Infatuation

Chapter | 4

I tapped my pencil against the cover of my notebook. I was in my last class of the day, counting the minutes until the bell rang.
"Ms. Gardener!" My English teacher yelled.
I blinked a few times. "Yes, Ms. Temple?"
"Are you going answer the question?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Um, sorry. What's the question?"
"What was the moral of the story, 'Romeo and Juliet?'" She asked.
"Love is blind?" I shrugged.
Loren snickered behind me, causing me to giggle a little.
"No, Ms. Gardener. That is not correct."
The bell rang.
"Don't forget students! Read Chapter 1 of Romeo and Juliet and write a one-page summary. Typed or handwritten! Have a nice day!" Ms. Temple yelled as the students exited the classroom.
I pulled my purse onto my shoulder and was walking to the door with Loren.
"Daydreaming about Langston, wasn't you?" She smirked, playing with her tongue ring.
"Not at all ma'am. And stop that shit, that is so disgusting." I said.
She stuck her tongue out at me. "Don't be mad because your daddy wouldn't let you get one."
I rolled my eyes. "I was in tenth grade when I asked. I wouldn't let my daughter get one neither."
We exited out the back doors, leading directly to the student parking lot. As we were walking, Landon walked between us, wrapping his arms on our shoulders.
"What's up, ladies?" He flashed his smile.
"Hey Landon, party still on Saturday?" Loren said, chewing her gum.
"Hell yes! I already got the drinks and y'all know Kelton's momma out of town so it's at his house."
"Cool." I said, pulling my keys out my purse and walking to my car.
Landon left us to go to his car.
"Landon, why you ain't got that hooptie fixed up yet?" I smiled.
He laughed, getting in his car. "All it need is a paint job, I'll be getting all the hoes."
"Nah baby boy, you need a tuneup, oil change and everything else." Loren laughed.
He pulled out his parking spot and drove near us.
"Y'all homegirl Rosa don't think so. We was right in my backseat last night."
I gasped. "Stop lying."
He smirked and drove away. Loren turned to me.
"You don't think-" Loren started.
"Nah she wouldn't. She'd tell us." I reassured her.
"But with-"
"Landon though."
"He must lying."
"Got to be."
We stood in silence.
"We gotta ask Rosa." I said.
"Right. She should be coming out any minute now." Loren said, checking her watch.
Just then, Rosa came out the building walking hand-in-hand with Rodney. I turned to Loren and seen she had the same expression on her face as I did.
"Okay, I'll call you tonight." Rosa kissed Rodney and walked to us. "What? Why y'all looking like that?"
"So you and Rodney back on?" I asked, folding my arms.
"We were never off. We just be getting into it a lot, that's all. Can we go now?" She said, sliding into Loren's car.
"So you wasn't just with Landon last night?" Loren said, raising a eyebrow.
She just looked at Lo. "Why are y'all questioning me?"
I shrugged. "We just asked a question, why you getting all offended?"
Rosa hopped out the car. "I don't know what y'all trying to say but let me put y'all up on game right quick. I'm 18 years old and if I wanna fuck one dude last night and kiss one today, that's my business, not y'all's." She slammed Lo's door close and walked back towards the school.
"Where you going? We got practice today!" Lo called after her.
"I'll be there! Stop worrying about me, damn!" She yelled back, walking into the school.
Lo turned to me. "Well, that went nice."
"Give her some space, she'll come back around." I got into my car. "She always does."
***
Me and Lo made it to practice on time and were going over our dance routine for our upcoming pep rally and Rosa was nowhere to be found.
"So she just skipped out on us?" Lo said, breathing hard.
We had a five minute water break and we had called Rosa three times each and both got no answer.
"I don't know. But she didn't have to miss practice to get back at us. That's just hurting her position as co-captain." I shrugged it off.
If Rosa wants to be childish and miss practice to somehow prove a point to Lo and I, by all means let her.
"We gotta get back on the floor, you guys." One of our other dancemates, Taylor said.
Lo and I got up and went back to the floor. Coach Middleton was finna play the music again when Rosa walked in.
"Why are you late, Ms. Rodriguez?" She asked, crossing her arms on her chest.
"Just am." She brushed past Coach Middleton.
Coach Middleton grabbed her arm. "Are those hickeys on your neck?" She pulled at Rosa's shirt, exposing some fresh hickeys.
"Stop!" Rosa said, trying to get out her grip.
"Rosa, you know better. You were missing practice to hang with some boy?" Coach asked, shocked.
"No, of course not Coach." She said, looking away.
"You're sitting out the first performance in front of the school. So you won't be performing at the pep rally." She said.
Rosa looked shocked. "Coach..."
She held up her hand. "No Rosa. You're supposed to set an example for the squad as co-captain. It's just the first performance."
Rosa looked at me and Lo, then back at Coach. "Fine." She grabbed her dance bag and left.
"5 laps around the gym. Let's go!" Coach Middleton blew her whistle.
***
"Coach was mad, wasn't she?" Lo said, as we walked to our cars.
I shrugged. "You know Rosa is one of her favorites, so she's just disappointed, I guess." I popped my trunk and threw my bag inside. Loren did the same.
"What you finna go do?" Loren asked, leaning against her trunk.
"I don't know. It's only 6:30 so who knows? Probably go home." I said, looking in the distance.
Lo nodded. "I'll probably just go to the gym. My adrenaline is rushing and I got some aggression to get out."
I giggled and began to walk to the driver's side of my car. "Just don't take it out on Rosa. I know how y'all get when y'all into it with each other."
"You know I don't hold my tongue either." She laughed.
I started up my car. "I'll text you when I make it home."
She nodded. "Alright, be safe Bri!"
I smiled and drove off. I made it home thirty minutes later to a empty house. My dad left a note saying him and Nana went to go see my mother. I walked upstairs and got undressed. I took a shower and put my phone on my iDock. I laid out my yoga mat and began my 30-minute yoga session. My mom loved to do yoga, especially by the pool. She claimed it was so peaceful and relaxing. I always laughed at her, but once she had her stroke, I tried it and fell in love. It was interrupted by my phone ringing.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Hey Bri." Langston replied.
I smiled to myself. "Hey Langston, what you doing?"
"Just sitting on the beach, waiting for the sunset. Wanna join me?"
"Of course."
Twenty minutes later, I was at a secluded beach sitting next to Langston on the hood of his car.
"Beautiful, ain't it?" He said, breaking the silence we sat in.
"Yeah." I laid my head on his shoulder. "I never watched the sunset before."
He looked at me and back at the sunset. "I started watching it every night when my grandpa took me to see it in ninth grade. He loved watching it."
I grabbed his hand and interlocked our fingers. "Why'd he stop?"
"He passed. Last year. Heart attack." He mumbled, not taking his eyes off the sunset.
I was silent. "I'm sorry for your loss."
He shrugged. "We all die someday. Just don't know when and how."
The sun had set and the sky was a beautiful orange and purple color.
"How come you never talk about your family?" He asked.
I looked at him. "Huh?"
"How come you never talk about your family?" He repeated.
I shrugged. "Not too much to talk about. It's just me, my ma and my dad. It's really just me and my dad. My mom's in the hospital, she had a stroke about 3 months ago and she's on life support."
He wrapped his jacket on me. "I wouldn't have never guessed. You act so nonchalant. You're always smiling."
"Moping about it isn't going to change the situation." I sighed.
My phone rang.
"Hey daddy... I'm at the beach... Alright, I'll be there soon...Love you too. Bye." I hung up.
"You gotta get home?" He asked.
I got off his car. "Yeah, he wants to take us out for dinner."
"Us?"
"My grandma and I. She's staying with us until my mom gets better."
He got off his car too. "Oh, well I guess I'll see you tomorrow." He hugged me.
"See you tomorrow." I smiled and walked to my car.
I made it halfway home when I noticed I still had his jacket.

Loren to the side.