Step Up (edit title/settings)

Step Up, by Monica MacHayden followed the last book in the Indigo series. It centered on the relationships of Indigo and Marcus, and Tameka and Vance. In both Vance, and Marcus are faced with the temptation of stepping outside their relationships.

In Tameka’s story, Tameka is faced with the uncertanties of her boyfriend Vance going away to Grambling, where he has received a full basketball scholar ship. It doesn’t help that she was be a single mother. She dreams of the day when she, Vance, and their baby will be a family. Even from the beginning we see that Vance’s mind is on just getting through college. Vance and Jaylen head off to school, and get into the swing of college frat parties, and girls. Meanwhile Tameka is at home, trying to avoid people. Her friends draw her out of isolation a little, but she feels embarrassed when she goes to the mall, and runs into some girls on the dance squad. Indigo helps her cope, and even goes to a labor class with her. Tamika feels more at home at the class, because she feels like she and the other ladies all have something in common. At the class she gets introduced to Sean (one of the other ladies son), and they hit it off immediately. He partners with her, and they talk about future plans. Vance seems to be calling her less and less.

Meanwhile Vance has become attracted to a girl named Lexi, that is on the girls basket ball team/ Lexi has all ready confessed that she’s in love with him, and he’s pretty much feeling the same, but still feels loyal to Tamika, who he talks to just out of obligation.

Lexi invites him to spend the fourth of July at her parent’s house. He and her mother hit it off, but he comes under fire with her father, when one night Lexi invites him to her bed room after every one has gone to sleep. But her little brother plays a trick, and he ends up going to her parent’s bedroom (in nothing but a towel). So he and the father have a long talk, which gives him a lot to think about on the way back to school. He begins to really think seriously about his being a father (he didn’t exactly tell the father the truth about him not having kids).

So now he’s tried to distance his-self from Lexi. But not soon after he and Jaylean are at another party, and they meet up with two girls that they first meet at the beginning of the book. One of em has a rep for being hoeish. He finds his-self leaving the party with her and going back to one of her friend’s apartments. So they start to have sex, but the girl doesn’t have a condem. Thinking about the last time, Vance stops. This pisses the girl off and she starts flipping out, and cussing him out. So then wouldn’t you know it in walks the girl whose apartment it is, and a bunch of her girlfriends. Lexi being one of the girls.

Vance tries to use that line, about they were just kicking it, but then Lexi talks him into committing to her. He agrees to be her boyfriend. Then she tells him that her parent’s are coming to campus, and what better way to set off their relationship by announcing it to her parents at a formal dinner. Vance reluctantly agrees/

Meanwhile Tamika has been spending time with Sean. One night he and his boys come over, and they just so happen to mention that they’re going to Grambling for the weekend. Sean tells Tameka he can let her know what’s going on with Vance. But Tameaka doesn’t want to not trust him. Vance invites her, and all her girls to come along, and they all agree. Her mother Mel probably won’t mind any way, but she doesn’t tell her because she knows Mel will be under obligation to tell the rest of the mothers so they use one of the girls that’s mom supposedly stays low key.

So they get their and Indigo, and her get hungry and decide to go to a resturaunt. There’s Vance sitting their with Lexi, and her folks. He’s just got her father to warm up to him, and respect him a little. When Tameka sees him, she goes over to “surprise” him. Lexi’s confused. Tameka’s confused. She starts a scene. Lexi’s parents get mad, and they all leave. Tameka incluced. Leaving Vance there.

Vance calls his mom for help. She tells him he needs to be honest with Tameka, and still be supportive of the baby. Then he needs to come correct with Lexi. He takes his mom’s advice, and Lexi forgives him, after making him promise she has to be the only one, and he not keep anything else from her from now on. Tameka finally agrees to talk with him, and he breaks it off with her. Sean promises Tameka he’ll be there for her. Tameka is heartbroken over Vance, but manages to make it through her first weeks back at school, from again Indi and her girls.

When they pull up back at Tymia's house, all the parent's cars are there. Turns out Vance called Mel to make sure Tameka was okay. Turns out they also are good friends with Tymia's mom. They get off the hook, but Mel is hurt because Tameka didn't tell her what her plans were,and so in turn she did tell the other parents. If she would have just been honest Mel would have covered for her. MEL IS SO COOL!

When the baby comes, Vance makes it there to see his daughter born. He spends time with the baby, and Tameka. But Tameka still wishes that he would forget Lexi, and realize that she and his baby are more important.

Marcus also goes away to college, for a summer program at Howard. He misses Indigo, but gets close to a few guys in his dormitory. He also meets a beautiful girl, and begins to spend time with her. The more time they spend, the more he’s attracted to her, and starts to feel like he has more in common with her than Indigo, who will still be in high school, and he’ll be gone off to college next year.

One of the guys gets jealous, when Daria won’t give him the time of day, and he decides to send Indi pictures of him and Daria kissing. Come to find out Daria and Chris where in it together. Marcuss calls it off with Daria, and heads home to try to make it up with his girl. Indi accepts his present but is trying to play all hard like she won’t forgive him. He tries to find out what’s what, because he won’t be at the school that much longer, but she’s still making him sweat. It ends with them at Thanksgiving. Nana has come to visit. They start one of there talks, but the girls come in and start dancing. And he’s watching Indi and thinking how much he’s crazy about her.

Then there was a sub plot about their friend who was a ass hole, but had been sexually abused by this father most of his life.

I rate Step Up, ten stars. Personally it reminded me of a situation I’m in right now so I really felt Marcus’s and Vance’s situation. Stay with what you know, or follow your heart? In both cases I think they made the right decession. In Vance’s case, I felt like maybe he shouldn’t have lead Tameka on all those months, but I felt like he really was trying to do the honorable thing and stick with her. But you can’t make yourself love or even be with a person. In turn he should have been up front with Lexi from the start, when he discovered that what he felt for her was more than just friendship. It didn’t really surprise me that he fell for someone else. We could just see that coming when he left. Then you didn’t have to have his mother tell us, to know that he never really *loved* Tamika. He said it his-self at the beginning. But even when we start to feel
sad for Tameka, we thing she didn’t actually get the raw end of the deal, because she now has Sean in her corner.

As in Marcus and Indigo, thinking of all the stupid things Indigo has done in the past books (from book one) you would think that she’d cut the guy a little slack here. Yeah he messed up, but she had to know that he was *not* going any where. Oh *come* on.

Marcus is like a knight in shining armor no matter what he does. So he kissed another girl. She slowed danced, and let another boy get all up on her in Trouble Follows. Or did she forget all that other stuff? Indigo is basically a trouble magnet. He messed up one time, and she has the *nerve* to get mad. Girl please! Whatever! In the end, you know they’ll be happy married, with a white picket house, and two kids somewhere. Good book tho. I think this was the best one yet!