Tuesday, March 31st - The Next Morning
Monroe, I shut my locker door, placing the lock on it after grabbing my history book. I was extremely tired for some reason and I wanted sleep at this very moment. I went to bed around eight, which was not too long after coming home from hanging with Princeton. I'm positive that I've gotten enough sleep, but I'm starting to think otherwise.
"Hey boo." Jordi approached me with a smile.
"Hey Jordi." I smiled weakly.
"You look tired." She frowned a bit.
"I am, actually." I responded with a small yawn.
"But I'll be fine." I smiled.
"So what's up with you and Chres lately?" I asked, leaning against the lockers.
"Everything is running smoothly, actually. He wants me to stay after school and watch him practice." She squealed.
"That seems fun." I chuckle at her excitement.
"I know right. He's so fine out there on the field." She daydreamed.
"Now I just have to get him to ask me to stay after school to watch him lift weights, oh man I don't think I could take it." She said rather quickly. I snicker at how overly excited she was, really digging this guy.
"You have to stay with me one day." She finished. I chuckled once again, looking away. I spotted Princeton making his way down the hall with his shades on, looking good as ever. That forest green tee complimenting his upper body, showing off what he got. His curls bouncing every time he took a step forward. He caught my stare as I come to realize that and I watch that million dollar smile appear across his face.
"Good morning mama." He greeted, his fingers gently pressing against my skin, rubbing my arm while heading down the hall.
"Morning." I smile with a wave as I watched him push through the crowd. He's back in school, thank God. After Principle Reed took my word and rolled the tape back of the incident with me and Daniel; he allowed him to come back while Daniel on the other hand, is suspended for three weeks. I think he deserves more than that, but it's better than him being here.
"I see you've made a new friend?" Jordi hummed. I come from my daze, turning towards her.
"What?" I asked. She held a smirk on her face, looking into my eyes.
"Alright." I confessed.
"I guess you can say that, but I'm not quite sure about-"
"Did you two talk or something?"
"Well, after what happened yesterday--I saw him at the park." I begin.
"We talked about the situation then grabbed a bite to eat afterwards." I shrugged.
"Oh, my God-" She began.
"It's not even like that Jordi-"
"Monroe hanging with the bad boy of Cali!" She squealed.
"It was just one time." I whined, making her giggle in response.
"I know, I know. But, I must say that it's nice to see that guy finally taking interest in someone--he needs a friend." She said.
"But, if I were you, I wouldn't let Deanna see you hanging with him or she's going to be on your ass about it." She added in.
"Why does she stress about this guy so much anyway?" I asked her.
"She just doesn't trust him, she went through it with me and Cleo too." She shrugged.
"She's only trying to save us from the pain he causes."
"But he's actually a nice guy, nothing bad happened when we were out." I explained.
"Plus, I got word that he's okay to be around." I added, referring to Ray.
"I think he's just a little misguided." I finished.
"I don't know, maybe he just acts that way around you." She shrugged.
"I've seen him show out from time to time, but besides that I don't really see him doing anything wrong...he just walks around all day if not ditching." She giggled.
"But your secret is safe with me girl, it's the least I can do since you got me hooked up with a hunk." She laughed at her own vocabulary.
"Speaking of hunk." I said, raising my brow. She followed my stare, turning around. Chresanto strolling down the hall, greeting everyone with a smile.
"He even looks good saying hey to people, I mean seriously how can one be so damn attractive at every little thing?" Jordi questioned.
"I have no clue." I answered.
"What's good Jordi?" He greeted, embracing her tightly.
"Hi Chres." She greeted, blushing her ass off.
"Hey Moe, how's it going?"
"Things are well, thanks for asking." I smiled.
"You're still staying after school, right?" He asked Jordi.
"Of course." She blushed.
"Cool, well let me walk you to class then." He replied while taking her books.
"Okay, I'll see you at lunch, love." Jordi spoke to me before walking away with Chres on her side. I give a nice wave, slowly placing my back against the lockers as I watch them trail down the hall. I bit my lip, looking the opposite direction only to be startled by Princeton who was standing there, with his hands stuffed in his jeans.
"You're a creep now?" I asked, placing my hand against my chest. He chuckled, pushing away from the lockers while taking his shades off.
"I'm sorry sweetness, I didn't mean to scare you." He replied.
"It's fine." I give a small smile.
"You good, you look down?" He asked.
"I'm fine, just tired." I answered.
"Ah, well I was going to ask if you wanted to do something after school?" He began.
"But, if you're tired then you should go home and get some rest." He said.
"No, it's okay." I stopped him.
"W-we can hang." I smiled nervously. A small smirk approached as he licked his lips before replying.
"Alright, meet me in the parking lot after class." He told me.
"Okay." I smiled a bit.
"See you then." He said before walking away. The bell rung on cue and I headed the opposite way, going to second period.
Meanwhile,
It's lunch hour and I was a sleeping wreck. I'm going to be honest and say that I knocked out in second and third period, I couldn't keep my eyes open. However, while I was on sleep mode, I couldn't get Princeton out of my head. Nothing new right?
I hadn't seen him since this morning while waiting for second period. I hope he didn't get into anything because I really wanted to hang with him after school. I can't even come up with an idea of what we were going to do, I mean we just met each other. Yet, it's something about him that keeps me so focused on him. Besides him being the ultimate bad boy, he's something more than that in my eyes. Something that others can't see, but I can.
"Monroe?" Someone called. I pick my head up from the table, looking towards Cleo and Hansel.
"You alright gal?" He asked.
"Yeah. I just didn't get much sleep last night." I give a reassuring smile.
"You should try drinking some caffeine, it should at least get you through the rest of the day." Cleo suggested before biting into her burger.
"Maybe so?"
"Get a coke, they always kick my ass." Hansel stated while taking one of Cleo's fries.
"He'll be jumping all over the place." She added in. I giggled while standing to my feet, grabbing my wallet from my bag. I strolled out of the cafe and down the hall where the drink machines were. I yawned once more for the fifth time at least while pulling a dollar from my wallet. I scanned the selection, realizing that this school really didn't sell caffeine. I didn't have the taste buds for a coke but I had no choice now that I think about it. I have a quiz in fifth period, so I needed this in order to stay focused.
"Still tired mama?" I hear that familiar voice. I smiled a bit, seeing him leaning against the machine to my right.
"Sadly yes." I answered. He chuckled, looking away for a moment and I take a second to study him. I noticed his book bag over his shoulder, remembering what Jordi mentioned this morning.
"I see you're about to ditch, huh?" I simply asked, focusing back on the machine.
"You can say that." He said with that gorgeous smile on his face.
"Lucky you." I replied while grabbing my drink. I stood up straight as he slightly chuckled at my response.
"But, I'll be back to pick you up after school, so don't worry." He responded.
"I'll be waiting." I say sweetly.
"Alright then." He smiled a bit, lightly brushing past me.
"Be careful." I told him, slightly tugging the sleeve of his jacket. He stared into my eyes, studying me for a moment as I share another look with him. I wasn't sure whether to say that or not, but I really did want him to be careful.
"I will." He softly replied. I give him a weak smile before he slowly sprinted off while looking around. He soon comes to a stop, checking to see if anyone were looking. He then looked towards me and winked before exiting the building. I smiled, slowly looking back at the side door before heading back into the cafe.
"Did you fall asleep at the machine?" Hansel joked. I chuckled while sitting back at the table.
"Nah, I was just talking to a friend." I smiled brightly. I opened my soda, hearing it sizzle before taking a sip of it. I groaned, taking in it's strength before swallowing.
"Feel better?" Hansel asked with a smirk on his face.
"I'm getting there." I giggled before taking another sip.
Meanwhile,
"Moe?" Someone called as I hear the bell ring.
"Let's go sleepy head." Jordi smiled.
"I'll have your grades tomorrow when class starts." Mrs. Anderson stated as I stood to my feet. I felt so much better after that quick nap and it lasted a bit longer than I thought since that quiz wasn't hard to finish. I was able to read through each question then answer without a problem.
I grabbed my things before trailing out of the room with Jordi on my side. I give a nice stretch along with a yawn while passing through others to get by.
"So any plans with your man?" Jordi asked with a smirk.
"My what?" I chuckled.
"I saw you talking to him at the drink machine during lunch honey." She replied.
"Uh, yeah, he actually wants to hang out-"
"Oh my God!" She squealed.
"I don't know what we're doing but-" I cut her off before she could even start.
"He isn't my man." I corrected. She giggled at my response as we slowly head down the long hall.
"Not yet." She stated.
"Alright now, Mrs. August." I joked.
"That's my name, it has such a lovely ring to it." She happily stated.
"Yeah, and I saw you two flirting and cheating on that quiz." I raised my brow.
"That's just what we do honey, we got it like that." She grinned, making me laugh.
"Hey guys." Deanna greeted with Charles and Hansel on her side.
"What's up?" Jordi stated.
"We're going out for lunch, wanna come with us?" Deanna asked.
"I can't, I promised Chresanto that I would stay and watch him practice." Jordi answered.
"That's cool. What about you Moe?" She faced me, patiently awaiting for my answer. I couldn't tell her why I couldn't go, she would throw a damn fit and I'm not up for that.
"I have to help my brother out with a couple of things, sorry." I replied.
"Alrighty then, we'll just catch you two later." She smiled. Hansel gave a quick wink while Charles said his goodbyes before heading off.
"That was a nice save." Jordi began.
"If she would've found out about you going to hang with Princeton." She said.
"Girl, it would've been hell to pay." She chuckled. I simply shook my head, strolling down the hall with her following behind. We made it out of the building, into the student parking lot while chatting a bit off topic.
"Do you have any siblings?" I asked her.
"I have an annoying ten year old sister and a twenty-one year old pig for a brother."
"My mom's a doctor and I never met my dad." She explained.
"You have a good life."
"Eh, it's pretty decent...could be worse." She responded with a quick shrug.
"Just waiting for my mom to ship my brother and sister off then my life will be great." She grinned.
"She's shipping them off?" I questioned.
"If I keep praying, maybe she will." She answered. I laughed at her little joke until someone approached us both.
"Hey."
"Oh, hey Chres." Jordi smiled sweetly.
"Hi." I give a nice wave.
"I apologize but I have to take her from you, Moe." He smiled.
"It's no problem at all." I replied.
"Looks like you're about to leave as well." Jordi stated, looking out. I turn my attention towards the parking lot, watching a black Honda pull up right in front of us. With a blink of an eye, Princeton popped out, slowly closing the door. He ran his fingers through his curls while stepping along the curb, approaching us. I bit my lip, noticing the he changed clothes; he wore blue jeans, white tee and Timbs to match. He looked amazing in simple clothing, I can only imagine what he looks like when going all out.
"What's up man?" Chres greeted with a firm handshake.
"Nothing much, just came to get little one here." He said, looking towards me. I could feel my cheeks burn as Jordi grinned towards my reaction.
"Shut up." I mouthed to her.
"Well, we won't hold you up. I'll catch ya later." Chresanto replied.
"See you later Monroe." He said to me.
"Get your man girl." Jordi whispered in my ear.
"Oh my god." I giggled, watching her stroll away with Chres. I pick my head up, soon meeting Princeton's eyes as he looked down at me. A small yet noticeable smile smeared across my face and he chuckled towards my shyness.
"Hi." He greeted.
"Hey." I greeted back.
"Ready to go?" He asked me.
"Yeah." I blushed damn near too hard. He lead me over to the car, opening the door for me. I got in and admired the inside; it looked brand new, everything was so clean and polished. Princeton got in afterwards, closing the door while starting the car. He slipped his seatbelt on, waiting for a quick moment to back out.
"Where are we going?" I asked him. He turned towards me as I admired him some more. His face was just...pure gold and his eyes were mesmerizing to look at. It's like I can speak to him just by looking at him.
"Wherever you want to go, princess." He answered while backing out.
"P-princess?" I asked, somewhat surprised by that name.
"Yeah." He replied.
"You don't mind me calling you that, do you?" He asked as we finally left campus.
"N-no, it's just that, no one has ever called me that before." I shrugged. He glanced towards me then back at the road before replying.
"I don't see why." He said.
"What do you mean?" I questioned.
"Because." He began while stopping at a red light. He sat back against his seat, then focused on me, looking into my eyes.
"You're something of royalty, mama." He said, caressing my chin. My cheeks were most definitely red now and I couldn't hide it. He chuckled, focusing back on the road as the light turned green.
"So where too?" He questioned, driving off.
"I-I don't know." I answered.
"Still figuring out where things are." I added.
"Well, how about we just enjoy the ride then?" He smiled.
"I'd like that." I shyly responded.
Throughout the entire ride, Princeton pretty much showed me around and explained where things were. He even told me about the little shortcuts he take when needing to get somewhere in a timely manner. We made a couple of stops, then grabbed a bite to eat at In-and-Out, I swear the food is way better than the food back home.
But to sum things up, I had an amazing time and I wouldn't mind doing it again. I swear people has this guy all wrong and I wish they would stop and get to know him first before judging him. Yeah, he's done some things that I don't even know about, but everyone makes mistakes, right?
Eventually it all came to an end and we pulled up to my place. But, because I didn't want him to leave just yet, I invited him in for a moment. I just figured we could talk some more while I enjoy his presence.
I unlocked the door, stepping in and allowed him in afterwards. He followed me into the main entrance, slowly taking in the sweet aroma and interior. I, on the other hand, listened for any signs of Shaun or Corbin, but I think they're out once again.
"This is a nice ass house. What does your brother do?" He asked me. I giggled towards his reaction while heading into the kitchen.
"Mechanical engineer." I answered as he followed behind me. I placed my bag on the counter along with my key before trailing over to the fridge to grab something to drink.
"Thanks." He said, taking his share.
"You know I never asked you?" I begin.
"Ask me what?"
"Where's your girlfriend?" I bit my lip, trying to hide my expression from him. Besides his dark life, I wanted to know more about him and the life he lives outside of that. I also thought it would be fair if he give me the info on his love life. Yet, remembering Cleo saying that he had no emotions nor does he love--but everyone does in my opinion.
"Uh, I don't have one." He chuckled as I spotted the redness in his cheeks.
"You're blushing." I giggled.
"I don't blush sweetness." He replied.
"Everyone blushes and you just did." I protested.
"I didn't blush." He argued.
"You did and you still are." I said while placing my drink down. I strolled over to his side as he sits straight, questioning my approach.
"Look at your cheeks." I cooed, gently pinching his cheeks.
"Stop." He chuckled, trying to push me away. I giggled, pinching them a bit harder and he couldn't help but to smile.
"They're so cute." I cooed once more.
"No they're not." He said, swiftly grabbing a hold of my hands.
"Okay, I'm sorry." I laughed a bit.
"Too late." He said before scooping me up.
"HEY!" I shouted as he tossed me over his shoulder.
"Put me down!" I yelled.
"Nope." He simply answered as he headed out of the kitchen. I giggled once again, begging him to put me down but he continues to refuse my command. Next thing you know I was thrown on to the couch. I laughed harder this time as his fingers suddenly dug into my sides.
"NO, PLEASE DON'T!" I yelled, still laughing. He chuckled as we fought one another in order to keep his hands off me. I felt tears strung from my eyes, running down my cheeks as he tickled me harder.
"Now was I blushing?" He asked over my screams.
"NO!"
"No what?" He asked.
"YOU WEREN'T BLUSHING!" I cried out. I gripped both of his arms, forcing myself to fight back. Without warning, I pulled him towards me and he collapsed with a loud groan. I huff loudly, breathing heavily while looking towards the ceiling. He lift his head from my chest, looking right into my eyes beginning to laugh towards my expression.
"It's not funny." I growled.
"You are so damn red." He laughed harder as I wiped my tears, sitting up a bit.
"Shut up!" I snapped as he continued to laugh at me. I pushed him away, slowly standing to my feet before speaking.
"It wasn't that funny."
"I'm sorry mama." He said, finally ceasing his cackle. He stepped closer to me, but I took a step back.
"Are you upset?" He grinned.
"No." I lied. I wasn't really upset, but what girl doesn't act like she is?
I was taken from my thoughts as Princeton slowly approached me. He hovered over me, creating a shadow over my figure while lifting my chin up. I became nervous a bit, knowing that I've never been this close to a guy before in my life. I have literally no experience, whatsoever with a man, not even with the asshole I dated before. Yeah, we dated but we never shared any physical contact with one another. I was more of the nervous and shy type, so I was too afraid to do anything.
My attention was broken once again as I felt Princeton's lips against mine. My eyes shot open, surprised at what was happening. I shivered to the touch of his hands slithering their way to my hips. Yes, I think he's attractive but this is all happening so fast. Yet, his lips were soft and warm against my own. He gently tugged at my bottom lip before pulling away, giving a warm smile.
"Moe?" He called. I smiled, not saying a word as he continued to call for me. Suddenly his facial expression switch over rather quickly and he became puzzled by my daze.
"Moe?" He called again, yet I still said nothing. I was too busy daydreaming and worked up about that kiss.
"MONROE!" I jumped, hearing a loud bang against my eardrums. I shook my head a bit, realizing that we were still in the kitchen.
"You okay mama?" Princeton asked me. I stared in his eyes for a moment as he gave me a look of concern.
"What?" I calmly asked myself while looking around.
"What is it Moe?" He asked while standing to his feet. I was fantasizing the whole thing?
"Monroe?" Princeton softly called. I turn towards him, realizing how close he was to me.
"I-I'm fine." I told him, unsure of my answer.
"You sure?" He asked me.
"Yeah. Just thinking about something." I give an reassuring smile.
"Okay." He responded.
"It's getting late, I have to head home." He told me while checking the time.
"O-okay then." I said, still a bit confused of what just happened. I follow him out of the kitchen then out the main entrance until making it to the front door. He stepped out as I closed the door behind me, waiting patiently for him to speak.
"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked.
"Positive." I smiled.
"Thanks for today, I needed it." I told him, changing the subject.
"Any time Princess." He said, stepping closer to me. I grew a bit nervous as he looked down at me with those daring eyes. He gently pressed his lips to my cheek while stuffing something into my hand.
"I'll catch you later." He stated.
"Okay." I said. He smiled while heading over towards the car. I look down at the slip of paper, reading his number in black ink. A smile appeared across my face as I focused back in him. He pulled out of the driveway, pulling off after blowing before disappearing. I step back inside, studying his number again.
My mind begin to trace back towards that fantasy I've experienced minutes ago. The hell did it even come from? It all felt so real and I could've sworn I was actually pinching his cheeks. If any of that never happened, then what did?
I sighed in frustration, rubbing my hands against my face as I head back into the kitchen. I tossed the cans away before grabbing my things. I trailed up the stairs while saving Princeton's number to my contacts. A small yawn escaped my lips once again for the hundredth time.
"I need sleep." I groaned.