A Diamond In The Rough

Just A Friend

"Let's get food after class, I'm hungry as fuck," I spoke, trying my best to fall back into our usual routine. Whenever our last class of the day was together we always went for food after. I tried my best to shake off whatever these new confusing feelings were and remind myself that she was still the same Ren I'd always been friends with. That no matter what she looked like now, she was still my best friend who was down to kick it and entertain my bullshit as usual.

I don't know why shit felt so off with Shae earlier. Trying to understand, let alone explain to Ren, why having her see me with other females was suddenly uncomfortable, was just too hard to comprehend. Whatever these new feelings were had me wanting to be on my best behavior and for whatever reason, having Shae around didn't seem like the best idea. But that only made sense if I was feeling Ren and I wasn't. She was the homie. Nothing more and nothing less.

"I would but I promised G I would kick it with him after class. He said he wanted to smoke and I think he was tryna go somewhere after," she said, a smile appearing on her previously pensive face.

I felt a slight pang of jealousy but brushed it off as best as I could. I knew there was nothing other than a friendship between the two—not that it mattered—but I hadn't seen her the whole summer and just wanted as much time with her as I could get. Her transformation was making shit feel so different that I wanted to have as much time with her as possible to re-establish our bond and sort through these confused emotions I was feeling. I couldn't help but give her shit for diverting from our usual routine.

"Man, y'all some crackheads. I bet y'all couldn't go a week without smoking," I teased her. She rolled her eyes in response, an expression I was more than used to seeing on her face as I most often was the cause of it. But the immediate confidence that replaced her annoyed expression caught me slightly off guard.

"Chance, if you want me all to yourself, just say that," she joked. The look in her eye was new and dangerously close to being mistaken for flirting if I didn't know her any better.

I felt my heart rate increase and warmth cover my body as my thoughts confirmed her statement. Normally, something like that would be met with a joke of my own about how untrue it was but I couldn't bring myself to make it. My tongue was arrested as I fought the urge to tell her that I did. I wanted her all to myself... as a friend, of course.

I chose to stay focused on my playful accusation before I said something I wasn't entirely sure I'd regret.

"Nah, don't disregard what I said. Y'all niggas need Weed Smoker's Anonymous," I spoke, brushing off both her accusation and the feeling of desire I felt from her words. I knew she was joking but had she been anybody else than my best friend, I would've been on demon time. The amount of sexual innuendo that I normally spoke with would've been tenfold and I wouldn't have hesitated to flirt my way into her Nike leggings.

But Ren was just a friend. My best friend. That's it, that's all.

"Whatever. You know I'ma have the munchies anyways. You can feed me after I come back," she chuckled, collecting all her papers and pens as she started packing up.

"Man, nah. Tell that nigga to feed you. Not bouta treat me like a trick," I scolded her, catching a feigned attitude. She chuckled again before doing her best puppy dog eyes and placing her arms around my neck.

"But I want you to take me to Chipotle. You know that one girl be giving me extra chicken when you order for me. I'll do your homework tonight if you take me," she spoke in a baby voice. I watched her as I thought about the possibility of not having to do my homework tonight in exchange for being abandoned for G.

There was this chick who worked at the Chipotle close by campus who had a crush on me or something like that, and whenever I came through, she always blessed me when making my burrito bowls. Ren knew this and never failed to take advantage. She also knew I hated doing homework and loved it when she begged. As she looked up at me through her eyelashes with a pouty expression, I knew she was just trying to sweet talk me, but I couldn't help the urge to give her whatever she wanted. Ren had me wrapped around her finger since the day we met. It was a key part of our friendship, honestly. I had promised to be her friend and be there for her however and whenever she needed me which often meant spoiling her with whatever she asked for and pushing her out of her comfort zone whenever she need to be pushed. Right now, it was the former that she was requesting and as usual, I would oblige. Besides, she was too cute resist when she did this.