“And I’m Percy,” they told me.
“I’m Dionysus.”
Percy laughed. “That’s why yo’ ass ain’t call him God’s Gift, because you think you’re the God.”
I grilled his ass. “Nigga, I am. Now we need to figure out how we’re going to get this nigga auntie some flowers. I’m sleepy and being in these fucking woods all night ain’t going to cut it,” I spat.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about all this, but I knew that before I called it quits, I wanted to try. The kind of shit I was doing, I knew my brother Zeus would not only be proud, but he’d also feel like he hadn’t failed me or my father. The first semester of college was like butter, but this semester had brought light to a lot of things. I had never thought this way before. This Black excellence shit was more than just the school’s mission; it was also my personal one.
CHAPTER FIVE
I was running late for the meetup with Xavier. I was almost ready to say fuck it. Part of me was nervous because even though the school was some ways from Hoodoo’s, it was still in Syior’s territory. Although we had an understanding that we were not together officially, he still didn’t know I was fucking with other guys. The last thing I needed was drama between him and Xavier. I grabbed my bag and headed toward the door. As soon as I opened it, I almost pissed myself.
“Daddy!” I squealed.
My dad looked me up and down, and it was almost immediate that I saw him judging me. This was the first time that he had just popped up. “Sweetie, I thought I would stop by before I headed back home. What in the world do you have on?”
“I-I’m—”
“Is this how you dress when you’re not home?”
I didn’t know what to say. The idea of my daddy seeing me differently than he had all these years made me feel somewhat small. I had been screaming inside to be free, and this was my chance to expresshow I felt, but instead, I felt like running into the room and changing. I backed away from the door.
“Phoebe, if this is who you are, then this is who you are, but you thinking I would judge you has me baffled.”
“Wait... what?”
He chuckled lightly. “I don’t care how you dress as long as you’re representing the Monroe name in a good light.”
“But I thought—”
He shook his head. “I know what you thought. I see you were headed somewhere, and I won’t stop you. Remember, practice this weekend,” he finished as he leaned in, hugged me, and kissed my forehead.
The little piece of relief I felt dwindled away when he told me to come home for practice. Fuck what I was wearing; I was tired of playing Polo.
I watched as my father walked down the walkway to his car. When he drove off, I rushed over to my car, hopped in, and took off. It took me about twenty minutes to get to Hoodoo’s. When I arrived, I saw Xavier coming out of the building. I hurried and got out.
“Xavier!” I called out.
When he saw me, he waved me off. “You playing!”
I rushed closer to him. “I’m sorry. My dad showed up,” I tried to explain.
PRESS PLAY
Xavier’s tall stature towered over me. He wore a pair of gray sweats and a Blue Hawks t-shirt cut just above his navel. He was giving off ‘80s streetball vibes, and I was feeling it. He was handsome, from his beard and his light-colored locs that were pulled into a ponytail to his thick, chiseled body. He was definitely different than the other guys I was messing with. Syior had a nice body, but it wasn’t as chiseled as Xavier’s. Percy was more on the big-boy side, but solid, and Harlem wasjust slim. My eyes traveled from his dick print up to his sexy-ass face.
“You done sizing me up or what?”
If only he knew. I didn’t say anything as I tried to let my eyes do all the talking.
He held a bit of frustration in his eyes as he spoke. “Now what?”
“Now we go in there and chill as we planned.”
He ran his hand over his face before he walked ahead of me, going back inside. I took a quick look around before following him. My nerves were bad, but I didn’t want to ruin this moment between him and me. Xavier picked a nice cozy booth in the back, which I was glad about. If, for any reason, Syior decided to pop up, he couldn’t see me.
I scooted into the booth as Xavier scooted next to me. The smell of his cologne was perfect. It gave a fresh shower with a hint of grown man. I flicked my hood on my head before popping gum into my mouth. He turned slightly as he glared at me.
