New Native Land (The Blossoming)

Chapter 22 (Congrats)

I saw Drew standing on the sidewalk and I walked up behind him and scared him, or tried to. He didn't jump, he just turned around and said, "You weren't even trying this time, were you?" I sucked my teeth and he laughed. "Why are you just standing here?" I asked him. "I was waiting on someone." I nodded, "Oh, alright. Well, I'm out." He made a weird face at me. "Patience young grasshopper. I'm not letting you walk home alone, it's late." I smiled at him, he was so sweet.

          "So you already played a game this week huh?" I heard behind me; I knew Scrap's voice from anywhere. Drew and I turned around and saw the whole crew standing there. I was stunned, my whole body overcame with shock, I was frozen, I couldn't say anything.

          "Aye b*tch, why you ain't tell me you were coming?" Drew asked Shad and Shad laughed at him. "Boy, I don't gotta tell you shit." Shad answered back while they dabbed each other up. I felt Ahm's eyes staring at me. "Man, you had a good ass game Reagan. I thought you said you didn't play much," Scrap praised. "Yeah, you were actually pretty impressive." Smokey added on and I adverted my eyes from them. "Thank you." I said shyly. I wasn't used to people complimenting me.

          "She bout to tip over she so shocked. Damn, could've warned me so I could've warned her." Drew spoke up. "'Tip over'? Boy you been around lil Texas too much." Shad teased Drew. I finally changed my face and glared at him, "Is that a problem?" I couldn't help my heavy ass accent from coming out. I mentally slapped myself because I felt the teasing session coming.

          Shad opened his mouth to talk but Ahm interrupted him, "How's your shoulder?" It confused me for a second, I didn't think anyone noticed me fidgeting with my shoulder. "It's fine." I answered him and he nodded, but he didn't look convinced. "You did a good job; I don't know why you didn't tell us why you weren't playing today. But we came anyway." Scrap said with some annoyance in his voice.

          "Well, we're about to dip, I gotta get her home." Drew said to Ahm really nervously. "How are you taking her home?" Ahm asked Drew. I could tell he was trying to strike some fear into Drew, because his tone had that cold undertone, "Well," Drew began but Ahm interrupted, "After she played so well, she shouldn't take the bus home." His voice made my spine shiver it was so solemn.

          Drew sighed, desperation filled, "I just want to get her home." Ahm looked amused, "I do too. That's why I'm taking her home." My neck snapped up to meet Ahm's piercing gaze. "Huh?" Was all I could get out. I shifted my duffle bag because it was becoming uncomfortable on my bruised shoulder.

          "We out Ahm." Smokey spoke up as if on cue and dabbed Ahm up and began walking away with Scrap in tow. "Night Texas." Scrap said walking away. "You going with him or you taking the bus?" Drew asked me concerned. "Boy, you coming home with me, I need you to confirm my alibi with my moms." Shad sending hints to Drew, but Drew waited on my response. "I'm taking the bus." I simply said. Ahm sighed with frustration, he walked up to me and took my duffle bag. "See you dumbasses later." Ahm told his crew and he walked up to me and took my hand, and started walking me towards the parking lot. "W-wait a minute!" I looked over to Drew but he looked just as lost as I felt.

          Ahm let me go, I followed him to his car silently. When we got to the car he unlocked it and then he put my duffle bag in the backseat. I don't know why I'm even letting him do this, or why I'm going along with this. "Get in." He said with a joking tone. I got into the car skeptically.

          He turned on the car and Hip-Hop was blasting from the speakers, he turned down his stereo but not all the way, it was like we could hear the music but could easily talk over it. I looked over and put on my seatbelt, I looked over at him and saw he didn't have his on. "Put your seatbelt on." Ahm smirked, "I don't need it." I glared at him, "Yes, you do. If you didn't need it, it wouldn't be there." I pressed him.

          He smiled, looking over his shoulder and pulled the seatbelt over him and put it on. "You happy?" I nodded happily. "You cute." He simply said some familiar words I'm used to from him. He backed out of his parking spot and began driving. "So where do you live?" He asked me and I froze. "Should I really tell you where I live?" I wondered out loud. He looked over at me and said, "If you wanna get home, I'm sure you wanna tell me." I laughed a little and gave him my street address.

          "You gotta forget it though the second you drop me off." I strictly told him and he looked left and right at a stop sign and turned right, "Mhm." He simply said. "Prospect heights huh?" He said picking up a conversation and I looked at him weird, "Huh?" I asked him and he sighed, "That's the neighborhood you live in." I nodded in acknowledgement. "Oh, I didn't know that." I felt sort of dumb. "I know, cause you're new here." He smirked to himself.

          "I'm not that new anymore." I told him and he shook his head. "You got a lot to learn." I pouted. "Thought I was doing good." When we got to a red light he stared at me, I sighed, and stared back at him. His face didn't change which was weird. I didn't understand why he was staring at me like this. "Why do you stare at me all the time?" I asked him and he shrugged his shoulders. "Liar, liar pants on fire." I sang lightly.

          He snorted comically and said, "You'd know all about that seeing the fact that you lied to me damn near every day since we met." I was taken back. "And what did I lie about?" I asked him and he began, "Who you were, who your people were, you lied about school, you lied about what you do in school. You lied about that wack dude who thought he could claim you. You lied about volleyball. You lied about your shoulder." I rolled my eyes at his list. "I didn't lie; I just didn't go into full details about my daily affairs." I defended myself.

          "Why?" He asked focusing on the road. "Because I don't know you like that, and I don't want to talk about my business in the middle of the street in front of your crew. I don't even know anything about you, I don't even know what your favorite color is." I let slip out. I closed my eyes in horror because I sounded crazy. "So you couldn't ask for a private chat with me? For someone who claimed me so quickly, I'd think you'd be bold enough to actually talk to me." He snapped back at me and I let out a yeah right grunt.

          "Blue," He said suddenly and I looked up at him confused, "It's my favorite color." I watched him and then looked back out the window. "I stare at you because I want to read your body language in certain situations, so I know how to make you more comfortable," He admitted. "You're very guarded." He let out an observation. "How am I supposed to be? I don't know if someone has good intentions for me or not." I admitted and he sighed, "I told you not to worry about that."

          I shook my head and the car came to a stop, I looked out the window and saw the famous New York traffic that I thought was an exaggerated joke. But it wasn't. "We' re going to be here for a minute." What am I going to do in a car with him?