I couldn’t do anything but laugh.
Aaliyah reminded us of the memorial celebration for her sister that was coming up next weekend. And then she tried to breeze over the fact that she had circled back to have sex with her ex the other day.
“Matthew?!” I balked, almost choking on the name. “The blues singer? What?”
Nina howled. “Jazz called that manMuddy Waters!”
“It was a mistake,” Aaliyah groaned. “I called Nina afterward, so she can vouch for me. I immediately regretted my decision. But in my defense, it had been way too long since I had sex. It had been six months, and I was getting restless. I don’t know how you’ve been abstaining for two years, Jazz.”
“It’s been almost three years,” Nina corrected, calling me out further. “Jazz just letting her coochie go to waste. Sad.”
I laughed along with them. “My coochie isn’t going to waste! You’re acting like I’m completely against having sex again, and I’m not.”
“You’re just completely against dating and doing anything that will get you some dick,” Aaliyah teased.
Nina sucked her teeth. “Like I said, coochie going to waste!”
My shoulders shook from laughter. “It’s not! It’s just… on break right now.”
“A break this long is a sabbatical,” Nina retorted.
“Stop it!” Aaliyah cried. “I’m weak.”
I rolled my eyes even though I was still laughing. “Don’t do me like this.”
“And in her defense, Jazz is in Chance for two weeks. Who is she gonna fuck there?” Aaliyah argued. “When she gets back to Richland, she’ll dip her toe in the water again.”
“I can’t wait to introduce you both to the streets,” Nina proclaimed.
I frowned even though they couldn’t see me. “I’ll pass.”
“Yeah, I’m not looking forward to that bullshit either,” Aaliyah agreed.
“How are you going to meet anyone if you don’t go outside?” Nina asked.
I was just about to tell them about Lamar, when Aaliyah yelped.
“I thought I blocked Matthew,” she gasped. “How is he calling me right now?”
“Don’t answer it. He might record the call and use it as the intro on his mixtape,” Nina joked.
We went back and forth about that for a minute. And then we said our goodbyes, and I realized I hadn’t told them about Lamar. But part of me felt it was for the best to wait before saying anything. I shared everything with Aaliyah and Nina, but I didn’t even know what to say about Lamar. I wasn’t sure what the situation was.
I’ll tell them about him if we actually go out next week.
I was nervous just thinking about it.
Although there was no denying that I liked Lamar, I wasn’t ready to tell anyone that. I was convinced that as soon as the words came out of my mouth, he would turn around and embarrass me.
Like my ex.
I shook my head thinking about it.
But as I dozed off, my gut told me that Lamar Anderson was different.
I woke up feeling good and optimistic, so I let that feeling carry me to the rehab center.
“What are we going to do first from your list?” I asked Aunt Addy as we chatted before her physical therapy session.
