Chapter 28 Farrah
I showered, then dressed in a loose pink sundress.
I’d be damned if Mekhi’s friends almost saw my ass again.
Luckily, by the time I made it downstairs, Steel and Jarell were the only ones in the house.
They looked up from the video game they were playing in the living room long enough to say hi.
I made my way to the kitchen where I fixed a big bowl of Froot Loops and sat at the counter.
I was doing anything to keep from thinking too much about what Mekhi and I had done late last night and early this morning.
Part of me wanted to talk to him about it and part of me never wanted to bring it up.
What would he say anyway? Probably smirk at me and go out and do whatever it was he did.
Maybe I should be grateful that he made it good for me—I’d heard lots of horror stories about girls’ first times.
While it had hurt, that hadn’t lasted, and if it was anyone but Mekhi, I’d probably be looking forward to doing it again.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t hear the other person in the room until she cleared her throat.
My head snapped up, and my eyes immediately went to the beautiful woman standing in the kitchen doorway.
Pretty brown eyes looked me up and down and a smirk lifted the full, purple-painted lips.
Part of me knew if she got past Jarell and Steel, she had to be okay.
But I still heard myself asking, “How did you get in here?”
She laughed. “Nah, sis. I think I should be asking you that.”
Raising an eyebrow, I just looked at her. She stared just as hard, not breaking her gaze, even as she called Steel. He appeared a few seconds later.
“Why you didn’t tell me Mekhi letting his hoes spend the night now?” she asked him.
My mouth fell open at the audacity of this bitch. Who did she think she was? I stood up from the counter and walked toward her. Steel put himself in between us quickly.
“The last thing I am is one of Mekhi’s hoes—”
“It ain’t like that—”
Steel and I spoke at the same time, and she laughed.
“I mean, you walking up on me like you want to do something,” she challenged.
“And you calling me a ho like you want these problems,” I spat back at her.
“Chill! Both of y’all!”
It was the most forceful I’d ever heard Steel’s voice, and I frowned up at him. The other chick gave him a similar look before speaking.
“Nah, not until I find out why she up in this house.”
I turned up my nose. “An answer you won’t get because it’s not your business.”
I wondered for a minute if she was Mekhi’s girlfriend. She acted at home in his house, and she definitely had the right look. Plus, for her to be questioning who I was like she was all possessive struck a nerve. Fuck her, I thought. I didn’t give a fuck who she was.
“Maybe you could show her the way out, since Mekhi’s not here,” I suggested, crossing my arms over my chest.
Her eyes widened and she tried to step around Steel to reach me. I was ready for her rude ass, but he blocked her.
“Bitch, you must be crazy, thinking I’m the one who’s about to leave. Steel, show this trick the door,” she demanded.
It was my turn to try to walk past Steel. Whoever she was, she wasn’t about to keep calling me out of my name.
“Khayla, chill. She not leaving. Mekhi would kill everyone up in this bitch,” Steel said.
I smiled smugly as “Khayla” pouted at him.
“So, what? He got this one feeling special?”
“I am special,” I popped off.
She surprised me by suddenly smiling. “He got you stashed up in here when he ain’t nowhere to be found like he wanna make sure he sees you again. Maybe you are special.”
Her change of attitude caught me off guard, and I stared at her suspiciously.
“Stop looking like that. My name is Mekhayla, and one thing you gon’ have to learn if you gon’ be around, is that I don’t play about my brother.”
“Mekhi… He’s… your brother?” I asked as Steel stepped back.
She nodded and I should’ve been embarrassed by how relieved I felt. He’s not even your man, I thought. But that didn’t mean I wanted to be up in the house with his girlfriend.
Now that she mentioned it, I could see the similarities in their glowing chocolate skin, brown eyes, and noses. She stuck out her hand, and I slowly did the same, shaking hers quickly before taking another look at her. She was smirking at me, definitely Mekhi’s sister.
“You got a name?” she asked.
“Farrah.”
She laughed again. “The fuck he find a Farrah in the hood?”
“She ain’t from the hood,” Steel said.
“Where’s my brother?”
“He went to handle business. A lot of shit going on, but he knows you were coming back today. He’ll probably be here soon.”
Steel was all business suddenly. Mekhayla shrugged.
“We got here earlier than we were supposed to. I was mad that he cut our trip short, but I was a little homesick—”
“Where is your mama? We need to get her over here, too.”
“Why? I’m about to leave, and she and I are going for brunch.”
Steel shook his head. “No, you not.”
“Why?”
“Call your brother. He can’t tell you much on the phone, but he can back up what I’m saying.”
For the first time, I saw a little concern cloud her expression. “Nah, I believe you. I don’t want to disturb him if he’s busy. Mama broke a nail so she’s at the salon.”
Steel quickly got the details from her and sent somebody to pick up their mother.
If I thought his sister was something to deal with, his mother was next level.
She strolled into Mekhi’s house in her black designer dress and her Louboutin heels, took one look at me, and rolled her eyes.
And he had the nerve to call me stuck-up.
“Steel, Jarell, what is all this bullshit, and where is my son?” she demanded.
“He had a meeting,” Steel said. “Jarell and I are going to go outside with Guy. I’ma check in every few minutes but call if you need us.”
I narrowed my eyes at him as he passed, letting him know I realized he was leaving me in the lion’s den by myself. He shrugged and offered me a half smile. They had barely walked out the door when the mom turned on me.
“Now, tell me who you are again?” she asked, a fake grin on her pretty face.
“My name is Farrah. I’m a friend of Mekhi’s.”
I repeated exactly what I had told her before.
“Hmm. A friend who spends the night?”
I wanted to tell her that was none of her business, but I was trying not to be rude to the witch.
“For now,” I said. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t catch your name…”
“I didn’t throw it,” she said, a venomous smile curving her lips.
I almost bit my tongue in half.
“Careful, Mama. Steel says this one is different,” Mekhayla said, smiling.
“Isn’t that what they all think?” she asked, then turned back to me. “I’m Gillian.”
I sprang from the couch, ready to get away from her before I couldn’t be held responsible for my actions. “Okay. It was nice to meet you both, but I’m going to head back upstairs.”
“Oh, no. You’re acting as mistress of the house. You must have time to take care of Mekhi’s family,” his mother taunted, her fake smile spreading.
Fine. This how she wanna be? I pasted on my own fake smile.
“Of course. Excuse my manners. Would y’all like some coffee?”
Gillian strolled her high-class ass over to the couch and gave me the most condescending look ever.
“Oh, honey, I was just joking. You don’t have to play hostess. I know there’s no way my baby would even look at you twice, let alone have you up in his home like you belong here,” Gillian said as she began to laugh.
I bit into my bottom lip and sent up a quick prayer.
“I am not about to go back and forth with you about what your son does and does not see in me, period. Either you want some coffee or not. Either way, I’m here, and you’re just going to have to deal with that. If you don’t like it, then I suggest you take that up with Mehki and not me.”
“See, ma, I told you that this one was different. Just let her be and talk to your son,” Mekhayla said as she tried to defuse the situation.
“We’ll see about that now, won’t we? For your information, Faith, I can get my own damn coffee.”
One, two, three, four, five… I had to count down to calm my nerves because I was this close to telling Ms. High-and-Mighty Gillian to go fuck off and take her son with her. But my parents taught me to respect my elders, and I was going to do just that.
“My name is Farrah, not Faith. But you have a good day,” I said as I went to my room.
It was time for me to get my shit and get the fuck out of sight before I ended up slapping the taste out of his mother’s mouth.