Carmen Hunter

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Carmen Hunter

I looked over at Mama in disbelief. She knows how I felt about him. She knows the tears I cried over him. She knows how long I stayed up hoping and praying that God could mend my broken heart. Yet here we are at the dinner table. I looked around at all twelve of my family members were sitting around the dinner table looking happy, oblivious to what I was feeling inside. Then I looked at Tony, still shocked that Mama would invite him over.

I honestly wondered if she knew that we weren't together right? It wasn't fake news or anything. Better yet, I know she got the repeated calls of me asking her for advice on how to maintain my dead-end three year relationship with a nigga that never fully valued me. Two of those three years I didn't even value myself. I finally started to grow though. I grew enough courage to cut him loose. Now, Mama had my number one mistake sitting right across from me looking me up and down like I still wanted him!

I swear I hate him! Everytime he tried to look at me I turned the other direction. Tony Hawkins is the epitome of "what looks good to you isn't always good for you". Even though I hate him I can't doubt the fact that he looks good. 6'2'' with light brown skin and a body to die for. I looked down at the shirt he had on, a green and black Upsilon Phi Kappa short sleeve tee. I immediately turned my head again. If anything, UPK is the reason why we're no longer together.

I had been with Tony since my junior year of high school. We first met when we both worked at this popular sit down restaurant in Willowsfield called Harbors. He'd had started working there a year before me and worked his way up to getting promoted to manager's assistant. Because of that, he was one of the people that trained me when I started working there. That's how we started to get close.

Tony was sweet. Niggas always are when they first meet you and want to talk to you. He tried for the longest time to get me to go on a date with him but I kept telling him no. I was talking to another guy at the time and, even though it wasn't serious, I didn't see myself with Tony. Sure, he was cute and treated me right but I just couldn't take him seriously as a boyfriend. I wish I'd trusted my instincts from the beginning.

After months of getting at me, I finally decided to let him take me to the fair. That's when I really started to fall for him. That night I started to see him differently. I started to think that maybe it was our working relationship that prevented me from seeing him as an option. We had so much fun that night! Tony even won me a big teddy bear. I still have it.

After that, we started to talk every day. Even though Tony went to Hillman and I went to Booker T, two different high schools on different sides of Willowsfield, we knew everything about each other's daily lives. We made our relationship official on Thanksgiving Eve, the same day I introduced him to my parents and my sisters.

We walked outside on the back porch of my parents house.

I turned to him and smiled, "So, what are you thinking?"

He looked down at me and smiled back. "I like your family. They're really nice and they care for you."

"They care a little bit too much sometimes. I'm sorry that my Dad was interrogating you like that."

"It's cool. I totally understand. My dad is the same way with my little sister."

I rolled my eyes. "Speaking of little sisters, I'm so sorry that Laya was being so annoying! She just wouldn't leave you alone. She must have a crush on you or something."

He laughed and shook his head. "I don't know about all of that."

"Trust me, Laya is bold! Even though she's only in 8th grade she thinks she can get a junior in high school. Did you hear how she asked you if you were my boyfriend?"

He looked at me. "Yeah, I heard her."

"Can you believe that?"

"I can."

I looked at him. "Really?"

"Most definitely. Maybe she sees something that you don't see. Only you because I see it."

I looked down at the ground and said once again, "Really?"

He got closer to me and said, "Yes, really. I like you for real. You aren't like these other girls out here and I like that about you."

"That's what's up."

"Do you like me back?"

I looked up at him. "Huh?"

"I said do you like me back?"

"Maybe..."

"Well, do you think that maybe we could try something out? I think we could be something."

I looked away from him and started smiling and blushing. "Yeah...I think we should try things out and see where we go."

November 26, 2014 we made things official. Dating him was like a dream the first few months. He was sweet, caring and always noticed the little things about me. He could tell when I was mad. He knew when I changed my hair. He never forgot our important dates too, like our anniversary or my birthday. Yup, he was the perfect boyfriend until we got to Laketon State.

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