WYNNIE
It's finally the weekend that I'll endure Khangela and her snarkiness along with my best friend's gullibility.
Oh joy.
"You got everything? We don't want to have to come all the way back to Earment if you realize you left something back here," Trippy told me, standing in the doorway of my apartment.
"I got everything, Trippy. Do you have everything?" I asked her sarcastically, holding one of my duffle bags. "If you feel inclined to forget your girlfriend here in Earment, I won't object," I added.
"No can do. And don't say that, Wynn," Trippy frowned. Whatever, I thought in my head as I pulled the rest of my things down the stairs to Trippy's car.
"We're only staying for the weekend, sheesh."
"Yeah well, I'm always gonna be prepared-
"Evelyn!"
Trippy's head snapped up.
"Khangela!"
I watched as they embraced like they hadn't probably spent all night on the phone or in each other's bed. I fought the urge to throw up and gave her girlfriend a cordial smile. It wasn't polite...but it was cordial.
"Y'all about ready to go?"
"Yup. Any second thoughts?" Khangela said, the last part lower. "This could be like a baecation for us."
I pretended to be looking through something on my phone. "I am not leaving my best friend behind, K. I want you two to coexist peacefully and for all of us to have a good ole time. That's why we're going to Houston for the weekend to chill."
"I don't think it'll be a chill time if she's nagging you and me the whole time," Khangela complained.
"She does not nag me. And she won't nag you, okay?"
"You definitely didn't say that before when you used to complain to me about her being so protective of you," Khangela said.
I chuckled to myself hearing that. So that's what Evelyn does when she's tired of me and needs to vent? And really, I nag? I'm overprotective?
"Trippy, I'm ready to go before I change my mind," I declared, struggling to keep a pissed off expression from slipping onto my face. I can't let Khangela see that she bothers me.
"Nobody's stopping you," Khangela said from besides Trippy. See, my thing with her is that once I found out that her and Trippy were together I immediately shut down any of my best friend's advances when she was high and I stopped being so "overprotective" of her, yet Khangela still treats me like I'm tryna steal her girl.
True, I'd jump at Trippy if she left Khangela in a heartbeat, but I'm not trying to break them up. I just have a dislike for this girl. Honestly, she hated me before I even cared about her existence, and for her to be stingy towards me and act oblivious to why I am...that makes her a whole 'nother type of bitch.
"Well, I am. I want you two to both come and that's final," Trippy stated firmly, holding her arms in a T between us. "That means no fighting and you two trying to get along with each other, right? Trying to be polite."
"I'll try, fuck it, but nobody finna-
"Okay. Let's get in," my best friend cut me off.
I sucked my teeth but followed after them to Trippy's Mazda. "You're gonna have to sit in the back boo," Khangela said over her shoulder as she waited for Trippy to unlock the car.
I gritted my teeth together but didn't say anything.
"K," Trippy shot a glare at her.
I made my way to the back, determined to sit directly behind Khangela so I didn't have to suffer with a side view of her the rest of the ride. I knew that seeing glimpses of Trippy smiling would make my stomach do little twirls...even if those smiles were directed to her girlfriend.
"Are we gonna get a hotel there or what?"
"I'm not sure yet, but if we do, I'm covering the costs." I curiously glanced at Trippy even though she was too busy with her seatbelt to notice my look. I wonder where she's getting all of this new money from.
"Maybe in a couple of months we can take a trip to Miami," Khangela stated, laying a hand on Trippy's thigh when she said we. "Shein is turning up on them bikini's."
"Really, we should take a baecation trip during Thanksgiving Break," Trippy suggested to Khangela.
"To meet each other's parents?" her girl asked curiously.
I grabbed my earbuds and placed them in, searching my phone for a playlist. "I don't know...my parents are a little iffy when it comes to me bringing girls home. When I brought Wynnie by they-
"But, I mean, you never dated her before, right?" I looked up to see Khangela peering at Trippy. "They'll probably react differently to your girlfriend."
"I'm not saying you won't get to meet them...now just isn't the time," Trippy said softly, a tiredness to her voice that suggested this had been brought up before. I guess trying to get the conversation to die down, Trippy turned up her radio a bit more and made a comment about a man singing. Like I had assumed, Khangela didn't accept this topic switch like my best friend had thought she would.
"When we first started talking to each other, I told you that I didn't want one of those hidden type of relationships. If you're my girl, then you're my girl. I want to be able to-
"Khangela, now's not really the time," Trippy made an obvious glance back in my direction. I hadn't even known this was a sore subject for them. If they had been arguing like this, especially in such a new relationship, surely my best friend who I've known since the beginning of time would have mentioned something. But maybe she didn't want to bother me with talk concerning Khangela...but still.
"Then when's the right time," her girlfriend murmured, pulling her hot pink hoodie over her carefully done hair. Khangela slouched down in her seat a little, the reflection of her in the window showing a sullen face.
My heart melted for her maybe just a second.
Only a little bit.
"Nobody's asked what play we're going to see," Trippy cleared her throat, obviously trying to add some life back into the vehicle after she sucked it out of here. She was driving, and we were heading onto the main road that eventually reached the freeway.
Houston wasn't that far, but it was far enough from Earment. "I like surprises so I've been just trying to go with everything," I shrugged, about to restart my music. "Khangela?" Trippy prompted, "What about you?"
"I'm kind of sleepy right now." Her lie was heavy in her words.
"Okay. Sweet dreams," Trippy told her with a tinge of sadness in her voice.
I yawned, some of Khangela's lie rubbing off on me. I was a little tired myself too. "Wake me up when we get some food," I grumbled.
"Man, more than an hour drive and I'm gonna spend it with both of you so called sleeping," Trippy complained.
"Hey, at least we're not arguing," I made a point.
I grabbed the pillow and blanket I had brought. Maybe there had been a plus side to having the entire backseat to myself. I could stretch out and relax. No skin to skin contact with Khangela, unless it's me throwing hands. I feel like that's a fair trade.
