Shades Darker | BWWM

Starstruck ✨ {Edited}

I find a spot to park nearest the mall and I jump out to head inside. I take the escalator to the third floor where my job is, Frozen Cherry, a frozen yogurt and smoothie joint. I got the job late last summer.

I head into the store and greet Sophia, my co-worker. Sophia is Dominican and I find her as she wrestles with her thick black hair. Most of the customers that come in here just want to get in her pants but she never lets them.

Sophia has like ten bodies and she doesn't apologize for them. She once told me that being tied down to one guy is for old people. She wants to take the time and explore all the fields before she settles down in one.

I guess if that works for her then all power to her. I grab an apron from the rack and quickly tie it around myself. I join her behind the counter as one of my co-workers Lionel works the register. 

"Hey, Kendra bear" He greets and I cringe at that name. God only knows why he insists on that nickname for me.

"Please don't call me Kendra Bear, we've talked about this," I tell him and he laughs.

"But you're the bear to my lion" He tries to connect both our names. I roll my eyes playfully and tell him to just ring up the poor customers that wait for him. 

Some days I don't know how I feel about Lionel. I feel like he might have a crush on me but other days it seems that he has a crush on this other co-worker of ours, Oscar. Maybe he likes us both.

"So Kendra what's up?" Sophia asks me as I watch a mother and son pick out toppings for their yogurt.

"Not much" I answer and Sophia eyes me.

"Come on Kendra you're the only reason I came into work today" She whines as she puts her hand on her hips and I laugh at her.

"Really? It's not for the paycheck we get?" I question her and she shrugs. Sophia tells me that the check is great but she mainly came for the gossip and she knows I have some.

"You're going to send me to hell with all that" I accuse her and she smiles proudly. 

"Burn baby burn now spill," I tell her that not much has happened these last few days except a new boy in our school. He made friends with Lincoln and they've made it their personal mission to annoy the hell out of me.

"So, I guess they're no longer cordially invited to the cook-outs anymore?" She jokes.

"Or the fish-fry?" Lionel calls from across the room and I tell him to mind his business. Lionel smiles at me.

"Hey Sophia isn't the only one that wants to send your ass to hell" He jokes and I flip him off. I tell them both that the vanillas were never invited in the first place and they both begin to laugh.

"I think those vanilla kids like you" Sophia voices and I laugh hysterically. When I find that she's dead serious I get serious too. There is no way that's true.

"Hell yeah, I am serious. The way you describe it I wouldn't be surprised if one of them had a huge crush on your ass" Lionel nods his head in agreement but I deny it. I would never entertain the idea.

I laugh, "I think you're both off your med" 

"And I think I need you to ring this up for me"  A voice says. I look to the customer some type of way but then I fix my face. Deep rich brown eyes stare back at me and for a second I'm frozen. Dark chocolate skin, thick eyebrows, and nice ass lips? Who the hell is this?

I don't even speak as I take the frozen yogurt in my hand. His friends laugh, "I think she's starstruck bro" One of them jokes and the boy tells them to shut up. I feel Lionel nudge my shoulder a bit but my mouth remains closed.

"So? You gon' ring me up or nah?" He asks and I remember what he came here for. I place his cup on the scale and ring him up for it.

"4.62" I tell him as I hand it back and he hands over a twenty. I give him back his change and he takes it. He continues to stand there and stare at me and I do the same. Damn it, why can't I say anything?

"This is Kendra" Sophia blurts out to put an end to our silence. 

"And your name?" Lionel questions next. The boy looks from them back to me and tells me that his name is Jermaine. After a second I finally find my voice and say hi. Internally, I scream at how ridiculous I sound right now.

He taps on the counter, "See you around Kendra" He responds. Him and his boys walk out of the store and I feel this heavyweight lift off my chest.  As soon as they leave my line of sight Sophia basically jumps on me.

"Oh, my God who is that?" Sophia exclaims excitedly and Lionel agrees. Before I can respond our boss Weston comes out and demands to know why we're so loud. Sophia jumps in front of me, "A cute guy came in and he was too fine" Sophia states happily.

"And that has to do with frozen yogurt how?" Weston questions and I laugh.

"Don't be salty Wes I'm sure I can get you a girl if you want one" I tease him and he tells me to get back to work and to not flirt with the customers. 

"But, Wes, think of it like this. If that boy and his boys come back for Kendra then they'll have to buy yogurt" Lionel points out and Sophia agrees.

"Yeah yeah whatever don't make me dock this from your pay" Wes threatens but I call his bluff. Wes loves us too much to do all of that. He tells us to get back to work and I go back to the register while Sophia and Lionel split up.

^.^.^

After our shifts are over I hurry to my car so I can call Jade and Queen about Jermaine. I drive towards my house and I call them.

"Yo, what's up?" Queen greets and I begin to scream.

"Bitch! Guess what happened!" I shout at them and they match my energy.

"What happened? Spill the tea girl spill that tea" Jade continues and I tell them about Jermaine. They both begin to scream and they ask if he's hot.

"Fuck yeah he's hot!" I answer and we begin to laugh. They ask all me all these questions but I tell them that I don't know. I was like starstruck when I met him.

"Like me when I finally meet Chris Brown"

"Or Kehlani"

"More like August Alsina starstruck" I correct and Queen gasps.

"Oh my God you love him"

"I know I do, that's my husband" I shout.

"Well, tell me the details tomorrow I have to go. My mom just walked in the door" Queen mentions before she hangs up the phone.

Jade sighs, "I wish I could find a boyfriend that easily. This is so not fair" I chuckle at her ridiculousness. I tell her that he's not my boyfriend but Jade argues that I have all the boys after me and that it was only a matter of time.

"That's what Sophia tried to jack about all the white boys in our school," I tell her and she laughs but agrees with her.

"I wouldn't blame them, you're a bad bitch. Dark skins are poppin' fuck them light skins" She jokes and I tell her to chill.

"Don't get me wrong Sophia is my bitch but if we were back on the plantation she'd most likely be in the house" I burst out laughing and tell her that it is not funny.

"It's true though Queen might pass for a porch nigga but the rest of us are working the fields" She jokes and I tell her that I'm done with her and that she's a mess.

I ask her what she's doing tonight and she tells me that Darnell will be over so they can study together. Study? Them two? Yeah, okay. I laugh as I back into my driveway and turn the car off.

"I don't know why you and Darnell don't just make it official. We all know how y'all are with each other" I tell her and she tells me to mind my business.

"Darnell likes the racial ambiguous bitches and that's not me so we'll never work. However, that doesn't mean we can't have fun in the meantime, amen?" She continues and I repeat the amen.

"Thank you! Now I gotta go and clean up before he gets here, I swear my brothers are pigs. Bye boo" She says and I tell her that I'll call her later if she isn't too busy. I hang up the phone and head inside to clean my own house.