DOGS

Chapter 23

"Was he a good kisser?"

Simone sighs and rolls her eyes up to the ceiling. "Seriously, Niyah. I just told you the whole story of how I screwed up last night and that's what you focus on?"

"Sorry, but I've been waiting for this since you first mentioned Mr. Tall Caramel Drop," she responds, "And what you did wasn't that big of a deal. You were helping a friend."

"But I hurt another one in the process." She frowns, feeling her stomach sink even further thinking about the way she betrayed Camille last night. The look on her face and the tears in her eyes really tore Simone up inside, she felt awful, the way she feels when she accidentally steps on her dog Romeo's paw.

Niyah sighs, "Stop beating yourself up about this. It's not your fault that that boy was cheating on Camel."

"Camille,"

"Whatever," Niyah says and Simone knows she's rolling her eyes. "Point is, you were just helping out a friend. They can't be mad at you about that. Besides, you just met that girl , you don't owe her any type of loyalty."

Simone massages her scalp with her fingers, resisting the urge to pull out a few strands of hair. "It's just complicated." She says. The only thing Niyah knows is that Simone and Kenya are cousins. She doesn't know about Project DOGS, or the fact that she used to have three-way conversations with Kenya and Camille months before moving to Jersey. There were times where she wanted to tell Niyah the full truth, but Kenya made her swear not to utter a word about their plan to anyone outside of the three of them.

"Whatever, you're too soft." Niyah comments, "So tell me about Eli. What was the kiss like?"

Just the thought of the kiss makes Simone's lips tingle and she bites her lower lip to make it stop. "It was...interesting. He caught me completely off guard but I could tell he was planning it. I literally had to gulp down air because I couldn't breath."

"Ooh, sounds intense." Niyah purrs.

Simone chuckles, "I guess."

"That kind of reminds me of this boy that I went on a date with last week. His name is Brandon, he's a senior at some school in another town. Anyway, he took me to Applebee's and got the 2 for 20...cheap right...I would have called him out on it but once we got to the car and he started tonguing me down I was at a lost for words. I don't think I've ever kissed someone that good, he almost had me drooling."

"Girl, you need to be stopped." Simone shakes her head, "Everyday it's someone new."

"Hey, I'm single and I like variety. It's too early to be tied down, I've gotta have some fun before I lose my curves and good looks."

"That will never happen Ny, you're too pretty." Simone tells her, glancing over at her nightstand where a picture of her and Nyla rests in a purple and blue frame. It's from when they were on the cheerleading squad together freshmen year before they quit because the team sucked and the coach was a chunky middle-aged woman who could barely demonstrate a routine without wheezing.

Simone has always thought of Niyah as the glamorous, fashion forward one. With her chestnut colored eyes, bronze skin, curvy figure and perfectly round butt, she's the epitome of beautiful. Simone knows she's pretty too, but standing next to Niyah sometimes made her feel plain in comparison.

"Well I'd exchange being pretty for your metabolism. You can eat loads of junk and still be the same, as soon as I eat a piece of cake I blow up."

"Where!?" Simone exclaims, "It goes straight to your ass."

Niyah laughs, "You right."

Simone is about to say something when an incoming FaceTime pops up on her screen. She smiles and sits up at the image of her dad. "Ny let me call you back, my dad is facetiming me."