“Get out!” I shouted.
He held his hands up. “I just came to talk. I see my auntie was in here. What did she say about me?”
I sucked my teeth. “It’s just like you to think you are the center of everyone’s conversation.”
Jesaiah seemed different. This wasn’t like his usual cocky attitude, but more like an I-don’t-care attitude. His brows raised. “I guess.Look, they say you don’t remember what happened, but I need you to. You were sneaking through my house. Why?” he asked.
“What are you talking about?”
Jesaiah came closer. “Apple, I caught you in my fucking closet. Why were you there?”
I stumbled back, trying to remember. “I-I don’t know.”
He nodded slowly as he handed me something. “You took these out of my drawer.”
I took what he gave me and looked at it. When I read the name, a flash came to mind. “Where is my phone?” I blurted out.
“You don’t need it. I have HIV,” he blurted out.
I felt sick, and my head started to spin. That was when I remembered what I saw on my phone that night. My eyes widened. “I-I had sex with you. I—”
He went to reach for me, and I hit him. “Don’t touch me.”
“Apple, we used condoms every time. I’m fucked up, but I wouldn’t do that to you. This shit wasn’t thought out. It wasn’t on purpose,” he paused as he sadly sat on the bed. He dropped his head in shame. “I’ve done some crazy shit, but this I never expected.” He scoffed. “But I should have known. Each moment I was lured by lust, I told myself the next time I’m going to be safe. The next time I won’t slip up. Then slowly things started to happen, and I knew something wasn’t right. When you found those pills, I hadn’t been taking them long. I wanted to tell you when I found out, but a nigga was ashamed, scared, disappointed, and in denial. Apple, I’m.” He choked up and caught a falling tear. “I’m sorry.”
“Get out!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
When I saw Harlem standing there, I felt sick again. “Nigga, you got what!?”
Harlem charged at Jesaiah while I cried. It took several nurses and security to break them up. When they were taken out of the room and the nurse came in to check on me, I told her I needed to betested. Now, I didn’t want to leave the hospital until I knew my results. Even though we used protection, the fear of being infected scared me.
It was a reminder that every time Jesaiah treated me the way he did, it was God’s way of trying to pull me away from him. However, I kept coming back. It made me feel so low, stupid, and regretful. This was an eye-opener for me, and I knew I couldn’t cry over spilled milk, yet wipe it up and pivot. I just prayed that God would help me out one last time. This couldn’t be myfuture.
DIO
I finished my last class for the day and decided to pay someone a visit. When I glanced at the address Percy gave me, I entered it into my GPS and headed that way. It wasn’t too far from campus, but it was in a neighborhood that held history in it. The homes were made of brick, old but sturdy. The lawns were neatly cut, while some of the driveways held dusty awnings.
When I pulled up to the address, I parked and got out. I proudly pulled at my letterman jacket, which had Chi Kappa Chi letters with my name and the number seven. I didn’t have to knock on the door because Ms. Cecily peeked from the curtains and met me at the door.
“You did it. I knew you could.”
“May I come in?” I asked.
She unlocked the screen door, letting me inside. The smell of soul food lingered while jazz music played in the background.
“Are you about to have people over? I won’t be long,” I told her.
She tapped my hand. “No, sit. Are you thirsty?”
“No ma’am.”
I sat on her old-ass couch while taking in her brown and tan colored furniture. The space felt lonely, but the music gave peace.
“How can I help you?”
I ran my hand down my leg as I stared at her. The goal was to come and give her a heads-up that she needed to make funeral arrangements for her nephew, but the longer I sat, the more I felt it was something she needed to find out on her own. “You know what? Never mind,” I said as I shot up from the couch.
“Dionysus, sit down. Is it Jesaiah?” she asked. “Or Clark?”
