Bad Apple - the Baddest Chick by Nisa Santiago Page A

somethin’ in there,” Delray joked.
    Nichols laughed. “No. Why you tryin’ to play me?”
    “It’s all love. But you’re so pretty. I like you.” Delray reached out to grab Nichols by her hand gently and pulled her closer to the truck. He looked her in the face. “So what’s up? Let’s chill for the night. Let me take you out somewhere. It’s a nice night, and I ain’t got nothin’ to do right now. We can get to know each other better, you feel me?”
    “What about your boy?” she asked.
    “He good. I’ll drop him off, take the keys to the truck, and we can roll out.”
    Nichols quickly mulled over the idea of spending time with Delray, and it sounded so sweet to her. It was her opportunity to stay out longer. She knew her mother was probably too busy shacked up with some man to even care what time she came home, and her twin sisters were always out doing their own thing. Nichols felt this was her chance to stray away from the nest and do her. She had a fine young man willing to spend time with her, and maybe he was a potential boyfriend, because she liked everything about him from head to toe.
    Delray’s True Religion designer jeans hung low off his ass, and his wife-beater hugged his chiseled frame, with his defined muscular arms and strapping chest. She loved a man with braids, and the bling around his neck and wrist told her he was balling.
    Nichols batted her eyes, trying to look sexy and flirty. “Where are we going to go?” she asked.
    “I know a place you’ll like.”
    “Really?”
    “It ain’t far from here.”
    The two talked for about ten minutes, and the more time Nichols spent with Delray, the more she was ready to leave with him. She loved the way he touched her lightly, making her feel wanted. He made her laugh and smile a lot and she’d only just met him. His confidence was appealing.
    Delray’s friend came walking out of Sylvia’s holding two plastic bags of food. He was tall and lean, older in the face, and his eyes showed a lot of experience. He looked aloof to Nichols.
    He walked up to Delray, noticing Nichols, and asked, “Who this?”
    “My new shawty,” Delray joked.
    He passed Delray the bags of food and walked around to the driver’s side.
    “Jah, she comin’ wit’ us,” Delray said.
    Jah just looked at him then looked at her. “Well, she better hurry up then. I got some place to be.” He got into the truck and started the ignition.
    “You comin’, right, baby?”
    Nichols was a little hesitant, but Delray sealed the deal by saying, “It’ll be fun. I got you, Nichols. My treat. You never know, maybe sparks might fly between us.”
    He smiled, causing Nichols to smile after him, and she jumped into the backseat and tried to relax as they pulled off.
    *****
    An hour later, the two were parked on Riverside Drive, where they’d shared a plate of hot soul food from Sylvia’s and enjoyed an illuminated view of the George Washington Bridge in the distance.
    Delray held Nichols in his arms like they were a loving couple. He felt her soft, round bottom rub against him like a cushion, and he loved the way his arms slipped into her womanly curves. Though she was only sixteen, her body was built like a mature woman’s, and he loved the feel of her every inch.
    “This is nice,” Nichols said, her eyes wide open with joy.
    “It is, right?” Delray replied with ease.
    The two acted like they had known each other for years. Nichols felt as if she had found the man who’d make her world right. She didn’t want to leave his hold; time seemed to have slowed down when she was with him. He had shared his meal with her, they had wonderful conversation, and even though Delray was nineteen, Nichols felt he understood her. She talked, and he would listen. Nichols easily opened up to him about her problems at home, and Delray listened like he was a paid therapist.
    He agreed with what Nichols said. She should be treated more like an adult. Her family did take her for