For the Love of My Life

Chapter 1

"Maybe we shouldn't, Dez," Ta'niq whispered into Dezmon's ear as she pushed his hands away.

"Oh, now you a good girl? " Dez glared at Ta'niq. "See, all you birds are the same. All that stuff about lovin' me, that was all game, huh? Well, now you got me so what you gonna do with me? You really want me to stop?" Dezmon asked.

"I think so. I mean my mom . . . she just talked to me about this. She told me you was gonna say it's about love. I ain't trying to get pregnant or catch a disease just to show you I love you. Are you gonna carry the baby to show me you love me?" She said while rolling her eyes. "How do I know there ain't been somebody else?" Ta'niq said with a dismissiveness that was somewhat condescending.

"Man that's stupid! Be serious! See, you're young and silly. You know there ain't been nobody else. I don't know why I even thought I could kick it with yo' young— Man, that's fine. I'm taking you home." Dezmon's irritation escalated as he sprang up from beside Ta'niq. She knew his hurried motions meant he was frustrated. She contemplated simply giving in to his wants and going all the way. She knew it was risky and that the results could be lifelong in a number of ways. She slowly began to fumble with buttoning her shirt back up. Dezmon stood above her tucking his shirt in and mumbling about how he should have kept walking when he met her.

Taniq's frown became deeper set. "I guess you should have just kept walking. Maybe I should have said no when you tried those lame lines on me," Ta'niq whispered in retaliation.

"Wha—? What you say? Oh, so you grown enough to run your mouth, but you ain't ready for the next level," Dezmon said as he slowly turned to look down at Ta'niq. He became angrier. It showed in his piercing stare. He felt his breathing change as he thought about Ta'niq's smart comment.

Bouncing to her feet, Ta'niq continued to correct her clothes. She stared at the love of her life and began to wonder what she saw in his angry eyes. Yes, anger was there, but also a glint of something she hadn't seen before. "Are you ready? I don't want to argue about this. It's stup—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Dezmon's hand was clasping her throat. She tried to scream but she couldn't. His eyes lost all compassion as he stared at her. One lone tear eased down her cheek as the surprise and the grasp took her breath away. She grabbed Dezmon's wrist with both of her hands and tried to force him to release her neck. As she struggled to breathe and to free herself, she dug her nails into his hand. As her nails sank deeper, Dezmon's stare softened and he let her go.

Coughing uncontrollably, Ta'niq gulped air and tried to regain control of her breathing. Watching the dramatic recovery, Dezmon walked over to the dresser to find his keys and wallet.

"Let's go," Dezmon said.

Ta'niq, still struggling to breathe through tears and oxygen loss, grabbed her sweater and shoes. She followed Dezmon into the living room and sat down on the sofa to put her shoes on.

Dezmon silently watched her as his mind raced. He hid his face in his hands as he wrestled with what had just gone down. He knew it was never okay to put his hands on a female. His mother always talked to him about the proper way to treat a young lady.He knew all too well what it felt like to be a victim. Bad memories of his father crept into his head. He knew better. Something triggered uncontrollable aggression that made him act impulsively. Now he was more than sorry—but how could he get Ta'niq to understand just how sorry he was? He wasn't sure she would ever accept a simple apology. He felt he had to do much more to correct this mistake. Her eyes showed so much fear. How could he undo this damage?

Ta'niq put on her sweater and walked toward the door. Dezmon hurried to open the door for her, and they silently made their way to his car. The quiet ride allowed them both to escape the situation. Their minds simultaneously retreated to their own mental comforts.

Just days ago they were the #relationshipgoals everyone at Rockman High School idolized. Their pictures were all over the school's community social media page as the couple of the year. Ta'niq's claim to fame had always been her brains, but once she met Dezmon she began a new journey to popularity that came from simply being his girlfriend. People noticed when she changed her hair, what clothing trends she was setting this week, and what music they listened to while they hung out together.

The attention wasn't all that new to Dezmon. Being the best point guard the school had seen in the last 4 years made him very popular on his own. He had actually become accustomed to the attention of strangers. It was the attention of those closest to him that was the most difficult to understand. Some paid too much attention and other paid too little. Dezmon felt that once he connected with Ta'niq, he had finally found the attention he needed to balance out all the other issues in his life. Both of them wished that they could go back in time to avoid this moment. What was happening to their love story?

The ringing of Ta'niq's phone shattered both the inevitable silence and their mental escapes.

"What's up, Tay?" Ta'niq answered.

"Hey, y'all still cuddling?" Taylor asked.

"Naw, what's up?" Ta'niq said impatiently.

"Dang, that was fast! Well, your mom called to see if I drove to school today. She wanted me to bring you to her job after school. I told her we're in separate classes for the next couple of periods. But I did drive so I can take you. Gotta go, bye. . . ."

"Bye." Ta'niq ended the call. "Take me to the school instead of home. You can drop me off at the corner and I'll walk the rest of the way," Ta'niq said softly.

"I'm going back to campus too. Why can't we both go in the same way?" Dezmon said, trying to sound calm.

"Because I don't want to be around you any longer than I have to. I'd much rather walk," Ta'niq replied with a hint of anger.

"About that . . . I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just caught up in emotions. I mean, I was frustrated and your mouth is so smart. You kinda made me do that. But look, I did let you go. I wasn't gonna kill you. I'm sorry for all that's worth," Dezmon said as he grabbed Ta'niq's hand and raised it to his mouth to kiss it.

The butterflies Ta'niq felt in her stomach danced and almost made it to her heart as she contemplated the depth of his apology. She pondered how sincere and genuine his words were. As they neared the corner, she began to gather her things.

"I want to get out here, Dez," she said nervously.

"Okay. I won't push it, but at least let me drop you off in front of the school." Dezmon's eyes were reminiscent of a pup trying to convince his owner that he needed that second treat. The look usually worked. He thought he had perfected the look of sincere begging. Yet, Ta'niq was not her usual push-over self.

"No, now," Ta'niq requested as she unlocked her door and readied the door's handle. Dezmon quickly brought the car to a stop and let her out on the sidewalk.

Before pulling away, he let the window down and said, "Ta'niq, I'm sorry and I love you. I promise I do. I'm gonna make it up to you."

Ta'niq didn't look at him. She walked toward the building she never should have left and slowly began to feel the true weight of what had happened. Now she had to go into this building and explain to her friends what Dezmon did. She would sound so stupid for skipping school and being treated so horribly. Maybe she should just keep it to herself. No one knew but her and Dezmon. She would just keep it to herself, maybe.