☾° Compelled. ⌜ d. swing. ⌟

☾° › ten.

Zᴇɴᴀ Pʜᴏᴇɴɪx.

Weeks went by and my contact with DeVanté was limited, and that was being generous. We'd talked once in the last month, and it was just for him to explain that I needed to stay away from him and the house while he got Lesane acclimated to his new lifestyle.

Honestly, I should've just heeded the warning and moved on with my life all together. There was no way that being involved with any of this would turn out well for me. You'd think after losing my best friend and almost being killed, my lesson would be learned. DeVanté was a monster and there was no way of putting that lightly — but I loved him. The way my heart fluttered at the thought of him, my body craved his touch and my mind yearned for his intellect. Truth be told, I was going crazy without him.

I spent most of my time at school or at work, which didn't even seem worth my time anymore since DeVanté wasn't around to harass me during my grueling day shifts anymore or pop up on me in the library. Lesane wasn't even there to help me pass the time or lecture me about my limited involvement in Black affairs. Two of the most important men in my life were busy...with each other.  In hindsight, that shit sounds weird. The self proclaimed love and my life and my best friend had become some sort of duo that not even I could come between. But, I wouldn't be Zena if I didn't try anyway.

Standing in front of DeVanté's residence, I tugged at the strap on my book bag as I walked up the steps of the plantation style home. Picking up my dainty fist, I leaned into knock on the door, but I halted. Given myself a moment to contemplate just what the hell I was doing. This man had given me explicit instructions to stay my ass where I was. But with Faith gone back to New York and no one else for me to spend my time with, I was losing my mind.

"Fuck it." I reasoned as I tapped my fist against the door a few times, taking a step back and waiting on it to open. My bright smile faltered when I noticed Cedric at the door. "Hey, is DeVanté here? Or Lesane?" I questioned, a smug grin playing on his exaggerated features.

"You just don't know who you want huh?" He replied smartly before he let a loud chuckle pass his plump duo, causing my eyes to roll in the back of my head and my hip to pop out, just for me to place my palm against it.

"I know I don't want you." I replied sweetly causing his laughter to grow from a chuckle to a full blown, obnoxious cackle before he finally nodded and allowed me entry into the home. "Hey, Jo." I mumbled to the quietest member of the pack, normally he wouldn't say much but he immediately grabbed my arm and pulled my back.

"What you doin' here?" He asked, his southern drawl thick as he was actually confused about my presence. Hell, I couldn't answer his question cause his guess was as good as mine.

"I'm tired of them playing this secretive game. Like what's up? Whatever he had to do couldn't have taken THIS long." I replied. Before Joel could open his mouth again to speak, Lesane came down the hallway, our visions aligning and a wide smile graced the lower half of my best friend's features.

"Z!" He yelled out as he came over to hug me, reluctantly, I embraced him back. Though I knew he was a changed man, he still felt like the same best friend that I'd always known. "Yo, where you been?" He inquired, causing my eyebrows to knit together immediately.

"What you mean where I been?" I retorted. It baffled me that he was acting like I was the one who'd gone missing for the past month and a half. "Nigga where have YOU been? And where is De?"