Mahogany Desires

Chapter 30

The thought caused her to clenched her fist. Machayla realized that she didn’t necessarily appreciate the tone he was using with her and the obvious fact that he’d already made up his mind that she was going with him even if she’d decided to go with Tabitha put her in a worst mood. How dare he treat her like that knowing what she went through with Mason? Was he just the same?

Probably.

Though in all honesty she wanted to go with him, she didn’t want to give in so easily. With all eyes on her she didn’t want to appear as weak as she felt, especially not in front of two other women who rolled with the punches and could hold their own against these men. But, what choice did she have? She had nowhere to go for the night.

Closing her eyes she took a breath and tried to calm her sudden anger towards Jason down. “Well, let’s get going then,” she snapped as she started walking towards the parking lot. She just wanted a place to lay her head, a head that was beginning to throb something horribly.

“Don’t we get a goodnight?” She heard Chico yell out from behind her.

Feeling a bit of guilt for barely acknowledging the rest of Jason’s friends due to her annoyance with him she turned and gave them the best fictitious smile that she could muster at the time. “Goodnight.”

                The car ride to Jason’s place was… silent to say the least. They were sat but inches apart but at that moment, there might as well had been miles separating them. Machayla was silently fuming due to Jason’s sudden cold shoulder towards her. She wracked her brain as she tried to figure out what she did that could’ve put him off but the only thing that she could think of was her leaving the hospital in his time of need.

So maybe she was wrong for sneaking away without a word to him but in all honesty, she didn’t get where that could’ve made him angry. After all, he had his friends there for support, what use could she have been if she stayed where she clearly didn’t belong.

Those people cared nothing about her. The only reason why she was remotely recognized was because she did her medical duty by helping their friend and not letting the poor guy bleed to death when she knew that she could do something to prevent it. After this was all over, none of them would give her a second thought if she got out of it alive.

With a dejected sigh, she turned to the window and watched as the late night/early morning scenery of Miami passed by. There were lights everywhere you looked but if one was to look up, they’d see nothing but a dark sky filled with dark clouds and scarce lighting. There weren’t any twinkling stars to wish upon like there use to be when she was a child. When everything was simple and her life was filled with love and happiness. When she wasn’t so alone and when her father was alive.

Those times were gone now. Her father was gone and she was simply lonely, depressed and an advocate for negativity. Mason had succeeded in breaking her down to the mere shell that she was now. Oh how she wished that she could shed a tear for the confident and strong girl that she used to be but she couldn’t. Her tear ducts could no longer produce the tears she needed to cry; instead she wallowed in self pity and lived her days in fear of the one person who is suppose to love her with all his might.

She lived everyday in fear, in caution. Her trust in people was gone and if she had it her way, it would never come back. She didn’t want it to. She didn’t want to trust again only to get betrayed. It happened to her father and then it happened to her. But not this time. This time around she wasn’t going to be so naïve.

Not with Jason. Not with anybody!

                Jason stole a glance at Machayla’s profile and switched his gaze back to the road. Her brows were contorted into a deep frown and her lips were set in a thin and harsh line. Was she annoyed, angry at him? Probably both. But so was he with her.