Read That's What's Up! for Free Online

production and possibly trying out for The Players, Del Rio Bay’s premier theater production company, now that Michael had an in and was doing costuming for them.
    Mentally sizing up whether she’d look as good as Lizzie in the pants (probably not), Mina turned to ask Cinny what she thought and stopped mid-inhale at the cozy scene across the room.
    JZ and Jacinta were playing pool.
    If pool consisted mostly of Jacinta scratching up Michael’s pool table with her choppy attempts, and JZ staring squarely at Jacinta’s lush backside wiggling in the air each time she bent over to take a shot.
    â€œOkay, Cinny. Can you at least pretend to know what you’re doing?” JZ cracked. He shook his head at yet another pitiful attempt by Cinny to whack the ball with her cue stick.
    She waved him off and bent back over. JZ’s eyes followed her butt like a magnet to a refrigerator, openly ogling.
    Mina cleared her throat in an exaggerated “ahem,” but she was too far away for them to hear.
    JZ and Jacinta had been awfully cozy the last few weeks, openly flirting but pretending it was dissing.
    They weren’t fooling anybody. Something was popping off and Mina had made it clear, in a very nice way of course, that she thought it wasn’t such a good idea. She’d casually reminded Jacinta how many girls JZ had already gone out with since the school year started.
    â€œGirl, who you telling,” Jacinta had laughed. “I think he’s trying to break a record.”
    â€œYou must be trying to be girl number fifteen,” Mina had joked. But the way she’d looked at Jacinta provided the unspoken, are you?
    â€œHell to the naw,” Jacinta had said, cracking them both up again. “You know Jay my buddy.” She’d shoved Mina’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m not gonna put you in the middle like I am with Angel and Kelly.”
    Mina had felt a ridiculous amount of relief. It probably showed on her face and she was almost embarrassed. It was selfish to begrudgeJacinta a little fun. After her very public breakup with Raheem,whether it was JZ or Justin Timberlake, Jacinta deserved to enjoy a little playing the field.
    There was a lot Mina hadn’t said, that day. She knew she didn’t have to. Jacinta knew exactly how Mina was feeling. The back and forth between Angel and Kelly had been a thorn in Jacinta’s side for months. Known for speaking her mind, she’d admitted it many times to Mina, to Kelly and anyone else who would listen.
    Still, Mina felt bad for being such a bulldog about the no-flirting-with-friendsrule. She wanted to not care. Let JZ and Jacinta have their fun.
    Jacinta knew JZ was a player. And she was way savvier about guys and relationships than Mina would ever be. But whenever they got too cozy, alarms rang in Mina’s head.
    Jacinta’s ex was one of JZ’s chief rivals on the hardwood and in football. Mina knew the last thing JZ would ever do is give an opponent fuel in the game, especially not over a girl. Still she wondered if JZ saw flirting with Jacinta as another competition with Raheem. That’s what worried her.
    Nothing good could come of JZ and Jacinta’s increasingly affectionate“playing.”
    After carefully positioning herself for what seemed to Mina a good five minutes, confirming for Mina that Cinny knew JZ was watching her (and liking it), Jacinta’s stick still scratched more table than it did ball. JZ sucked his teeth. But even from across the room, Mina knew he wasn’t nearly as annoyed as he was making out.
    â€œSeriously?” JZ exclaimed as the ball Jacinta was aiming for stood stock still. She hadn’t even come close enough to stir up a breeze near it. “Raheem never showed you how to play pool?” He raised his voice loud enough to be heard on the other side of the room. “You’re as bad as Mina.”
    â€œWhatev, Jay,” Mina hollered