I exhaled a heavy sigh and leaned back in my seat. I knew this day was coming, but I didn’t expect it to happen right away. Last summer, I took a few courses in my minor of art and design, concentrating in digital art. For one assignment, we had to design a replica of a classic arcade game. Long story short, I forgot my gaming laptop at home, and George caught me using the office computers when the cybersecurity alerted him. I thought I did a better job bypassing the firewall, but as I said, he was good at his job.
Anyway, after he caught me, he promised not to tell if I promised him a favor. I had no idea what kind of favor he was about to ask of me, but I was a man of my word.
“Does this favor have to be tonight?”
George exhaled an annoyed breath. “C’mon, man! I’m in your city, and you’re the closest friend I have right now that’s in the area.”
Rubbing the bridge of my nose, I sniffed and sat up in my seat. I wouldn’t say that we were ‘friends’ per se, but more like associates. “Okay, okay, what is it you need? And what are you doing way over here on my side of town? That’s like a four-hour drive.”
“I met one of these sexy honeys over the summer, and she told me she lived close by your campus. Since the hoes aren’t biting over here, I figured I’d swing by to see her.”
“What do you need me to do? Be y’all chauffeur? Use my apartment for the nightcap?”
“Chauffeur, no. Using your apartment, possibly. I’m going to take Rachel out on a date, but she has this friend with her who is trying to tag along. I've tried everything I could to convince Rachel that we don't need a third wheel, but neither of them is having it.”
I rubbed my beard. “So, you want me to take one for the team?”
There was a brief pause of silence before George burst out laughing. “I didn’t know your nerdy ass knew anything about taking one for the team.”
“For your information, my best friend and I have done a few two-man jobs. I go in, talk to the woman while Key does his thing, and then we head home. It’s not a big deal.”
“Bro, you are a lifesaver! Hey, if you and her friend hit it off, then you've got yourself a new girl.”
It was my turn to burst into laughter. “I’m not looking for a girlfriend. If she’s cool, then I wouldn’t mind hanging out with her afterward, but I’m definitely not looking for anything serious. My focus is on graduating.”
“Man, I’m not talking about a ‘girlfriend’, I’m talking about someone you can hit up when you want to get some. Anyway, I’ll send you the address to the restaurant we’re meeting at. Be there by 8 p.m.”
With that, he hung up the phone. I shook my head as I returned my attention to my homework. Unlike George, I wasn’t too worried about sex. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the extracurricular activity, but not as casually. Random hook-ups weren’t my thing. I mentioned before, my focus was on getting my degree. Plus, I haven’t met the right one.
After finishing up, I submitted my work and stood from my seat with a long stretch. I had about an hour and a half to get my hygiene together and head over to the restaurant. I jumped in the shower and made sure I washed every inch. There were way too many grown-ass men who didn’t know how to wash their ass correctly. You weren’t about to catch me slipping.
Stepping out of the shower, I looked over my body and smirked. My daily workouts and healthy eating were paying off. When I first got into college, the freshman fifteen hit me hard. Not to mention, working at a computer all day only made things worse. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mind the extra weight, but what I didn’t like was my overall health. I got tired of not having energy and feeling sluggish all day and got my shit together. I stuck with my healthier habits since then.
Walking over to my closet, I picked out a white tee with a pair of slim-fit black Tru Religion jeans. It was a bit windy outside, so I grabbed a matching black Tru Religion varsity jacket. I finished my outfit with a pair of all-white Nike Forces. I walked over to my top dresser and grabbed my platinum grills, silver stud earrings, and matching chain.
Others might see me as nerdy, but my appearance would surprise them. I had medium locs that hung past my shoulders and a thick box beard that complemented my espresso skin. Afew tattoos ran down my chest and arms, and a single one on my neck.
Grabbing my car keys, I headed out of my room. My best friend and roommate, Ricky, whom I called Key, was sitting on the couch typing fast on his phone. His face was balled up into a frown, and I could tell that something was wrong.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, reading a new message that had come in. “My sis is…. She’s going through some shit.”
“Damn. Is she going to be straight?”
Key nodded his head. “She’s the strongest person I know, but every strong person needs a shoulder to cry on sometimes. I may take a drive back home to talk some sense into her.”
He exhaled a breath before placing his phone down. He cocked his head to the side when he finally looked at me and smirked.
“My eyes must be deceiving me. Ain’t no way I'm seeing the one and only Dex going out on a Friday night.”
I shook my head with a laugh. “Bro, I go out on Fridays.”
“Yeah, when I literally drag you out of the house.”
I opened my mouth, but then quickly shut it. “Touche.”
Key stared at me with a concerned look. “Don’t worry, it’ll get easier.”
