Brooklyn James

Chapter Seventeen

Two months, six days and nine hours. That was the length of time that it had been since I had seen, heard about and talked to Xavier. I had seen Marcus around campus every so often but I never let my eyes linger, I never acknowledged him. Those two months had been the hardest two months of my life. It felt like something was burning my insides every waking hour. Over the two months slowly my sexual activity was diminishing. Fucking just wasn’t the same anymore. They weren’t who I wanted. I had never felt so empty before. I wanted Xavier; but I wasn’t going to go and beg for him to come back to me.     

    Alysia stood in the middle of the dorm room. I was getting ready to start packing my things. We had one more month of school before summer break and I hated waiting until the last minute to get everything together. Alysia was nothing but baby, her four and the half month belly took over her tiny frame. 

     “My bitch!” She chuckled at her my enthusiastic greeting before launching myself into her arms. I chuckled loudly as we stumbled. I quickly removed myself from her making sure she didn’t fall. Alysia grabbed me tightly around my neck while excitedly placing kisses all over my face, 

     “I’ve missed my Brookie!” Our antics continued for a few more moments before I pushed her off of me, 

     “Aight, that’s enough; gonna have me smellin your breath all day.” Alysia laughed and moved away from me. She sat her purse on the dresser and sat on her old bed. Since she’d gotten pregnant and worked things out with Desmond she’d been living with him. He said he didn’t want to miss out on the whole process.  

     “How are you doing, love?” Even though we kissed and made up the amount of time that I got to spend with her had diminished; not to mention that I had gotten a job working with the disabled overnight so I was working so many hours. We still hung out occasionally, but nowhere near as much as when she wasn’t pregnant. I probably only spent time with her twice a month; which was a shame, considering we were roommates and her baby father only lived about twenty minutes away from the dorms. 

     “I’m okay,” she finally responded, allowing her gaze to travel around the room. My eyes narrowed as I sat adjacent to Alysia on the bed.

     “Do you think I’m stupid? Or have you forgotten that I’m your best friend and know you better than anyone?” she tensed as the response before looking at my stern expression. Since we’d formed a friendship shortly after becoming roommates, I had been extremely protective of her. 

     “Desmond and I are, we’re having problems in this relationship.” 

     “Do I need to beat his ass?” Alysia laughed softly at the serious question. Before her and Desmond had officially declared themselves as a couple, I had warned him that he’d have to deal with me if he ever broke her heart. I think he was trying to call my bluff.

     “You might,” she said jokingly, I could tell something was brewing inside of her.

     “Wait,” I said, halting any words she was been about to say, “I feel like this is about to be some deep, tearjerker type shit, I know you can’t drink and I don’t want you to be left out so let me get some ice cream.” Alysia laughed as I hopped up and went to my mini fridge under my desk. “Cookies and cream Okay?” I asked without looking back at her. 

     “Yeah,” I grabbed a bowl and plastic ware and scooped out the ice cream evenly amongst the bowls hoping the plastic spoon wouldn’t break before I finished. It had been a while since we’d been able to just relax around her each other and have a good time. 

     “I guess I’ll just get right into it,” she declared, rapidly bouncing her left knee, stuffing a spoon full of ice cream into her mouth. “When he went to that ski trip early March for that weekend, Desmond slept with another girl.” Though the situation was anything but funny, it took almost everything in me to not burst into laughter at Alysia’s expression. In a span of five seconds, I went from shocked to disbelieving to sympathetic and finally…anger.