Get What You Give by Stephanie Perry Moore Page B

a little sleazy, definitely not Beta Gamma Pi material,” Teddi said to me, crushing my heart.
    â€œOkay, you’re really overreacting, and I’m a little offended that you practically called me a slut.”
    â€œI’m not calling you a slut. I’m saying you were acting slutty. You were so into it you can’t even see how you schmoozing up to him came across. Even just then when he brushed up against you, you were acting like it was one hundred and fifty degrees.”
    â€œOkay!” Evan said, agreeing with Teddi. “Yeah, it was too hot up in here.”
    Teddi said, “Bottom line, Hailey, just stay away from the guy. You got a good thing going on with Covin. Your passion should be burning like that for him. Don’t let this boy you barely know come and douse water on your blossoming relationship.”
    Quisa chimed in and said, “Yeah. Morgan is the kind of guy you bang, and Covin is the type you keep. You’re the type who can’t play both of them. So get your feelings in check now.”
    â€œWe’re saying this because we love you,” Teddi said. “I backed off being mad about you and Covin because I knew deep down he’d do right by you. But this slick trick ... I don’t think so. Don’t be no fool.”
    Tired of hearing my new mommies dictate my life, I grabbed my stuff and stepped outside the door. I was fuming mad. In the back of my mind, I was wondering were they right? Was I tripping? Was I having fun? Or was I messing up a good thing?
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    â€œYou didn’t have to cook for me,” I said to Covin as I sat at the table in his new apartment.
    Since the fire, his dad had been putting pressure on him to move off campus. This was tough for him because he liked being connected to the students on a more personal level, but he had finally given in. And I had to admit his pops had set him out. Covin had a really nice pad. It was a one-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath decked out in colors for a king—purple and gold. The full bathroom with a whirlpool tub was attached to his room. He had a huge kitchen engulfed by a nice-sized dining area. Incense and candles had his place smelling good. There was ambiance in the air. Off the bat, I was a tad uncomfortable.
    â€œI know I didn’t have to,” he said as he handed me flowers and kissed me on the cheek, “but I wanted to. Dinner will be ready in just a sec, so why won’t you relax and talk to me while I fix my baby a meal?”
    He was getting overly comfortable with me. We had decided to date and all, and don’t get me wrong, I liked him, but I could see where this night was headed. I was no fool. Luther playing in the background. Aromatherapy candles lit all around to set the mood. Neither one of us was twenty-one years old, but there was a bottle of wine on the table as well. I wasn’t sure if he’d sprayed Febreze, had plug-ins, or what, but the place smelled great!
    â€œYou looked around—you like what you see in here?” he asked, alluding to himself.
    Trying not to stroke him, I said, “Yes. It’s very nice in here.”
    â€œI’ve been trying to get you over for a couple days to have a woman’s touch to make this place nice, but you were busy.”
    â€œYeah, I’m chair of this project and—”
    â€œI don’t wanna talk about sorority stuff,” he said as he turned the stove down low, came over to me, and kissed me on the neck. “I want tonight to be strictly about us. How can we get closer? How can we take this to the next level? I feel a little disconnected to you. I see you only in my dreams, never in reality anymore. We’re both going in opposite directions, but tonight is totally about us.”
    He started kissing on my neck again. I didn’t want to pull away. I didn’t want him to think I wasn’t down for what he was saying, but in reality I wasn’t sure if I was