Three played a 'Wicked Game.' Now, it's time for round two.
One will fight. One will meet The Maker. And one will try to keep them all safe.
The world may be black and white but to win this game, they'll have to play in the gray.
The jovialness of the moniker being yelled out stopped Isabeth dead in her tracks. Making it to the library evaded her mind; no one other than the dean and the registrar on Spelman's historic campus of red brick buildings and lush green lawns knew her real name.
Isabeth took several breaths peeling her line of sight from the tree's swaying branches. She lifted her heels and slowly turned on the soles of her khaki Sperry's. A sigh of relief slipped passed her gaped mouth as she took in the sight of the girl jogging towards her in camel pumps, an army green pencil skirt, and a gray crop top with the word saucin' sprawled across it.
"Faith." Isabeth gasped twisting her backpack straps around her hands. "What are you doing here?"
Faith took in a deep inhalation of air as she stopped in front of her friend, "What are you doing here?" She asked fanning her arm out at the placid campus vacant of students swarming through the quad or down the sidewalks; the lawn crew was the only people that were there and that was because it was a Tuesday. "It's Spring Break." Faith fiddled with her skirt, the tight fabric rode up her hips during her quarter-mile dash. "You should be heading to Trinidad like me...or Jamaica if you want to hang with Harper and her grandparents." She twisted her red-stained lips in horror.
"The Harper's aren't that bad and Jamaica was fun last year." Isabeth let her sight drifting to the cowboy hat-wearing guy riding a mower over grass that wasn't two inches high. "I just...have lost time to make up for."
"Because of the pregnancy." Faith blurted out.
"Shhh." Isabeth darted her eyes around but luckily the campus was a ghost town. "Yes...that's why and you should be doing the same." She nudged Faith's arm and noticed the diamond and gold bracelet hanging on her lank wrist. "What's with the extra ten pounds?" She pointed to the jewelry
Faith, with black sunglasses, glanced at her wrist with ease, "Oh, this." She let the sun pour over the clear, unbreakable stones. "It's a gift from Orion."
"Orion." Isabeth rolled her eyes as she drawled out the man's name. "Isn't it about time you get rid of your summer fling? Just to let you know..." She leaned near Faith with a hand by her mouth, "It's Spring." She whispered.
"Don't be silly." Faith gave her a halfhearted chuckle then let her head dip as she tightened her hand around the handle of her orange Birkin bag. "I just like him around...that's all."
The corner of Isabeth's mouth ticked up in a sly smirk, "Is it him or his magic wand that you like?"
"All of it." Faith quipped still her features underneath the cover of the sunblockers that took up most of her face. "Plus he comes with his security."
Isabeth threw her head back, her curly ponytail flying in the wind, "That's because he's a gangster." She narrowed her eyes back at Faith as she held her waist. "He's a coke dealer. What do you expect?"
"He just makes me feel safe," Faith told with a flick of anger. "And you of all people know how important safety is since the crazies are out there somewhere."
Isabeth looked over her shoulder as if one of the psychopaths was trailing her as they spoke. "It's been months, ten to be exact and there hasn't been a blip on the radar. It's safe to say they went underground." She clasped her hands together. "We're in the clear. We have our lives back and if you want safety get a...."
"Gun." Faith cut in with a coy grin. "Diamond encrusted."
Isabeth huffed with humor, "A dog...you know...but not a human one like the one you have. Like a Doberman or something."
"I like Orion, Isabeth. Get on the train or be left behind."
"Take off your glasses, Faith, and show me your face."
Faith pushed the shades further up the bridge of her nose, "It was an accident."
"Well, if it happens again..." Isabeth folded her arms over her chest merging the 's' and 'm' of her Spelman shirt. "My foot will have an accident with his ass."
Faith laughed nervously and pushed a stray strand of hair away from her face, "I'm not your child...Teddy is. You don't have to protect me."
"We're sisters, Faith." Isabeth delicately took hold of her wrist. "And I'll never let anyone treat you less than the queen that you are...never again."
Faith cleared her throat as emotions threatened to clog her voice box, "I should get going." She took a few steps back, "You sure you don't want to come with me? I got my dad's plane for the week."
"Nah." Isabeth shook her head. "I got studying to do but...remember what I said...if you need me, I'll be there."
"Yeah." Faith smiled. "I hear you Mother Goose." She waved before prancing back down the sidewalk and to the Rolls Royce waiting by the curb.
"Um...Isabeth." A heavy baritone snatched Isabeth out of her deep thoughts as she pillaged through the grocery bags on the kitchen counter. "What are you doing in my house?"
Who's house do you think Isabeth is in?
Why do you think Faith's wearing the sunglasses?
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