Back To You

Miserable

Malakai Davis

I continuously stabbed the leftover cantaloupes in my bowl. Cantaloupes were by far the most disgusting fruit I had ever encountered. I looked up when I heard my mother come into the kitchen. "How was your first day back at school, Mal?"

"It was fine." I shrugged, noncommittally. School was the same way it was before the break and my four-day suspension. A few people had questions about my disappearance but the majority of the population already knew what had happened. Apparently Wynn had gone around telling people that I viciously attacked her.

"Was anyone giving you a hard time?" My mother questioned.

I shook my head. I doubt Wynn would even think twice about pissing me off again. "After I slammed her head into a locker she won't be looking at me for a while."

My mother shook her head with an amused smile on her face. "I can't believe you beat that girl that bad over a boy."

I rolled my eyes. Of course, Wynn told the school that I fought her over Jason and they weren't really trying to hear my side of things. I wasn't sure I even cared, I mean I wouldn't have been able to explain that Wynn was teasing me for being a stripper. "I didn't fight over a boy."

By the expression on her face, I could tell that she didn't believe me. However, she didn't get to speak, because Christian came into the kitchen. "Good because you don't need to be focusing on boys. You need to focus on school."

"The principal told me that you and that girl got into a fistfight over her boyfriend. Are you calling that woman a liar?"

"No, Mama. That's what Wynn told her it was about." I mumbled. "But it wasn't about him. Wynn was in my face yelling at me and that's why I fought her."

"Why was she yelling at you?" My mother asked.

I should've known she would press for more details and I would be unable to tell her the truth about everything. All I needed to really keep from her was the fact that I was a stripper. "Friendship and relationship drama."

"Care to elaborate?" Christian questioned.

I shook my head. I didn't care to tell him jack shit. "No, I really don't."

My mother kissed her teeth. "Malakai Marie Davis, don't talk to him like that."

I resisted the urge to flip Christian off for getting me in trouble. "Remember Jason?"

"That boy you used to run around with?" Christian asked.

I nodded. "We used to date."

My mother sighed and shook her head. "I knew you had a boyfriend. Christian said-"

I cut her off before she started talking about how Christian was right. He wasn't right at all. The hickeys he spotted were from Laura, but making that clarification wasn't going to help the situation. "We haven't been together for a long time."

"Then why'd you fight?" Christian asked.

I started to poke at my cantaloupe again. "He cheated on me with Wynn. So we've been at odds and always arguing with each other."

"And?" Christian asked.

"This time she took it too far. She was upset because she felt like Hiraeth was choosing me over her." I picked up a piece of fruit and ate it. I was hoping if I started to eat they would back off.

"Hiraeth Davenport?" My mom asked, excitedly. "So you guys are best friends again?"

"Don't lie to your mama now." Christian eyed me before I could even respond.