Infatuation

Chapter | 3

I was at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles with Rosa and Loren. After the whole thing at lunch today, I wasn't really feeling dinner with the girls but they persuaded me to come.
"Why does Rodney feel the need to text me and ask how I'm doing? Like, this is why I can't just hit and quit with dudes because they get too attached." Rosa said.
I just picked at my waffles.
"Girl, stop tripping on Amari. You said it yourself, he ain't no good." Loren said.
"I know, but y'all gotta understand, as much as I hate who Amari is becoming, I'll always have feelings for him. He's my first love." I said.
We ate in silence for the rest of dinner. After packing our to-go boxes with our leftovers, we headed outside. I was walking to my car when Loren stopped me.
"We're here for you, girl. Even though we don't like Amari, you can always talk to us. About anything, okay?" She gave me a small smile.
I nodded. "I'll see y'all later." I got in my car. I sat until I noticed Loren's mustang drive off down the street. Then I called Langston.
"Hello?" He answered.
"You busy?" I asked.
25 minutes later, Langston met me at a Baskins & Robbins.
"So why'd you call me at 8:30 at night to meet you and come get ice cream?" He laughed, as he ate his cup of butter pecan ice cream.
"I don't know, I was just lonely." I shrugged, eating a spoonful of my cookies and cream ice cream.
We sat in this backseat of his car, letting the radio play softly as we enjoyed our ice cream.
"Yeah right." He sat his ice cream on the console and turned the radio off. "How about you tell me what's really going on with you, shawty?"
I sighed. "It's just Amari has been getting to me lately. Like who you saw at lunch isn't really him. He's didn't use to act like that with me."
"People change, Bri."
"I know but how could somebody make such a drastic change like that in a few months? I guess the money is getting to his head." I went back to eating my ice cream.
Things were quiet for a second.
"I should be heading home before my dad gets worried."
He nodded. "Yeah, I should too. I told my mom I was going to take out the trash."
I laughed. "I don't think it's take a hour to take out the trash."
"Me either." He smirked. "See you at school tomorrow."
"See you." I got out his car and got into my own.
***
I woke up to the smell of breakfast. I looked over at my clock and it read 6:03 a.m. I sat up and yawned.
"Why is my daddy cooking breakfast so early?" I thought.
I grabbed my robe and slid into my house slippers. I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth before walking downstairs to see my grandma cooking.
"Nana!" I ran over and hugged her.
"Goodmorning babydoll." She smiled.
"What are you doing here?" I looked her over.
I hadn't seen her in five years but I talk to her on the phone often. My grandma was my dad's mother. She always loved me and spoiled me rotten because I was my dad's only child. She stood about 5'3" and had a head full of gray hair.
"Your father said you were taking your mother's accident kind of hard so I decided to come stay with y'all for a while." She went back to flipping some pancakes.
I piled 3 on a plate along with some eggs and bacon. I sat at the table, watching her cook.
"Nana, I missed you so much." I said, stuffing my face with pancakes.
"I know, we have to do something while I'm here. What do you want to do tonight?" She asked.
"I can't tonight, I have dance practice. We can do something tomorrow."
"Alright. I forget you were captain now, congratulations. I'll have to come see you dance at a game." She said, turning off the griddle and grabbing her own pancakes to eat.
Just then, my dad walked into the kitchen, already dressed in his black double breasted suit.
"Good morning, ma." He kissed her cheek.
"Morning, make sure you eat." She replied, motioning towards his plate of pancakes.
"I will. Goodmorning, babygirl." He kissed my forehead.
"Goodmorning daddy." I smiled. "How's work going?"
He shrugged. "It's fine, just have three cases I'm working on. I have to be at court at 8 actually." He poured him a glass of orange juice.
I looked on the stove clock and notice it was 7:00. "Well, I have to go get dressed for school."
"Do you need a ride?" Nana asked.
I giggled as I sat my plate into the sink. "Nana, I drive, remember?"
"Yeah, I forgot. I guess you're not 12 anymore." She smiled.
"Guess not." I smiled at her before rushing upstairs. I showered quickly and got dressed in a black-and-white printed romper. I lotioned up and put on my sandals. I put my hair into a bun before putting on my gold hoops and watch. I placed my necklace I wear everyday on my neck. It was a locket with my mother's picture in it that she gave me in eighth grade. I sprayed on my perfume then grabbed my purse, phone and keys before heading downstairs. I quickly filled the bowls with dog food for our two pit bulls in the backyard and the bowl for Sasha, my yorkie that stays n the house. Nana was watching the reading the paper when I reentered the living room.
I kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you later tonight."
"Alright, I love you, be safe." She smiled.
"Love you too." I headed down the hall in my dad's man cave. I found him drinking a cup of coffee and looking through a pile of papers that sat on his desk.
"Hey daddy, I'm finna leave." I said.
"Alright. You need anything? Money or something?"
"Actually, can I have a 20? My car's running out of gas."
He reached into his pocket and handed me a 50.
"Put in 30 and keep the rest."
I kissed his cheek. "Thanks, love you daddy."
"Love you too."
I left the house and made it to school at 8:20. I decided to go sit in my car, listening to music since I didn't see Loren's car or Langston's. I was listening to Chris Brown's album before I noticed Langston's Camaro parking a few feet away from me. I turned off my car and walked towards his car. I knocked on the driver's window.
"What's up, girl?" He smiled after rolling down the window.
I smirked. "Nothing much. Hey guys." I waved at Julian and Day-Day.
"Why you ain't in yet?" Langston asked.
I shrugged. "I ain't want to be sitting by myself."
He leaned back in his seat. "Thought you knew everybody."
"I do, but I don't talk to these folks like that."
He nodded and licked his lips. "Where your girls?"
I shrugged again. "M.I.A. Can y'all come in with me now?"
He turned off the car and got out. "You look good. Who you getting all cute for?" He said, putting his arm on my shoulder.
I blushed before answering. "No one important."
"Aye Bri, where Rosa at?" Julian yelled, walking behind us.
"They late, I guess." We walked to the courtyard where everybody else was. I sat at a table with Langston and Day-Day while Julian decided to go talk to some females. I pulled out my makeup bag and put a coat of my nude lipstick. I was fixing my mascara when I noticed Langston staring.
"What?"
"You know you don't need all that." He said, looking at his phone.
"I know, it just enhances everything." I began to comb down my baby hairs.
He grabbed my comb and makeup bag.
"Langstonnnnnn," I said, dragging out his name. "Give it back."
"Nope. I bet you can't go a week without this crap." He said, putting it behind his back.
"I need the comb, you don't want me walking around with my hair sticking up, do you?" I smirked.
He passed me the comb. "But you don't need the rest of this."
"Okay fine, a week. What do I get if I win?" I smirked.
He thought for a second. "You get a date with yours truly."
"Langston, I told you I don't want a relationship right now."
He held his hands up in surrender. "It's just a date. Something simple and fun." He held out his hand. "Deal?"
I smiled wide. "Deal."
I glanced up to see Day Day mugging us.
I giggled. "What?"
"This mushy shit is just disgusting. I'm finna go grab some breakfast." He said, shaking his head and walking away from us.

Langston to the side.