mention the fact that mama’s been hounding me to go out again. Also, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to being a little bit hopeful Ryan might show up. I take the cup from him and drink, the sweet and creamy coffee is like ambrosia. “I’m pretty sure I can find something in my closet.”
“Awesome.” He wipes his hands on his pants. “Now give me three bucks.”
“Thief,” I fish the quarters out of my pocket. “There, saved all week.”
Laughing, he wiggles his brows. “Hey, if we were dating, I’d buy. You know how it is.”
“Be still my beating heart.” I plant my hand against my chest and flutter my lashes. “My hero.”
As I’m turning to go, he asks, “Heard from Ryan?”
My stomach bottoms out, the smile freezes on my lips.
“How is he?”
“Beating the shit out of stuff. He’s down at the gym.”
Is that a hint? I glance at my watch. No way I’ll make it there in time. Probably better this way anyway. I doubt he wants to see me right now. “Can’t. Got anatomy finals in thirty minutes. But tell him I said hi, okay.”
“Yeah.” He runs his hand through his hair. “Yeah, I’ll do that. Take it easy, Lily Bean. Tomorrow at seven, K?”
Walking out the door I can’t stop wishing again he was the one I liked and that he had no issues with my Javi.
But reality is never so easy.
***
Ryan
“You look like a moron.” I laugh the second Alex walks out his door. He has on a black afro wig ten sizes too big for his head that bounces with each step he takes. A purple sleeveless vest with stripes and some sort of fringed beading on the bottom. Blue jeans that come up way too high on his waist and flare huge at his ankles, to top it off he’s wearing honest to God boots with chunky heels.
“You’re just jealous cause I make this look good.” He smiles and twirls, then does some sort of stupid crotch grab before doing a Michael Jackson ‘he he’.
“Wrong decade and, dude, good luck getting laid tonight.” I take a sip of the tepid water I’d been nursing the past hour.
It’s a Saturday night and I have nowhere to go. Normally I’d just hang with Alex, hit the streets and whoop and holler at anything walking in heels. Which tells me two things. A. I have a fucking boring life. And B. I desperately need more friends.
“Come with me.”
“Nah,” I get up and walk to the kitchen, dumping half the bottle down the drain. Hate warm water. “I don’t dress up like a clown. Not my style.”
“No one’s gonna care how you look, man. I’m a brother, that’s why I got to dress like this. But it’s not mandatory.”
Glancing down at my jeans and shirt, I wrinkle my nose.
“C’mon. Who knows you might meet someone.”
“Yeah, right.” Rolling my eyes, I head to the bathroom. “Met one, she kissed the first thing walking passed. Think I’m done for a while.”
“Whatever, dude. Not like you didn’t make up for it that night. Are you coming or what?”
What the hell. Not like I have anything else to do and sitting on the couch watching porn all night doesn’t appeal right now. “Yeah, just let me hit the head. Meet you outside.”
Twenty minutes later I know something’s not right. We aren’t headed toward the campus, but down a road I never wanted to see again.
“What the hell are we doing here?”
“Gotta pick up my date tonight.”
“What the hell, man!” Glowering, I whip around. The knuckles of my left fist are bruised and tender, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to punch him in the face right now.
“It’s a non-date, okay. Two friends hanging out. I like her. I already told you that.”
“Non-date.” Anger boils hot through my veins, buzzes in my head. “I’ve heard that shit before.”
Parking the car, Alex shakes his head. “Relax, man. Not cock blocking, okay. You guys need to talk and
“Awesome.” He wipes his hands on his pants. “Now give me three bucks.”
“Thief,” I fish the quarters out of my pocket. “There, saved all week.”
Laughing, he wiggles his brows. “Hey, if we were dating, I’d buy. You know how it is.”
“Be still my beating heart.” I plant my hand against my chest and flutter my lashes. “My hero.”
As I’m turning to go, he asks, “Heard from Ryan?”
My stomach bottoms out, the smile freezes on my lips.
“How is he?”
“Beating the shit out of stuff. He’s down at the gym.”
Is that a hint? I glance at my watch. No way I’ll make it there in time. Probably better this way anyway. I doubt he wants to see me right now. “Can’t. Got anatomy finals in thirty minutes. But tell him I said hi, okay.”
“Yeah.” He runs his hand through his hair. “Yeah, I’ll do that. Take it easy, Lily Bean. Tomorrow at seven, K?”
Walking out the door I can’t stop wishing again he was the one I liked and that he had no issues with my Javi.
But reality is never so easy.
***
Ryan
“You look like a moron.” I laugh the second Alex walks out his door. He has on a black afro wig ten sizes too big for his head that bounces with each step he takes. A purple sleeveless vest with stripes and some sort of fringed beading on the bottom. Blue jeans that come up way too high on his waist and flare huge at his ankles, to top it off he’s wearing honest to God boots with chunky heels.
“You’re just jealous cause I make this look good.” He smiles and twirls, then does some sort of stupid crotch grab before doing a Michael Jackson ‘he he’.
“Wrong decade and, dude, good luck getting laid tonight.” I take a sip of the tepid water I’d been nursing the past hour.
It’s a Saturday night and I have nowhere to go. Normally I’d just hang with Alex, hit the streets and whoop and holler at anything walking in heels. Which tells me two things. A. I have a fucking boring life. And B. I desperately need more friends.
“Come with me.”
“Nah,” I get up and walk to the kitchen, dumping half the bottle down the drain. Hate warm water. “I don’t dress up like a clown. Not my style.”
“No one’s gonna care how you look, man. I’m a brother, that’s why I got to dress like this. But it’s not mandatory.”
Glancing down at my jeans and shirt, I wrinkle my nose.
“C’mon. Who knows you might meet someone.”
“Yeah, right.” Rolling my eyes, I head to the bathroom. “Met one, she kissed the first thing walking passed. Think I’m done for a while.”
“Whatever, dude. Not like you didn’t make up for it that night. Are you coming or what?”
What the hell. Not like I have anything else to do and sitting on the couch watching porn all night doesn’t appeal right now. “Yeah, just let me hit the head. Meet you outside.”
Twenty minutes later I know something’s not right. We aren’t headed toward the campus, but down a road I never wanted to see again.
“What the hell are we doing here?”
“Gotta pick up my date tonight.”
“What the hell, man!” Glowering, I whip around. The knuckles of my left fist are bruised and tender, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to punch him in the face right now.
“It’s a non-date, okay. Two friends hanging out. I like her. I already told you that.”
“Non-date.” Anger boils hot through my veins, buzzes in my head. “I’ve heard that shit before.”
Parking the car, Alex shakes his head. “Relax, man. Not cock blocking, okay. You guys need to talk and
Similar Books
