia said laughing. "Shut up Tia!" Later on that night after everyone called it a night and went home Monica had the weirdest dream. It started off showing her and Mickey when they were no older than thirteen and fourteen when they shared their first kiss. But it soon morphed into a fifteen and seventeen year old them and the brick building they were leaning against turned into a bed while their clothes began to melt until it became their skin.

"Oh God!" Monica gasped sitting up in her bed. "I just dreamed I was havin sex with Mickey!" she thought to herself as she wiped sweat off of her forehead just then the house phone began to ring. "Hello?!" "How you doin baby?" "Mickey it's two in the mornin my daddy would kill you if he knew you were callin at this time!" she whispered furiously into the phone. "Tray woke?" "I don't know call his cell phone!" "Why you still up?" "Weird dream!" "Was I in it?" "Goodnight Mickey!" "You didn't answer my question!" "I have to be at school in five hours I gotta go!" "It's only gon take a second was it about me?" "Yes and goodnight!" "It is now!" Mickey said before she hung up on him.

The next day while Monica was walking to her health class with Mariah, Tiffiny, Courtny, and Tia their Dean Ms. Richards pulled her to the side to talk with her. "I just want to inform you that Ms. Kinnamin is here to teach you guys health class today so can you not aggravate her?" "I won't!" Monica said over her shoulder as she walked into the class. Monica and Ms. Kinnamin never quite got along due to the fact that Monica knew just as much as she did if not more. "Let her teach Monica!" "Aight!" "Monica?" "Rebecca?" "Are you going to let me teach?" "Teach!" Monica demanded sitting down at her desk. "Ok today we're going to go over the basics of Drugs!" "Man!" The entire class groaned. "Can you quiet down?" "Can you teach us somethin we don't know?!" Monica asked. "Ms. Johnson I'm the teacher!" "Well `teacher' you not actin like one! We learned about drugs in second and third grade!" Monica pointed out. "You think you can teach?" "I know I can teach!" "Well Monica come up to the front of the class!" "And you sit at my desk! Aight I'ma be upfront if you don't know what chou talkin about don't open yo mouth!" "What chou gon teach?" "What is the least talked about subject in school but outside of school it's very common?" Monica asked sitting on top of the desk. "Sex?" "Right! Does anybody know the meanin?" "Wait how you gon teach us about sex and you're a virgin?" "Because I know more about than you do and half of ya'll are way more experienced than I am and I'ma prove it! Schooie?" "What's up?" "What does sex mean?" "uh ... It's when a man sticks a man sticks his penis in a girls vagina!" ".... Man how did you even pass life skills class?! Naw that's not it! Well technically that is what chou do but no!" "Well what do you know about it?" "Me? Personally I say its intimacy meanin getting to know yo partna on a whole new level it's to reproduce not out of lust but love."

"I'm just in it for the freaky deak!" "I'm sure! Go-Go give me your meanin of sex ... No you don't! Tell me how many birth controls are there?" "One!" "You sure?" "Yeah!" She answered before Monica started laughing. "Ooh I'm sorry! I didn't mean to laugh like that but no its five! There's the Pill, I.U.D which stands for Intrauterine device, the Diaphragm, Condoms, and all the Creams, Jellies, and Foams you can get at the drugstores. I got one more question then I'ma show ya'll somethin! How many of ya'll havin sex?" Half of the class raised their hand including Mickey. "Boy put cho hand down you aint doin nobody!" "At least not yet!" He said biting on his bottom lip and winking at Monica. "Oh God!" she thought to herself when she got hot. "Anyways! Why?!" Monica asked trying to shake her thoughts.

"Is it because it feels good or because you love eachotha?" "Feels good?" They said in union. "Aight when ya'll done and its ova what do you feel?" "Out of breath!" "I'm serious Keith!" "I don't feel anything!" "Do you know why?" "Yeah!" "Why Keisha?" "Because when you just do it just to be doin it you not gon feel anything maybe a little excitement afterwards but once that's gone there's nothing!" "Now I'm about to show ya'll somethin! Rebecca?" "Yes?" "How many diseases are there?" "Six!" "Can you name them?" "Harpies, Gonorrhea, Syphilis H.I.V, Aids, and Rubella!" "There's three more!" "Excuse me?" "There's Tres more!" "And what are they?" "Do you have kids?" "Two why?" "So you should know about Chlamydia which is a disease that you get when you're sexually active it's like Gonorrhea but more severe for your unborn child! Or Bacterial Vaginosis better known as BV which is a disease you can get by sexual contact, it can also spread otha ways! It can cause complications during pregnancy like premature rupture of the membranes and an intraamniotic infection!" "How she know that big ass word?!" "Shut up Schoolie!" Keisha said shaking her head at him.

"What about.... Venereal or Genital Warts which are caused by the human Papilloma, but see they are rarely transmitted to the baby! But listen!" she was really getting into her lesson now. "But listen, five to fifteen percent of cases go on to produce inflammation of the Cervix which can cause cervical cancer and you didn't know any of this?" "No I'm ... I'm afraid not! How do you know so much about this?" "You thought I was playin when I said I got a scholarship to go to Medical school a few months ago didn't you? You can get me stuck on any otha subject but Math and Health you can't touch me on those! Now if you would excuse me I have somewhere to be in two minutes!" Monica said hopping off the desk.

Chapter Two

"Hello?" "How you doin Monica?" "What O?" "I just called to wish you a happy birthday! ... and to see if you wanted to go to the show?" He asked hesitantly. "What we gon see?" "We can go see ATL if you'd like!" Orlando said trying to sound sincere with excitement. Although Monica read right through his very poor impression she agreed to go out with him. Orlando is Monica's on and off again jerk for a boyfriend. "Who is it?" Monica asked when she heard a knock on her door. "Who it is?!" Mariah replied laughing. "Ya'll need help seriously!" Monica said pulling the door open. "Hey mon!" "Hey, what's up tiff?" "Nothin much! Happy birthday!" "Thanks!" "What chou just turned fifteen?!" "Don't start wit me tiff!" Monica warned feeling some of the irritation that had just settled coming back. "I was just playin!" Tiffiny said laughing. She and Mariah got a kick out of taking turns irritating Monica until her eyes would shift to green or she'd just ignore them for two days. That's about the only thing the two of them could do without arguing.

"What chou doin today?" Mariah asked changing the subject. "Nothin! I mean if you call goin to the show wit Mick—Orlando! Somethin but that's it!" Monica said hoping they didn't notice her slip but they did. "I saw Mickey!" Tiffiny informed her smiling. "What chou tellin me for?" "Because he said to tell you that you're goin to be his wife!" "Whateva! ... wait I gotta tell ya'll something!" Monica said hesitantly. "What?!" Mariah asked excitedly. Mariah could never resist hearing the latest gossip or even just a really good story and just as much as she loved to hear it she adored telling it to everyone who wasn't up on the latest news. "You can't tell anybody this riah!" "Mon, you know me! I neva told people what chou told me!" Mariah stated with false offense. "Really?! Well what about the time you told everybody I started my period when I was nine?" Monica asked waiting for Mariah's response. "You-" "Shh! Tiff I'm trynna think!" Mariah said looking as if she was in deep concentration. "That was different!" "Different how?! Just promise you won't say anything!" "I promise!" Mariah mumbled.

"Ok so for a month straight I've been haven this dream!" "What dream?!" "It's about me and Mickey!" She explained pacing back and forth. "We start off as pre-teens when we first started datin and we're kissin then it changes and shows ..." "Shows what?!" Mariah asked becoming impatient. "Us havin sex!" She said flopping down on the couch. "A month straight?! You must really want him bad!" "No I don't!" "I told"—"Tiffiny did you know Shut the hell up had a brotha? His name was I told you so! The year was one BD." One day before destruction. "I think, and one day I told you so kept talkin and Shut the hell up got fed up and on the OD" of destruction. "He pushed him into the pits of hell! So if you don't get it the moral of the story is shut the hell up before I make yo life a living hell!" Monica explained raising her eyebrows.

"I'm tellin Mickey!" Mariah said getting off the couch. "No riah!" Monica exclaimed jumping up and pulling her back down. "I was just playin!" Mariah said laughing at Monica's face which was plastered with a scared\shocked expression. "I'm serious riah!" "Ok I won't tell! Let's go get something to eat!" "Aight c'mon tiff! Aww I was just playin!" Monica said hugging Tiffiny. "You and riah make my life a livin hell enough!" Monica said as they left out of her house. Tiffiny might've looked upset but she actually wasn't she was just waiting for her chance to get even. "There go Mickey" Tiffiny's chance had come. "Tiff?!" Monica said because she knew what was next. "Don't call him ..." "Hey Mickey!" Tiffiny yelled cutting Monica off. "Too late!" She said sticking her tongue out at Monica when Mickey started walking in the direction of Mariah's car where they sat eating. "You make me sick!"

"What's up ya'll? Hey baby!" "Mickey don't play! Aint nothing happenin so stop tryin, besides you already got a girlfriend!" "See that's the thing! I got a girl-friend I need a wo-man!" he told her smiling. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?" "Yeah I'm on my way right now!" "Bye!" "Aight chall!" Mickey said before walking back towards his car. "Doesn't he go wit Cynthia?" Tiffiny asked stepping out of the car. "You mean Go-Go!" "Why do ya'll call her that?" "Mon break it for her!" Mariah said as she and Monica got out of her car. "Aight see it's like this she will Go do something strange for a little change to Go get what she want!" "Ya'll are crazy!" Tiffiny said laughing.

Three hours later Orlando picked Monica up so they could go to the show. "Did you like the movie?" "It was aight!" "What's wrong wit chou girl?" "As if you cared! Take me home!" "Gimme kiss!" "Nope!" C'mon baby!" He begged rubbing her leg. "Don't baby me O and quit! I'm serious stop touchin me!" she demanded knocking his hands off of her. "Please Monica just this once?!" "No O, I'm not havin sex with you!" "You gon give me some!" he said becoming angry. "No the hell I aint!" Monica said glaring at him with Grey eyes and way past irritation with him. "As much as I then put up wit cho shit I can't get none?!" "What?!" "Aw! I see what this is! You waitin on Mickey right?!" "Let me explain something to you!" Monica said turning her entire body to face him. "I'm not waitin on Mickey if anyone's waitin it's him! And if you were last man or shall I say boy! On Earth I still wouldn't have sex wit cho dumb ass!" she yelled getting out of his car and slamming his door shut. "Where you goin?!" Orlando asked getting out behind her. "Leave me alone Orlando!" "Hold up! Don't walk away from me!" he growled grabbing her arm. "Let me go!" she said before he slapped her.

"Put cho hands on me again and I'ma kill you!" "Aw you gon kill me?!" he asked before feeling a cold blade against his throat. "I just might!" she seethed pushing the blade of her neck deeper closer to his neck. "Man fa'get chou mon! Walk yo ass home!" "I plan to!" she said before drawing back and punching him with all the strength she could muster causing his legs to give out. On her way home Monica stopped at Popeye's to get something to eat. On her way out of the restaurant she saw Mickey. "What's up moon?" "Hey." "You need a ride?" "Nah I'm cool!" "C'mon mon get in I aint gon touch you!" he promised parking his car and unlocking the passenger door. "Easy boy!" Mickey thought to himself when she opened the door and he seen her legs. "Where you just comin from?" he asked pulling off in traffic. "Out wit O!" Monica told him as she unconsciously rubbed the side of her face. "What happened to yo face?!" Mickey asked in rage. "Nothin!" she gasped dropping her hand.

"Mon why you still wit him?!" "I don't know!" "You don't know?!" he asked gripping his stirring so hard his knuckles began to turn white. "C'mon mon you smarta than that! How many girls you know getting jumped on by their boyfriends?" "A lot." She said looking down at her hands "You aint gotta be one of them though!" "Yeah I know!" "You still pretty!" He said smiling and causing Monica's heart to flutter. "Thanks for the" Mickey cut her off when he kissed her. "My fault!" he apologized studying her closely. "Bye Mickey!" Monica said fumbling with the handle. "Goodnight Monica!" he said before driving away.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Amethystby Schay Jackson Copyright © 2012 by Schay Jackson. Excerpted by permission of Trafford Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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