8. Piper #2
I shook my head and got out of the car. I leaned into the car when I said, “Like I said, it’s fine. I’m not mad. I’ll work on the first two pages of the paper and have it to you by Monday.”
“Pi—” I closed the door in his face and hurriedly made my way inside the building. I didn’t want to talk anymore about what happened. It happened, and now it was done.
If I had to be honest with myself, I was already missing the feel of his tongue pressed firmly against my clit. It throbbed at the memory of how his thick tongue moved with precision and had my legs shaking and jerking like I had epilepsy.
Stop thinking about him, Piper. Don’t let this situation get to you, I told myself as I entered my dorm room. I was glad Braelyn was still out. There was no way I wanted to explain where I was or what happened last night into this morning.
My fourth day on campus, and already, there was too much drama.
I erased the thoughts and feelings of Khalil from my mind and went to shower before I went to class.
With my hope, I prayed that he wouldn’t talk to me for the rest of the school year.
Thankfully, the day went by smoothly. I didn’t see Khalil in the class we shared together, so I was appreciative of that.
But his minions were in attendance. They didn’t say anything to me, and I was happy about it.
I knew it was only because we didn’t need to talk to one another since Khalil was the group manager and pretty much had his friends reporting to him.
After a day of classes, I was finally in my dorm, relaxing. Braelyn had gone to the movies with her boyfriend, so I was alone until she came back. I picked up my phone to call my mom to check in and tell her about my day.
Or morning rather.
She picked up on the third ring.
“Hey, Mommy!”
“Hey, baby.”
I instantly sat up when I heard the weakness in her voice.
“Mama, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I slept with the window open last night, and now I’m sick.”
“Answer your FaceTime.” I needed to see her face. When she came on camera, I inspected her face. Her nose was red, and her eyes were glossy.
“Why would you sleep with the window open, Mama?”
“Because I was hot. Duh.”
“We have central air. You could have turned it on for a bit. The outside weather carries a lot of germs, and I don’t want it to trigger—”
“Piper, I’m fine! Don’t you start with your dramatic theories about my immune system. It’s just a little cold. I’m fine. Now, tell me what’s going on with you. How’s everything coming along?”
I sighed and laid back down, staring into the camera at her. She scared me. I was always on edge now since the cancer and was deeply concerned about her health.
“Nothing . . . What did you eat today?”
“Piper.” She gave me a look of warning, telling me to back off. Since the cancer, I made sure she ate healthy and exercised when I was home.
“Fine. Everything was okay up until last night and this morning.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t even know where to start.”
“Start with what has you in your feelings.”
“I’m not in my feelings,” I lied.
“Girl, please. Tell that to someone who doesn’t know you.”
Okay. Maybe I was in my feelings a little bit. I also needed to stop being in denial about how what he did to me made me feel things and how his baby mother, in fact, hit a nerve with me.
I wasn’t mad, per se, but I was disappointed in how things played out.
“There’s this guy. His name is Khalil, and he’s the star on the basketball team.”
“Oh, Lord. I know where this is going. I bet he’s a cocky bastard, and you like him, but he done said something to get under your skin, so now you hate him.”
I laughed. “You’re only right about two things. I liked him, but now I hate him again.”
“Again?”
“Yeah. I hated him when I first got here because he was being a jerk. Then he apologized, so I decided not to be mean to him, but it backfired.”
“How so?”
“We have to work on a group assignment together and was supposed to meet at the library, but he ended up taking me to his house. Mama, his house is so big and beautiful. Anyway, we went there to work on the paper, and I found out he has a baby. A three-month-old daughter. I already wasn’t comfortable with him taking me to his home, but after meeting his grandmother, she made me feel welcome . . .”
“And?” she asked, bringing me back from thoughts of him.
“Oh, sorry. Anyway, we were vibing, and I realized I liked him and wanted to, you know.”
“Have sex with him?”
I slapped my palm on my face, trying not to remember how he made me feel. “Yes. I ended up spending the night, and something happened. Then I got woken up by his child’s mother yelling and trying to fight me.”
“Are you serious? You had sex with him?”
“No, but he went down on me.”
“Oh, my word!”
“Twice.”
“Okay, I can only take so much, chile. But I know he didn’t play with you like that, knowing he’s still with the mother. Why would he even bring you to their house and do that shit to you?”
“That’s what I said. He claims they’re not together, and she doesn’t live with him, but how was she able to get in the house at five in the morning?”
“Exactly. Stay away from him, baby. From the sound of things, it sounds real messy, and I don’t want you getting mixed up in no mess. If that hussy would have touched you, I would have been on the first flight out to put my foot up her ass.”
I laughed. “I would have handled her myself. Trust me.”
“Those are facts.”
“But now we have to finish the assignment, and I honestly don’t want to see him again or have to work with him.”
“I’m sure, but your education is important. Just do the assignment, and be done with him. I’m sure you’ll meet someone who isn’t full of it or has baggage.”
“Yeah, . . . hopefully.”
We talked for a bit more before we ended the call with me telling her I’d be home for Thanksgiving. I plugged in my cell and stared up at the ceiling.
I hated that Khalil was living rent free in my mind. I shouldn’t have let it happen; now I felt things for him when I knew I shouldn’t.
Let it go, Piper. He’s only going to break your heart anyway. It’s best this happened now before it went any further. Just 136 more days before this is over.