Girlfriend [Completed]

[7] "Future Mrs. Coleman."

"And we didn't," Sammie added.

London shook her head. She clearly wasn't amused. "Either way, she's mad. Y'all put back in the drama she was trying to escape. She likes her privacy."

"Hold up, you do realize you're taking about Nevaeh Rice, right?" Sammie asked. "Besides you, she's one of the most popular senior girls. She cheers, plays ball and she's always entering art contest...."

"What's your point?" London asked.

"People talk about her. They were talking before we messed up Quincy's car. She's the type of girl that's meant to stand out. I mean, damn whenever she walks into the room, she's noticed by everyone," Sammie finished. "That's not our fault."

Teddy along with London and Chris were surprised by his response.

"What?" Sammie asked. "It's the truth."

London looked at Chris. Teddy could see some silent communication transpiring between the couple.

Chris cleared his throat. "It's true but Vay doesn't like the attention. Let me give you an example, she won homecoming queen with Teddy back in October. I told her and she almost had a heart attack. We ended up rigging the vote so London could win instead. Yeah she's that girl that everyone watches but not by choice."

That was news to Teddy. By the look on Sammie's face, he hadn't know it either.

Back in the fall, he won homecoming King during the football season. He expected Vay to win since she was well known. When London won instead, he was a little disappointed. He didn't know it was because they fixed the vote.

Teddy felt like an idiot for putting Nevaeh back in the spotlight. She wasn't shy but she didn't live for attention. She wasn't the conceited type. "We messed up."

"Yeah," Sammie agreed.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Tuesday evening

After basketball practice Teddy went to Neveah's house to apologize. The conversation at lunch was cemented into his brain and he couldn't focus on anything else. He sent a few texts during school that all went unanswered. He needed to see her and couldn't wait until school tomorrow.

He pulled onto the street and grabbed the bouquet of pink tulips from the passenger seat. Walking up the driveway, he was greeted by Mr. Rice.

Nevaeh's father was taking down the Christmas lights from the house. "Don't judge me," he stated as he climbed down from the ladder.

Teddy put his hand up in a surrender pose. "No judgement. We still have our Christmas tree up. My mom refuses to take it down."

They shared a laugh.

Mr. Rice pointed to the flowers. "I'm a roses type of man, Teddy."

"I completely forgot. Should I take them back?"

"Naw, you've come all this way. I appreciate the gesture." He chuckled at his own joke. "She's not happy with you or Sammie," Demetrius stated in reference to his daughter.

"I know."

"She's not here. She took Jamel and Terrell to the mall. According to 12 and 10 year old sons, I'm not dope enough to shop for sneakers anymore. But I'm dope enough to pay for them," he mumbled.

Teddy was disappointed that he wouldn't be able to see her. It was already pushing 6pm and he still hadn't made it home. "Can you give her the flowers for me?"

"Go ahead and take them inside. Her mom is there. She's not dope enough to shop either."

Teddy smiled and walked inside. Nevaeh's mom, Avery was in the kitchen cooking. She greeted him with a smile. "Hi Teddy. I had a feeling you would be stopping by." She gave him a hug.

"Hi Mrs. Rice."

"Nevaeh isn't here but you can put those pretty flowers in her room."

"Thanks."

Teddy walked in the direction of Nevaeh's bedroom. When they were younger, he and Sammie would spend the night with her. Once they hit middle school, their parents ended their sleepovers. They no longer thought it was appropriate.

He opened her door and observed the light purple walls. Her room used to be plastered with hello kitty. Teddy placed the flowers on her desk. Beside it was an opened notebook. Teddy wanted to respect her privacy but couldn't stop himself from looking at the book, especially since it pertained to him. His eyes roamed the page as Vay expressed her feelings. What made his eyes bulge was how she signed the journal entry. He read the words out loud.

"Future Mrs. Coleman"