Fast Forward (Kimani Tru Series) Book

Fast Forward
PLOT: Little Miss Thang Kenisha Lewis (following the events of the last book Pressing Pause) is back at her old school Hazel Hurst Private Academy and the drama in her life continues. She's being tried by girls at her school and her ex-boyfriend is now ringing her cell off the hook. Even though now he's the baby daddy of one of her ex-girls friends (Chili). Hurt and angry by the loss of her mother to suicide Kenisha lashes out at her friends (and teachers) verbally and with attitude and with physical fights. So her Dad and Principal decide to send her to see a shrink (Tubbs). But can an older white man really understand the mind of a teenage, African-American, girl? Kenisha soon finds herself expelled until she can re-apply to take the entrance exam next semester. After a fallout between her father and his pregnant girlfriend about deciding where to send Kenisha to school, Keneisha bounces, heads to her Grandmother's house (in Virginal), and decides to enroll herself in Penn Hall (public school). Her plan is to go to Penn Hall (because her mother would have wanted that), keep up with her class work there and at her old school, then take the entrance exam to return to her old school. It's public school so no big deal right? How much harder could it be? But she soon see's that the drama just doesn't stop. First, there are the guys who try to step to her because of her association with "lawnmower guy" and her ex (Lavon) they somehow think she's easy. Then there are the girls who are even more scandalous and messy at public school than private. There's Serena who seems to take offense to her because of the attention she gets from the neighborhood bad bay (Darien). Then there's Cassie, a girl who initially seemed cool but turns out to be shady and two-faced. And then if that's not enough she's now getting extra assignments. Is it her fault that she's already ahead because of her other school? But it doesn't stop at Pen Hall. OH NO! Kenesha's getting it on both ends. It's just not enough that people are trying to get some of her shine because her sister (Jade) is engaged to super-star Tyreece. But "lawn" mover guy is now pledging, her sister is gone to college as well, and her girls well while they're still as tight as ever they just don't seem to get it. So who can a girl turn too? Kenisha, despite the warning signs from everyone around her starts to kick it with Darien who she feels a connection to. But hold up girlfriend! Hot boys that are about that street life might just get you caught up. You might wanna go back and "Press Pause" again.

There were some questions in the back of this one. I'm gonna do something different and answer them. The questions were.

At the beginning of the story, Kenisha feels emotionally distant from the rest of her classmates. She seems troubled and her father and friends don't understand why. What circumstances contribute to Kenisha's feelings of isolation?

The girl's mother committed SUICIDE! Loss (in any form) of anyone will make you feel cut off from the world. Especially to this extreme. Kenisha is 15 years old. Her mother is gone! Her father is a hoe (and not even around half the time). Her ex-boyfriend knocked up her ex-friend. She's just found out her cousin is her sister. Her father's girlfriend is a BITCH! I'd be mad at the world too if I had all this BS around me. Sometimes life dumps TOO MUCH on people back to back and even though Kenisha is a fictional character it makes me angry how sometimes it won't even let you up for air before it starts again!


What would you suggest she do to get back to her usual self?
Maybe keep going to Tubbs. Although from the one visit I saw I didn't feel like they really connected. But definitely, keep using her dancing as an outlet. I'd even suggest in addition to her My Space page to start a blog. Blogs are very useful when it comes to letting out built up anger. You don't have to put on pretenses and while it's not a "cure" and there will still be some anger it helps when you feel like no one else around you will understand. You never know who'll be reading it either and someone else might relate and have the same issues going on.

Have you ever felt this way?
Have I? I feel that way right now as a matter of fact. Someone I loved was taken to. Only it wasn't a death. There was a term for this on PLL Wren gave Hannah about someone who was still there but it felt like the person you knew died. Just like Kenisha, it's caused all this ANGER inside of me. And unlike Kenisha it's caused me to isolate myself from friends just because sometimes I feel like even when I do open up myself to them about where I am they just don't get it because they aren't there themselves. And I know this is the wrong thing to do but I also know it's easy to go to this place and cut yourself off. At least Kenisha doesn't do this with Jalissa, Diamond, TB, and Ula.

Early in the book Kenisha has a fight and is given one last chance to behave and remain at Hazelhurst Academy. Provoked by Chili she lashes out. How could she have handled this situation better?

But could she really have handled this situation better tho? Yeah, it's wrong to fight a pregnant girl BUT Chili was just BEGGING to get her tail kicked! And Kenisha did walk away twice. If someone shoves you and keeps shoving you it's only so many times you're gonna resist before automatic reflexes are gonna kick in. Even if you don't want them too.

Was her expulsion fair, given the warning, although the fight wasn't her fault?
NO, IT WAS NOT! Even when I read this I thought, you have GOT to be kidding me! REALLY?! So what? You just expected her to stand there and get shoved and eventually jumped on. IN WHAT WORLD?!

How would you have handled this differently?
If I was who? Kenesha or the Principal (who was wrong as all get out)? If I was Kenesha I probably just would have walked into the classroom. How did she get up on her that quick? Chili moves FAST for a pregnant girl! I would have inhaled, exhaled, closed my eyes, and just continued to walk into the room. Ideally but like I said it would have been hard not to defend myself and at least shove her off me. But then shoving leads to other things. If I were the Principal and I had a WITNESS that saw that she started the fight I wouldn't have done anything to Kenisha. In NO WAY was she at fault in this! I wouldn't have even given her detention over this.

There are several people around Kenisha who can help her through this difficult time. Why do you think she closes herself off from them?

But did she tho? They keep saying how Kenisha "closes herself off from people". I don't think that's true at all. "Closing yourself off from people" means shutting down COMPLETELY! Turning off your phone. Not communicating with anyone. Kenesha STILL through all this talks to Diamond and Jalissa DAILY. She might not be expressing her anger the right way. But chapter after chapter she's seen at the mall, she's seen at a party, she's seen at a club. She even lets some people in (Cassie, Ula, Darien). Some of them being the wrong people. But if she'd "closed herself off from people" she'd just go to class, come home, do her homework, and stay in her room and not even talk to her Grandmother.

How are Penn Hall and Hazelhurst different? (In Kenesha's eyes?)
Hazel Hurst has uniforms. Penn Hall doesn't. Probably the overall atmosphere. Of course, there are guys there. But mostly she gets the same kind of people in both schools. What I'm thinking is Penn Hall is a little bit more gritty. Hazel Hurst probably had the best-updated equipment, nice building. Penn was probably in need of a little repair. Older books, lockers, classrooms. Penn was probably nosy and lively at all times in the hallways. Hazel Hurst was probably more refined and quiet.

Kenisha's school records and problems follow her to Penn Hall. How would you overcome a bad reputation in a situation like that?

By doing exactly what Kenisha did. IGNORING IT! I think she handled everything well. She wasn't fooled by the guys. Instantly she knew what they were about. And she didn't let the girls phase her at Penn. And through all that she stayed on top of TWO different sets of class loads. That's something to be applauded!

Who is the antagonist in Fast Forward?
Darien

How does this person manipulate others?
I wanna know this myself. This guy must have some good…….. He wasn't all that smooth and didn't seem to have that much game. I think it had to do with intimidation though. He was dangerous and violent. That would do it.

What was their motivation?
I'm gonna say CONTROL! He controlled his associates through violence. He controlled the women around him through sex and drugs. And also POWER!

Kenisha pushes away Jalissa, Diamond, and Terrance but lets Darien in her life? Why do you think she did that?

Because when you're a teenage girl you go through a phase where you're turned on by the thrill of the bad boy. We've all been there. I can't even say why this is. I think tho that she felt like she had stuff in common with Darien. He had an anger problem. She had an anger problem. He was quick to deliver a beat down. She was quick to deliver a beat down. He was street. Even though she wasn't hood, she had hood like tendencies. He probably listened to her, felt her, and didn't judge or condemn her. So she probably felt like he understood her whereas the others were telling her to slow her roll.

Kenisha knows exactly what kind of person Darien is bad but she chooses to hang out with him anyway. It isn't until things get dangerous that she backs off. Why do you think she's so tempted by his bad boy personality.
It matches her current state of mind.

Some of the choices Kenisha makes have serious consequences? How can you make sure you make the right choices?
Hmm. Here's the thing about making "the right choices" in life. Some choices are obvious. Should Kenisha have got in Darien's car either time? NO! Should she have snuck off and gone with him to a club he didn't know anything about? NO! But should she have answered the call to help a friend? YES! So sometimes it's gonna be hazy and there's no way you can know how your choice will turn out. You might do the wrong thing for a good reason. Sometimes what other people think is "the right choice" won't be the right choice for you. So basically all you can do is use your best judgment in a given situation. Sometimes you'll have time to weigh it. Sometimes you won't. Sometimes you'll have to rely on common sense. Sometimes that won't even be there. Sometimes you just have to make a choice PERIOD! And then if it's the wrong one just learn from it and try not to repeat it.

Kenisha's My Space entries offer insight into her life. Can you relate to any and why?
Yes! I could relate to a lot of these.
(Chapter One's entry) "All that other stuff is behind me now! I made sure of it. I don't even look back anymore. Its strange like closing a door, but instead of being all nice about it I slammed it, locked it, bolted it and then tossed away the key. I'm DONE! It's time to fast forward." -Basically, this is how I feel about all my ex's.
(Chapter Three's entry) "I guess the more I learn about people the less I really know. When does the learning catch up with the knowing? When do people show who they really are)- People show you who they want you to see at first. The illusion and the reality as Kenisha point out never seem to equal out. I relate to this because I've been deceived more times than I can count. But then they "do" give you hints. We just don't always pay attention or either we do and write them off as minor things.
(Chapter Four entry) "When you make four right-hand turns, you wind up in the same spot you were in when you started. Ok, now what? I've been running so far and so much, faster and faster that I found myself running in circles. -I can relate to this because I know what it feels like in life to keep going and going and going only to not get anywhere and find yourself right back in the same place and repeating the same issues in life just repeatedly and wondering how to break the circle and move forward.
(Chapter 5) "Freedom is something you desire but never get. It's intangible, elusive, and always a step away from my reality. Hey anybody seen my freedom? -Yup. Can definitely relate to this. Why? Well, let's just put it like this. When you reach a certain age and your movements are not only limited but monitored sometimes you will understand.
(Chapter Seven entry) "Whoa, culture shock, reality 101 I feel like Dorothy in the Wizard Of Oz. This seriously wasn't Kansas anymore. It was like being dropped in the middle of the ocean and told to tread water. I could feel myself drowning."-This is the way I felt this year when an opportunity presented itself to me unexpectedly that I didn't know the first thing about and it scared the crap out of me. A couple of them actually. But they never came to pass so…
(Chapter Nine's entry) "Ever notice how you never see trouble coming. They say you see it a mile away but that's not true. Trouble-real trouble -just pops up right in your face. BAM!- Speak on sis! At the beginning of the year, I was in a situation that I thought was going amazingly perfect! And then just out of no-where... Blind sighted... There were NO SIGNS!
(Chapter Ten entry) "My equilibrium is off balance. Everything I thought I knew is wrong. Everything I thought I had I don't."- BEEN THERE. AM HERE! I thought I knew something too. Turns out I didn't. Have been feeling "off balance" ever since.
(Chapter Eleven's entry) "I thought it would be cathartic to believe good things come to those who wait. Naïve much? My bad". Is this young lady me or what? This sounds like something I would say today. Because the saying good things come to those who wait is often what fairy tale movies and novels want you to believe. It's a FLUFF SAYING! And if it's not then I'm still waiting….
(Chapter Twelve's entry) DEFINITELY MY FAVORITE "It's a miscarriage of reality to tell children fairy tales that promise a bright and wonderful world. It's when we grow up that we find out the world isn't all glass slippers and royal balls. It more like curses and poison apples" -I don't even think any expounding needs to be done why I can relate to this. You'd seriously have to read my Tumblr.
(Chapter Sixteen's entry) "I stood in a dark place, scared, alone, devoid of form and feeling, devoid of light and laughter, devoid of love. If I all out will anyone hear me? I don't know anymore.-This is how I feel on the days when the depression I have hits me the hardest over current events.
(Chapter Seventeen's entry) "It's a fundamental paradox of life. Bad things happen to good people. Or is it that good thing happen to bad people? Either way... Somebody gets screwed."- This reminds me of a saying I saw on IG. "Noone dies a virgin! Life screws us all equally" How do I relate to this? I'm one of the good people life often screws.

RATING: 8 Basically the questions did a pretty good job of summarizing my thoughts on the book. But here are some others I had. Overall I liked the book. I thought it did a decent job of how having to deal with the loss of someone you loved can cause anger that if not dealt with properly can be toxic to the decisions you make. I think Kenisha's recipe book of life was a great idea and a wonderful thing to pass on to her and Terrence's kids. (Cause we just know he'll be the guy). And from the bald head, can I assume that Terrance is a Q Dog (Omega Psi Phi)? The part about Kenneth's voice being heard over the phone when Courtney is talking to her friend and saying he's ready to get sexed was jarring when I first read this as well as when Kenneth flat out says no he's not marrying Courtney. True Courtney was a bitch but you couldn't help but feel a little sorry for this woman. Well, just a little bit. Not much because she DID take him from another woman. But men like this just make me angry. All game! No commitment! And I would NOT have named MY baby after his wife! HELL NO! Not only does Darien have a magic piece, Kenneth must have one too. Another thing was what did Ula have to tell Kenisha at the end of the book? Maybe she didn't want to know but I did. Good book. I could easily relate to the things Keneshia felt and her as a character. As a matter of fact, I created a character similar to her now that I think about it.