This time, when I touched him, he let me. I could see Phoebe watching me with a smile out of the corner of my eye.
“There you go. Now watch this,” she said as she effortlessly hopped on him, clicked her tongue, and he took off past me. My eyes lit up as she rode him through the open field. Phoebe was in her element, and something about it made me feel good. I was still upset with her, but deep down, I needed us to figure this shit out because the way she had my feelings tied into her, I knew there was no turning back.
SAMARA
My brothers were relaxing, watching a kids’ show I put on for them. Although their little brains didn’t know what they were watching, the colors were what captured them. I was curled up on the couch, scrolling through my phone when a link came through. I clicked it, and it opened to a video of Dio and the bitch I fought. She was standing at his door. I tried turning my phone up to hear what was being said, but it was nothing. I couldn’t tell if they were flirting or arguing, and the feeling in my stomach made me sick. I clicked out the video and called Dio.
“Mars, what’s up?” he answered.
Hearing his voice softened me a little. “Are you busy?”
The sound of music and commotion in the background distracted me. I tried to focus on his voice, not wanting my emotions or mind to play tricks on me.
“What did you say? I can’t hear you!” he shouted.
“Dio, I just saw a video of you and—”
“I got to call you back. Give me a minute. A nigga can’t hear shit!” he said before he hung up.
I tossed my phone in frustration. The moment I thought things were getting better, I began to second guess it.
“Samara, open up! It’s Harvey!”
I got up from the couch and went to open the door. She stood there holding her and Foe’s puppy Glock in her hand.
“You know Chevy would kill me if he knew I let you in with that dog.”
She moved me out of the way. “Chevy isn’t going to do shit. I came to check on you and the boys. Are they okay? Giving you hell?”
I walked back over and plopped on the couch. “They’re fine. They just ate and should be sleeping in a little bit. I don’t know why Chevy and Zaria have you checking on me. If I need help, I know how to ask,” I hissed.
Harvey set the dog down and came over to me. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Is it obvious?”
“Clearly. Is it Dio?”
I froze as only my eyes rose to her. “Aw, Samara. You two are young. You couldn’t expect things to be perfect. To know whether what you guys have is real, your relationship has to be tested. It’s all about surviving with the Zoo. Can you survive? Everyone wants to be a Zoo Baby until you're out in the wild. Me included.”
I flicked at the pillow. “I don’t think I will be a Zoo Baby at this point,” I mumbled.
Harvey smiled as she hugged me. “Girl, you were never meant to be a Zoo Baby but a Zoo princess. It’s levels to that shit. It’s Dio, and if he’s anything like Zeus, yo ass is stuck. You know those Jacksons.”
We both burst into laughter. “Thanks, Harvey.”
“No problem. I’m always around if you need me. The person you should talk to is Sasha. She’s the one dealing with a Jackson every day. You and Dio are together for a reason. Don’t give up. Anyway, I gotto go handle some things. If you need me, call me,” she said as she leaned down, kissed the twins, picked up her dog, and left.
I sat back and looked at the TV. Everyone had advice on Dio and me, but the fact remained that there was no Samara and Dio. I picked up my phone to see that he had called me back. I decided not to return the call. Instead, I decided to take my ass back up to the school. I wasn’t going to interfere with his line, but I was going to find a way to get him to talk to me. I wasn’t going to be the girl he fucked when he needed to get off, then ignored. I wasn’t going to be the girl who sat back and waited while being sent videos of him and other bitches. I needed to know where we were headed because if what we had wasn’t going to lead to us getting back together, I was leaving for the summer.
PERCY
The sun was beaming today, and I was becoming irritated because I had to work. The Blue Café had decided to donate to Chi Kappa Chi’s volunteer event. I carried some of the items to the table as Dio and the line watched and Jesaiah grilled me.
“We see you, Big Percy!” Stay Fly yelled out.
I tried to move quickly but wanted to speak to Dio since he hadn’t answered my text. I knew that Jesaiah was watching, and the moment I tried talking to Dio, he was probably going to pull a stunt.
“Can a nigga get some help?” I said to the bruhs.
