“I . . . I’ve been saving my money to buy a motor bike, and I’m almost there,” Hakeem said, “but not quite yet. And since we can’t have Coop cartin’ us all over town, we’re gonna have to ride the bus to the concert. Hope you don’t mind. ”

“That’s fine,” Darcy replied. The truth was, she did not care if they had to walk to the concert. She just wanted to be with Hakeem.

“Well, the concert starts at 7:00, so I could meet you at your house at 6:15, and we can walk to the bus stop together,” Hakeem suggested.

“That’ll be great. ” Darcy smiled, her heart leaping in her chest.

Darcy and Hakeem took the bus to the little club downtown where the band was performing. As they worked their way through the ecstatic crowd to get closer to the band, friends here and there shouted out greetings.

As much as Darcy enjoyed the music, she enjoyed being with Hakeem even more. His company put a glow on everything. After the concert, they strolled around downtown. Darcy thought the nice cafés and shops were a welcome change from her neighborhood. And being there with Hakeem only made the evening more magical.

Hakeem was still flying high off the music. “Man, weren’t they incredible? That’s what I want to do. Get up in front of a crowd, set the beat, get people jammin’ and lost in the music,” he said wistfully.

“I can picture you up on stage,” Darcy said. “Your voice is great, and so is your guitar playing,” she added, smiling.

Hakeem looked directly at Darcy. “You know, I never thought you would be so nice. I feel good with you, Darcy. I feel comfortable. I don’t feel comfortable right away with many people. I mean, you seemed stuck up when I didn’t know you. But I guess you’re like me—just shy. ”

Hakeem and Darcy arrived at her apartment just before 10:00. They hesitated together at the door for a few minutes. Darcy was very nervous, but she had to show him how much she liked him, so she pulled Hakeem’s face down and kissed his cheek. Then Darcy grinned and ran inside. She knew Mom would be anxious to leave for her night shift at the hospital.

“Did you have a nice time, baby?” Mom asked. She was already dressed, car keys in hand.

“Yeah, Mom. It was wonderful,” Darcy said. She did not hear rap music from Jamee’s room. “Is Jamee home?”

“No, she isn’t,” Mom said matter-offactly. “She’s spending the night with Alisha. ” Mom gave Darcy a quick peck on the cheek and hurried out. Darcy was surprised to hear that Jamee was spending the night over there. Jamee and Alisha had a falling out weeks ago when Jamee began hanging out with Bobby Wallace.