“Yess!”she squealed.
I stopped to pick up Alyse and Morgan. It felt good to have local friends. Ones that saw me for me and not as the nerd who only played video games. It also felt good because the guys wewere dealing with were in the same circle. Samara turned the music down. “So, what do you plan to do for Beans?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Morgan leaned forward. “How long have you been knowing him?”
I shrank. “Three years,” I mumbled.
“Damn, y’all have been doing the podcast that long, and you two are just now getting together? Have you two, you know?”
Morgan rolled her eyes. “Alyse, girl, just say it. Are y’all fucking?”
I didn’t know how much I wanted to share with them, but I had no one else to talk to about it. “Yes. I mean, it’s like we’re on some type of back-and-forth. I’m trying to play my part, but I don’t know how much more of it I can take.”
Samara looked at me. “It’s called holding on for love.”
“It’s called playing games. That shit is going to lead to a crash out. Look, make sure you set the record straight. It’s either y’all together or not. There is no in between.”
Alyse shrugged. “I don’t know, everyone’s situation is different. You know that man, so you should know if he wants to be with you or not. I like Beans, he’s just like the rest of us. He has issues and problems that maybe he doesn’t want you to witness.”
I was listening to them, but as much as all of them were right, Braylen and I had been playing some sort of game, it wasourlittle game. Was I tired of it, maybe, but a part of me looked at it as if I was chasing that beast hiding in the fucking cave. Whether the capture was worth it or not, I was getting into that cave to find what truly lay within it.
MORGAN
Having a girls’ day was exactly what I needed. Kareem told me he would meet up with me later, and that was cool. It gave me time, not only to spend with my friends, but also to find him a Christmas gift. Paige had pulled into the mall’s parking garage, and we all got out and headed inside. I pulled Paige back because, although I knew it wasn’t going anywhere, I still wanted to address the Papi issue.
I grabbed her hand as Samara and Alyse entered the building. “I wanted to talk to you for a second,” I told her.
She looked worried. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I know we haven’t said anything about it, but the whole Papi thing. I’m not sure what you guys have, but you need to be careful. Whatever his reasons are for talking to you, they are not pure. Don’t let whatever he tells you come between you and the man you want. I’ve dealt with him, and although he is fine and can be a charmer, he can also be a demon in disguise,” I explained.
Her smile was there, but it wasn’t as bright. “Thank you,” she said as she squeezed my hand. “Come on, let’s do some shopping.”
We stayed in the mall for about two hours before leaving. We had tried on clothes, picked out gifts for our men, and even sat and had a little lunch. This was the vibe I had with Alyse, but it was better with girls I could call my friends.
Samara even shared some of the kinky shit she did back in New York. We had asked her so many questions in disbelief that I’m sure she was over our shit. As Paige drove back to Lake Hill on the highway, it began to snow. We all got excited but knew that if we didn’t get home soon, we would be trapped in a winter bliss.
I felt like something was off. Her eyes darted from one mirror to the next as if someone was following us. I turned back then to look at Paige. “Girl, what’s wrong?” I asked.
“I think that car is following me,” she said as she swerved the car, sharply getting off on the nearest exit.
All of our bodies flung. “Damn Paige, I do want to make it back home,” Samara hissed.
“Sorry, but look! The car is still following me,” she panicked.
That’s when the car shifted forward, sending me and Alyse flying forward, hitting our faces on the seats.“What the fuck!”I shouted as I looked back and saw it was Papi and someone else in the passenger seat.
Paige hit corner after corner, but this time, when she turned, the car spun in a full circle as the tires slid across the black ice. The car was full of high-pitched screams. “Turn the wheel and let up on the brakes, Paige!” Samara screamed.
“I don’t want to die,” Alyse cried.
Right when it felt like the car was coming to a stop, the impact of my body flying up and then coming down knocked the air out of me. The horn's continuous honking made me look up. Samara dragged herself out of the car while Alyse moaned and groaned, saying she was halfway out of it. I exited the car into the flurry-filled air. “Are you okay?” Samara asked.
I slowly nodded as I felt my head being pulled backward. “I thought it was that nigga, but getting you was even better,” I heard Papi.
“Get off her!” I heard Paige scream as Papi released me.
