Hired To Love

Chapter Seven

                Naiya Parker

I was actually looking forward to school this morning but not to the questions I would be receiving from my best friend Shanelle Bryant. Surely she would want to know where I've been, if I'm okay, and when I tell her that I've been adopted she'll want to know who my new parents are, if I have siblings and...at that point I'll be confused as to what I should say. I mean how do I tell her that the sibling I'm supposed to have is actually about to be my husband in two months? Should I even tell her this? Maybe instead of silence being exchanged between me and Keon in the car right now on my way to school, I should be asking him this. He probably would have some suggestions on how to tweak the explanation or he might encourage me to just spill it. After all, he did tell his friends everything...

"Keon?" I spoke out at a good volume I think. Plus I was looking his way, per the usual, meaning he would feel me looking at him.

He glanced my way twice back and forth with the road, "What?" It's highly possible that he was either answering my call to him OR responding to my staring. He stopped at a red light and gave me his undivided attention.

"My friend Shanelle...I was wondering if I should tell her everything or...just...lie."

He squinted his eyes and his semi-bushy eyebrows furrowed. His face held an intense expression of anger mixed with confusion, "Why would you lie to your friend?"

"I just-I don't know if it would be appropriate to tell her that's all-"

"This the same girl who's gonna be a bridesmaid correct?"

I nodded.

"So why would you lie to her? If you lie to her then when the wedding comes or better yet when it's time to ask her to be in it, then what? That's part of the reason why I wanted Torrence and Brendan to know everything. The other reason is because they're my best friends and they got my back. Just lay it out to her today. She's your best friend so she has your back right?"

I nodded again, "Absolutely."

"Then tell her everything." He looked back at the road just in time for the light to turn green. He resumed driving. "Especially the part about us trying to figure out an alternative way out of getting married. But just in case we don't find one, she's still considered a bridesmaid."

"Okay. Thanks."

"It shouldn't be a consideration for you to lie to your best friend. Especially your only friend. She's the only person you had in your life before us...was you always lyin' to her?"

"Not always..."

He shook his head, "So that means I'll have to look out for you lyin' to me huh? I mean we ain't friends or nothing but if you could lie to the only person who gave a fuck about you, I can expect the same thing for me huh?"

Was that his way of saying that he cares about me, without actually saying it? I mean obviously he does if he agreed to marry me and saved me from going back to the orphanage. "No..."

He snickered, "That was a lie right there."

I rolled my eyes and focused out the window. Up ahead, there was the huge building that is my high school. As usual, about ten or so buses sat outside of it and the huge parking lot that expanded on the sides and in front of the school were packed with teachers, staff and students' vehicles. Keon pulled into the entrance and up behind another car. He put the car into park and picked up his phone that had been vibrating on and off ever since he started driving me to school. He leaned back into the door and bobbed his head a little to the music playing. I didn't know who was singing but the voice sounded nice and the band sounded beautiful. I found myself humming a little to it on the way to school to the main words I remembered,

'Keep breakin' my hearrrrrt, breakin' my hearrrrt, pretty brown eyes...'

Keon had yet to unlock the car door. I removed my seatbelt hoping that he would do it seeing that I was getting myself ready to get out. Which he did. At the sweet sound of the door unlocking, I opened the door and prepared to step out. I froze feeling his warm hand touch mine. In between our hands I felt a piece of paper folded up.

"That's the note my dad wrote for you."

"Thanks."

"I'll pick you up after school...high school still get out at 2:30 right?"

"Yes."

"Cool," he started to let my hand go but quickly tightened his grip again, "Oh, one more thing."

"Yes?"

"If I can be honest and open with you, you should be able to return the gesture right?"

"...yes."

He let my hand go, "I'm not convinced of that yes but that's cool. Have a good day."

I didn't believe that 'have a good day' either. "Thanks you too."

I got out the car and shut the door. The second I walked away he was driving out of the drop off area. I looked down at the folded piece of paper in my hand. Along with the white folded up note from Alphonse was a twenty dollar bill.


Amidst the weird stares from my peers in home room, I managed to make my way through it all to my only light of sunshine, Shanelle. Once I saw those twists under a cute little Dashiki hat, tears welled up in my eyes at the relief. There's just something about seeing your best friend when you're enduring something. Seeing them means that you don't have to hold anything in. You can spill your guts to them and they will be right there to listen because they want to be there for you. She quickly scanned over my clothes, a gray cotton spaghetti strap top, light washed distressed jeans and my brand new combat brown boots that replaced my old ones. I knew it was hot but my toe was still healing. Neosporin was working wonders on it but I wasn't ready to show my toes just yet. Plus I liked these boots a lot.

"Oh my God Naiya where have you been?!" Shanelle yelled throwing her arms around me. In her warm brown arms, I allowed my tears to fall but I made no sound because I didn't want any attention from anyone else in the room. Well, any more attention than what they were already giving me. Shanelle must have noticed my tears because she placed her hand on the side of my face that wasn't plastered against her shoulder and ushered me out of the classroom to the girl's bathroom. "Oh my God are you okay?"

I nodded, accepting the tissues she gave me. "I'm okay."

She smiled, nodding to my attire. "You look...amazing to me! I came by the home the other day to drop off some clothes I got for you but they said you were adopted. I honestly didn't believe that bitch though. I was sure that LaDanian boy and his bitch posse did something to you...but you really were adopted! She couldn't even tell me who adopted you!"

"Alphonse Wyatt."

Her face turned up in disgust, "The former senator of Georgia?" I nodded. "Wow. How's that?"

"Okay..." I thought about what Keon told me earlier and decided to just tell her now, "....there's some circumstances."

She frowned, "What do you mean?"

The bell rang causing both of us to sigh. She really wanted to know now and I really wanted to tell her now. "Let's go to class, I promise to tell you throughout the day."

She looked at me for a second before pulling me into a tight hug. "I know. I'm just glad you're okay."