Earl Sewell - Way Too Much Drama

The toughest lessons aren’t always taught in the classroom…

Maya is ready to put the fabulous back into her life—and that means getting her manipulative cousin, Viviana, out of it. Bad enough that Viviana is living under the same roof and tried to claim Maya’s boyfriend, Misalo, for herself. Now she’s going to Maya’s high school and she’s part of the quiz team competing on a TV show…alongside Maya, Keysha and Misalo.

Maya has no sympathy when Viviana finally starts to feel the pressure of fitting in to her new world. That’s until her cousin does something drastic…and dangerous. Maybe Viviana isn’t as tough as everyone thought. Maya could be the only person who can help bring her back safely. Question is…does she want to?

Way Too Much Drama

Earl Sewell

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Earl Sewell

Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.

—James A. Baldwin

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

one

MAYA

“Hey, Maya. Snap out of it.” Keysha popped her fingers a few times in front of my eyes before she placed her hands on my shoulders and shook me.

“You look like you’re standing at the corner of Confused and Stunned. Is Viviana still on the phone?” Keysha asked. I had arrived at her house not too long ago and had been in the bathroom talking to her. Keysha had insisted that I come even though I’d injured my knee. I had gone to watch my ex-boyfriend, Misalo, fight Carlo, another guy I had sort of been dating. The fight had turned into an all-out brawl that involved everyone who had come to watch Misalo and Carlo beat each other senseless. My knee had gotten injured while running for safety when the fight got out of control.

“Hello? Why are you glaring off into space like a disoriented zombie?” Keysha clapped her hands several times.

I flinched and said, “I’m sorry.” I placed my cell phone in my front pocket.

“Why didn’t you confront Viviana on the phone about her wicked ways?” Keysha asked, as to why I had not forced my evil cousin, Viviana, to own up to what she had done.

Keysha and Viviana didn’t exactly like each other, which was cool with me because I hated Viviana more than saints despised sinners.

“She was being chased,” I finally answered.

“Chased? By who?” Keysha asked as I thought about who’d want to beat Viviana down besides me.

“A group of girls. Through the park not too far from here. Viviana screamed into the phone and begged me to come and help, and then her phone died.”

“Seriously?” Keysha’s eyes questioned whether my words were true.

Nodding my head, I said, “Yeah.” Then I glanced down at my knee, which was tender, so I began massaging it.

“Are you going to help her?”

I met Keysha’s gaze and wondered why she had asked a question she already knew the answer to. I had absolutely no desire to aid my deceitful cousin.

Scrunching up my face as if I had suddenly caught the scent of a dead animal, I said, “No.”

“You have to help.” Keysha’s insistence surprised me.

“What?” I shrieked, certain I had heard her wrong.

“We have to help her.” Keysha spoke as if I had a moral obligation to do so.

“So let me get this straight. Thirty minutes ago you got into a scuffle with Viviana, and now that some other girls are about to beat her up, you want to go help her?” My words were filled with sarcasm. Keysha’s harebrained idea was one for the books.

“I know I sound crazy, but I have my reasons for why I think we should lend her a hand.”

“What you’re saying doesn’t sound crazy, Keysha. It sounds insane. Have you turned bipolar on me?” I gawked at her in frustration.

“Maya, listen.” Keysha once again placed her hands on my shoulders, then met my gaze. “I know you’re really ticked off with Viviana, and you have every right to be. Deep down you want to see her suffer for destroying your relationship with Misalo. Trust me, I get that.”

“Viviana suffering isn’t a harsh-enough punishment.” I spoke from a bitterly cold place in my heart.

“I truly get it, Maya,” Keysha repeated, trying to reassure me.

“Then why are you trying to convince me to help her?” I angrily asked. The very thought of Viviana brought my blood to a boil.

“Remember how much I used to hate Priscilla for ruining my prom dress, sleeping with my boyfriend and getting pregnant by him?” Keysha reminded me of some drama she’d had to deal with in her past.

“Oh, yeah. I’ll never forget how you wanted to kill Priscilla on sight.” A sour expression spread across my face.

“Remember how I was forced to save her life when she nearly drowned?” Keysha said.

I recalled the incident. Alex, an eighth grader who had a crush on Keysha, shoved Priscilla into the pool after she and Lori had tried to beat her up on the pool deck. Alex was only trying to help when he did it, but Priscilla could not swim and nearly drowned.

“I could’ve easily allowed her to die, but I set aside my animosity and did something I never thought I would do. I rescued her. I learned something when I did that,” Keysha stated.

“Oh, really? What did you learn?” I asked, wondering what revelation she’d come to.

“Forgiveness, Maya. I had to forgive Priscilla before I allowed myself to save her from certain death,” Keysha whispered.

I raised my voice and said, “Well, I’m not ready to forgive that slut. She can burn in hell for all I care!”

“You don’t mean that,” Keysha said.

Refusing to take back my words, I said, “Yes, I do.”

Keysha sighed disappointedly and asked, “Where did you say she was again?”

“At the park not too far from here. Why?” I asked, sensing that Keysha was about to do something foolish.

“I’m going to help her,” she said, opening the bathroom door. Keysha walked out of the bathroom and I reluctantly followed. When we reached the family room, Keysha paused in front of her younger brother, Mike, who was sitting on the sofa texting.

“Mike, I need your help,” Keysha interrupted him.

“How much money do you have?” Mike asked, momentarily glancing up from his cell phone.

“Okay, I need a favor then.” Keysha rephrased her request for assistance.