Compton's Promiscuous: Chapter 3
~7 Years Later~
I stood there in the 102 degree heat. My black dress down to just above my knees and sweat rolling down the sides of my temples. My head hung low and an arm wrapped around my shoulder.
"Hey." Whispered King into my ear.
"How did you know?" I asked quietly, leaning into him to seek comfort.
"You weren't at school and I figured today was the day." I looked up at him and saw he was dressed down in a suit and tie. "I'm sorry for the loss, Mariah." I turned around and buried my face in his chest as the tears started to roll down my cheeks.
"I-I just can't believe it." I mumbled.
"No one can." His smooth words rolling off his tongue. I removed myself from him and tried to wipe off the tears that clung to his suit. I turned around and wanted to just bawl when I saw her coffin being prepared to be lowered.
"I can't watch her go down in the ground, King. It will kill me." I said staring at the cream colored coffin.
"Come on." He grabbed my hand and lead me off the grass, my heels sinking with each step till I was on the pavement. "Who brought you?"
"I walked. Calvin is in Oregon because of his Mom being in the hospital. He doesn't even know Mom died of a heart attack." I was in school when the doctor called me. I had just seen Mom only 20 minutes before, when she dropped me off at school and the next I'm told, she died of a heart attack. It came out of no where and she swerved off the road on her way to work.
"You walked all the way to the cemetery?" I nodded. "Wanna go back to my brother's house? He's just down the road and when my brother gets home, he'll take you home." I nodded again and continued to walk.
***
"You want anything to drink?" He asked after unlocking the door with a spare key he had on a key ring.
"I'll just have water, please." I said. "Where's the bathroom?" He pointed down a hall and I walked in that direction. This house was beautifully simple. I liked that shit.
I closed the door behind me and stripped off the dress. Thankfully I made the choice to wear yoga shorts and a wife beater underneath the dress. I tied my hair up in a high bun and folded my dress over my arm.
"Here's your water- I see you made yourself comfortable." He said biting his lip in a playful manor.
"Thank you, King." I set the dress on the edge of the couch and picked up the water. Taking a few gulps, it felt so nice to be out of the heat.
"You goin' to school tomorrow?" I shook my head. "The rest of the week?" I shook my head again. "So you're gonna be home all by yourself for this whole week?" I nodded. "I'll stay with you if you want? I don't wanna hear you did something stupid because of how sad you were."
"No, you need to be at school, I'll just deal with it myself-"
"I got a doctor's note that says I gotta say home with my best friend because she's in mourning." He said with a small smile.
"I can't deal with you."
"Yes you can, Tilly Beans." He chuckled.
"What did you call me?"
"Tilly Beans. Somethin' about you just makes me wanna call you Tilly Beans." He said scanning me with his dark eyes. "That's my nickname for you, whether you like it or not." He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me down on the couch with him.
"I don't understand how that name works." I said turning my head to look at him.
"I like Jelly Beans and you know that, well I like you as much as I like my Jelly Beans, your middle name is Tia so I took the "Ti-" and dropped the "Je-" that's how I got Tilly Beans." He said with a smile like as if he discovered gold.
"Like I said, I can't deal with you." I liked the fact he could keep my mind off things that made me sad. He always kept me happy. "King?"
"Hm?"
"You know you're my best friend right?" He nodded. "Don't ever leave me."
"You sounded needy." I looked at him and elbowed him. "Aye, I wasn't complainin'"
"Sounded like it." I mumbled.
"Uh huh, you know who told me who wanted to ask you out?" I rose a brow. "Rashaun." He said with a laugh.
"Why hasn't he?!" I protested, turning around to face him.
"I beat his ass and told him to stay away from you. He was gon' hurt you at some point and I can't have my Tilly Beans hurt." He said pinching my cheek. I swatted his hand away. "Don't be like that."
"You knew I thought he was fine." Yes. I tell King every last damn thing whether he wants to hear it or not.
"I know but I hang with him and he just wants to get between your legs." I wouldn't let him.
"Ew. I wouldn't."
"Ew? Why you say ew?" He asked with a laugh, falling back onto the rest of the couch.
"Sex seems gross. He'd see me naked and put his dick in me. That just sounds disturbing to me."
"You say that now. That's what my ex said for her first time and then after, she only wanted more." Cocky.
"Your ex was so thirsty to begin with." I growled. I never liked whatever the hell her name was.
"You were just mad salty about her." I had every right to be. "Was Tilly Beans jealous because her King was with some female?" He continued to tease.
"I'm gonna punch you."
"I'm so sure of that."
***
His brother dropped us off in our neighborhood and I really didn't want to go home.
"You good?" He asked as we stood in front of my house.
"I just don't wanna go inside."
"I'll go in with you and chill if you want?" He offered, pushing me inside the house.
"What about your Mom-"
"I do what I want anyways. But if you want someone here with you, I'm down to chill like we usually do." He shrugged, closing the door behind him.
"Fine, I'm going to take a shower, you can do whatever. You know where everything is." I said with a sigh as I walked down to the bathroom.
***
"Is it raining outside?" I asked as I looked out the window. "It was just blazing hot this afternoon." I was in my robe and my hair was still soaking wet.
"Yeah there's gonna be a thunder storm in a little while."
"Oh my God, why on Earth does it need to rain." I said annoyed. "I hate thunder, it scares me. I'm going to my room." I said, walking off to my room.
I crawled into my bed and pulled the blanket all the way up. I didn't care that my hair was now gonna soak my pillow because my tears were eventually going to that. I started to think of Mom again and I felt weak as a person. This was such a surreal feeling.
My sniffles started to fill the room till King's footsteps masked the sound. I felt my blanket pulled up and his body was right up against mine.
"Let it out Tilly Beans." I turned around so I was facing him and pulled into his chest.
"It's h-hard, without her." There was a boom of thunder and I nearly screamed.
"It's just thunder, it ain't gonna do anything and I know it's hard. You got me here with you at least." That is true but I want my Mom. I felt one of his fingers wipe under my eyes and then the back of his hand gently caress my cheek.
"I haven't even thought of what's going to happen with me-"
"Shh, worry about it when it's brought up to you. I'm sure Calvin is gon' look after you like he does already."
"I hate my life." I said as the tears started to come down again. I couldn't stop heaving and it seemed like my tears were endless.
"Don't say that. I promise you, things will start to get better." He whispered into my ear. "I'll make sure of it." He gently grazed my lips and a spark ignited. His lips were so soft and his hand was tangled in my hair, his other around my waist holding me close.
This was the first time King and I had done anything similar to this. We never crossed a line but now I think we need to set a new line.
The moment his slipped his tongue in my mouth, I knew we were breaking every best friend rule... I kinda liked it.
He pulled away and rested his forehead against mine and smiled.
"You realize what just-"
"Yeah I do. I'm cool with it as long as you are." He chuckled. I just gave a slight nod of my head and felt a soft butterfly kiss on my forehead.
My life changed dramatically after this night.