Time to Shine (21 page)

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Authors: Nikki Carter

BOOK: Time to Shine
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24
S
ince Gia is having company at our dorm (Kevin, Ricky, and Hope), I decide to go to the campus library to get my reading assignment in for my anthropology class. I don't mind her visitors, but Gia is some kind of super-smart mutant who can finish her assignments in minutes when it takes me hours or days to do the same tasks. I need a little bit more quiet time than she does.
When we move into the house next weekend, I'll have all of the space and quiet I need. I hired an interior designer to come in and decorate everyone's room to their specifications. My friends look at it as a gift, and I look at it as protecting my investment. I want every area of the house to look like a model home, which is also the reason I hired a full housekeeping staff.
As I walk across campus, I see Meagan and her Gamma Phi Gamma crew. They're laughing, joking, and all wearing some shade of turquoise except Meagan. She's sporting all royal blue. I guess blue is close enough to the sorority colors without disrespecting their tradition.
I try to rush past without Meagan seeing me, and I'm almost successful, but someone shouts, “I love you, Sunday!” and she jerks her head around. Then, this chick starts waving and walking in my direction as if everything is all cool with us.
I pretend not to see her and speed up, but she is determined and unhindered by a backpack full of books so she catches up.
Out of breath she says, “Sunday! Didn't you see me waving at you?”
“Oh. Hey, Meagan.” I hope my lackluster greeting is enough to run her off.
It isn't. She says, “I haven't seen or talked to you in a minute. Heard you guys are moving off campus.”
“We are. Next weekend.”
“I thought I was supposed to be a part of the off-campus crew, but I guess that's changed, huh?”
Does she even have to ask?
“You'll be moving into the Gamma Phi Gamma house soon enough, right?”
“Yes. Next year.”
“So . . . you shouldn't care about us then. You'll have your sorors.”
“But I consider you and Gia my sisters too.”
I bite my lip, pause and shift my backpack to one arm before responding. “Piper is our friend, Meagan, and you are dead wrong for staying with that guy. How can you still date him anyway after you found out about him and Piper?”
“Because boys play games all the time. That's what they do. College is like an all-you-can-eat buffet for boys. But at some time they'll pick the right girl—the one who was down for them during all of their player days.”
“There are too many diseases out here for me to fool with a player,” I say. “I don't roll like that.”
Meagan chuckles. “You're not giving it up anyway, Sunday, so that shouldn't be a problem.”
“Well, if I was, I'd want to know that I wasn't exposing myself. I've got a long and hopefully disease-free life ahead of me.”
“Linden will get his act together, and by senior year I'll have an engagement ring. He's here to find a wife, just like I'm here to find a husband.”
“At least you know what's important to you. Bye, Meagan. See you around campus.”
“So that's it?”
I nod. “Yeah. I'm cool on the whole sorority thing, so . . . you know.”
Meagan backs away from me. The expression on her face is stunned, but she doesn't try to convince me anymore. She abruptly turns her back on me and goes back to the Gamma Phi Gamma girls.
I continue on to the library, where my study partner, DeShawn, is waiting in front. Did I forget to mention that DeShawn was my study partner? Maybe because this is more of a study date, and I don't know how I feel about this yet. The date part—not the studying, because I need to do as much of that as possible.
“Hey, DeShawn,” I say.
“Hey, slow poke. What took you so long to get here?”
“Ran into Meagan on the way over here.”
He frowns. “You mean Benedict Arnold. Why did she hold you up? I can't even believe you were talking to her.”
“I don't hate her or anything like that. I mean, she didn't do anything to me, but I don't like how she played my girl.”
“Right. She kind of put a dent in the crew.”
“She did.”
“Good riddance,” DeShawn says. “Let's get our date popping. I brought you a present.”
I smile up at him (because he's tall, and I have to look up to enjoy his face). “You shouldn't have.”
He pulls a candy bar out of his jacket pocket. “This is for you to eat during our study session, because you turn crazy when you're hungry, and there will not be any middle-of-session Busy Bee Café runs. We'll never get any studying done that way.”
I take the Three Musketeers (my favorite) candy bar from him and slide it in my purse. The thought of the chocolate and fluffy marshmallow center make my stomach growl, but I'm just going to try to hold off until we've been here for an hour. Then, after I eat my candy, I'll convince him to take me for real food.
“Did you bring me something?” he asks.
“Uh no! No one said that there would be a gift exchange.”
DeShawn shakes his head. “I'm going to need you to step your gift game up, Sunday. I've hand delivered food to your dorm, commandeered a limo to take you to a restaurant in the middle of the night, and anticipated your study hunger and brought you a snack.”
“Dang. I suck, don't I?”
“Yes, you do, Sunday. Handle your business.”
I burst into laughter. DeShawn is a straight-up fool. “But for real though, why do all of your gifts have something to do with food?” I ask.
“Because your two weaknesses are food and money, and I'm broke so . . .”
“My mother says to never say you're broke, but that you're between blessings.”
DeShawn gives me a big smile. “I don't think I'm between blessings. I'm here with you, so I'm pretty much right in the middle of a blessing.”
I feel myself blush, and I look at the ground. “Come on, boy. Let's get this studying done.”
DeShawn places his hand on the small of my back and nudges me up the library steps. I feel a jolt as his hand connects with my body. It's a good jolt, one that doesn't make me pull away.
I think DeShawn missed one of my weaknesses. Food and money definitely can have me twisted, but I'm pretty sure my third weakness is really cute guys who know exactly the right thing to say.
25
“C
ome on, DeShawn! Can you finish hanging that? It's crooked, and the housewarming party starts in three hours!”
I've been fussing at the boys all morning to put up all of my decorations and paintings. The movers got us into the house on Thursday, and we spent all day Friday unpacking our few belongings. Today is Saturday and it's party day!
DeShawn glares at me from atop his ladder. “Look here, woman. You should've planned this party for next week, so we could've gotten settled in.”
“No can do! I want to hurry up and show everyone the house. I'm excited!”
Kevin walks up and stands next to me. “That's a little crooked, DeShawn.”
“See!” I say. “I told you, DeShawn. Thank you, Kevin, for confirming what I already said.”
“Who's side are you on, Kevin? Bros before . . .”
“You betta watch your mouth!” I say before DeShawn gets to finish his sentence and say something he regrets.
DeShawn adjusts the picture of a palm tree until it's perfect. I love the whole Caribbean motif we've got going here with the decorations. I have a big blue couch in the center of the living room. That reminds me of water. There are tan couch pillows that remind me of seashells. The ceramic tile floors are the color of pearls at the bottom of the ocean. Bamboo and cherrywood accessories fill the house and a giant cherrywood pub table sits in the dining room.
Gia has the entire house smelling like coconuts and Piper has lit sage candles all over to “cleanse” the atmosphere—whatever that means. It's pretty perfect, and exactly the way I envisioned it when I first set foot in the house.
“Can I get down now?” DeShawn asks.
I nod. “Yes, and please put the ladder away.”
Gia walks into the room. “The cleaning lady is done upstairs. I gave her a tip and told her she could leave.”
“Okay. What about the caterer? Did she get here yet?”
“Yes. She's in the kitchen setting up. Do you need to talk to her?” Gia asks.
“No. I just want everything to be perfect. Mystique is gonna be here, and a lot of Atlanta celebrities.”
“Let's not forget about our friends from school,” Kevin says. “They're going to be here too.”
“Yeah, but they're not that important,” DeShawn says. “I hope Keisha Knight Pulliam and LeToya Luckett come. We can ask them out on a double date, Kev.”
Kevin shakes his head. “I do not deal with older women. Plus, they have money and we don't.”
“They can be our sugar mamas.”
I know DeShawn is teasing me with this talk. He asked me yesterday could we start dating officially and I told him that I wasn't ready yet. He was a little bummed until I told him we could keep dating unofficially.
Piper laughs as she walks into the living room. “Nobody wants to be your sugar mama, DeShawn. You need to get some gainful employment so that you can get a woman more than a Happy Meal.”
“I am gainfully employed as Sunday's bodyguard and as a model. Don't get it twisted. I gets mine. I've got an underwear ad to shoot on Sunday evening.”
“An underwear shoot?” I ask. “Where are the pictures going to be?”
“A few magazines and some billboards in the Atlanta area.”
Gia wrinkles her nose into a frown. “So your behind is going to be plastered all over some billboards?”
“No. My front is going to be all over the billboards, including my six-pack abs.”
Hope calls down from over the staircase. “I don't believe you have six-pack abs. Let me see.”
“Hey! That was a violation, Hope! Don't forget the purity rules!” Kevin says.
Hope rolls her eyes. “Dang, Kevin! I won't forget.”
“I'm going to get changed for the party,” I say. “Gia, you want to help me pick out something to wear?”
Gia asks, “Do you want me to pick it out or help? Helping just requires me to stretch out on your bed, nod, and wave at you when the outfit is right.”
“You're definitely helping. I know how to pick out my own clothes.”
“Sure you do. . . .” Gia says.
The front doorbell rings. The bell is a series of chimes that sound regal yet spooky at the same time. They remind me of something from
The Twilight Zone
.
“Should I open it?” DeShawn asks.
“Sure, but I'm not expecting anyone. Are y'all?”
When no one speaks up, I nod at DeShawn to open the door. He swings the big double door open, and there is a girl our age standing outside.
“Can I help you?” I ask as DeShawn stands next to the door, probably waiting for my signal to slam the door.
“I'm here for you, Sunday. Can I talk to you for a second? My name is Rielle.”
Rielle?
Rielle?
First question—why would Sam's side piece show up at my house? Second, who gave her the address? I think I pretty much know the answer to the second question. Sam is the only one who could've told her where I live.
Only because I'm curious about her motives, I say, “Yes, you can talk to me, but we'll do it outside.”
“You need me to go with you?” Gia asks.
“Nah, I got this.”
“I'll be watching from the window,” DeShawn says.
I step outside and pull the door shut. I don't know why I'm so adamant about not having her in my house. It seems like something of an insult to have the trick that destroyed my relationship in my space.
“How can I help you?” I ask.
“Sam asked me to come by.”
Instantly, I'm furious. What is he trying to do? Rub in the fact that he still has contact with this chick? I ban him from my house and he sends his girl in his place?
“Why would he do that?” I ask. “I don't have anything to say to either one of you.”
“I just wanted to tell you that Sam and I . . .”
See, she's already starting off on the wrong foot. She's trying to have a conversation with me talking 'bout
Sam and I
. All bad. She needs to step.
“I don't want to hear about you and Sam. It's bad enough the lies that he told me.”
“Can you please just let me finish? Sam and I were never a couple. I can't say that I didn't want us to be, but I've known him my whole life. We grew up together in church.”
“Well, you can have him. Y'all can have a bunch of little kids that sing in the children's choir. Leave me out of it.”
Rielle snickers. “Trust me, I'd want nothing more than to have that.”
“I know, sweetie.” I turn to go inside.
“Wait!” She grabs my arm. “I said that I'd want it, but I'm one hundred percent sure that Sam wouldn't. All he cares about is you.”
“Well, he wasn't thinking about me that night at prom, or when he was buying you a computer.”
“My prom night was the worst night of my life. He didn't smile for any of the pictures and we hooked up, but it was a horrible experience. He apologized after.”
I stare at her blinking and wondering how I'm supposed to respond. I don't know that this changes anything, but apparently, she and Sam both think that it should.
She continues, “He bought that computer out of pure guilt, and the fact that my mother and his mother are friends. I wasn't even involved in the transaction. As a matter of fact, I've only seen Sam a couple of times in passing since prom night.”
“That's not what your girl said when she walked up to me at the club tripping out.”
Rielle sighs. “Yeah, she hates Sam. All of my friends do. She was just trying to hurt him, and she did a good job of it, because y'all aren't together anymore, right?”
“And you're here now. Why do you care what happens with us?”
She shrugs. “I don't, really, but Sam has always been a good friend even if he doesn't want to be with me right now. He thinks he wants you, and he sounded so sad on the phone. So, I'm doing this for my friend . . . not for your relationship.”
“Well, uh . . . thanks, I guess.” I have no idea what else to say to this girl.
She turns and walks away, looking about as sad and brokenhearted as I felt when I found out Sam was playing me. She must really care about Sam. That must be a horrible thing to care for someone who doesn't feel the same way.
Now I'm straight-up tripping, though! I wish she and Sam had left well enough alone. Why would Sam want to drop all of this on me now, right when I decided to move on and give DeShawn a chance? Well, I guess the answer to that is kind of obvious. He wants me back.
I remember telling DeShawn that Sam was a one-punch kind of guy—and not much of a fighter. I was wrong. He's scrapping hard for me like a street fighter in a cage match. And those kinds of fights are never, ever fair.
Sam sending Rielle over here was a hit below the belt, and almost enough to bring my new romance to its knees.
DeShawn pokes his head out of the door. “You all right?”
“Yeah, I'm good.”
DeShawn steps outside and puts his arm around me. “You don't sound like you're good. Did she say something to hurt you?”
I clear my throat. “No, she didn't hurt me at all.”
I'm not hurt, but I'm confused as what. I've shut Sam out based on something that isn't true. What's worse is that I've started something new, and now, more than anything I want to talk to Sam again, but I don't want to hurt DeShawn—especially since he's living in my house.
“Well, you know I've got your back, right? You don't have to keep letting those jealous birds have any face time.”
“I don't?”
“Nope, you should only fool with people that hold it down for you.”
“And that would be you?”
He laughs. “I'm one of them. But you've got a house full of people in there that care about you and have your back.”
I smile and let DeShawn lead me back into the house. It's almost time for the party, but now I'm not in a party mood.
Gia sees my facial expression and pounces. “Sunday, I forgot I need to tell you something, girl.”
She snatches me away from DeShawn and into my bedroom. She closes the door as I sit down on the edge of my bed. I look down at my hands and they're shaking.
“So, what did she want?” Gia asks.
“She wanted to tell me that her friend was lying and that she and Sam are not together.”
Gia sits down next to me. “So what are you going to do about it? Are you gonna call Sam, or let it go?”
“What do you think I should do?”
“Is Rielle the only thing keeping you from being with Sam?”
I think about all the things that have happened over the last six months with me and Sam, and truthfully Rielle is only one of many reasons why we can't make things work between us. She was the biggest reason, but definitely not the only.
“No. There's other things too.”
“Well, then I say let it ride. If you and Sam are meant to be together it'll happen. That's what I keep telling myself about me and Ricky.”
“You're right. I can't worry about it, plus Sam is all the way in New York City, so that's not even gonna work.”
“Not with DeShawn pushing up on you in close proximity every day.”
“He's not pushing up . . . okay, yes, he is. He really wants to be officially dating, but I'm not ready to go there yet.”
“Do it when you're ready. Or don't. We're free-thinking women, remember?”
I laugh out loud when I think back to that speech we got on our first day of being official Spelmanites. We're supposed to change our environment, our situation, and the world by being free-thinking women.
I suppose that leaves me free to think about any boy I choose. And today, I choose DeShawn. Who knows about next week, or the week after, or the week after that! Maybe it'll be Sam again, maybe DeShawn, or it could be someone totally different.
The beautiful thing is that I don't have to decide the rest of my life right now. I can just sit back, relax, and get my shine on. It makes me think of the song I wrote for Dreya!
I'm a star, baby
Nobody checks up on me!

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