RED.

Chapter 13: Strangers

"Hey Nana, it's me again. Hoping if I keep calling, you'll finally answer. Hoping you're okay, I love you. Please call me back." I clicked the end icon on my phone screen and walked back to a sweaty Chresanto.

"You good baby?" He asked as he began to place his boxing gloves into his duffel bag. I nodded my head and watched as he placed his white t-shirt over his body. "First you don't get in the ring with me, now you lie to me."

"Just hungry." I lied.

"Of course." He slung his bag over his shoulder and grabbed my hand. "Let's feed you."

Once we were situated in the car, we headed over to Samburger on the north side of Houston. I couldn't help but to place my head against the window, as my mind drifted back to Nana.

Normally, after every Thanksgiving Nana makes it back by Friday afternoon, it's Sunday and she isn't here nor is she answering my abundance of phone calls. I was worried and I was scared. She was all I had, who did I have once when she's gone?

"Baby?" I turned my head to Chresanto to see his phone pointed in my direction and a goofy grin plastered across face. I immediately lunged for the phone snatching it out of his hand. I looked at the screen to see hand recorded an Instagram video of me which I gladly deleted.

"Why the hell do you have that many followers?" I said eyeballing the high double digit number on his profile.

"Because I'm that nigga." He laughed pulling into the drive thru and placing our order. I scrolled through his pictures, spotting a picture of me which I clicked on. It was a picture of me smiling as I sat on the trunk of his car, the night he took me to his favorite spot. He simple captioned it a blue heart emoji, the picture gained a lot of likes and some comments that I chose not to read.

He pulled up a little and laid back in his seat as I tossed his phone back on to his lap. "My sideline text?"

"No, but mine just-"

"Don't play with me." He said side eyeing me. "You know you my girl and my girl only."

"Since when?" I asked. "You never officially asked me out, which is a good thing because I'll turn your world upside down."

"Thanksgiving when we were practically sucking each other's face off, we've been together for three days and you doubting us." He clowned.

I turned my body towards him and reached over then pinched him. He smacked my thigh leaving a handprint and me howling in pain. He snickered before grabbing my hand and bringing it to his lips, as our fingers intertwined. "You're mine though Azalea, if you want the formal way of me making you mine then I'll do it."

No.

I didn't know why I wasn't so hard or cold to Chresanto, or why I anticipated his text, or why I was in love with the fact that my grandmother loved him. I did know, however, I did see myself being with him.

"Na, no need for the extra. This is cool with me." I smiled. "I'm yours, stupid."

-

"Seniors remember to stop by your counselor's office, to grab your official ranking and GPA sheet for your graduating class if you didn't at lunch." Our principle said through the announcements before the bell rang. I grabbed my book bag and the envelope containing my GPA and rank then walked out of class.

I headed out the side door of the school, to round the school and get to the gym then the locker room. Not many students were outside in the now sweltering heat, just as the gym came into sight I was approached by four unfamiliar girls.

"You Azalea?" A girl who stood an inch above me said.

I stayed quiet and stared at the girl. She simply smiled before throwing a punch directly at me. I quickly ducked and sent a punch to her mouth. That's when the three other girls jumped in and I felt my hair being tugged back, sending me on my back. Kicks were being applied to my side and a punch connecting to my mouth, splitting my lip open. I latched my hand on to the front of a girl's shirt and continued to send my fist flying to her face.