Ball Is Life

Chapter 7: Hate That I Love You

                                       'Said it's not fair, how you take advantage of the fact that I...

                                                 love you beyond the reason why. It just ain't right'

                                                                            -Rihanna ft NeYo

                      We sat at the lunch table, everyone laughing and joking... except Nae and Illyana. I tried to keep my gaze away from Naomi's direction. We had been messing around for a couple weeks now and everything was going smoothly. That was until lately, she began asking questions about us getting together and from that moment I knew I made a mistake. I know I can't be held down but I don't know why I couldn't keep it in my pants. Every time she brought it up I changed the subject or kissed her but now she wanted to let our friends know what was going on. That couldn't happen, once people knew then Illyana and Dhamir would pressure me to be with her. Hell, even Tyaire would tell me how much of a piece of shit I was for stringing her along since he thinks of her as a little sister.

            Naomi folded her arms tightly across her chest and looked at me. I glued my eyes to the cold mashed potatoes on my tray and poked at them with a spork. "What y'all do all weekend?" Dhamir asked. "Illyana." Tyaire snorted with a chuckle. We secretly slapped hands under the table for him getting a way with saying it. Illyana shrugged her small shoulders as we waited for her to say something. "What's wrong with you? You usually love to curse him out for stuff like that." I asked noticing her strange silence."I just don't feel well, okay? Hop off." She responded coldly. I looked between Naomi and her. I began to wonder if she told Illyana. No way she did. If she did Illz would be lecturing me about girls and feelings. No, something else was wrong with Illyana. She leaned over and whispered in Nae's ear before they both stood up and began throwing their stuff away. Dhamir raised his hand like a crossing guard to stop them. "Woah where are you going? Was it what Tyaire said?" he asked. Illyana shook her head. "Her stomach hurts, I'm going to take her to the nurse Mir, chill." Naomi said. She placed her hand on his cheek reassuringly and whispered something only he could hear. I felt something jolt in my body like a hint of jealousy but I ignored it. I watched the movement of Naomi's hips and backside as she helped Illyana out the lunchroom. "So how long you been hittin' that?" Dhamir asked. My neck snapped back to him with wide eyes. "What?" I said hoping what I heard was wrong. "How long was you hittin' that... and when were you planning on telling us." Tyaire said looking straight forward not turning to look at me. "Wha- I- What? What are y'all talking about." I stammered on my words making it more unbelievable that I didn't know what they meant. "Do you honestly think we're idiots?" Dhamir shoved a spoon full of lasagna in his mouth. I searched my mind for something to say. "What? I'm not hittin' nothing on nobody. Stop worryin about my business." I said. It was the first thing I could think of. "Is it good though?" Tyaire asked. "She a bed wetter?" Dhamir chuckled mouth full of food. "Rate it on a scale of Sahara Desert to Pacific Ocean." Tyaire laughed.   

               They bombarded me with nonstop questions until I finally cracked. "Okay, okay. Y'all win. I hit it." They both said 'I knew it' and slapped hands while they cackled. "When it start?" One asked. "Nah, start with how good it is." The other pushed. I rolled my eyes. "It started the night of the dance and it's good as hell."  I spoke honestly. "Is it more of a relationship type thing or a hit it and leave?" Tyaire asked. "It doesn't matter. Both situations are bad man. You see Ty and Illz. They go through hell because of them messing around. You got to cut it off." Dhamir said. "He can't then she'll feel like he's using her for sex and I can't see Nae heartbroken. You got to keep it going and ease out of sex then ease back into friends. This is about a two month process." Tyaire planned. "Wait.. woah. Who said I wanted to get out of it?" I asked eyebrow raised. They were planning this for me and I didn't even want that. "I liked the friends with benefits thing happening." They both looked at me like I was a village idiot. "There's no such thing as friends with benefits for girls. They always catch emotions. Once again just look at Tyaire and Illz." Dhamir slapped my head. I rubbed my skull to see Tyaire agreeing. "He's right you know? The reason I ain't leaving is because she knows I'll still come back. Nae however is different, Nae won't fight the girl you talking to.... she'll fight you." Already tired of the lecture that just began I quickly changed the subject. "What's up with Illz? Y'all arguing again?"I asked him. Tyaire shrugged. "As far as I know we chillin'. Something else must be wrong." I wondered what was wrong with her. Whatever it was Nae knew and I was staying out of it. "Aye sonny boy!" A loud voice yelled and smacked me on the back of the neck. "Ow.." I groaned. I turned my head to be greeted by my older brother and his three friends. He shoved his way into the seat next to me not really caring about the girl there. "I need you home on time today." He said. I raised an eyebrow. "For what? I got plans." I scoffed. "To clean up your pissy ass room. I want to see if mom will let me go to this party while she away." He said and gave me a light punch on my shoulder. "Nah. I got places to go. You just gon' go anyway." I shoved him back. He chuckled and stumbled backwards. "Look, you clean up your room and I promise you can bring your little girlfriend over too." I got an unpleasant wiff of a strong scent up my nose leading from Dominic's breath. I furrowed my brows angrily and stood up. My hands snatched Dominic by his shirt sleeve and yanked him over away from the table. I roughly let him go. "Have you been drinking?" I growled trying to keep my voice low. My lip curved into a disgusted sneer. He laughed again. "Only like one bottle lighten up."  His response sent rage through my body. "Are you trying to get expelled right before you graduate? Why are you drinking?" Dominic simply rolled his eyes and slunched into a lazy stance. "Because I like doing things like that. Hop off." He spat out. It took everything in me not to haul off and knock him out but it would only attract more attention. "I'm calling mom to pick you up. I'm telling her you don't feel well or something." My teeth grit as I spoke."No, if I get caught she won't let me go." He pleaded. '"Yeah and if you get caught in school, you're grounded and she's not going out of town.Oh, and say goodbye to walking during graduation, going to prom and that senior trip to New York." He listened carefully to my words. Although he was slightly intoxicated my words seemed to register in his head. He nodded and walked  over to his friends. I sat back down and exhaled. "Sometimes I feel like the older brother..."