Harlem looked around, then started to back away toward the Mercier building. I nervously checked my surroundings to see if anyone I knew was nearby as I followed him inside.
“Do we have to be in here? It’s kind of creepy,” I mumbled.
He chuckled. “Listen, I don’t need my shit out in the open. What do I look like, selling you some shit on the yard? I got a 3.8 GPA. You or nobody else is about to fuck up my reputation. So, what do you want? I got indoe, a little outdoe, percs, perc 30s, addies, oppies—”
“I’ll take the Adderall. How much?” I opened my phone to send him a Cash Pay.
“How many do you want? I have ten for forty, twenty for eighty, thirty for—”
I rolled my eyes. “Give me ten.”
He nodded slowly as he turned his cross-body bag, dug inside, and pulled out the pills. I set up the Cash Pay, we tapped phones, and once the money was sent over, he handed me the pills. I tossed them in my purse and hurried out of the building. I didn’t get far before I saw Jesaiah following a girl.
“Jesaiah!” I called out.
I had never seen this girl before, but I knew like hell this wasn’t the person who had him acting funny. He quickly glanced over his shoulder, then directed his attention back to what he was doing. While I tried to catch up with him, Reagan approached me.
“Why were you coming out of that building with Harlem? Girl, is that your new boo?”
I sighed heavily, rolling my eyes for emphasis. “Reagan, please. You’re already telling my business. You think I’m going to tell you anything else?” I snapped.
“I didn’t tell your business. Everybody knows you and Jesaiah are a thing. I just said his auntie is the new dean.”
“Whatever. I’m going to be late,” I mumbled as I walked away.
Reagan was full of shit, and if I didn’t know any better, I would’ve sworn she was trying to find something else to gossip about. Once I was far away from her, I pulled the pills from my bag, popped one of them, and chugged water behind it. I knew by the time my interview started, I would be ready. In the meantime, I needed to find out who the fuck this girl Jesaiah was talking to was.
After what felt like a walk across the country, I finally made it to the dean’s office. I signed in and waited to be called. I saw other students waiting to be called just as I was. Making sure I killed this interview was important. I had the status, accolades, and grades; all I needed to do was go in there with confidence and execute. My leg nervously bounced up and down, letting me know the Adderall was kicking in.Shit!I felt like I had the jitters.
As each person who applied for the internship came in and out. I anxiously waited for my turn. When I saw that girl Jesaiah was talking to step into the building, I knew the universe was playing with me. What were the odds that she and I were going after the same position and the same man?
“Apple Timothy,” the lady at the front desk called out.
I shot up from the chair. “That’s me!” I shouted.
Everyone turned to look at me like I was crazy. “I mean, I’m here,” I muttered in embarrassment.
The lady glanced over her glasses. “You can go back there.”
I gave a tight-lipped smile as I tried confidently walking to Dean August’s office. As I approached the door, another student was coming out. The way his eyes gazed at mine said this shit wasn’t going to be a cake walk. I stood at the door as my heart felt like it was beating out of my chest, my mouth became dry, and sweat built under my arms. I closed my eyes as I tried to remind myself that I was perfect, or at least that was what I’d been trying to convince myself of since I was in high school.
“Here goes nothing.”
PERCY
“Showyo’ ass, bop!”
The sound of this nigga Xavier rapping off-key made my eyes flutter open. My head slowly turned to see him sitting at the desk with his headphones on. It was clear the nigga was in a zone, but being that I had just gotten back to campus only a few hours ago, I didn’t want to hear that shit. I pulled the pillow from under my head and flung it at his ass. He tossed the headphones off his head and cut his eyes at me.
“If you don’t want to get yo’ ass beat, nigga, you need to chill,” he grumbled.
I ran my hand down my face. “Yeah, yeah. I don’t want to hear you rapping.”
He slid the headphones back on. “You need to worry less about me and more about the fact that it’s past noon and I’m sure you missed not only drills but class,” he laughed.
My eyes widened. “Shit!” I shouted as I hopped out of bed.
I checked my phone to see I had a message from my coach and my big brother. “Fuck! How did I miss these?” I mumbled.
