Chapter 20 #3
The doorbell rang, as if they knew we’d just finished discussing them, and both Italian and Gal went to answer.
Mahzeyah bumped shoulders with me, and I gave her my attention.
We’d both been wearing the same perfume today, which was totally a coincidence.
That happened a lot between her, Bella, and me.
If it wasn’t perfume, it was clothes, shoes, or bags.
We spent way too much time together, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I know you are cool with it…” She snickered.
“Mahzeyah… I don’t know what you talking about.”
Everyone had fallen into side conversations, so they weren’t paying us any mind. Crossing my arms, I watched as Mahzeyah’s smile grew big as hell, like she knew something I didn’t.
“I saw the way that P dude was looking at you the last time he was here. He’s fine as hell.”
“Oh, girl! That’s what you’re talking about…” I waved her off. “I didn’t notice.”
Mahzeyah’s smile dropped, and her eyes rounded.
“I know he’s going to wake up one day, friend, and give you some answers about why he hurt you, but you are allowed to live your life.
You young, fine, and having your way with two rich-ass daddies.
We going into our senior year… The best high school year of our lives.
And then prom. Then graduation. Then college!
We still gotta decide if we doing JBU or Miami U or NYC.
Wherever we go, we’re doing it together, and Bella is transferring too.
It’s gone be plenty fine-ass boys over the next few years. We are not sitting around moping.”
Before meeting Glee and Blayke, it was just us three, and we had plans to go to college together.
My plans hadn’t changed, even with our hospitalized friend.
I was going to finish school and open my own private practice in psychiatry.
It was crazy that I wanted to be a psychiatrist, and my own mind was all out of whack.
But as Mahzeyah said, time was on our side. I’d get my mind right eventually.
“Sooo, you saying you gonna cheat on Flexer?” I asked.
“Oh, I ain’t stupid. Flexer is a rapper. He has grown-ass women with BBLs and large followings chasing behind him. I haven’t even had sex with him yet. Plus, we don’t really have a label on us.
“Am I madly in love with him? Yeah, but Avenue and Millionaire didn’t raise a fool.
Wherever we go, I’m having my fun. I’m not tied down to no nigga that ain’t tied down to me.
He gonna be on the road getting his dick wet, and I’ma be in our skyrise getting dicked down.
He ain’t shit, and I ain’t gone be neither. Right now, though, I’m chilling.”
We all chuckled before Blayke said, “I know that’s right, Mahzeyah.”
I shifted my eyes across the room to look at all the girls.
I was down bad behind Grind, and I’d been trying to save face, but these were my people.
I knew no one in here–not even Glee and Blayke—would think I was stupid for being so caught up on Grind.
Truth was, I hadn’t even looked at another boy because there was no vacancy in my head.
Grind left no room for it, occupying every cranny.
He was the tenant, and although his lease had ended, he was still there on a month-by-month basis.
“Aye, y’all these my niggas, Ro and P. Y’all remember the girls? That’s Glee, even though I ain’t fuckin’ with her today since she gave away me and Mahzeyah’s daughter.”
“Boy!” Mahzeyah scoffed.
“That’s her friend, Blayke, my cousins, Bella and Pearla, and my baby mama, Mahzeyah.” Italian grinned.
“You gone stop putting that ‘baby mama’ word on me. I ain’t having no kids, especially not yours.”
“It’s cool, baby. We got one already. Her name is Leader.”
Mahzeyah flipped Italian off while Glee laughed. I was happy to see her not grab at her side to support her ribs. Once she got her cast removed and didn’t have to use the wheelchair to get around, she would be good to go.
Bella dismissed Italian before he could continue. “We remember these niggas from Glee’s birthday. No need for the intros, cousin.”
My girl was hard as hell on boys, in general.
There were a few dudes at JBU who had been vying for her attention, and some rookie pro athletes had been in her DMs, but Bella paid everyone dust. She’d been so caught up in her role as a social media manager that she had to squeeze in time for us.
As long as she kept making time for me, I was in support of whatever she did.
If she decided to get a boyfriend, that was cool, too, as long as he knew I needed my Bella.
I needed all of my girls, actually. They’d gotten me through the toughest part of my life, and for that, I was forever indebted.
I could feel eyes on me as I scrolled my Instagram timeline, but I didn’t care.
Mahzeyah bumped my shoulder while clearing her throat, and I finally looked up.
The guy named P was staring at me, and I had to do a double-take.
Mahzeyah hadn’t lied—P was cute. He was cute as hell.
Both boys Italian introduced were attractive, but P was different.
I could see ink etched into his light-brown skin, peeking out from the teal Nike hoodie he wore.
His skin tone reminded me of wet beach sand, but it looked smooth as butter.
I dropped my eyes to his lips that was surrounded by a full goatee, his mustache fuller than when he came to Glee party.
His beard was perfectly lined on his face from his hairline to his chin.
His downcast eyes were lined with short, spiked lashes that I was sure he hated.
He had a square-shaped face that looked as if it rounded underneath his beard.
His hair looked as if he’d just taken out his braids with it being crinkled all over.
Just like the first time he came over, he was wearing white Air Force Ones as white as his teeth.
Unlike Italian and them, who were dressed comfortably, he was a mix of comfort and fashion in Nike shorts and the matching teal hoodie.
I could also see diamonds peeking from underneath his hoodie.
I had noticed him at Glee’s kickback; it was hard not to notice him.
He was cute, and his rugged presence made him stand out.
He was a mix between hardcore and pretty boy.
Maybe it was the hair. Maybe it was the eyes.
Maybe it was a combination of everything.
Whatever it was, P screamed trouble to me.
It was fitting that he was friends with Italian and the other guys because they were the poster teens for havoc.
“I brought food.” He held up three boxes of pizza that were in his right hand. My eyes didn’t leave his, although they should have, as he lifted his left hand. “I also brought a bottle of D’Ussé.”
A smile spread across his face, showing his teeth were perfectly straight.
I was sure he’d had braces with how perfect they were, and I got jealous because mine were still on, giving me hell.
My mind did a poor job of disguising my thoughts because I ran my tongue over my own loose wire.
I was due for a tightening during my next appointment and was looking forward to it.
Ironically, I had planned to request teal bands this go-round.
“Now you’re talking our language!” Bella hopped up, pulled her leggings up on her waist, and grabbed the pizza boxes from his hands without saying thank you.
He didn’t seem to care as his eyes were still on me.
Once Bella turned, Gal’s eyes went straight to her backside.
He had it bad, but unlike Italian with Mahzeyah, Gal kept his feelings to himself.
He usually didn’t say shit unless Bella got to running her mouth and talking crazy.
Only then did we hear how he felt. He could pop shit back, and sometimes he left Bella looking crazy.
I finally diverted my attention from P to Mahzeyah, who was watching Flexer’s story with a smile on her face. He seemed to be at a festival on a beach, given the view of the water in the background, and if it was the same festival where Essex was performing, he was in Southern California.
“You drink?”
Mahzeyah lifted her head and then elbowed me.
“What?” I asked her.
She tossed her head in P’s direction. Looking up, I met his eyes again as he held a bottle out to me.
“You drink?”
Running my tongue over my lips because they were suddenly dry, I lifted my wine cooler in response. This third bottle was doing its job, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel it.
“You call that drinkin’?”
His mouth lifted into a half-grin. There were no dimples. No boyish grin. No Burberry shirt.
Pearla, please stop.
“I’m not twenty-one…” I clicked my tongue with a cock of my head.
“Yeah, the liquor stores be discriminating hard! How the fuck do they let the boys buy alcohol and not us?” Bella stated as I smirked at her usual antics.
“That’s cuz y’all lil’ ass don’t need to be drinking no way, unless you with me,” Italian said with a sneer. I hadn’t noticed that he had left the room until he walked back in holding a stack of red cups.
“If that’s the case, give me a Sprite!” Mahzeyah put her wine cooler down on the ground next to her foot.
Italian softened his face and turned to look at her. “Man, here… Take this cup.”
He handed her an empty cup, and she hesitantly took it. He then proceeded to pass out cups to the rest of us.
“This pizza so fye! I loves me some Hunts Brothers!” Bella bit down on a slice, taking her spot back on the sectional.
She passed a plate to Glee, ignoring her protests of not wanting any. We’d all been making sure Glee had what she needed, even though Blayke was always ten steps ahead for her bestie. A broken leg and a newborn baby had to have been tough, but she was handling it well.