Once class ended, I rushed to leave so I could speak with Dean August. Her taking on the role of dean was beneficial. The campus had somewhat settled, and her concern for our success was evident not only in official communications but also in the times I saw her talking with students. Mr. Mercier, however, didn’t put in the same effort. He sat behind his desk, seemingly watching as students dropped out and the athletics department struggled. He didn’t take any action to ensure women’s safety on campus. There had been reports of incidents, but he did nothing. Considering what I knew about him outside of school and his behavior here, Chev’s desire to end his ass made sense.
I hobbled my way to her office only to run into Anika. The smirk on her face said she had something smart to say.
“Xavier!” she called out. I pretended to ignore her as I continued on my way. When she came up alongside me, I stopped.
“Anika, the nigga ain’t interested. Leave it alone! He doesn’t fuck with hoes, and we all know you’re one, so back the fuck off!” I snapped.
She was in the way of me trying to fix what I fucked up. I knew what I said was harsh, but I had to hear the hard truth, and she needed to as well.
Her neck popped as she pointed at me. “First off, I’m not a hoe. The bitch you call yourself liking? That’s the hoe! Before you act like nobody sees you and her weird ass together, we do. Y’all niggas walkaround campus like your shit don’t stink. Well, we smell it,nigga!” she snapped and started walking off.
“Yeah, and he still doesn’t want you!” I shouted.
Hearing her call Phoebe a hoe bothered me. This was part of her past, and I had to be willing to accept it, so when I heard the chatter, I had to try to put it in the back of my mind; otherwise, it would affect what she and I were trying to build. I was truly hoping the chemistry we had outweighed everything else. Anika was playing with fire. Although Samara and Dio weren’t together, it didn’t mean that Samara wasn’t on go time. I continued to make my way toward the dean’s office when I spotted my coach jogging toward me.
“Shit!” I mumbled.
It seemed like the closer I got to the dean’s office, the more distractions were thrown at me. The Devil knew how to shuck and jive when a nigga was looking for a savior.
My coach waved his hand as he approached me. “Xavier, you look like you're on a mission. I just want to confirm your spring break will be free. Remember, this isn’t an option.”
I side-eyed him. “I know. Hendricks is the man’s name. You don’t have to keep reminding me.”
“Yeah, well, let me remind you we have a home game, and you’re required to be there.”
I nodded. As soon as I glanced up, I saw Dean August leaving the building.Shit!I was frustrated. I grilled my coach before walking off.
All I wanted to do was make shit right.
APPLE
The tip of his fingers traveled up the back of my legs, mimicking a crawling motion. My eyes slowly closed as each movement made my stomach flutter. The pecks to my back were mere sentiments of romance. Harlem was so gentle, so passionate, that I wondered how I had not noticed him before. He kissed the back of my neck, then my cheek.
“That feels so good,” I whispered.
He slowly pried my legs open and entered my center slowly. I opened my mouth and released a sweet moan. “Ah.”
Things felt different while I wasn’t on pills. Everything was so vivid, so in your face, unlike how I felt when I was on pills, which took away the reality, keeping me in a space where I was shielded from the truth. I knew Jesaiah wasn’t my person the day I opened my legs to him, but being that girl, I felt like, because we were one and the same, it only made sense. However, all that did was put me on a downward spiral. I didn’t have to be the popular girl around Harlem. I didn’t have to be perfect; I just had to be myself.
My hips lifted slightly to match Harlem’s pace. He wrapped onearm around my waist as his hip motion caught a beat. His lips kissed at my back as he stroked the fuck out of me.
“Mmm,” he moaned.
“Ooo, ah,” I whined.
His grip became tight as we moved in sync. “You okay?” he whispered, out of breath.
I ended up telling him that Jesaiah was the only guy I had been intimate with, so maybe this was his way of finding out if I liked what he was doing, and I did. I couldn’t respond, so I nodded.
“Good,” he said before lifting me higher and spreading me wider.
He applied pressure to my lower back and picked up his pace. My body shot up and down as my face swiveled on the pillow. There was no room for talk because my grunts did all the work. Harlem felt good. In my mind, Jesaiah was the best, but I was wrong. He continued until I felt a wave of tingling course through me. I belted a moan that I wasn’t expecting.
When we were done, I lay in bed while he cleaned up and began moving around his apartment. I watched him pack pills, weed, and what I believed to be shrooms.
“Why do you do this?” I asked.
I mean, he didn’t want me on the pills, but he was selling them. Harlem seemed smart, and I didn’t understand the logic.
