Something About Him

-18-

Layla Wilkes

"I can't believe you got me out here," I complain while sitting in the passenger seat of my own car.

"Well believe it," Carter speaks back while glancing over towards me before making a right off of my street.

"What do we need to talk about again?" I ask trying to get right to it.

"Well, damn. You just straight, no chaser, huh?"

"What is it?"

"Aight, so you know how I told Sasha that there's a girl I like?" He begins.

"Yeah, what about it? Who is she?"

"I'm not gone tell you 'til I tell her," Carter says back to me which makes me suck my teeth.

"So what is there to talk about then Carter?"

He sighs before talking again. "I need your help, Layla. I don't know how to tell her an-"

"How am I supposed to help you unless I know who she is?"

"Easy. Tell me how to win a girl over," he says.

"Carter you're seventeen! Are you being forreal?"

He sucks his teeth and continues to drive. "You tryna play me, bruh," he pauses. "I get nervous. The words may be clear in my head and seem easy to say but it's hard for them to come out my mouth without me screwing up and saying something stupid."

I don't say anything because it's just doesn't seem like him. Carter doesn't get nervous. Well, not around me at least.

"Practice, I guess," I suggest.

"How?"

"Well if it's easy to say around yourself you have to try saying it to someone else," I explain. "Try saying it to me."

He sighs hard then stops at a red light. Glancing over towards me, he nervously bites down on his bottom lip before looking away again.

"Aight so we've known each other for a minute now and I know this might come as a surprise, but I like you. I have for a long time an- and I don't wanna see you with anyone else besides me. I like you too much to just see you getting closer to some other guy when I know how much I wanna be with you," he says as he continues the drive to his house.

"Awe Carter," I coo with a small smile as I try pinching his cheek like I'd do a baby.

"Awe nothing," he pushed my hand away. "It's still not good enough, Layla."

"I guarantee if you say that she'll smile and blush her ass off," I tell him. "Say it just like that, you'll be good."

"Nah, you don't understand. This gotta be perfect," he keeps saying what he said needs to be better, but it's perfect already.

"It is perfect! Stop stressing over it," I respond.

"You sure?"

"Positive," I assure him.

"Could it win you over?" He asks glancing over towards me again and then right back to the road.