seasons | killmonger

24 | A P O L O G I Z E

"Don't try and create small talk to get me to be friends with you again." She said in a cool tone. "Still upset and don't wanna talk to you."

"We're you this stubborn as a kid? Cause I know I was, but you definitely got me beat."

When she said nothing else, that's when I knew the silent treatment was back. I wasn't even about to pop back into her thoughts again just to get cussed out there. It was taking everything in me yesterday to not explode on her. After spending this much time together, I knew how emotional she was. She could act tough and like she was made of no emotions, but she was just as sensitive as anyone else. She was the type that didn't know how to handle her emotions, so aggression was the only way she could get it out.

Shit, I didn't blame her.

I grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels, deciding to just watch a regular cooking show. I was all with the shit till I saw one of the men on there season the meat that he was about to cook with just salt and pepper. That's one of the reasons why I knew I wouldn't be in a rush to come back to America to eat that much.

I'm not eating no fucking unseasoned meat.

"Ezibuhlungu." Tragic. Mbali said to herself and shook her head.

She eventually finished the braids cause she made them a little bit bigger than before. Patting my shoulder, she told me that she was done and wiped her hands on her pants. "Good looking."

"Mhmm."

"Please don't tell me you about to keep this up all day cause we're definitely not gonna get anywhere if you do." I leaned against the wall and looked down at her. "I didn't tell Y'lan and Sage about this whole claiming shit, so how do you wanna handle it?"

"Exactly how you've been handling it: acting like it doesn't exist. You have fun here, and I'll have my own fun." She smiled. "You don't seem to be that committed to the idea of this anyway."

"And you are?"

"Because, I have no choice to. I actually believe in whatever Bast does for people. You on the other hand don't, and I'm fine with that. Don't do anything that'll get ourselves into trouble on this mission, please."

"I could've sworn you said at one point that you didn't fuck with the concept of soulmates." I chuckled. "So you wanna pick and choose when you do?"

Mbali went to one of her bags that was sitting closest to her leg and took it back towards the couch, opening it any pulling out a yellow top. "Just because I didn't believe it with Kofi doesn't mean I don't believe that everyone has someone that's out there." She hugged the shirt to her chest.

"And you think it's meant to be me and you? When we can barely be in a room with each other for more that two hours without someone saying some smart shit... which nine times out of ten is always you by the way."

"Look," she huffed. "If it so happens to be the case and we end up stuck together, Bast has never been one to put people together who don't need each other in some way. I don't know what that means for us, but if she sees it and we don't? I'm not arguing it." Mbali walked away and continued the conversation, but looked over her shoulder. Anytime she did that, I knew that the conversation was far from over and she wanted to continue it; but just never knew how. She walked into the room and grabbed a pair of jeans, changing into clothes that she thought were more fitting for America. "And I'm not the one who starts drama. It's normally you. I'm going to get cleaned up before they get here... you can take the shower when I'm done."