Strong Enough 2

Chapter 24

*Ring...ring...ring*

"Ugh...why?" I complain to myself as I press the dismiss button on my alarm. I force myself to get up and walk to Marlon's room. "Marlon get up," I say while poking him. "No," he mumbles against his pillow. I grab another pillow and hit him in the head with it. "I'm up, I'm up," he says, rolling over.

I walk back to my room and take a shower. I brush my teeth and all that good stuff before finding something to wear. I decide on blue jeans, my black ankle boots, and Tai's black sweatshirt with 'Dope' written across the front. I tie my hair up and grab a honeybun before heading to the car.

I get in the car and Marlon is already there. He's wearing black jeans, grey and white Adidas, and a plain white muscle shirt. "Today was a lazy day for you too huh?" I ask. "Yep," he replies. "I hate Mondays." I nod in agreement and start the car.

They tell me I should fix my grill cause I got money now

I ain't gon' sit around and front like I ain't thought about it

A perfect smile is more appealing but it's funny how

My shit is crooked look at how far I done got without it...

Crooked Smile by J. Cole blasts through the speakers as soon as I start the car. "This song is so old," Marlon says. "You know you still love this song," I tell him. "You're right," he chuckles. "It brings back the memories of our teenage hood." I laugh and start driving.

We walk into the building and go strait to some designs that we've been working on.

"Hey Mya," I hear someone say from behind me. "Hey Danny," I say when I turn around. "So what you working on?" he asks. "Just some designs I've been playing around with."

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Yeah. Sure. What is it?" I ask.

"Well I've been working on some sketches...and I want to know if you'd like to be my model." he says. "Umm...sure. You wanna start now?" I ask. "No. I'd like to start later tonight at your place. If that's okay?"

"I don't know about that," I say. "Come on. Are you worried about what your little boyfriend would say?"

I pause for a second, trying to think of something to say, but before I can speak, he talks again. "Please Mya?" I sigh. "Fine."

"Okay good," he says. "But can we be alone so I can concentrate?"

"I guess so," I tell him. He smiles. "Okay. See you tonight." And he walks off.

...

Later on Marlon goes on a date with Nathan since he's in town. They usually hang out here but Danny wanted us alone, so Marlon picked a place for them to go.

Danny shows up about twenty minutes after Marlon leaves. He's carrying a white, square canvas, a pencil, and oil pastels. "You ready?" he asks as he sets up. "Yep," I say. "Tell me what I need to do."

"Okay. Just sit right there," he says pointing towards the couch. "And act natural." I nod and sit down. I shift around from different positions until he tells me to stay still in the position that I'm in now. I'm sitting crisscross with my hands resting in my lap. "Perfect," he says as he starts to draw.

Tai'sPOV

I get home from school and flop down on the sofa. Today was a pretty boring day, but I'm glad it's over. I get up and make myself some noodles. I wish Mya was here to cook for me. If I didn't have a microwave, I'd probably starve to death. That reminds me....Mya hasn't called or texted me today. I hope she's okay.

I grab my phone and call her. She doesn't pick up. I'm starting to get really worried. I try calling her again, but this time she picks up right before it goes to voicemail.

"Hello?"

The voice isn't Mya's but it sounds familiar. "Who is this? Where's Mya?" I ask. ""It's Danny," he chuckles. "And Mya went to the bathroom."

"And why are you in her apartment?" I question. "Calm down. We're just having a little fun," he replies. I can almost see the evil smirk hidden behind his tone. "What do you mean by fun?" My anger is starting to build at this point. "The kind of fun that two college students usually have. But I gave to get back to Mya. Bye." He hangs up.

I have no idea what to do right now. My head is spinning and I'm getting angrier by the second. I grab my car keys and head out. I sit in my car for a few minutes, yelling and cursing to myself. I finally decide on what to do. I start my car.

My plan was to go to a bar and drink until I pass out, but instead I end up on a plane headed to New York.