He chuckled. “You need to relax. I’m not doing anything more than some of those students are. Hell, you’re over here, and there is a whole nigga on campus selling drugs. I’m enjoying college life. Auntie, isn’t that what you wanted for me?College is supposed to be fun.Isn’t that what you said?”
Drugs on campus?I needed to know who it was. After seeing Apple the way she was made sense. However, I didn’t want to disregard what he was doing as well.
“It is supposed to be fun, but also a learning experience. You are supposed to take the fun moments and cherish them as memories, not let them run rampant. Are you hazing? Are you treating those boys with respect and showing them the structure of discipline?”
The way he looked at me was like I was crazy. “I’m doing what the dean of pledges does. Of all people, you know me.”
“I know what you’ve become. You're not the same. Something happened to you, and you seem so angry, so hurt that you're willing to put that on other people. Jesaiah, I know you are a smart man. Why don’t you speak at Black Excellence Day? I want you to show a different side of you. Show that Chi Kappa Chi is more than a bunch of macho men trying to control things.”
He laughed loudly. “No, I understand why they only picked men as dean. Women are too soft.”
Slap!
I hit him because how dare he? Jesaiah’s head slowly turned my way with more evil in his eyes than ever.
I was furious. “It is men like you that makes places like TSU disgusting. I don’t know what has gotten into you, but you watch how you talk to me. I raised you, and the boy I raised is better than this. Now, I don’t know exactly what you’re doing, but you need to stop. You got that girl losing her mind over you. You have people emailing me that you’re treating your line like dogs. It’s clear you somehow showed your ass to the board, and now what you are doing is affecting me. Let me tell you this: Karma is a bitch, and she will find you. I can't save you, Jesaiah. I’ve saved you enough. You are supposed to be my example of Black excellence, but instead, you’re the example of why people no longer believe in the mission.”
His nose flared. “Auntie, you know my freshman year, I was overlooked and outshone. I spent days trying to find my place in that ghetto ass school. The ones who knew I was your nephew treated me like some kid who got a pass, but then I talked to my big brother, Clark. He paved the way, showing me how to be a leader. A man who conquers with control. If you lose your job, it has nothing to do with me but everything to do with how you’re not able to find peace with letting the students be students.”
I slowly nodded my head as this was some type of mental mind play he was trying to do. Clark Mercier had gotten to my nephew, making him believe evil is better.
I knew that with his entering Greek life, things would change. Sometimes it was for the good of people, and sometimes it was for the worst. Jesaiah was looking for a mentor, a father figure, because his was six feet under, and of all people, he found solace in Clark.
I let out a disappointing sigh because I knew mentally, he was gone. All I could do at this point was pray that he made a change before it was too late. If I couldn’t save him, the least I could do was save other students in his path, like Apple. She was the reminder thatno matter how perfect we wanted to be and strive for better, that ultimately, we could only focus on the right now.
Whether I was able to save the mission of the school or not, I knew I could save a student or two.
CHAPTER TWELVE
PRESS PLAY
I had gone back to the house and waited for her. I watched as two hours passed before I heard the locks click. When she came inside, she didn’t even notice I was sitting on the couch.
“You like that nigga, don’t you?” I blurted out.
She couldn’t even close the front door as she jumped at my voice. “Shit, Dio! You scared me.”
“You should be scared, Mars,” I mumbled. “Let me tell you why. I sat in the back of the fucking club watching you. You letting that nigga grab all on your ass and shit!” I barked.
“I was just dancing. Relax. Is that a crime?”
As I rose from the couch, the front door opened to Chevy and Zaria stepping inside, each one with one of the twins straddling their chest. I could see both of them staring at us, but I didn’t give a fuck. I had some shit to say, and it was going to be said with or without Chevy and Z there. My eyes bounced to Chevy because I knew he was ready to say something.
“Respectfully, Chev, don’t say shit to me.”
I turned back to Mars and pointed at her. “Samara, you weren’tjust dancing. That shit I saw was a girl who wanted to be in another nigga’s face. This very same girl who didn’t want to be in the club when I went.”
Her eyes bounced to Chevy and Zaria, but they weren’t controlling this situation. Samara always wanted to be the star of their show, but tonight, that star was gone because this situation was going to happen. “Don’t look at them. They don’t sleep with you every night. They're not the ones holding you when you have a bad day, pouring into you like you’re the center of their universe. It’s me. So, direct that shit right here.”
Zaria stood between us, and right then, something in Samara clicked. She extended her arm, pushing Zaria out of the way. “You're mad because I wanted to leave the club early with you? Because I wanted to talk about our fucking relationship, one that seems to have fucking secrets! Nigga, do you sleep with me every night? Because the last couple of weeks, you haven’t fucking been here!”
I flicked the hoodie off, and Chevy ran up. My head turned to him.Face to face. Eye. To. Eye.“Chev, for real, my nigga, back the fuck off,” I gritted as my head slowly turned back to Samara. “Secrets? I don’t know who got in your head, but the Mars I know is smarter than this.”
“How would you feel if I moved how you did? Huh? If I woke up one morning and out of nowhere said I wanted to move the fuck out with no explanation?”
I knew she was right, and I had no rebuttal. She moved closer toward me. “Exactly! Fucking secrets!”
I shook my head. “Secrets, secrets, fucking secrets! Let me share thesecret. I’m pledging, Samara. I’m pledging for a fraternity, one that would open more fucking doors for me. One that is supposed to show me things to be a better nigga, the type of nigga I was trying to be for you! I couldn’t say shit because it’s a loyalty thing, so I didwhat I thought was best, and it’s clear I fucked up because look at us.”
