The Games You Play : A Hood Love Story

Jay (6)

August 5th

I was sitting next to Loren in our booth. Smoke and Bryson were across from us. We were waiting on the line to die down before we ordered. It's way too many people and I wasn't getting up to stand in nobody's like that damn long.

Loren's skin was so warm. Her long curly hair was in a high ponytail and she had hoop earrings on. Her lip gloss made her lips look perfect. I couldn't help but stare at her. Her beauty was just breathtaking. And you could tell by the way she acted that she was a gentle and kind soul. I was about to start talking, but who better than Kenya and Layla to ruin my moment ?

"Hey girl!" Kenya sat down in the booth and hugged Loren.

"Hey boo." Layla gave Loren an air kiss. "Hey Smoke. Hey Bryce." Layla hit both of them on their heads. They laughed and hit her back playfully. Loren and Angelo were new to the group, they didn't know just how close we were.

I met Kenya in kindergarten and then when Bryce came to move in with her, we became best friends which made me and around Kenya more. Layla came around freshman year. She was the new kid and Kenya wanted to take her under her wing which is why it comes to no surprise that she was doing the same for Loren. She was caring like that. When she started taking care of Bryce, that's when everything changed about her. She became more loving and caring and she wanted to help anybody that could ever be in her presence. She was like the sister I never had.

Smoke, that's been my nigga since kindergarten too. He always been loud, cracking jokes, talking shit. All that. He makes everything better and he makes the mood seem lighter. That's why I can never get mad when he be saying stupid shit. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be sane.

"Can we steal Loren?" Kenya asked. She kept going before I could answer. "Say yes nigga we taking her anyway."

"Yeah." I chuckled. They went and say at a booth across the restaurant, but I could still see them. You never know what could happen around here and I gotta make sure they safe.

"Nigga. Why you ain't asked her out yet?" Bryce asked.

"NIGGA THANK YOU!" Smoke yelled and they gave each other a handshake.

"Y'all know why!" I shouted. "Listen, I'm not gon let what happened to Niejah happen to anybody else."

"Oh my god man. That wasn't your fault." Bryce moves to my side of the booth to finish making his point. "You gotta give yourself some credit man. You did everything you could to protect her and-"

"And I FAILED, Bryson!" I yelled.

"No you didn't." He saw me getting ready to say something else. "Let me talk. Listen, I know it hurts man and you gotta grieve I get that. I do. But you cannot beat yourself up over this. You will miss out on so much. And Nie wouldn't want you sitting here doing this shit to yourself. You gotta keep going."

"But I know that if I tell her about, you know, she won't wanna be with me." I said.

"It's a risk you gotta be willing to take." Smoke said to me. I looked over in the booth Loren was sitting in. I wanted to ask her out no doubt. But her safety was most important.

"Ayo what y'all talking about?" Angelo had returned.

"Jay being a bitch ass nigga." Smoke said.

"Man fuck you." I grumbled. I looked over at Angelo and he was looking for Loren. Once he spotted her, he was relaxed. "Angelo, man. You mind if I ask your sister on a date?" He looked surprised.

"Nah, man." He responded. That's all he said but I knew it was more to it than that. I looked at him raising my eyebrows. Nigga was gonna have to tell me more than that. "Listen, I don't give a fuck what you do. Just don't hurt her, a'ight? She's been through more in 17 years that most adults have been through their whole life and I ain't about to let nobody hurt her again. She all I got. I gotta hold tight to her." He almost started crying. He really loved his sister and that was some shit I had to respect. But what did he mean "hurt her again?"

"You got my word. I promise, man." He believed what I said.

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After eating that bomb ass food from Mr. Lenny's, I dropped everybody off. My first stop was Loren's house and since she lived right next door to Bryce, I was killing two birds with one stone. Layla and Kenya caught a ride with us as if I didn't already have enough to worry about. Now I had niggas illegally packed in my car. Angelo got out and helped Loren out and before she closed the car door, she turned to me and smiled.

"Thank you. Goodbye." She said to me. I waived and she closed the door. Then Smoke smacked me in the head.

"NIGGA IF YOU DON'T GO ASK THAT GIRL OUT, I SWEAR TO GOD IMMA STICK MY STICK MY HEAD OUT THE CAR WINDOW AND YELL TO THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT YOU WANNA REARRANGE HER GUTS!" I take back what I said back about not being mad when he said funny shit. I was mad about this one. I got out the car and Angelo and Loren were barely in the house.

"Aye, Loren!" I called out. She turned around and smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Can I holler at you for a second?" She walked back down the stairs and met me at the bottom. Angelo walked in the house but he left the screen door open for her.

"What's up? Everything okay?" She asked me.

"Yeah everything's fine. I was wondering if I could take you out tomorrow. If you're cool with that." I could see anxiety all over her face. I could tell she was so used to being right up under her brother. She wasn't used to the "dating" shit. "Loren, It's cool if you don't wanna-"

"Yes."

"I beg your pardon?" I had to make sure I was hearing shit correctly.

"Yes. I would be delighted if you took me out. What time should I be ready?" I smiled.

"Be ready at 4, okay? Sharp." She raised her eyebrow. "I seen you get ready today, you ain't exactly the "on time" type."

"Whatever!" She laughed. Her smile was beautiful and she had one but dimple on the left side of her cheek. Her skin was glossy in the moonlight. She was really a sight to take in. "I'll be ready. I'll see you tomorrow, Jay."

" You can call me Jayvin." She smiled again. Damn, I would never get sick of seeing that.

"Goodnight, Jayvin." She turned to walk back into her house and I turned to get back in the car. Layla was spending the night and Kenya and Bryce's house and Smoke had already made his way to my front seat. Before pulling off, I looked at both houses to make sure everyone was inside. I'm pretty sure Kenya knew she forgot to say bye so she waved through the window. I waved back.

"Now nigga how hard was that?" Smoke asked me.

"That ain't the hard part, Smoke. It's the easiest shit ever. The hard part is everything after this."