"Friends are like underwear. Some crawl up your ass, some snap under pressure, some don't have the strength to hold you up, some get a little twisted, some are your favorite, and some are cheap and just plain nasty. But there are also some that do cover your ass when you need them to."-My Best friend
Chapter 9: Nova
"Yall went to the movies? On a double date? How corny is that shit!" I joked.
"Ah, you just jealous you couldn't come. You stop messing with these no goods, and you can probably find you a decent guy." Cassy said while adjusting her tote bag on her shoulder. I rolled my eyes and waved her off.
"I ain't worried about looking for some decent guy. I'm completely okay with doing what I'm doing."
"Using them?"
"Exactly!" She laughed and shook her head.
"Tell me how that works out for you in the future." She joked.
"ha ha ha." I mocked. I wasn't hearing it. *I was okay with using them to get what I needed. It was something they've been doing to women since the dawn of man, but when I do it, it's a problem.
"Speaking of men, where's Tyrone?" She asked suddenly searching the halls as we were headed to class.
I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. Haven't seen that fool since he took me home two days ago."
"Hmm, I wonder..." She stopped mid sentence looking behind us. "Never mind, he's occupied."
I looked at her confused. "What you mean?" I looked over my shoulder and lo and behold, he's sucking face with Aspen. I on looked disgusted. "They need to take that in the back of the gym or the bathroom. Somewhere. That's nasty."
I was waiting for Cassy to chime in but she just continued starring at them.
"Hey, you good?" I asked shaking her arm a little. She shifted her weight to her other foot. "Yeah, it's just....I don't Aspen is right for him."
"Huh? Why you say that." I thought about it for a little longer before my eyes grew wide. "Ooh, you like him don't you! I knew it! Ya'll way too damn friendly and-,"
"Heffa, no! I don't want Tyrone. It ain't even like that. It's just last night when Keith and I met up with them at the movies, she was clinging on to him as if he was gonna fly away. And then when the guys went to go but us snacks, I tried to make small talk with her. She ended up being real bitchy when I sad they looked happy together. You wanna know what her response was? She said "At least you know,"
"She said that?"
"Yup."
"Oh, so she the jealous type." Cassy nodded her head. "Yeah she is. I feel like she's gonna be a real problem in Tyrone's and I friendship."
I nodded my head completely agreeing. Girls like Aspen were scary bitches. They were quick to cut a bitch when they felt threatened when it came to their man. They would do any and everything to make sure his mind is solely on her.
"What you gonna do about it?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing I guess. It's not my place. He gotta see it for himself."
I turned back around. I was tired of looking at them slobber all over each other. "I guess."
Cassy followed me as we headed back down the hall to our History class. It was a class all three of us took but it looked like Tyrone was gonna be a little late.
"Hey Cassy! Wait up!"Cassy stopped but I kept walking. I knew exactly who it was that was calling her name and I had no need to stick around.
"Hey, I'll catch you in class." I called behind me. I didn't wait for her response. I didn't need to. I despised Keith and He I so there was no reason to listen to his insults. It would ugly real fast.
I turned around the corner, only a few feet from my class door before being yanked back around it. My instant was to start swinging. But before I could turn around and sock my arm yanker in the nose, he spoke.
"Nova, it's weird seeing you with regular clothes on." Damion said while he eyed me.
a random feeling of violation came over me and I crossed my arms across my chest. IT didn't really do much but it was really the only thing I could do. I took a step back from him.
"Whatever Damion, I can't right now. Ima be late for class."
"Since when you worry about being late?"
"Just now. I gotta go." I turned to go but he pulled my arm.
"Wait, I wanted to talk to you since you kind of ran off last night at the club."
Damion, really? This isn't the time or place."
Oh c'mon," He pleaded. "I only wanna ask you something."
"Two seconds."
"Why you strippin? I mean I know your mom's and ya'll not struggling and you always be gettin' stuff from me. Why you showin' your goods to a bunch of strangers?"
I wanted to find to find some sort of humor he may have laced with that question, but it seemed to a genuine curious question. The crazy part was that I really didn't have an answer. So I shrugged my shoulders.
"I don't even know."
"Well you ain't gotta do that though. I can take care of you." Now, I know he was crazy.
"Damion one, your only seventeen still living with your parents. Two, this isn't that type of party. I don't need saving. I actually like it, so drop it. Okay?"
It seemed that wasn't the response he was looking for. "Oh, I see." With nothing more left to say, he turned on his heel and headed back down the hall from where he came and I just couldn't get the conversation out of my head.
After staring after him that seemed like forever, I headed back to my class taking a seat at my desk, not once being able to focus on what the lesson was.
Cassandra
"Hey beautiful." Keith murmured into the crook of my neck. The feel of his breath tickled and I couldn't help the giggles that came out. Actually it was a little scary.
"Hey, handsome." He looked up at me and smiled keeping his arms around my waist.
"Where you going?"
"To class, duh."
"Wit out me to walk you? How would I look if my girl walked to class by herself?"
I laughed. "You act like Ima get ran over by someone in a wheelchair on my way. I'll be okay, I promise."
He pretended to still be concerned and nodded his head. "Okay, but text me when you get there so I know you made it safe." I playfully punched him in the arm.
"Whatever you say daddy." His face lit up in amusement.
"Ooh, say it again." I punched him again but this time a little harder.
"Damn girl, you got some hands. But seriously, you wanna come to my house? I can introduce you to my moms and what not." Thinking nothing of it, I nodded my head.
"Sure, sounds like fun."
"Cool, see you after school." He leaned down and kissed me before heading in the opposite direction I was going. Once he left, It was then that I realized I was super late to class. I raced down the hall and around the corner, bursting into Mr. Kingston's class, I took my seat and took out my notebook.
"Nice of you to join us Ms. Jones. I appreciate you volunteering to read chapter 7 to us."
A little perplexed, i tried to justify why I was late, but what was a better way to say, 'Sorry im late, my boyfriend made me do it?'
"But Mr. Kingston, I can explain why I was late."
"Go on."
Shit, I didn't get that far.
"You know what, I'll go ahead and read. Chapter 7 right?"
****
"Welcome to my humble abode." Keith pulled into the driveway of a very nice two story home. It was in the better part of the neighborhood with a lawn perfectly manicured.
"Someone cares about their lawn." I pointed out.
"Oh yeah, my Mom cherishes that lawn. By the way make sure you stay on the pebbled path. If she see any foot markin' on her grass, she's out for blood." I curiously raised an eyebrow.
"Seriously?"
He nodded his head completely serious. "On my life."
He turned off the engine and be both got out of the car and headed to the front door. Once inside, I took in house. It was massive on the inside with an open floor plan so there was no wall between the living room, hallway and kitchen. IT was also kept very neatly. I couldn't spot one thing out of place.
"You can put your bag on the couch, ima try to find my moms. "Ma!" He began calling out through the house. Waiting for him I decided to look at all the pictures that hung on the wall and around the entertainment center. There were actually a lot of pictures, all very cute. There were a couple with who I assumed was Keith in middle school and younger along with a bunch of pictures of other family members. There was one that caught my eye. It was a picture of a man in an Army Uniform hugging on an older woman with a boy hanging on his arm.
"That's my brother," he pointed to the tall man. "And that's me." he finished pointing to the younger boy. "This was taken a month before he was killed."
His words tugged on my heart. I never knew what it felt like to lose someone but I knew it hurt like hell. It was written all over Keith's face as he continued to look at his brother's picture.
Trying to distract him, "Hey, did you find your Mom?"
He looked at be and blankly stared until it registered to him what I said.
"Oh, nah. I think she went to the store or something. I'll call her right now and let her know I got company." He pulled out his phone and dialed his mom's number. As he talked I continued to keep looking at pictures.
"Hey Ma, I got someone over who I want you to meet. Yeah...yes. Yes, she's beautiful. No, she's not ghetto. No, I didn't offer her anything to drink. But Ma, c'mon Ma, she standin' in front of me. Do I have to? Fine, hold on. Cassy, do you want something to drink?"
Looking at picture taken at Disney World, I shook my head no.
"She said no Ma. Ma, I don't know if she's hungry. Ma, you at the store anyway, just wait till you get back to ask her if she stayin' for dinner. Seriously? Okay, stop yellin' damn...No, ma'am. Cassy would you like to stay for dinner?"
I laughed only guessing what his Mom was saying on the other end of the phone. "Sure, ima have to call JD and Mom to let them know where I am though."
"Cool. Yeah, she's staying. See you when you get back." I heard him close his phone then his arms snake around my waist.
"Well, since we got a little time, I was thinking," He slowly turned me around in his arms and pressed my back against the mantle. "We could fool around a little."
I placed my arm around his neck and smiled. "Oh really."
"Mhm." He placed his lips on mine and it was like every time he did, it would be a butterfly swarm in my stomach and I would get warm all over. His kisses even became addicting. Once we started, it was very hard to stop. I felt his hands slowly creep up the back of my shirt, his hands laying flat against my back. He started taking a few steps backwards to the couch and allowed me to lie down on it, him climbing on top of me continuing his kisses.
He started to do this little thing that I loved with his teeth. He would lightly nibble on my bottom lip then snake his tongue across the nibbled area and it would set my body on fire. Honestly, anything that he did, set me on fire. If he was kissing my neck, touching me, I couldn't get enough, but I had enough sense when I knew things were getting to far. But this was the first time we really made out. He pulled me closer into him, molding his body into my so there was no space between us.
Continuing the kissing, I could feel his hands beginning to slide up my shirt, trying to slip under my bra, but i quickly removed it. Soon after his hand would roam again but this time to my jeans, I moved his hand again. After a few more failed attempts, Keith laughed and before heading to my neck, rubbing his lips against my skin.
"You act like you a virgin." When I didn't respond, he back trailed to my lips, lightly kissed them then looked at me, suddenly realizing I never discussed my sexual status with him.
"Are you?"
I paused then nodded my head. He quickly climbed off me, letting me sit up. I fixed my shirt while he ran his hand across his head.
"You're a virgin? Why didn't you say anything?"
I shrugged my shoulders. Honestly it wasn't something I liked bringing up. It wasn't the first thing I wanted to talk about.
"I feel like I didn't need to."
"I mean it's nice to know."
I thought about it. Maybe what people said about virgins was right. Guys didn't want to deal with the hassle. "Does this change anything?"
"Not even." He said before pulling me into him. "If anything, it makes you that much more special." I smiled. It was probably the sweetest thing he's ever said.
"Wait, can we still fool around though, I mean i'm patient but I still get very horny."
I slapped his chest and pushed off of him. "You know what, you get on my nerves.
Just then we heard the locks to the door turn and in walked a older, petite version of Keith. He was a spitting image of her and she was very beautiful. She came in with a bag of groceries in her hand placing them in the kitchen before heading towards us. She stood behind the couch and bent down to kiss Keith's forehead. "Hey baby, introduce me to your friend."
"Mom this is Cassy, my girlfriend."
"Girlfriend? Why didn't I know about this? I mean she's beautiful."
"I was waiting till you met her." I gushed at his words so sweet.
"Well, if that's the case, it's nice to meet you Cassy. Call me Mrs. Wright." She moved to my side and squeezed my shoulders gently.
"Now, Keith, go get the groceries while I talk to Cassy. I want to know the girl who stole my son's heart." She leaned in closer to me "He never brings girls home."
"Ma!"
"Boy hush. Go get them groceries like I told you." I laughed at their interaction. Reminded me so much of Tyrone and his Mom.
"Now come with me in the kitchen. I wanna know all about Cassy." She said smiling before grabbing my hand.
****
Hey...I know it's been a minute and what not but I had serious writers block, things are still a little slow but it'll pick up very soon. I promise :) leave me your thoughts