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Closing the door, I finally turned to meet his eyes.
"You gon' lie to me, of all people, nigga?"
He shrugged before looking away. “Okay. I might’ve been wrong about some shit, but it’s nothing like what yo’ soft ass talking about. I’on like the way she left. I wasn’t done with her, and she don’t get to leave until I’m ready to say so.”
He thought he was getting the last word, but I couldn’t let that shit rest. “And when you gon’ be ready to say so?”
Silence. Then…
“Scoop should be here soon,” he deflected.
It was my turn to smirk.
* * *
People from the country were a different breed. I could see how life here had Prime easing up—even though we did find out his security was much tighter than we thought. Scoop easily got us into the center where the reunion banquet was being held. The chicks at the entrance table didn’t even care that we weren’t pre-registered or that they didn’t know who we were. They scribbled the fake names we gave them on badges as they grinned and flirted. Most of the people we saw as we made our way to the multipurpose room were so fucking friendly, smiling and asking how we were.
The multipurpose room was decorated nicely enough, I guess. But I was looking for only one thing. My eyes scanned the room, finding Theory within seconds. My teeth clenched as I noticed her standing next to a table, smiling up at some nigga who was standing too close to her as he ran his mouth. I watched for a minute, trying to convince myself that silencing all that noise permanently wasn’t necessary.
“I’ve lived in Emancipation all my life and I know I’ve never seen a student like you at this school,” a husky feminine voice interrupted my perusal of Theory’s situation.
My eyes flitted down to see a pretty woman with a little too much makeup and a little too tight dress standing in front of me, offering a glass of champagne. She was looking at me like most women did these days: part fear, part curiosity, mostly lust. The number of women with Beauty and the Beast fantasies no longer surprised me. I gave her a half smile before returning my attention to Theory. She must have felt my gaze because she looked up suddenly. Our eyes tangled for a moment before she made the choice to turn back to her conversation with that diarrhea-of-the-mouth nigga. I chuckled softly. So, that’s how she wanted to play this. I could tell earlier that it was going to take her a minute to accept what I already had. She could run tonight, but I was going to catch her, and I had no intention of letting go.
I looked back at the chick smiling up at me and shook my head.
“Three things, pretty one. One, I don’t accept drinks I don’t see poured from people I don’t know. Two, Emancipation is too old for you to know every student who has come through these halls.”
Her smile dwindled away as she clutched her glass and the one that she offered me close to her body.
“What’s three?” she asked dryly, no doubt feeling like I was rejecting her.
I rewarded her with a smile. “Is your name as pretty as you are?” I flirted.
Her smile returned. In fact, she giggled. She looked so young and hopeful that I almost felt bad for the way I was about to use her. Almost. My conscience was slightly out of order, though.
“It’s Fawn,” she offered.
Fawn? Jesus, I was literally taking advantage of Bambi!
“That’s pretty. You wanna sit?”
She nodded eagerly, turning to lead me to a table.
“Ay, what you on?” Real stepped closer to ask me.
I shrugged. “Just feeling shit out.”
He looked at me, disbelief all over his face. “Yeah, okay. I’m about to go catch up with Love and the McKinley boy. Don’t get in no trouble… without me.”
I nodded once before putting a hand on Fawn’s lower back, encouraging her to walk. She picked a table. I pulled out her chair and helped her get settled before sitting myself. I felt Theory’s eyes on me, but I’d deal with her soon enough. For now, I listened to Fawn half-heartedly as I studied the room. It looked like Emancipation High’s alumni broke themselves into the same groups they’d been in during high school. Athletes and pretty girls, bookworms and misfits, stoners and skaters, and on and on. Real stood a little way back from where Epiphany and Everly were talking with a few other women. I watched as the McKinley boy walked toward them, only to be stopped by Real. My nigga only spoke a few words before McKinley was marching right back the way he came.
An hour ticked by, and Fawn was still talking. To be fair, she talked to everyone at the table, and she did try to ask about me, but my one-word responses and grunts weren’t very encouraging. Theory had taken a seat with that tired ass nigga who was still chatting her up. I watched the number of drinks he brought her, ready to slide him if he was on some bitch-ass shit. He threw back six shots before nursing a beer. He only brought two glasses of wine to Theory, but he fucked up even worse: he walked with her outside. I waited two minutes before stopping Fawn’s stream of words, offering to go to the bar for her. She nodded eagerly.
“I could go with—” she began.
“Nah, pretty lady. Stay here and keep catching up with your friends. That’s a long line to stand in, in stilettos. And I’ma head to the men’s room first,” I countered, squeezing her hand.
Her breath caught as her eyes widened. Damn. Shorty was feeling me, probably on some dark and mysterious shit. This was probably one more reason I was going to hell. Standing, I made my way out of the room, then out of the building. It took me a minute to find them in the back of the parking lot. I held back, waiting to see what this conversation was about. I noticed one of Prime’s crew lurking, too. I was glad to see it.