was glad she was with him, that they were spending time together. He told her he loved her.
Tristan rolled her eyes as they walked through the lobby to the escalator. She felt too sick to be there but if she made a deal out of it, he would make an even bigger deal. She didn’t pretend to want to be there. She just sucked it up and let her features droop. She denied anything was wrong every time Dominic asked so finally he stopped asking. They watched the show, went out to eat though she only picked her food, and went back to his place. Tristan curled up the couch and fell asleep with her feet in his lap.
19… It begins
One cloudy Thursday night the boys headed out to the Lucky Star. It was their new hangout now, particularly because Justin was so enamored with Shamayla. Every weekend he went to Lounge 101 to watch her dance and then they’d have a drink and go back to his place. Usually it was the usuals; Justin, Shane, Jess and Roberto. Dominic usually stayed home or was with Tristan because hitting the strip so often got tiring real fast. But Tristan was getting stranger by the day, more distant and aloof.
The boys always invited Dominic but usually he stayed behind. This night he agreed to go because Tristan wasn’t feeling well and besides, it had been almost two weeks since he saw Hope. He wasn’t sure if they were trying to avoid one another or not. Well no, he thought, he wasn’t trying to avoid her. But he hadn’t seen her around at all and hoped she didn’t regret what almost happened.
He had a strange feeling this night, an apprehension at just the thought of going to Lounge101 because there was a nintey-nine percent chance he would see her. He wanted to see her but he still felt funny appearing there, especially if for some reason she didn’t want to see him. He tried backing out last minute but Justin intervened. He told Dominic that Shane would be going, and also that Shane had a thing for Hope. Dominic laughed and said “So? Hope isn’t my girl.” But Justin gave him a look like Dominic was fooling no one.
While Hope painted her face with liquid gold and charcoal like true Egyptian royalty, Shamayla informed her that Dominic was going to be showing up with the gang. Hope’s features were intense like the sun; she made a face at Shamayla like she was confused. She didn’t lie and say she wasn’t attracted to Dominic, but that Dominic wasn’t interested in her. Shamayla, in a black bob styled wig, sat beside her friend and looked into the mirror, charcoaling up her amber eyes.
“Don’t give me that shit.”
“What shit?” Hope repositioned her breasts so they sat higher and looked fuller.
“The only reason he’s coming is because he wants to see you.”
So why hadn’t he been around?
“I’ve seen how he looks at you.” She caught Hope’s eyes in the mirror. The other girls floated about in the background, like golden angels in the red walled room.
“But he has a girlfriend and-”
“Fuck his girlfriend. From what Justin tells me, she’s a bitch. And we saw that ourselves that night at the Flamingo. Look girl, he wants to fuck you.”
Hope thought he did but then again, she hadn’t seen or talked to him in a while and Tristan was still staying over his place.
“I can see it. I can tell just by the way he looks at you.”
Hope fit her wig over her head and adjusted it in the mirror.
“True or not, he has a girlfriend.”
“Justin says it’s just a matter of time till he dumps her. Or till she dumps him.”
Hope looked away from her reflection.
“Then I’ll wait.”
“Don’t wait…are you on crack? You really want to wait around?”
“Then I’ll move on.”
“Dominic is hot.”
Hope looked at Shamayla in
Tristan rolled her eyes as they walked through the lobby to the escalator. She felt too sick to be there but if she made a deal out of it, he would make an even bigger deal. She didn’t pretend to want to be there. She just sucked it up and let her features droop. She denied anything was wrong every time Dominic asked so finally he stopped asking. They watched the show, went out to eat though she only picked her food, and went back to his place. Tristan curled up the couch and fell asleep with her feet in his lap.
19… It begins
One cloudy Thursday night the boys headed out to the Lucky Star. It was their new hangout now, particularly because Justin was so enamored with Shamayla. Every weekend he went to Lounge 101 to watch her dance and then they’d have a drink and go back to his place. Usually it was the usuals; Justin, Shane, Jess and Roberto. Dominic usually stayed home or was with Tristan because hitting the strip so often got tiring real fast. But Tristan was getting stranger by the day, more distant and aloof.
The boys always invited Dominic but usually he stayed behind. This night he agreed to go because Tristan wasn’t feeling well and besides, it had been almost two weeks since he saw Hope. He wasn’t sure if they were trying to avoid one another or not. Well no, he thought, he wasn’t trying to avoid her. But he hadn’t seen her around at all and hoped she didn’t regret what almost happened.
He had a strange feeling this night, an apprehension at just the thought of going to Lounge101 because there was a nintey-nine percent chance he would see her. He wanted to see her but he still felt funny appearing there, especially if for some reason she didn’t want to see him. He tried backing out last minute but Justin intervened. He told Dominic that Shane would be going, and also that Shane had a thing for Hope. Dominic laughed and said “So? Hope isn’t my girl.” But Justin gave him a look like Dominic was fooling no one.
While Hope painted her face with liquid gold and charcoal like true Egyptian royalty, Shamayla informed her that Dominic was going to be showing up with the gang. Hope’s features were intense like the sun; she made a face at Shamayla like she was confused. She didn’t lie and say she wasn’t attracted to Dominic, but that Dominic wasn’t interested in her. Shamayla, in a black bob styled wig, sat beside her friend and looked into the mirror, charcoaling up her amber eyes.
“Don’t give me that shit.”
“What shit?” Hope repositioned her breasts so they sat higher and looked fuller.
“The only reason he’s coming is because he wants to see you.”
So why hadn’t he been around?
“I’ve seen how he looks at you.” She caught Hope’s eyes in the mirror. The other girls floated about in the background, like golden angels in the red walled room.
“But he has a girlfriend and-”
“Fuck his girlfriend. From what Justin tells me, she’s a bitch. And we saw that ourselves that night at the Flamingo. Look girl, he wants to fuck you.”
Hope thought he did but then again, she hadn’t seen or talked to him in a while and Tristan was still staying over his place.
“I can see it. I can tell just by the way he looks at you.”
Hope fit her wig over her head and adjusted it in the mirror.
“True or not, he has a girlfriend.”
“Justin says it’s just a matter of time till he dumps her. Or till she dumps him.”
Hope looked away from her reflection.
“Then I’ll wait.”
“Don’t wait…are you on crack? You really want to wait around?”
“Then I’ll move on.”
“Dominic is hot.”
Hope looked at Shamayla in
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