“Hello.”
“Karina, OMG! I would have never been able to tell this story the way you did. You are truly a genius.”
“Thanks, Rayla.” I sniffled but tried my best to hide the pain in my voice.
If Rayla knew what state I was in, she would be doing ninety to nothing trying to get here. She had better things to worry about.
“Are you sick? You sound a little sick?”
“No. I’m okay.”
“Well, look, I’m not going to keep you on the phone too long. I know you don’t like it when I do, but I just want to congratulate you in advance. As soon as this article is public, you will blow up.”
“Thank you, Rayla. That truly means a lot coming from you.”
“Look, I’m no fool. I know you won’t be with me much longer after this, but let’s set up brunch next week so we can talk about your launch. It must be perfect.”
“Okay, I will set something up and text you the deets.”
“Please do. Love you and see you soon.” Rayla blew kisses into the phone before we both hung up.
Rayla always seemed to show up in my life at the exact time I needed her. Her calling right now was no different from her pulling up a chair to the table I was reading at in the library on my first day of freshman year.
I’d just left home and was convinced I would never go back. How could I when I saw Kareem with another girl and still gave him the one thing I could never get back? We went to a hotel room that he’d already booked right after prom. I was a virgin when I went in but felt like a grown woman when I came out.Experiencing Kareem on that level made me realize that I would never be okay with the heartbreak that would come from seeing him with somebody else, as I had at prom earlier that night.
The moment I saw Kareem on that dance floor with Michelle was the exact moment I knew I wanted him to take my virginity. I don’t know if I did it in hopes of keeping him. The way Kareem explored my body in that hotel room was something I would never forget.
The next day, he was right back in her face, and I knew that would be the last time I competed for a man. If Michelle wanted Kareem, she could have him. That was the reason I cut him off all those years ago, and history was repeating itself.
I didn’t know why this girl found her way into my life every time I was finally rising above all I’d been through. I survived my parents abandoning me, but I couldn’t survive Kareem doing the same. I remembered how I felt that night, and I knew I couldn’t have it happen again.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Kareem
Ididn’t know how many times I’d called Karina’s phone, but it was enough for her to know I was trying to get in touch with her. I had texted just as many times, and they had gone unanswered just like the phone calls. This scenario felt so familiar. It was high school all over again.
I walked into the kitchen of a home I hadn’t been to in days. I was happy to be back in Austin but also glad to be done with that tour. I hadn’t spoken to Karina since I left New York, but Rayla had emailed me, and I’d gotten updates from Ray. She sent her final product in before she left, and I thought she would at least say goodbye, but she didn’t.
I called Karina for what seemed like the millionth time, but it went unanswered again. Walking around the kitchen, I walked to the refrigerator and opened it. It was fully stocked since my new assistant had made it home before me.
I had been thinking about downsizing from this big house. It made sense in the early stages of building my company when my entire team lived here with me. We were doing everythingrequired get it off the ground. However, now that it was up and running and everyone had gone back to their own homes, this home felt bigger than it already was, and it was always empty. I was here alone.
“Karina… Karina.”
First period had just come to an end, and I’d called Karina’s name, but she didn’t hear me. We usually met after each class so I could walk her to the next one, but she didn’t wait for me today. Granted, I was running behind.
Michelle caught me coming out of Algebra and asked if she could see my notes for the test tomorrow. I must’ve been looking in my bag to get them when Karina walked by, because by the time I looked up, she had already passed.
Being that close to Karina in our high school hallway yet still going unheard made me feel unseen. That was something I’d never been, not with Karina anyway. I walked behind her for so long, calling her name, but she still did not turn around and did not even act as if she had heard me.
It was that way throughout the day. From class to class, I followed Karina from one period to the next. Sometimes, I even walked beside her, and she still didn’t acknowledge me. It was as if I’d disappeared, like I wasn’t even visible anymore.
I had to drag myself to football practice. I suited up and got on the field, but my head wasn’t in the game. I was just going through the motions, which was clear to me and everybody else when I was getting hit repeatedly. My body became very familiar with the cold ground.
“Hey, man, you good? You slacking today.”
