OTM
The smell of weed hit me as soon as I walked into my dorm room. Robyn was sprawled across my bed, eyes red as hell, giggling at absolutely nothing while India was digging through my closet like she lived here.
"Bitch, where you keep the good clothes at?" India called out, tossing one of my hoodies onto the floor.
"They all good clothes, you just got no taste," I shot back, grabbing the blunt from Robyn's fingers. She was so gone she didn't even notice.
"Oi, give dat back," Robyn mumbled in that thick Barbadian accent that always came out when she was high. "I wasn't finish wit it, yuh know."
I took a long drag and looked over at Wayne, who was passed out on my floor using his backpack as a pillow. "This nigga really sleeping through all this noise."
"Leave him alone, he had three classes today. That's like a full-time job for Wayne," Lauren said, applying lip gloss in my mirror.
"Y'all ready for this game or what? I'm trying to see some fine ass football players," India said, finally settling on one of my crop tops.
"Girl, yes! I heard the quarterback is single now," I said, passing the blunt back to Robyn.
"Which one? The light skin one or the one with the nice arms?"
"Both," I laughed, starting to get dressed. "I ain't picky."
Robyn sat up slowly, swaying a little. "Wha' time we suppose to be dere?"
"In like thirty minutes, so we need to go," Lauren said, checking her phone.
We managed to wake Wayne up and drag his sleepy ass with us to the game. The stadium was packed, and we found some decent seats where we could see everything. The energy was crazy, people screaming, music blasting, the whole thing.
"This school really takes football serious," Wayne said, finally fully awake.
"Shit, with the money they probably paying these players, they better," I said, watching the team warm up.
The game was actually good, even though I barely understood what was happening half the time. But then halftime came and the cheerleaders ran out. They were doing their little routine, all peppy and perfect.
"Look at these basic bitches," India muttered, but I could tell she was watching too.
Then the dancers came out, and I was only half paying attention until I saw her. My breath literally caught in my throat.
Beyoncé.
She looked... different. Still beautiful as hell, but different. Her hair was longer, flowing as she moved. She wasn't that awkward, overly organized girl from high school anymore. She moved with confidence, like she knew everyone was watching her. And they were.
"Nic, you good?" Wayne asked, noticing I'd gone quiet.
I couldn't even answer. I just stared as she hit every move perfectly, commanding attention in a way she never did back then. This wasn't the Beyoncé who used to reorganize her locker three times a day. This was someone else entirely.
"Oh shit," Robyn said, following my gaze. Her accent was gone now, the weed wearing off. "Is that...?"
"Beyoncé," India finished, squinting at the field. "Damn, she looks good."
Lauren was pointing at random dancers. "Which one? Her? Her? The one with the braids?"
"No, Lauren, the one in the center. The pretty light-skinned one," I said quietly.
My stomach was doing flips. Of all the schools in the country, she had to be at mine? The universe was really playing games with me.
When the routine ended, I watched Beyoncé walk off with some girl I didn't recognize - tall, confident, probably another popular girl. They were laughing about something, looking like they belonged in a music video or some shit.
"You okay, Nic?" Wayne asked again. "You look like you seen a ghost."
"I'm fine," I lied, trying to focus on the game again.
But I wasn't fine. Seeing her brought back everything I'd been trying to forget. The almost-kiss. The way she pushed me away. How she stopped talking to me completely. How I felt like I wasn't good enough for her perfect little world.
The game ended with our team winning, and everyone was hyped. We were walking back to the parking lot when I heard her voice.
"...that was so good! I think we might actually win regionals this year."
I froze. Her voice was the same, but the way she carried herself was completely different. I looked over and there she was, standing right next to our car with that girl from earlier.
And she was gorgeous. Like, painfully gorgeous. Her body had filled out in all the right places, and she had this glow about her that made it hard to look away. I found myself staring at her legs, her waist, the way her hair caught the light...
Then she turned around and saw me.
"Onika?" she said, and that smile spread across her face. That same smile, but brighter somehow. More confident.
"Hey," I managed to get out, my voice cracking like I was going through puberty again.
She didn't seem to notice how awkward I sounded. "Oh my God, I can't believe you go here! What are the odds?"
"Yeah, crazy," I said, trying to play it cool but probably failing miserably.
I was about to ask her something , anything to keep her talking, when she turned to wave at another dancer.
"Keri! Come here, we're talking about tonight!"
And just like that, her attention was off me and onto this other girl. I watched her face light up as she started talking about some party, completely forgetting I existed for a moment.
Then she turned back to me like nothing happened. "You and your friends should come tonight. It's going to be at the Kappa house, around ten."
My mouth opened to say no, because being around her was the last thing I needed, but Lauren jumped in before I could speak.
"We'll be there! Thanks for inviting us."
Beyoncé's smile got even bigger. "Perfect! I'll see you later, Nic."
And then she was walking away with her new friend, leaving me standing there trying to process what just happened.
"Nic?" Wayne said. "You gonna tell us who that was, or...?"
I watched her get into a car with some guy, tall, muscular, probably the type who had everything handed to him his whole life. He leaned down and kissed her, and I felt something twist in my chest that I didn't want to name.
"That's Beyoncé," I said finally. "From high school."
"The Beyoncé?" India asked. "The one who had you all messed up senior year?"
"Yeah. That one."
And now I had to see her again tonight. This was about to be a long-ass semester.
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