EGO

LESSON

It was Devin’s last year at Langston University and the start of his new training program with Dr. Howard. He spent last summer getting acquainted with his colleagues and the basics in scientific mathematics. He excelled faster than the professors expected so he was advanced to hands-on training with Dr. Howard himself.

Devin soaked up all the information he could last summer. Eventhough government science operations didn’t want to interfere with Devin’s college studies, they wanted to get him started right away with more training. Through everything, he still had to keep this information from his parents.

This government training was highly classified and the brains behind other duties such as the Marines, Army, Navy, etc and Devin took it very seriously. He made sure everything was done by the books and delivered whatever was requested of him. Devin was also happy that he could still live a regular life outside of this major responsibility.

The months seemed to pass by quickly with his schedule being filled to the brim with school work, internship at an accounting firm and government training. Devin’s life was busy but in a good way and he always found time for himself….Ollie made sure of it.

Sabrina, a new friend of Devins, walked with him on the way to his next class. They’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks.

She was tall and thin with light skin, long curly hair and green eyes. Devin was approached by her after their calculus class and was asked on a date. She even tried to pay for their dinner but he declined and took the check. Sabrina asked why she couldn’t pay since she was the one who asked him on the date, he said, “I wouldn’t be a gentleman if I allow you to pay. If that bothers you, we can keep our interactions solely during class.” 

From that day on she wanted to be around him. His manners, etiquette and the way he carried himself was something new for her independent personality.

They walked down the empty hall. “I’ve been having paper after paper due this week. I feel like my professors are intentionally trying to drive me crazy.” Sabrina chuckled.

“You seem to be holding up pretty well to me.” Devin smiled. Sabrina stopped in front of him and leaned in for a kiss and he obliged.

“Mmm, that was nice...Thank you,” Devin spoke and enjoyed the taste from her lips.

Sabrina smiled. “No...Thank you for letting me vent all the time. It really means a lot to me.”

“You don’t vent all the time and it’s my pleasure. I’m sure you would do the same for me.”

“Yup, and I do let you vent other ways...don’t I?” She bit her bottom lip.

“I don’t know….can I vent to you later?” he asked. Sabrina answered with a tongue in mouth kiss, giving him approval.

They pulled apart. “I guess that’s a yes.” They both laughed.

A voice yelled from down the hall. “Seriously?!”

Sabrina and Devin turned toward the voice….Chantel came into view. Devin prepared himself for her tantrum. She would disappear for days, sometimes weeks and suddenly pop up without warning. From his perspective, her delusion seems to grow more and more every time she returns.

“What’s the problem, Chantel?” He asked calmly.

She kept her eyes on Sabrina. “Who the fuck is this?”

“I’m Sabrina, Devin’s friend.” Sabrina put her hand out for a shake but was not received.

“So you go around kissing your friends?” She moved her focus to Devin.

“Why does it matter to you?”

“All this time we’ve known each other….” Before Chantel could finish, Devin interrupted.

“You are not my friend nor my lady. I’d appreciate it, if you would stop acting like you are.”

Sabrina held back her grin. “Babe, I will see you later.”

As soon as Sabrina walked out of view, Chantel slapped Devin across the face.

He grabbed her by her throat and slammed her back to the wall. Devin was absent from his mind as Chantel's feet lifted off the ground and a color black as the abyss completely took over the white and hazel of his eyes. When his consciousness came back into focus, he saw tears run down her face as she struggled to breathe and tried to release herself from his grip. Her struggle grew weaker and once he let her go she dropped to the floor.

“Don’t ever do that again,” he calmly said as he stood over her and his hazel eyes came back into view. She had panic in her eyes and continued to breathe heavily.  He then walked away to his next class while Chantel shook from what she saw in Devin’s eyes.

Later that evening, Devin walked towards the west wing dorms. Sabrina sat in her room talking to her friends.

“So are you guys getting serious?” One of the friends asked.

“I hope so, he is so amazing. Last week after dinner we went to the Le Pearle bridge...it was late at night. The stars were twinkling around the moon. We made love under the bridge….it was beautiful.”

The girls gushed with awes and squeals of approval. “I heard he’s got money too. Is his family rich or something?” Another friend asked.

“Yes girl….very rich. But that’s not why I fell in love with him.” Sabrina answered.

“Oh, we know exactly why you fell in love.” They all began to laugh.

Devin stood to the side of the door and grinned at their conversation then made his way back towards his car. It was too bad because he really did like her but his rules were his rules.

***

That next week was crazy for him and other students  because of midterms. Once Friday hit, he was finally able to relax. He received constant text messages from Sabrina pleading her case for reconciliation. Devin was always honest and told her he was no longer interested. It may sound harsh but his father always told him it’s better to be honest than have people assume your intentions. He ignored her text messages, deleting them and continued to walk toward the back exit of the building.

It was mid day, sunny and warm outside with not the usual swarm of students on campus. Many professors went light on the students on Fridays as a reward for the hectic days prior...it was a great treat to keep the students motivated for the next week ahead.

Devin made his way to the outside sitting area to relax and listen to Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune. He sent Sophia a text, checking up on her and she immediately texted him back. Devin smiled at her emoji usage for her excitement of passing another exam. He missed being around her and inside of her. It’s been almost a year and although he only made love to her one time, it was unforgettable for Devin.

Unfortunately, he found out that Sophia’s parents secretly installed cameras in their home before going on vacation. She was confronted and Devin was banned from seeing her. They threatened to press charges against him if he was around their daughter again. Why so dramatic over an eighteen year old? Well, at the time, she was actually sixteen and a few months shy of her seventeenth birthday. Her academic achievements allowed her to skip a grade.

Sophia admitted that she lied to him so her parents backed off.  Devin’s parents threatening to counter sue for false accusations and age fabrication also added to her parents decision.

Devin sometimes wondered if she gave her body to Kendrick or anyone else since then but didn’t want to intrude by asking her. He knew it was none of his business and unfair to put rules on her body that he knew he wouldn’t put on his own.

As he continued texting her, he saw two pairs of feet standing in front of him. His hazel eyes looked up at the two men, he knew neither of them so at that moment he realized they would be trouble. From his peripheral, he saw Chantel standing with her arms crossed. He lowered the music in his air pod and stood.

“I don’t want any trouble.” Devin had his hands raised to his chest.