Games (7 page)

Shay didn’t know why she’d said that considering she really didn’t want to see him with anyone but her.

“Shay, answer me. Is that what you really want? Are
you
seeing someone?”

Shay held her breath in an attempt to keep from crying. “No, I’m not seeing anyone, but it might be a good idea if we did.”

Brian took a deep breath. “Shay, did you mean what you said to me at Emery Bay?”

Shay knew what he was talking about, but she stalled. “What did I say?”

“I should just drop it, but I need to know. Did you mean it when you said you loved me?”

Shay wanted to scream YES! What came out of her mouth was, “You know as well as I do that in the heat of the moment, one will say anything. You can’t hold a person responsible for words screamed out in a wave of passion.” She gave a manufactured laugh to camouflage her nerves.

Brian didn’t see the humor. “I’m glad you enjoyed the moment,” he said and slammed the phone down.

“That’s the end of that.” Shay stared into the receiver and cried. She started to call him back, but didn’t. “I
t’s better this way,” she told herself an hour later when she was still crying.

***

Brian left the house right after he hung up on Shay. He despised himself for thinking she loved him. Brian had given his heart to her and all she considered him to be was a good time. Brian wanted to tell her that he didn’t want her to say good-bye, not that day or any other day. Brian wanted to tell her how much he missed her and that he wanted to start a real relationship with her. He wanted to tell her that he meant it when he’d told her he loved her. Brian wanted to say so many things, but didn’t.

Shay’s words made him feel empty and used, something he never wanted her to feel. It was obvious to him that she’d moved on and now it was time for him to do the same. Brian made a decision: Tomorrow he would start living his life completely without LaShay Hampton. No sooner had the angry words left his mouth, he knew it was impossible to do. Yet he would try.

The Replacements

Shay sat in the café sipping hot chocolate and working frantically on her laptop. She’d been at it for over an hour and decided now was a good time to stretch and take a quick break. Looking out of the store’s front window she took in the
New England scenery. It was quite different from the sunny Bay Area. The beautiful trees that lined the streets of Harvard Square were now filled with brown and orange leaves. Most of the branches were bare as the leaves littered the pavement, creating a unique collage. In her opinion, the orange leaves were a good match for the ivy-covered, red-brick buildings.

Shay sipped her hot chocolate and wondered how she would handle her first Thanksgiving away from her family. Maybe she’d cook a traditional dinner or better yet order one of those prepackaged holiday meals from the supermarket.   She hadn’t told her mother yet, but she planned on skipping the holiday at the end of next month, using her heavy workload as an excuse. Of course the real reason she didn’t want to go home was Brian. She hadn’t spoken to him since he hung up on her two months ago. It was hard, but every day she fought to not think about him. She was successful less than half the time. No matter how much she studied and read, there was no replacing him in her heart.

Shay still wasn’t attending church which was really hard for her, because she grew up in the church. Even before her mother got saved, the two of them attended church regularly. Now, she didn’t feel worthy enough to walk into a church and sit on the back pew. When walking past a church she hung her head. The other night she tried to pray, but stopped after a couple of sentences. To her, the prayer sounded hollow and insincere. Shay had heard all of her life that God was a forgiving God, but how could He keep forgiving her after she piled sin on top of sin? First, it was committing fornication twice. Then she broke her promise to God to never to do it again, by having intercourse three more times at Emery Bay. She didn’t outright lie to Brian, but she led him to believe a lie. She lied numerous times to her mother and Reggie about why she had to leave California. That made her a fornicator and a liar and completely unworthy of God’s mercy.

She was sure her mother knew the real reason for her sudden decision to apply to Harvard had something to do with Brian.  Reggie knew too, he told her as much the night before Brian’s graduation. “Nothing has happened that can’t be worked out, Shay. You and Brian are young, you have time,” he’d told her. Reggie was probably right, but
Shay didn’t believe God would give her another chance. Shay wasn’t sure if she were God, she’d forgive own self.

Shay massaged her forehead after another sip of smooth chocolate then started typing again. Ten minutes later her flow was interrupted.

“Hi, LaShay, I have my half of the research completed,” Rhonda said and dropped a binder on the table. Rhonda was her classmate. They’d befriended one another the first week of class and were now working together on a project depicting the different learning styles in children.

“Great,” Shay said, but didn’t stop to look at the work.

“I also got us some help,” Rhonda added.

Shay released the keyboard and gave Rhonda her undivided attention. “That’s great. Who?”

“Jason. He should be here any minute.”

Shay frowned. She had no idea who Jason was, but if he was going to help her complete this project, she would welcome him with open arms.

Shay and Rhonda exchanged binders and laptops to study each other’s notes. They were still reviewing when Jason arrived.

“Sorry I’m late. I had to stop by the library,” he said while pulling a chair from an empty table next to them. 

“No problem, let’s see what you’ve found,” Rhonda said and held out her hand expectantly.

Shay looked up from Rhonda’s work long enough to greet the newest team member. “We haven’t met, my name is LaShay Hampton,” she politely said and extended her hand to him.

Shaking her hand and smiling Jason responded, “Hello, LaShay. I’m Jason Alexander and actually we have met on several occasions. I usually sit behind you in our morning class.”

Shay’s caramel cheeks burned with embarrassment. She really couldn’t recall having ever laid eyes on him before. She studied Jason’s appearance and understood why she’d overlooked him for nearly three months. He did not have the physical characteristics that would make her take notice. For starters, he was fair-complexioned. His five-foot-ten-inch height made him only three inches taller than her. He was slim all around. She guessed his waist was no bigger than size thirty-two. She surveyed his upper body. Not much to brag about there either. No, he was definitely not someone she would have given a second glance or would have left a lasting impression. The biggest turn off was his dreads. Shay preferred the tall dark-chocolate bulkier clean-cut type. Someone like Brian.

“Sorry, I’m so engrossed in class that the only person I notice on the regular is the professor.”

“She’s right,” Rhonda added, “I had to introduce myself three times before she remembered my name.”

“No problem, we can get to know each other now.”

Jason’s grin was too casual for Shay’s taste. “What we can do is work on this assignment. Let’s see what you’re bringing to the table.”

Jason must have picked up on Shay’s no-nonsense tone. His smile faded and he turned the focus of the conversation to schoolwork.

After an hour of working on the project, Shay packed up her laptop and prepared to leave.
As she zipped up her parka Jason asked, “What time are we meeting on Wednesday?”

“This time is perfect for me.” She turned to Rhonda.  “What about you?”

“I don’t get off work until six on Wednesdays, but I can come right after,” Rhonda answered.

“I don’t finish at the bookstore until five-thirty,” Jason stated. “Shay, do you have to work late on Wednesday nights?”

Once again Shay was reminded of how blessed she was to be at Harvard.  Thanks to her mother’s success as a real estate developer, she was able to attend one of the most prestigious schools in the country and not have to worry about tuition or living expenses. It was her family’s connections that got her into the program at the ninth hour. Both her uncle and aunt were Harvard alumni and the Simone Company contributed heavily to the school on an annual basis.

“No, Jason. I don’t work, so I’m flexible,” she finally answered.

“Let’s meet at six-thirty, that way we can get at least two hours in,” Rhonda suggested.

“Six-thirty it
is.” Shay picked up her laptop and braced herself for the cold air.

***

From the doorway Jason watched her walk down the sidewalk and get into the new small white SUV and drive off.  He had approached Rhonda about working with them as a way to get to know LaShay
, since he wasn’t having any luck with her in class. From day one, he’d noticed her, but she proved today that the attraction wasn’t mutual.

“Is she always so stiff?” he asked Rhonda when she made her exit.

“Yes. LaShay’s all about business.”

“I’ll have to do something about that
. No one should be that serious.”

Rhonda adjusted the shoulder strap on her book bag. “I wouldn’t focus on La
Shay Hampton if I were you. You have better odds at passing the program than you do with getting close to her.”

J
ason stuffed his free hand into his front jacket pocket. Maybe Rhonda was right. Pursing the beautiful LaShay could prove useless. There was only one way to find out.

Done with his study session, Brian looked at his watch. He still had two hours left before Bible Study. He was proud of himself. His spiritual life was back on track and he felt good about his life again. At the beginning of the semester, he’d ended his weekly counseling sessions with his father and no longer felt dirty and unforgiven for committing fornication.  In his heart, he knew he still loved Shay, but accepted that they would never be anything more than friends. However, he still kept a framed picture of her on his nightstand and every
day he fought the urge to call her.

Law school was challenging, but fun because it was what he always wanted to do.  He still shared the house with Todd, who was now in medical school at UCSF, but most of the time he was alone. On Sundays, he went to church. Whenever he had a light Saturday, he volunteered as a tutor at True Worship’s Community Center or he’d spend time with the Simone family.

Today’s agenda included hanging out with brothers, Marcus and Craig, and Justin. The Simone first cousins met him at Reggie and Julia’s house. They’d agreed to meet in Blackhawk in hopes of talking Julia into letting them borrow her new Jaguar.

“Come on, Auntie. Let us take her on the highway,” Justin pleaded.

“Why don’t you ask your father for his car?” Julia asked with her fist planted at her waist. Justin was Julia’s older brother, Stephan’s son. She then turned to her oldest brother Carey’s sons, Marcus and Craig. “And your father has a brand new Bentley in his garage.”

“Auntie, you know my dad won’t even let us look at that car without leaving a vital body organ for collateral,” Marcus answered.

“Mama J, I promise I’ll drive and I’ll be extra careful.” Brian flashed the smile he knew would work. “We’re only going to Dave and Buster’s. I promise we’ll come straight back after we’re done.”

Reggie handed Brian the keys. It was common knowledge Julia could not say no to Brian, especially when he smiled displaying that deep left dimple. Reggie had used that same smile on her in the past and it worked every time.

“Don’t think you’re getting over on me,” Julia said sternly and narrowed her eyes at Brian. “If I find one scratch on my car, I’m going to beat all four of your behinds.”

Brian and her nephews kissed Julia on the cheek and made a dash for the door.

Later inside Dave and Buster’s the young men were enjoying a friendly game of pool, when a young lady approached Brian. He had just called his shot in the corner pocket when the woman leaned over the table and in a sultry voice asked, “Mind if I join you?”

The Simones laughed as Brian lost his concentration. The low
-cut top the young lady wore gave him more than an eyeful.

Brian cleared his throat and regrouped. “Excuse me
, Miss, but we are in the middle of a game. When we’re finished, you can find someone who wants to look at your breasts then you can play with them.”

“Ouch!” Marcus and Justin shrieked.

“Man, that was nasty!” Craig added.

The young lady’s smile disappeared and she slowly retreated back. They resumed play. Brian didn’t give her a second look the whole time he was playing; he actually forgot she was there. As soon as his game ended, she approached him again. This time she adjusted her top so her breast
s were covered.

“Hello, my name is
Shannon. I’m sorry if I offended you earlier.”

“Hello,
Shannon, my name is Brian. I accept your apology.” Brian turned away to talk to the boys, but Shannon wasn’t finished.