I cleared my throat as I turned back to the girls. Alyse shook her head. “Don’t do it, girl. He’s a part of Chi Kappa Chi, and I heard they were trouble.”
Paige nodded in agreement. “Yes, you know they think they run the campus. Be careful, Samara. It is easy to get wrapped up in this college bullshit if you let it, and we all know Dio is the last nigga that needs to be in any trouble here. Look, try this,” she said as she handed me a paper.
I glanced at the paper, and it was a flyer for an internship working in the dean’s office. “An internship?”
“It will keep you occupied, and it’s great if you want to get your feet wet.”
“Paige, I’m an artist, not a damn office assistant.”
She laughed. “I know you like the arts, but you never know who comes in and out of there. Look, you don’t have to, but anything is better than fucking with these niggas.”
I wasn’t sure why they thought I would fall for the bait. I loved my man, but I couldn’t lie; it felt good to be seen. I didn’t know if it was all in my head, but I did feel like we were losing touch with one another. Dio and I used to sit up all night and talk, cuddle, smoke, and even make love. Now that he held the title Prince of the Zoo, everything was go, go, go, and clearly that changed everything.Am I losing my man?I prayed like hell I wasn’t.
Alyse stood from the table before hiking her purse over her shoulder. “I got practice, but I wanted to share with you all, since we’re bringing up Chi Kappa Chi, they're hosting a pageant for Queen of the Chi, and I’ve entered.”
My eyes lit up. “That’s awesome, girl. You know you got our support.”
“Sure do,” Paige added.
“Good because I sure need it, especially with Apple in the running. I heard she entered. You know everyone likes her.”
Paige hissed. “Girl, and everyone likes you. You got this!” she snapped.
Alyse smiled before hugging both of us and leaving. Only moments after, Paige got up, packed her things, and told me she would text me later. I was now sitting alone in my own head, just as some of the loner students did.
I pulled out my phone and texted Dio to see if he wanted to meet me here so we could talk about last night. Honestly, I just wantedhim in my presence because the fear of him not wanting me anymore was all I could think about.
While I waited for him to answer, the chair in front of me was pulled out for Jesaiah to sit in. I wasn’t sure what his motive was, but it was clear he wasn’t going to stop. He leaned forward as he tried to touch my hand before I pulled it away. “Pretty ass,” he whispered.
“Please. I do have a boyfriend,” I said to him.
He scoffed. “Ya’ man ain’t me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t you have something better to do than to sit in my face? You just invited yourself over here.”
He leaned back, giving me full access to stare at him. Thick, athletic build, a few tattoos, light skin, and deep, dark eyes. He was fine—I couldn’t deny it—but he wasn’t my man. He crossed his arms over his chest as he raised his brows.
“All I’m doing is keeping you company since your friends left, but hey, if you want to sit here alone, fine. You say you got a man, but where the nigga at? It’s college. Live free,” he said and got up from the table.
I watched as he walked back to the table with his friends. I didn’t know what the hell that was, but if I had to guess, it was a test being thrown at Dio and me.
Moments later, the girl who won Miss Toussaint State walked over to their table. Her hands ran across his shoulders as her eyes landed on me. The last thing I needed was drama over a guy I wasn’t checking for. I smirked as I shook my head and turned back around, minding my business.
XAVIER
I rolled my head as I tried focusing on the lecture. Hell, I just got out of a debate with the opps, and now I was in a history course feeling like I was going through the same thing. All the shit sounded like a blur to me. Black this, oppression that. I was over it all. Here I was, a junior and still undecided about what I wanted to do. I was so sure about my career in basketball that I didn’t bother to think about a real major, so I decided on something like a history major. No matter how much I tried to focus, my mind kept going back to the fact that a nigga couldn’t ball. Although they told me it was only temporary, it felt permanent. How did I go from being the star of the team to being a fucking bench warmer? The thought of it all only agitated me because I knew we had a home game coming up and I had to be there.
As I tried to tune back in to what the professor was saying, I noticed Anika looking at me. It wasn’t a gaze of attraction, but more so because she wanted to ask me a question. I pulled my eyes away because there were certain people I didn’t give my energy to, and she was one of them.
Anika Castro had the scarlet mark on her chest. I’d heard so manythings about her, from her being a pass-around to her being a walking, undetected AIDS case. I wasn’t sure what was true and what was a lie, but I did know I didn’t want any parts.
I focused back on the professor, who now began asking questions. “Can anyone give me one of the biggest social issues we have as Black Americans?”
Shit, being looked at like a fucking money grab,I thought. Nobody said anything, and I could see the professor’s eyes scanning the room. When her eyes landed on me, I scooted down in my seat.Fuck!I tried looking away, but I knew that shit wasn’t going to work.
“Mr. Keyton. I’m sure your answer would probably be the best. Can you share?”
I ran my hand through my hair as I shrugged. “I don’t know,” I mumbled.
