Chapter 24
It was a little after midnight when I pulled into my driveway. For me, this was relatively early, but I was tired as fuck and had decided to head in.
After getting out of my car, I took a long stretch and yawned.
“Jahrein.”
Hearing my name, I turned around to see Melissa approaching the yard.
Frowning, I met her at the curb, not wanting her to step onto the property. “What’s up?”
She sucked her teeth, while folding her arms across her breasts. “Why it feels like you got a attitude?”
I sighed heavily. “What chu doing on this end?” I questioned, because she lived about ten minutes away. But she just so happened to be on my street at midnight.
“I’m kicking it with Tia, across the way.” She pointed at my neighbor’s house. Tia and a few other girls were kicking it in the driveway, posted up on Tia’s mama’s car.
“Okay. Now, what’s up, Lissa?”
“I don’t know. You tell me. Mr. State Champion. Congratulations.” She cheesed.
I scratched the side of my face. “’Preciate it.”
“Really?” She tilted her head. “Why are you so nonchalant about everything?”
I shrugged. “What do you want me to say?”
“I guess I just be expecting you to seem excited. That win was huge.”
I smiled, while nodding. “Yeah, it was.”
“Right…and I just can’t help but feel a way.” She pouted.
“A way about what?” I furrowed a brow, before glancing back at my house.
“Cause. We been at it since freshman year. I just knew that I was gonna be in those stands, rocking your jersey, cheering you on. And it’s fucked up that you had the next muthafucka doing what I used to do. Then she had the nerve to have a custom jersey with your name on the back.”
“What?” I grimaced, as my eyes traveled down to her protruding stomach. “Mannn,” I drawled. “You be tripping with yourself. Where is ya baby’s daddy?”
She rolled her eyes. “I keep telling you, I can’t be with Khalil. We can never see eye to eye, for real.”
“Then what made you keep the baby?” I hooded my eyes.
She shrugged. “I don’t believe in abortions.”
“Alright, Lissa.” I turned to leave.
“Wait—” She grabbed my arm. “I’m not done.”
Quickly becoming irritated, I turned around. “So, what’s up, man?”
She took a deep breath. “What did I do to you that was so fucked up, huh? I remember how your face used to light up when you lay eyes on me. And now…it’s almost like you hate me. I don’t get it.”
“Man…come on. You know that Ion hate you.”
“Okay, then what is it? And please don’t tell me that it’s because you got a gal, cause I know you, nigga. These hoes are never gonna be quiet. So, I know that you still fuck around.”
I kissed my teeth, before quickly glancing back again. “Look.” I refocused on her. “It’s just me and you standing here…so, I’ma keep it real.”
She sassily swerved her neck. “Yeah, please do.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “I never claimed to be a saint. I do what I do. But with you…shit gets too complicated. I acknowledge that you was pretty much my first serious relationship. And that lasted for years. So, maybe you got it stuck in your head that we was supposed to be together—”
“No, let’s keep it real,” she interjected. “You want me to pretend like you didn’t do me dirty. We was good, then summer came around, and you completely switched up on me. Then you just wanted me to stay quiet and accept that.”
“Okay. So, tell me what you wanted to happen,” I urged.
Her lashes fluttered. “For one, I wanted you not to forget what we had. And I know that she got pregnant. You have to take care of your responsibilities. I get that. But we could’ve still worked everything out. I told you that I was willing to forgive that and move on.”
“See, that’s where you be losing me. Whether you forgave me or not, why do you keep saying that we could’ve worked things out?”
“Because we could’ve. Girls, get pregnant every day, Jahrein.”
I nodded. “Like you, right?”
She rolled her eyes. “You know what I’m trying to say.”
“Nah, it seems like you wanna destiny swap or some shit.”
“What?” She frowned in confusion. “The fuck is that?”
I smirked, realizing that I’d learned so much since I’d been with Raven.
She loved to read about astrology, and different African rituals and religions.
She’d talk my ear off about it, and I was so used to it, that I’d forget sometimes that not every girl operated on the same wavelength.
Raven was literally universes ahead of the broads from around the way.
“I’m saying.” I licked my lips. “Here you are, pregnant, and single as fuck. So, you trying to convince me that this is some normal shit. That it’s okay to jump ship, be with you, raise another man’s baby, while leaving my own high and dry.
Basically, you want to walk in Raven’s shoes, while she’s left out in the cold. ”
“No,” she immediately denied with a frown. “I’m just saying that this is a new age. Babies don’t mean that you have to stay with somebody.”
“I never said that was the case,” I let her know. “And maybe this is a conversation that we should’ve had out the gate, but I been tiptoeing around your feelings.”
She twisted her lips. “I’m listening.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “When…when have me and you ever had unprotected sex, Lissa?”
“Never.”
“Right. Then there’s me and Raven. I aint never wore a condom with her. Not once, but you talk about my son like he’s something that just happened—”
“Again, where’s the fucking remorse?” She snarled. “How are you gonna stand here and basically tell me that you intentionally got her pregnant when you were still my nigga?”
“Look,” I breathed out. “I need you to stop this. At this point, I’m beyond catering to your feelings.
I had apologized way back then. But I wasn’t your nigga, at that time.
That whole summer, you never saw me. I didn’t call you or nothing.
I didn’t even bother lying to you when you finally saw her and asked if I was fucking her.
Since the time she moved into this house, she been with me.
I know that’s fucked up to hear, but that’s what it is.
She my gal, and that’s not finna change for you or nobody else.
Her having Junior didn’t break me and you up.
Shit, I didn’t even know she was pregnant, when I called it quits with you.
But you go around making it seem like I’m only with her because of Junior.
And that shit rubs me the wrong way. And then when we interact, you wanna talk about me not being with you.
Or how Raven is living your life. I know that’s your position, because you’ll always see it as I was yours first. So, you aint gotta respect my relationship.
And that you somehow trump Raven. That’s your attitude, and that’s why I keep my distance.
Really, Ion be trying to fuck with these hoes…
but sometimes…the persistence wears me down.
I won’t lie. But I aint got no history with those hoes.
I aint gotta explain why I’m at where I’m at.
And I refuse to entertain a broad that don’t know her place in my life.
Those other girls know that Raven is my gal.
There’s no debating that, and they move accordingly.
Meanwhile, you think that you aint gotta respect boundaries.
Like when Raven answers the phone and you boldly ask to speak to me.
That causes unnecessary confusion, and we both know that it’s about your ego.
Like you can’t even be honest with yourself.
You want her to believe that she aint number one, because you aint number one.
It’s like it’s your mission to be disrespectful and stir up drama. Which is why I keep my distance.”
“So, basically, I gotta pretend that you being with Raven don’t hurt me, and then we can be cool again?”
“Nah.” I shook my head. “I aint asking you to pretend. We can easily see each other around and go the other way.”
“Really?” She placed a hand on her hip.
“Yeah, really.”
She sighed. “We both know that I’d never just walk past you, Jahrein.”
“Then you need to adjust to reality.”
She nodded. “I hear you.”
“Good,” I exhaled. “But uh…I gotta head in.” I turned towards my house.
“Jahrein.”
“Yeah.” I groaned, while pausing, never bothering to look back.
“We needed this talk. I heard you. Everything. So, the next time you see me, it’ll be nothing but smiles and good energy. Your relationship will be completely off limits. Cause I just want my friend back, for real.”
I nodded, hoping that she meant that, although deep down, I knew that she didn’t. “Bet.”
With nothing else to be said, I moseyed into the crib. Not surprisingly, the house had settled down, most of the lights were off, and everybody had retired to their rooms.
When I stepped into our room, I found Raven laying on her side, while Jahrein Junior was tucked under the cover, laying next to her. As always, she’d waited up for me.
“Good.” She immediately sat up. “’Bout time you came in at a decent hour on a school night. You got finals tomorrow,” she reminded me.
“Yeah, I do.” I yawned, as I watched Junior squirm under the cover. “But let’s go to the bathroom. I aint trying to wake my lil’ nigga up.”
She nodded, while easing out of bed. As always, she was rocking one of my oversized tees that nearly reached her knees. “Come on.” She marched around me, stepping out into the hallway.
Doing a about-face, I followed her to the bathroom, before we locked ourselves inside.
“Huhn.” I handed her a bag of weed, needing to say nothing more.
Sitting on the toilet, she started rolling up. “I checked the mail today,” she rambled, while focusing on the task at hand. “Colleges are still reaching out to you.”
I leaned against the countertop. “I know.”
“Okay…” She stressed. “And you’re seriously not gonna take none of them into consideration?”
I stared at her. “Nah.”
Sucking her teeth, she lifted her head. “Why not?”
“Cause. We already talked about this. All of them offers is for out of state.”
“So, what?”
“So, I’m not finna leave you and Junior behind.”