“Speaking of hoes. What’s going on with you and your baby momma?” If looks could kill, I would be dead in my seat from the way Logic glared at me.
“Man, fuck you. I can’t believe I’m even in this bullshit right now. Janiah has been blowing my phone up for weeks, but every time I ask her about a doctor’s appointment, her ass goes ghost. All I want her to do is confirm her pregnancy so I can see how far along she is.
“Damn, that’s crazy. Do you think she is faking her pregnancy or something? I’ve heard of bitches doing shit like that,” East questioned.
For some reason, women thought having a baby could keep a man from leaving. I never understood the logic because, in my opinion, creating life was sacred. It wasn’t something anyone should be doing with someone they weren’t ready to spend the rest of their life with. It was one of the main reasons I always used protection. Shit, I still couldn’t understand how I ended up with Keyami, because I strapped up and always pulled out. Tiana swore the condom must have broken, but it never made sense to me.
“I don’t know. As fucked up as it may sound, I’m praying she isn’t or at least that it’s not mine. I finally have a shot at making Nova mine, and I can’t have anything getting in my way. She already tryna heal from the shit Justin did to her, so she isn’t gonna put up with my baggage. Besides, I know for a fact I strapped up when I fucked that bitch.” Logic seemed stressed out, and I understood why. He made the mistake of getting too drunk at a party and fucked one of the neighborhood hoes, and now she was determined to make his life hell.
“You ain’t wrong at all. You have a lot on the line right now. I would be praying the same thing. Does Nova know?”
“Hell no. I’m not bringin’ this to her attention until I know for sure the baby belongs to me. I’m hopin’ I can get her to fall in love with me before I even have to address the situation.”
“Yeah, alright. Well, you’d better handle your business because I don’t have time for Ari to be fussin’ at me about how all niggas are worthless. I got enough of that shit when it came to Justin’s dumb ass.”
“Speaking of Ari, I heard she claimed to have a little boyfriend. I’m surprised you haven’t shut it down by now,” Logic revealed. I stopped counting the stack of money in my hand and focused my attention on him.
“What do you mean? Ari hasn’t said shit to me about a boyfriend. She never even told me she was talkin’ to someone. How did you find out about it?” I tried to keep my temper under control, but the idea of Naiari dating made me sick.
“I overheard her on the phone when I was kickin’ it with Nova. She was telling her how nervous she was about their date a few weeks ago. His name is Issac Kingston. I don’t know much about him besides the fact that he knows how to play ball, and his parents are loaded.” Logic shrugged while I sat there in my feelings. It would have been unreasonable for me to believe Naiari would be single forever, but the reality didn’t hurt anyless. The idea of someone touching her caused my trigger finger to itch. In my mind, no one would ever be good enough for her, not even me.
“Key looks like he’s ready to run out of here and go find ol’ boy,” East jested.
“Hell, yeah. He gon’ be at her house, banging on the door, while he’s standing outside singing love songs in the rain,” Logic quipped.
“Fuck both of y’all. I ain’t gon’ pretend like it doesn’t bother me, but she has the right to date. As long as he ain’t a fuck nigga, I can’t be too mad.”
“Look at you sounding all mature and shit. I would have gone to her house, given her some Benadryl, then sent him a picture of her passed out on my chest with a caption that said ‘She ain’t the only one that finna be sleep if you keep calling my bitch.’ I’m too possessive to even think about being the bigger person. You might think Ari is better off with some square ass nigga, but we both know who she really wants.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, thinking about Naiari having a boyfriend. I talked a good game, but it was just that, . . . talk. I never pursued anything with Naiari because she deserved to be with a man who could give her everything. I was still trying to find my footing, and my life wasn’t anywhere close to being together. Naiari was worthy of a soft life where she never had to worry about anything besides being pretty and following whatever dreams were in that pretty head of hers. A life I was in no position to give her.
“How does your man feel about you having a boyfriend?” Nova teased as I finished getting ready for another date. Issac recently transferred to our school, and he was in my calculus class. We flirted all the time, but he never made a move until recently. He invited me out to dinner and putt-putt golf a few weeks ago. I thought the idea was cute, so I accepted it without hesitation.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. The last time I checked, I only had one man, and his name is Issac.”
“Girl, please. You don’t even believe that bullshit. Nauri is gonna have a fit when he finds out that you’re replacing him with a sexy nerd.” Nova snickered.
“You’re annoying. Nobody could ever replace Keynauri in my life. He’s my best guy friend, and that will never change. As far as me dating, I don’t see why he would have an issue with it. He has been fucking multiple bitches in the neighborhood, and I don’t say anything. We don’t have that kind of relationship.”
“Let’s call him and see.” The corners of Nova’s mouth turned up as she held my phone in her hands. I checked myself in the mirror once more to make sure my outfit looked as good on me as I had envisioned in my head. Since we were going to be active, I decided to keep it casual yet cute. The black tennis skirt went perfectly with my white-and-black crop top. I decided to pair the outfit with my black-and-white Dunks.
“Damn, you look good. Where the hell are you going?” I heard his voice as I turned to face the camera. Keynauri studied my outfit from head to toe as he smoked his blunt. For some reason, smoking only looked sexy when he did it.
“Our bestie has a hot date tonight with her new man.” Nova instigated. The deep frown on his face told me he wasn’t happy with her revelation.
“Who the fuck are you going out with, and why the hell is this the first time I’m hearing about this?” Keynauri sat up in the seat, giving me an icy glare through the camera.
“Issac Kingston.” I could see the wheels turning as he attempted to put a face to the name.
“The preacher kid?” My eyes squinted because I didn’t think he knew who he was.
“Yes, his dad is a pastor. We have classes together.” Butterflies rumbled in my belly, and I couldn’t understand why. I’d never been nervous to tell him anything, but I couldn’t get a good read on what he was thinking.
“I guess that’s the type of nigga you need to be with, huh? Someone who has a future and something to offer.” It seemed as if he were talking to himself more than to me.
“We’re only dating. You and Nova are acting as if I’m about to marry the man tomorrow. He seems like a cool guy, so I figured, why not?” I shrugged, focusing on my sneakers as I ran my hands through my freshly installed bundles.
“Yeah. Umm, how long do you plan on being out with him? I thought we had plans tonight?”
