Samara-Chapter Three
“I’m going to miss you,” Alyse whined.
I leaned over and hugged her. “I’m going to miss you too. All of you, but I’ll be back. I think I need this,” I told the girls.
Alyse, Paige, Phoebe, Morgan, and I decided to have one last girls’ day at my apartment. It was nice to have Phoebe here since she and Streets decided to be a thing. Phoebe sipped on her drink as she looked at me curiously.
“So, this trip. Are you going with a class or what?”
“Well, according to Dean Cecily, it’s—”
Paige chimed in. “You mean Dean Mercier. Y’all know he’s back.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, and since he’s been back, he has been working my ass to death in that office. I know he hates me because of Chevy, and that’s the thing. I need to see what it's like outside the Zoo.”
Paige grinned. “I reported his ass. There is nothing like an alumnus reporting the dean for his behavior.”
I laughed. “You think they’re going to fire him?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t know, but they need to know that he’s not the right person for that position.”
She was right, and I hoped like hell her complaining worked. I glanced over at Phoebe, who stared at me, waiting for her question to be answered.
“Sorry, Phoebe. We got all caught up in the Clark thing. But to answer your question, I’m going with a group of students from all over. This abroad trip is filled with other artistic people like me, and I’m so fucking excited.”
Morgan’s head turned slightly. “Bitch, wait! You’re saying that like you want to get away on purpose. You just got engaged, though. What does that mean for you and Dio?”
My body shrank. It wasn’t that I didn’t want my man because I did. I loved him, but since leaving New York, it’d been all about him, never about me. Besides, with Chevy’s issue with Clark and my issue with my mother, I just needed a break.
Alyse touched my leg. “You don’t have to explain. I get it. All of us are wrapped up in the Zoo and kind of forget about ourselves. You go out there and have a blast. We’ll be right here when you get back.”
A weak smile spread across my face. “Thank you.”
Morgan laughed loudly. “Alyse, please, speak for yourself. I’m not a Zoo baby. Anyway, let’s smoke some weed and chill with our girl for her last night in the States. Samara, you’ll be fine. Be free and have fun. Just don’t get over there and start fucking on that pink meat.”
We all burst into laughter. “I cannot with y’all.” Paige giggled. “Seriously, go and have fun. Before you leave, make sure you tell Chevy about Clark so that shit can get handled before the fall semester. If not, he’s going to make your life a living hell. I’m sure.”
I nodded. Morgan hopped up and turned up the music. She started dancing, and we all joined her. Moments like this were what I was going to miss, but I knew that even in lonely moments, all I had to do was call.
As long as I had my tribe, my man, and my parents, I was going to be just fine.