CHAPTER THREE
Bag, water, art supplies, keys, shoes, and a bagel, I noted as I moved through my place before leaving.
I found myself in a routine each morning, and since coming out of winter break, I had been a little sluggish.
It was the first day of the spring semester as a freshman.
The first semester was okay, but with so much going on back home, I barely passed.
I didn’t want to disappoint my mom or dad by blowing this opportunity, so I was determined to make up for it this semester.
However, after the night I had with Dio, I tried to convince myself that everything would be alright.
His sudden decision to move off campus made me feel as if I had done something wrong, and I refused to accept that.
I simply wanted to know what the hell the other girls were getting that I wasn’t.
I began questioning all the choices I had made, including allowing him to move into my space. Was Chevy right?
Dionysus came out of the room in his black sweatpants and a hoodie, holding two duffel bags in his hand.
I stood there staring at him. I wanted to say something, but what was there to say to a person who pushed you away?
Was I wrong for wanting to be selfish and have him here with me?
He approached me, trying to kiss me, but I pulled away.
He looked at me like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t; instead, he grabbed his keys and headed for the door.
“I love you, Mars the Star,” he said as he walked out the door.
Since Dio and I moved in together last summer, things had been in a honeymoon phase for me.
That was until I noticed things happening within the Zoo.
All the women who came around seemed to be on some sort of trial period until they were initiated.
When I asked Dio about it, he made it seem like I didn’t know what I was talking about, and that irritated me.
Maybe my being pressed about something that wasn’t meant for me was the problem.
I couldn’t wrap my mind around how things changed overnight. My heart was broken, but I was also angry. I decided to take my mind off that and focus on other things, like my mother and school.
When I left New York and arrived in Toussaint, I saw it as a reset. I had gone from struggling to survive to having everything I needed thanks to Chevy and Zaria. Dio making arrangements for me here was one of the best things that could have happened.
However, when I parted from my mother, I believed she would find her way out of the cult.
She had been immersed in that world for years, and since I told her I didn't want to go with her, I hoped she would open her eyes and leave.
After some time in Toussaint, I wrote to her using the last address I had on her just to reassure her that I was okay.
But when she showed up on Christmas, still dressed in plain garments, I knew she was still part of Shine Your Light.
I had since changed my last name from Simmino to Calloway.
I had been accepted into college, had the man of my dreams, and didn’t want her to ruin it for me.
I was more concerned about how Chevy and Zaria were taking the news, since I was like a daughter to them.
Chevy paid my tuition and got me a car and the apartment Dio and I shared.
I had a set of twin brothers who adored their big sister back in Lake Hill, so my biological mom being around trying to shift things was a lot.
Being twenty as a freshman, adjusting to college life, and trying to maintain a healthy relationship put a lot of pressure on me.
I’d always wondered how people’s home lives affected their school lives, and I guessed I would soon find out.
I hurried up, locked the door, and headed out of my apartment complex. I didn’t live far from campus, which made it easier for me to leave the house only minutes before class started, but today I was late as hell. I swooped into the parking lot, parked quickly, and got out.
The campus was packed. So many things were happening that I felt lost. The campus activities were fucking distracting.
From loud music playing from the DJ to people hanging around to the peddling of small vendors.
I moved through the crowd, trying my best not to get sucked up in it all.
Once I found a break in the crowd, I hauled ass across the yard until I reached my building.
When I reached my class, I stopped as I tried to catch my breath before I went inside. I swung the door open as the professor was speaking. I came in through the back, hurried down the steps, and slid into a seat.
“First day of class and you already have a strike with me, Miss—” He paused as he turned around to look at his paper, “—Calloway,” he said as he had now looked up at me.
The way my body shrank into the seat was obvious. “How the hell did he know who I was?” I said barely above a whisper. “Sorry,” I then said so he could hear me.
He removed his glasses from his face. “Don’t be sorry; be on time. Now, where was I?”
It was the first day, and already I was in bad standing with my professor. I let out a light breath as I went to pull out my laptop. “We signed a paper. That’s how he knows. Don’t worry, though. His bark is bigger than his bite. Trust me,” I heard a male’s voice say.
When I lifted my head, I turned to see the same guy who had patted my ass at Hoodoo’s. He was much more handsome in the daylight, but he gave ‘I know I’m the shit’.
I gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Thanks.”
He squinted his eyes as he stared at me. “I’ve seen you around campus a few times and at Hoodoo’s.”
“Okay,” I muttered.
He raised his brows. “Don’t shoot me. A nigga was just saying.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, well, I’m just saying, ‘okay.’”
As I tried focusing on what the professor was saying, the guy kept talking. My head snapped his way. “Would you shut up!” I snapped.
A scoff came from the professor. “Miss Calloway, since you seem to want to come in late and take it upon yourself to interrupt my class, how do elements like color, composition, and light, contribute to the meaning of this piece?” he asked as his pointer landed on the projector screen.
Shrank again. I swallowed deeply because I hadn’t had time to analyze the art.
The professor said nothing as he turned his back on me.
My eyes rolled toward the nigga who seemed to be Mr. Chatty Chad as he smiled.
I couldn’t deny the man was fine, and his smile was everything, but the fact that I just got called out only pissed me off.
“I’m Jesaiah.” He winked.
My lip curled in disgust. I sat there for the next hour listening to the professor and trying my best to focus. As soon as class was over, everyone packed up and left. When the professor called out to me, my stomach sank. I hiked my bag over my shoulder and went down the steps.
He didn’t even allow me to get to the bottom before he started. “Samara, is it?”
I nodded. “Listen, I’m not a man of many passes; however, I understand the need to build habits. Make it your last time being late. What is your love for the arts?”
“It’s how I see the world,” I replied.
“Well, if that’s the case, appreciate my class time as you do the arts.”
“Professor Williams, I promise I won’t be late again,” I mumbled.
He went back to what he was doing as if I said nothing. Professor Williams didn’t look like he knew the first thing about art. He looked like a lonely old man who needed something to do.
I walked out of the class to make my way to the café to grab some real food when I saw him.
Dio took the long way around the campus to get to the other side by himself.
He eyed me for a split second, then pulled his eyes away as if he didn’t know who the fuck I was.
Like it wasn’t him lying in our bed only hours ago.
“The fuck!” I muttered.
“Is that your nigga or what?” Jesaiah said from behind me.
I almost broke my neck to face him. “Would you leave me alone?”
He shrugged. “I can for now, but we’ll be seeing each other again. We share a class, remember?” he said as he walked off.
While Jesaiah was worried about me, I was worried about why the fuck Dio was acting strange.