“Mm-hmm,” Aaliyah acknowledged as she chewed the corn bread she’d just bitten.
Nina was chewing and pointing at her salad with her fork. After she swallowed, she said, “This chicken was so good, it’s making this salad taste even better.”
“Even with the little crumbles?” I wondered, knowing she’d requested no cheese.
“Fuck gorgonzola cheese, but today…” She stabbed the lettuce, followed it up with some chicken, and wiggled her shoulders. “Mmmmm.”
I laughed.
“Speaking of fuck gorgonzola…” Aaliyah turned her head toward me. “What’s the deal with Milan? What are we going to do?”
I coughed, choking on the barbeque sauce I’d just licked from my lip. “Where the hell did that come from?”
She pointed to Nina’s salad. “Gorgonzola cheese originates from Italy. Right outside of Milan.” She leaned forward. “Now, Milan is showing up to the game tomorrow. What are you doing?”
After pushing the collards around my plate, I scooped some into my mouth to buy me a minute to collect myself. Aaliyah and Nina knew what I was doing and sat silently and waited for me to swallow.
“It’s funny how when she had macaroni and cheese in her mouth, she could crack that joke about your salad. But as soon as I ask a valid question, all of a sudden, she’s chewing her food twenty-five times before swallowing,” Aaliyah remarked in a stage whisper.
“I just want to know why she still has barbeque sauce on the side of her lip,” Nina replied.
We all cackled.
After wiping my mouth with the napkin, I exhaled. “Milan washis college girlfriend, and she broke up with him because he was on the practice squad. He never talks bad about her. I mean, honestly, he never talks about her at all. All he really said was that she wasn’t the woman for him and that he wasn’t able or willing to give her what she was looking for.”
“What was she looking for?”
“Celebrity status, WAG life…” I lifted my shoulders. “He said that they weren’t compatible, and it became evident that she didn’t want him for him when she accidentally sent a text to him that was meant to go to her friends.”
“Oh, that’s my worst nightmare,” Nina mused.
“And with the types of texts you used to send to your roster, I could only imagine the fallout,” Aaliyah replied.
“Now I’m only making dates with one man, so it’s less of a risk.” Lightly snickering, Nina shook her head. “I know she was sick when she realized he got that message.”
“Oh, I know!” My eyes widened. “They were already broken up because they weren’t on the same page, and she said he didn’t have enough time for her—which he didn’t. He admitted he didn’t prioritize her. So that would’ve been that, but she sent that text, and he saw what type of time she was really on.”
“So why does she think she can swoop back into his life?” Nina questioned, her lip curling in disgust.
“Because she looks like that and has probably always gotten her way,” I answered honestly. “And if he’s been single since they broke up, she may think he’s pining away for her.”
“Lamar is clearly in love with you,” Aaliyah clarified. “Do you think he’s going to be open or receptive to being friendly with her?”
“That I don’t know. He’s such a gentleman, so if she popped up on him, he’d probably speak.” I shrugged. “Or maybe he’s the ‘forgive and forget’ type. I really don’t know. We never talked about it. But now I’m curious.”
“Ask him,” Nina advised. “Figure out what you are or aren’t comfortable with, and then have the conversation with him. Because the way Milan was talking in the video, she’s going to make a play for him.”
Aaliyah nodded. “Yeah, she is. And she thinks he’s single. You’re going to have to figure out what you want to do about that, too.”
I nodded solemnly. “I know. But I don’t want to be the reason his career takes another hit.”
I wish I could ask Aunt Addy what she would do. She would know.
On the way back to Richland, I tried to stay out of my head and enjoyed the company of my best friends. After dropping them off, I reached into my bag and grabbed the small vial of ashes. Squeezing it in the palm of my hand, I rode home in silence.
32
Between the sympathetic hugs and words of encouragement, the other teachers were offering support even though I insisted I was fine. It had been a week since Aunt Addy’s memorial, and admittedly, I was quieter than normal. I was sad, but I was okay. So I wasn’t completely surprised when I looked up before the final class of the day to find Alexa Rae staring at me with wide eyes and a pitiful expression.
