I get right in her face and grip her arm. “Don’t you ever call her that again.”
“You’ve called her the same thing.”
“That was before.”
“Before what, Maverick? People like you and I don’t change. Stop pretending to be something you’re not. You don’t have to change for me. I accept you the way you are.”
“Get the fuck away from me, Victoria,” I tell her, walking past her.
“She’s playing you.”
“Give it up, Victoria. You’re starting to sound pathetic.”
“I have proof.”
I stop in my tracks. She walks around me, holding her cell phone out.
“Cocoa and Jake look awfully cozy shopping together at the mall.”
I snatch the cell phone from her grasp and start scrolling through the pictures. Jake has his arm wrapped around Cocoa’s waist in one picture. In the next picture, it looks like they were kissing. In the last picture, they’re smiling as they walk down the mall. I give Victoria her cell phone back. I’ve seen enough.
I stop in my tracks, hiding behind a wall when I see Maverick and Victoria in the hall.
“Am I supposed to care? Cocoa is just a nigger I like to fuck.”
My heart breaks at his words.
“So, she doesn’t mean anything to you?”
“No, she doesn’t, and I’ll prove it at lunchtime.”
I press my hands to my mouth to keep from crying out.
“What do you have planned?” asks Victoria in glee.
“I’m going to show everyone what a dirty slut Cocoa is.”
Victoria claps her hands. “I can’t wait.”
“I’m coming over tonight, so leave the door unlocked for me.”
“Okay, I’ve missed your visits Maverick.”
When they leave, I slide down the wall and breakdown.
How could I be so stupid?
I knew better than to fall in love with someone as damaged at Maverick. Was this just a game for him? Were they all involved?
The bell rings signaling the lunch period. I jump up from the floor and run to my locker, wiping tears from my face. I have to get the hell out of here. I won’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me like this. Fuck them all. Once I retrieve my car keys I move towards the exit.
“Cocoa, where are you going?” I hear Jamal call out to me.
I don’t acknowledge him, I move faster. If I talk to him, I’ll break down in front of everyone. I want to suffer alone. When I arrive home, I climb into my bed, ignoring texts and phone calls. When Mom and Michael come home, I pretend that everything is okay. If I tell my mother what has happened, she’ll cancel her honeymoon. It was so hard to sit through dinner and act like I was okay when I was dying inside. The next morning, I drop them off at the airport. Traffic is heavy since its Christmas Eve. When I arrive back home, the reality of spending Christmas sad and alone hits me.
It’s the day after Victoria showed me the pictures and I’m a complete fucking mess.
“Maverick, what’s going on with Cocoa and you?” asks Dee.
