Side Chic 3 (The Ratchetness Continues) (9 page)

Lala

I sat on the other end of the sofa typing the last chapter of Confessions of a Side Chic 2 and trying to ignore Tre as he made plans to get together with his new little friend later on that evening. He’d been talking to this chic named Mina everyday on the phone for the past two weeks. I didn’t know her that well but I knew of her. I knew that she owned the hair salon in town and had a baby with this crazy nigga named Mello. I’d heard that Mello had flipped out and whooped her ass a few weeks before. I’d also heard that he’d violated his probation because he wasn’t supposed to get into any more trouble. That meant that he would be gone for a minute and it also explained why she was all up on Tre now. I rolled my eyes at the thought.
Damn shame her babydaddy ain’t been locked up a month yet and she already trying to lay her funky ass up with my babydaddy! Triflin’ bitch!
Something about her must’ve been very interesting because Tre seemed unable to get enough of her ass. Every time that I turned around he was on the phone with her or leaving to go see her. I knew that I shouldn’t be concerned with who he talked to on the phone or who he spent his time with because he and I weren’t anything more than friends but the reason why I was is because after being under the same roof with him for a while my feelings had started to change for him. I was starting to want more than a friendship again. Maybe my feelings weren’t changing maybe they’d been there all along and I’d just been trying to ignore them. I think him almost dying had a lot to do with it as well. Whatever the case, I didn’t like the thought of the next bitch being all booed up with my babydaddy!

I’d come to the conclusion
that it was time for me to take my red ass back to Danville. There was no way I was about to sit around and watch while Tre moved on with this chic right in my face! He was doing fine now and he’d even gone back to work so there was no need in me sticking around. I needed to leave before I said or did the wrong thing and landed myself in a bad position. Things were good between us now and I didn’t want to complicate them or make things awkward between us if he wasn’t feeling me in the same way that I was feeling him. His actions hadn’t indicated in any way that he was. He was still on some strictly friendship type stuff with me. We would chill and watch TV together and talk for hours but he hadn’t tried to make any moves on me at all. He still slept in the living room on the sofa every night and I slept in the bedroom with the girls. I knew Tre, if he’d been the least bit interested in getting with me in any kind of way. He would’ve been made a move but he hadn’t so that told me a lot.

“Yeah, I’m going to go and see my little men and maybe take them out for some ice cream or something and then after that I will be through to kick it with you. I was thinking that I could stop by the Red Box and pick up a couple of movies for us to watch.”
Tre spoke into the phone. He was quiet for a few seconds and then he replied. “Okay that will work. Is there anything specific that you would like to see?” I looked over at him and rolled my eyes. He was looking in the other direction so he didn’t notice. “Alright then, I’ll see you around 6:30 or 7:00.” He ended the call and turned his attention to me. “What are you down there doing? Besides keeping a bunch of noise, clicking those keys, while I am trying to talk on the phone.”

“If the noise that I am making was bothering you then you should’ve taken your conversation elsewhere!” I snapped
and then instantly regretted how it had come out. I really hadn’t meant to say it with so much force but I was feeling some type of way about him sitting right in my face talking to ol’ girl! I mean damn had he even taken time out to think of how that shit might make me feel?

“Damn…my bad!” He laughed holding up his hands in surrender. “I didn’t mean any harm! I was just playing with you. I see somebody is in a bad mood today.”

I saved my document and then closed my laptop. “Nah, I apologize. I didn’t mean for it to come out that way. I’m just a little bit on edge trying to wrap up this book…that’s all.” I half lied. I was ready to get my book done and I felt a little pressure wondering if everyone was going to like it as much as they had the first part but I was mostly frustrated because of my feelings for Tre. My phone vibrated, I leaned over and picked it up off of the coffee table. Reggie’s name was flashing on the screen. I didn’t feel like talking to him at the moment so I pressed ignore. He and I still talked almost every day. We’d become really close friends but he wanted more. He’d expressed to me that he really liked me and wanted the chance to get to know me better but I’d told him that I had too much going on in my life at the present time to try and start a relationship with anyone. He’d told me that he understood but he still brought it up each time that we talked. Every time that he brought it up, I’d change the subject.

“Well why don
’t you just take a break from writing and relax for a little while and then go back to it.” Tre suggested. “I mean, it’s not like you have a set deadline that you have to meet or anything.”

“Yeah…I guess you’re right.
” He was sitting on the other end of the sofa with no shirt on. I felt like he was torturing me. My eyes roamed over his bare chest and I felt my juices start to flow. Damn, I had to get out of that house from around him and quickly! My eyes moved up to those full lips of his that I missed kissing so much. I saw his mouth moving but I had no idea what he was saying. At the moment flashes of the last time that he and I had made love were playing in my head.

“Lala…Lala…di
d you hear what I just said?” He called to me tearing me away from the images in my head.

“H-huh?” I stuttered blinking trying to blink away the images of his
naked body that were in my head. “What did you say?”

             
“I asked what your plans were for today.”

             
“I’ll probably swing by and see my parents.” I decided that now would be a good time to tell him that I was planning to leave. “The girls and I are leaving this Friday coming up.”

             
I couldn’t quite read his expression. I knew that it wasn’t excitement so that was a good thing. He was quiet for a few seconds and then he replied. “Damn, I’m going to miss having my babies here with me but I understand that you have to go back home. I knew that this was only a temporary thing but it still doesn’t make it any easier.”

             
I know it may sound stupid but I was a little hurt by the fact that he didn’t say he was going to miss me too. That further confirmed that it was time for me to go. “It’s not like they aren’t coming back. We’ll be back down here for a visit before you know it.”

             
“Yeah but that won’t be the same as me waking up with them here every day like they are now.”

             
“I feel you.”

             
He got up from the sofa and walked down the hall in the direction of the bedroom. I watched until he went into the bedroom then I got up and placed my laptop on the sofa and picked up my phone from the coffee table. I needed some fresh air so I went outside onto the front porch. I took a seat on the porch swing, lying my phone down beside me and looked out across the yard. My feelings for Tre were beginning to drive me crazy because I was still thinking about the fact that he hadn’t said anything about missing me. I almost felt like crying. I picked my phone back up and dialed Nisey’s number. It rang a few times before she picked up.

             
“Hello.” She answered in a groggy voice.

             
“Hey girl, did I wake you?” I asked hoping that I hadn’t. I didn’t want to be waking her or anybody else just to talk about my drama. Just because it was important to me I knew that didn’t mean that it was important to everyone else.

             
“Yeah, you did but it’s alright. I needed to get my tail up anyways because Evan will be waking up from his nap soon. I need to put my dinner on the stove before he wakes up. That child is so spoiled that I can’t put him down long enough to get anything done.” She replied and then I heard her cough. “What’s up?”

             
“Nothing…” I let out a sigh and looked out across the yard again. I started to get emotional and tears filled my eyes.

             
“Are you sure? You sound a little funny?” I could hear the concern in her voice. “Don’t be lying to me, Lala. Now tell me what’s going on? Is it that heffa Kisha again? Girl, you need to stop playing with her and beat the brakes off her ass!”

             
“Nah…” My voice cracked. “It has nothing to do with her. It’s…” I paused because I was kind of ashamed to admit that I’d sit there and fallen for Tre all over again. I didn’t want her judging me and thinking that I was stupid for how I was feeling.

             
“It’s what?” She sounded as if she was becoming agitated. “What’s wrong? Did Tre do something to you? Girl, you need to start talking because if that mother…”

             
“No…no…Nisey, calm down. It’s nothing like that.” I tried to calm her down. It was funny how we hadn’t known each other that long but she had my back like we’d been friends forever. It made me feel good to know that she had my back.

             
“Are you sure?”

             
“Yes, I’m sure.” At that moment Tre walked outside onto the porch carrying Lola. She was smiling like she was in the arms of the president. The girls had become just as attached to Tre as he had become to them. He handed Lola to me. “Hold on a second Nisey.” I sat the phone down on the swing and took the baby from Tre.

             
“Laila is still sleep.” He told me. “I’m about to go. I’ll be back later on. If you need me for anything just hit me up.”

             
“Okay.”

He leaned over and kissed Lola on her cheek. “Bye-bye Fat Mama.” He told her. She just smiled up at him. He left and I picked the phone back up.

“Hello.”

“Yeah, I’m still here. Now tell me what’s going on.” Nisey responded.

I took a deep breath. “I think I’ve fallen in love with Tre all over again.” I blurted. “I know that you are probably going to call me stupid and I know I must seem like the dumbest person in the world but I honestly didn’t mean for this to happen. I think it’s because I’ve been here under the same roof with him for so long. Seeing him day in and day out, us laughing and talking like old times and the man that he has begun to grown into right before my eyes, have all had an effect on me.” I explained myself all in one breath.

“Are you finished?” She asked.

“Yeah.” I waited for my friend to respond. I knew that she was going to keep it one hundred with me.

“No, I don’t think that you are stupid. I knew that this was going to happen because of how you were about him when we first met. To be honest, I don’t think that you were ever really over him. You were upset with him because of how he was treating you
and the girls before and then you tried to do the friendship thing because you felt like it was the right thing to do but deep down inside those feelings were always there. Plus, I think almost losing him may have a lot to do with it as well.”

“Yeah, it did.”

“So what do you plan to do about how you’re feeling? Are you going to tell him and see if he may be feeling the same way? I’m sure by having you there some things have probably changed for him as well. Especially, since you didn’t leave his side while he was in the hospital and you stayed even after he came home, waiting on him hand and foot until he was back on his feet completely.”

That may have been true but it obviously hadn’t been that big of a deal because he’d gotten better and ran right into the arms of Mina! “Hmph…there isn’t any need in me wasting my time telling him anything. He has started kickin’ it with this chic named Mina that owns a hair salon here in town. As a matter of fact, he’s going over to her crib to watch movies tonight.”

“Oh really?” I heard the surprise in her voice. “Well how serious is he with this chic Mina? I mean, is he claiming her as his woman? Are they sleeping together? Has she been by the crib? Has he introduced the two of you? Has she been around the kids?” She rattled off question after question.

“Nah, he hasn’t introduced us and I don’t think it’s that serious between the two of them…yet. They’ve only been talking for a couple of weeks but he has been acting as if he isn’t used to her ass!” I felt myself getting heated at the thought of the two of them being together.

“In that case, you shouldn’t be worried about ol girl. Tell him how you feel. If you don’t tell him then you will be sitting back looking stupid wondering ‘what-if’.”

She was right. It wasn’t like Mina was his girlfriend
or anything. “You know what Nisey, you’re right. At least if I tell him then I won’t be sitting back with any regrets wishing that I had opened my mouth. Whatever happens after I tell him is on him. At least I can say that I tried.”

“That’s right.” Nisey laughed. “So when are you going to tell him?”

“I don’t know, I will probably wait until Friday to tell him. That way if he tells me that he isn’t feeling me like that. I can just get in my car and take my red ass on home and it won’t appear that I am only leaving because he didn’t want me since I was already leaving anyways.” I explained.