CLICHÉ

CHAPTER 1 | played

"Love ain't a game full of X's and O's, but I done been played before; I played it safe before."
-Teyana Taylor

MAKENZIE
Friday 10:18 pm

"What Jason," I say frustrated. I already know he's calling for the 30th time this week just to beg me to get out. And this would be the 35th time I have to tell him I'm just not in the mood.

"KAY! Wassup baby girl??" He says as I pull the phone away from my ear because he's way too loud. I roll my eyes at him when he starts laughing.

"Don't roll those eyes at me lil girl!"

I can't do anything but laugh at his ass. He knows me like the back of his hand. Jason and I have been bestfriends since we could talk. My parents moved next door to his mom when I was one or two and when our moms met they clicked immediately, just like us. My parents love that we're so close because I don't have any siblings, so they treat him like he's theirs. Jason's mom, at the time, was single so my parents were more than willing to help when needed, although Mrs. Lawton was and still is a successful, independent woman.

"Jason what do you want? I already told you I don't want to go out tonight!"

"I don't really care what you want! You're coming out with me and Meg tonight because I need you to be my girlfriend!"

Needless to say, thirsties, as we like to call them, always fall all over him in the club and sometimes he wants me to play his girlfriend. It never lasts too long though because he always ends up leaving with somebody. He never asks Meg to be his girlfriend because, just like him, she always wants to leave with somebody she didn't come with and she says playing his stupid girlfriend will "kill her vibe". If you ask me they act like a married couple because they're always arguing about SOMETHING. If you're thinking that they're going to get together soon, you're wrong. Trust me! I've been saying that since they met each other in high school.

"Jason you can get any girl to play your girlfriend. You don't need me and plus I really don't want to deal with YOUR niggas let alone any other nigga tryna talk to me tonight."

"Ain't nobody gonna try and talk to yo ass cause you gon' be with me. COME ON Kay! Please! It's never the same when you don't come out with us! Plus I'm outside and I didn't waste gas coming all the way over here so yo ass is comin' out!" he says, hanging up.

I sit there starring at my phone in disbelief when I hear a knock at the door. I angrily throw the cover off me and take my time going downstairs to open the door. When I see the look on his face after he looks me over, I instantly regret not putting on a robe. When he finally picks his jaw up off the floor, his surprised look turns into a goofy smile. I try to slam the door in his face, but he stops it with his foot.

"Kay! I refuse to believe you walk around the house in lingerie all day so I'm assuming you dressed up for me?" He asks. It sounds more like a statement than a question. Either way I'm not about to entertain his foolery. He knows that I walk around the house like this so I don't know why he be actin' brand new.

"Shut up and get out of my refrigerator!"

Every time he comes over here he goes straight to the refrigerator just to be disappointed because I don't have any "good food".

"Girl hush! That's why you so skinny! You don't ever got no good food. Don't nobody want no damn yogurt."

"Says the person eating my damn yogurt!" I say, rolling my eyes.