PRIDE.

CHAPTER THREE

I snuck back into tisha's house at about 6 dawn, DeVanté drove around back and helped me jump the white fence surrounding her home, there Tisha was face red with her arms folded.

"Tisha!" I stumbled over to her and hugged her tightly.
"Don't tisha me! Where the hell were you and you smell like liquor!"

I heard a familiar chuckle echo from behind me.

"DeVanté?" She stumbled on her words holding me up while staring at him.
"Oh no trin you didn't let him get you? The fuck did you do DeVanté!"
She yelled holding onto me but I couldn't speak I was too far gone.

"Hey girl watch your damn mouth when speakin' to me aight? She drunk I ain't penetrate, besides if I did don't you wish it was you?" He laughed again. "Trin baby I'll see you tonight you better be ready."

"Tonight? She's a fucking wreck right now DeVanté!"

"Then fix her up the fuck? Make my girl pretty." His hand cupped my face as he stared in my dazed eyes.
"You hear me mama? I want you looking pretty?" I nodded giving him a weak smile.

"She looks terrible." I heard Tisha cry before completely blacking out.

The hours had passed, I most definitely missed the recital I can hear my mother yelling at Tisha from down stairs, I couldn't move. About 20 minutes later I heard the door slam, and Tisha stomp up to where I was.

"I told her you got sick off sugar."
All I could do was groan, I rose my head up to see Tisha with a small red mark on her face.

"She hit you tish?"
"Nah." Was the only answer I got before she stomped back out into the kitchen, moving around and coming up with some pills, water, and some coffee.

"Take these, and when you start feelin' better go shower, you have to go in a few." Her voice was monotone, she couldn't even look me in the eye before heading back down the stairs. I sat up for a few seconds, dizzy as hell trying to contemplate what happened last night. DeVanté.

It took a good 30 minutes before I felt semi decent enough to shower and make myself look good.
My mind wandered as I got ready, why was tish acting so weird? She came in with her hot curler curling my hair, conversation was minimal, she smiled once through the little convo we did have but when I asked about DeVanté she froze up.

"Tish, whats the matter? You're never this quiet." I frowned looking at my best friend through the mirror, she started to speak but the door bell rang, she ran down and I heard his voice.

"Sorry I'm early, I just needed to see her." Two pairs of foot steps walked up the stairs and in walked DeVanté dressed in the flyest gear I've ever seen, and his hair neatly trimmed, he bit his lip when he saw me and kneeled down infront my face brushing my soft curls away from my eyes.

"An angel, thank you tisha." He smiles at me but looked at her with a different glare, it scared me a bit but I moved his face back to me so his hazel eyes could see mine.
"Come on princess." He held my hand and lifted me from the seat walking me down to his tinted car, I completely forgot about mother sitting right across the street, this man..had me in a daze without even getting me intoxicated. We slid into the tinted vehicle and peeled off, I looked off into the mirror seeing my mom and Tisha both standing in the street, my mother pissed and in disbelief.

After an hour of driving we parked in a parking lot a far ways off, we'd stopped for food at McDonald's but didn't start eating until we stopped.

"Damn girl slow down I know that thing too big for you!" He laughed as I started attacking my Big Mac I'd ordered an extra slab of meat on.

"Ain't nothing too big for me!" I chanted then instantly regretting it.

"Is that so?" He quietly hummed as he ate his fries, I blushed turning away from him some to look out at the sky.

"Moms mad at you?"
"Hell Yeah."
"She finna blow her cap when you get home."

Boy don't I know it, I quietly ate the rest of my burger and moved onto the fries looking for my drink, but instead found a milk shake with two straws.

"DeVanté?"
He looked at me then at the cup before smiling again.
"Lady and the tramp fell in love like that so I wanted to see if you was my lady."  I blushed once more as he lifted my chin.
"I had fun last night." His eyes grazed my lips then went back up to mine.
"Thought I was wack?"
"You loosened up." He admitted letting go of my chin.
"I was drunk."
"Nah, you were open."
I sat back thinking, what could I have possibly told him?
"Trinity is an ugly name I hate saying it, it don't fit you at all."
"There you go starting to insult me."
"Not uh insult, honesty. Besides I'm tryna give you something different, like Ike did Tina."
The analogy should've clicked right then but it didn't, instead I was flattered, flattered that this man I've had a crush on since laying eyes on him, a man I'd only known for 24 hours, wanted me to be his lady, his Tina.

"Nevaeh."
"Nevaeh?"
"Heaven backwards, you're my heaven nevaeh. Within the short time of knowing you, you made me feel like I was in heaven, I was your god and you my angel."
"I like that."
The sun began to set around us, we'd officially been up all day talking, about life, about touring, about what was gonna be of us. From what I learned he was pretty much the master mind behind jodeci, clearly has a temper and has two kids, at only 22 years of age, he was only 3 years ahead of me and it didn't seem to bother him, he said I was fresh and loved the fact I was still a virgin.

"That means you'll give yourself to one man, and that's special,  I think that's special." He smiled softly showing me little pictures of his son And daughter telling me how he only planned to give them the world, how he wanted me to be apart of that world. We built a connection that night, a connection I could never forget, his hand touched mine as his other hand gently caressed my cheek, our lips met, and danced around for a while before I felt things get heated, he must've felt it too because he pulled away picking up the melted vanilla milk shake. We both took a sip , some dropped on my lip that he had no problem sucking off like it would be his last.

"12:30. Let's get you home."

The ride was us holding hands listening to prince on the ways back, there we saw my mother outside in her robe furiously pacing, when we came to a stop she yanked the door open and pulled me out practically tossing me through the driveway and slammed the front door.
"YOU ARE TO NEVER LEAVE THIS HOUSE AGAIN NOT TO SEE TISHA, AND NOT TO SEE THAT DEVANTÉ BOY AGAIN!"

And that...was the last time I'd seen DeVanté.