Chapter 6
Six
Dy
“ D amn, Brixton Ellis is so fine. I swear he’s gon’ be mine soon!”
I rolled my eyes as the minions surrounding LaShontae Brooks started to giggle and affirm what she had just said.
I couldn’t stand LaShontae, and it wasn’t just because she hated me.
It was because of everything she was. She was a bully at heart, and I hated bullies.
She learned a long time ago that she couldn’t bully me, though.
Now, she just tried her best to make me jealous by talking about all the things she would do to Brixton whenever I was around.
I wasn’t worried about her, though. Brixton was my best friend, and if I knew him as well as I believed I did, he would never go for someone like LaShontae.
He always commented on how pure my heart was, so I knew he respected good people.
Kind people. Whenever he did get a girlfriend, that was the type of person he would go for. I was sure of that.
Trying to tune LaShontae and her friends out, I refocused on the court. I was sitting on the second row of the tattered bleachers at Fox Hill Park while my two best friends, Brixton and Marcellus, played basketball against two other guys from our school.
This was a daily thing for us. After school. After homework. Before dinner. The park was our spot. Some days, other people—like the annoying group of girls sitting behind me—would show up, but Brick, Marc, and I never missed a day.
They were finishing up their half-court game, and before they could even walk off the court, LaShontae and her friends hopped off the bleachers and rushed toward the court. I chuckled and shook my head.
One thing Brick always told me he couldn’t stand was a girl who was too eager. He said that if any old body could get a girl’s attention, he didn’t want it.
His eyes locked on me just as the group approached him and Marc.
“Good game, Ellis. Where did you learn to play again?”
With his eyes still on me, Brick said, “Right here on this court. Excuse me.”
With that, he continued toward me, while LaShontae stood back with her arms folded and her hip poking out.
Marc grabbed Tisha’s hand, and they walked off in the opposite direction.
Out of LaShontae’s minions, Tisha was the least annoying, so I didn’t really have a problem with him getting to know her.
As long as Brick wasn’t interested in any of them, I was cool.
“Doll,” Brick called out as he approached me. I tucked my lips to hide my smile and crossed my legs as my stomach fluttered. He had been calling me that since third grade, but hearing him say it never got old.
“Nice game,” I said as he sat beside me.
“’Preciate that.” He ran a hand over his curly hair before turning toward me. “You tryna walk or somethin’?”
I shrugged. “Sure.”
He stood and reached out for my hand, which I gave him without hesitation. I wasn’t sure exactly when it started, but sometime last year, Brick started holding my hand, and it was just a thing now. The connection always gave me butterflies, but I tried my best to ignore them.
As cute as Brick had always been to me, he never failed to remind me how I was his best friend. Sometimes, he would say things in a way that seemed like flirting, but he always reverted to the friend thing. He would never see me as more than that.
Hand in hand, we walked right past LaShontae, who had yet to move around, and started toward the trail that curved around the baseball field.
Our walks usually started there because the grass was taller, and there were lots of trees.
In a neighborhood like ours, everybody was in everybody’s business.
Privacy was hard to come by. We walked along the trail silently for the longest time.
He never let go of my hand, so I was still trying to calm the butterflies when he finally spoke up.
“Aye, I been thinkin’.”
I glanced at him.
“About what?”
“’Bout you, . . . about us.”
I let go of this hand at that point and folded my arms across my chest. My limbs were now shivering uncontrollably because of that one word he had spoken: us.
“Us?” I tried to sound calm, but I could hear the tremor in my voice. I hope he didn’t catch it.
“Yeah. Me, you, and Marc have been locked in since elementary school. We’re all best friends and shit but . . .” His voice trailed off, and I frowned, not knowing where he was going with this.
Was he about to say he didn’t want to be my friend anymore? I was sure I couldn’t take that.
“But what?” I asked way too urgently.
“But Marc ain’t the one who holds your bookbag when your shoulder hurts. Or your purse when you need to tie your shoes. He ain’t the one waitin’ on you to get out of cheer practice so that you don’t have to walk home alone.”
I nodded because all that was true. But . . . what was he actually saying?
He continued. “I’m tryna say that we’re all friends, but me and you are different. We’re closer, . . . right?”
I hugged my chest tightly because the shivering had turned into full-blown tremors, and I couldn’t get a handle on my body. To make matters worse, Brick stopped walking and uncrossed my arms. As he held both my hands now, his eyes penetrated mine.
“Right?” he asked again.
I nodded, afraid to speak.
“You’re my favorite person, Doll.”
I held my breath. I was?
“And I’m just saying, like . . . I wanna officially be closer to you than anybody.”
He did?
“Will you be my girl?”
My eyes widened right before they watered. My lips parted, and I tried to refrain from blinking because I knew tears would fall. Brick already liked to say I was dramatic.
He wants me to be his girlfriend?
There was nothing I wanted more than that, but I had no idea he wanted it, too.
Oh my God. This is the best day of my life. I ? —
“Doll,” he said, snapping me out of my trance.
Finally blinking, I nodded my head slowly. Luckily, I felt no tears. “Yes,” I answered softly.
“Aight, cool,” he said, and although his voice sounded casual, his dimple peeked out, letting me know how happy he was about my response.
We stood there, silently, staring at each other for a while. I wasn’t sure about him, but I was slowly processing what had just happened.
I had a boyfriend— the boyfriend. I had Brick.
As that last thought settled into my heart, Brick stepped closer.
“Can I kiss you?” he asked. His voice, which was noticeably raspier than it had been only a few months ago, was low.
I nodded again. “Yes,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
And he did. Softly, he pressed his lips against mine. It was gentle and warm. I could taste the candy I had given him hours ago on his lips, and it was all just perfect. My first kiss was everything.
When he pulled away, I licked my lips, then my eyes widened.
“Oh my God, was that okay?” I asked, digging in the purse on my shoulder. “I should have put on lip gloss first.” As I untwisted the top on my watermelon-flavored gloss, he chuckled and shook his head.
“I tasted enough of that watermelon shit on your lips, Doll, so you’re good,” he said, laughing. “That was way more than okay. It was perfect.” He grabbed my chin and kissed my lips again.
“Good morning, Doll.”
Brick’s voice was much deeper now, and it made me frown in confusion. I felt hands on my waist and a kiss on my neck from behind. As I became reacclimated with reality, the smell of cinnamon and coffee tickled my nose, and I opened my eyes.
I smiled. That was a dream, . . . but he’s still here .
Yesterday really happened.
Turning to face him, I smiled. “Good morning.”
“Good mornin’,” he said, kissing my lips. When he pulled away, I sat up immediately.
“Chile, don’t be doing that while my teeth aren’t brushed.”
He kissed his teeth and waved me off as I hopped out of the bed and headed to my suitcase. Once I retrieved my toiletry bag, I went to the bathroom and handled my hygiene. As I brushed my teeth, thoughts of the night before flooded my head.
I wasn’t sure what was going to happen next.
I mean, I was supposed to be going to Paris next week for half a year.
I wasn’t sure what Brick’s plans were for the near future, but he obviously led a pretty busy life.
As great as last night was, we hadn’t really solidified anything with us.
I sighed as I finished up my morning routine. I guessed time would tell.
When I reentered his bedroom, I smiled at the sight before me. There was now a tray on the bed with French toast, fruit, and coffee. The fact that he had my favorite breakfast with oat milk and raw sugar beside the coffee cup let me know that he had some help ordering breakfast.
“How did you—” I began, but with a smirk, he cut me off.
“Your password is your mother’s birthday. You used those numbers for everything important at school, so I tried it and called your friend. She let me know how you like your coffee. I had the French toast covered already.” He winked and gestured for me to come over.
I joined him on the bed, and he set the tray over my lap. As I began fixing my coffee just how I liked it, I smiled.
“You’re spoiling me. This is really sweet, Brick.”
He waved me off before leaning over and kissing my cheek. “Ain’t shit sweet ’bout me, Doll.”
He stole a grape from my plate before lying back on his side of the bed and popping it in his mouth.
I glanced at him and frowned. “You’re not gonna eat?”
“I already did. It’s almost eleven.” My eyes widened.
“I never sleep this late. You should have woken me up.”
“For what? It’s still a damn snowstorm outside, and you wakin’ up earlier wouldn’t have changed that. Eat your food, Dy.”
I rolled my eyes but smiled and did exactly as I was told. We didn’t say much for a while. Brixton turned on the television and switched it to the sports channel while I alternated between eating and stealing glances at his fine ass.
When my tray was clear, Brick grabbed it and stood. On his way out of the bedroom, he said, “I’m not done spoilin’ you, either.”