Page 6 of Between Passion and Revenge, Part One (The Griot Chronicles #1)

Yenn rolls her eyes and Ez rolls his back even harder, and after a moment of silence, we break into laughter in unison.

Ezra loosens his tie and eventually pulls it from his neck.

“All right, Mr.Lawyer-in-training,” Yenn says dramatically, flicking the lighter to ignite it. I ignore the bubbling sound coming from the rig, cross-referencing my work schedule with my first exams.

Two papers and three exams right before fall break. No big deal.

I’ve got this. It’ll be fine.

Yenn hands Ezra the bong and while he takes a long rip, she clears her throat, and I take my time dragging my eyes to hers. Because it’s only gonna be some tomfoolery. I’m sure of it.

“Shae, Ezra and I were talking?—”

“Keep me out of this,” Ezra says while holding his breath—and the smoke—in.

“—and we are very concerned about you. Specifically, we are concerned about the health of your vagine.”

She looks so serious, I want to burst out laughing. When her face turns wry, she looks like the spitting image of Zoe Kravitz. Long locs, medium-toned skin, with amber-colored eyes that scream sex.

“My what now?” I say, putting my pen down and giving her and Ezra my full attention.

Yenn flips her hair over her shoulder. “Shae, when was the last time you got laid?”

Heat crawls up my cheeks. “When was the last time you got laid? See, it’s an intrusive question, isn’t it?”

Yenn lifts an eyebrow. “I got laid last night,” she says, throwing away the comment.

“You did?” Ezra asks. “When did you have the time?” He looks delightfully scandalized.

“Ez, focus. This isn’t about me. This is about Shae and her mummified pussy.”

Ezra shudders, releasing a mock gag at the word.

“Hey, don’t disrespect the yoni, beloved. Get it together,” Yenn says, and Ezra’s head drops to the back of the armchair as he slides his body from the seat to the floor.

“I really don’t see what my sex life has to do with anything or either of you,” I say, stacking my papers on top of my closed planner. I don’t want to talk about this.

No one would ever call me a prude. I’ve called someone my boyfriend ever since I turned fifteen.

I know I’m beautiful and guys are attracted to me.

But I was too scared of flunking out my freshman year, so I kept my head in a textbook and lived in the library.

By the time sophomore year came around, I loosened up again and had a few unsatisfying hookups after allowing myself to party with Yenn more.

But when I got a B in Calculus, I determined the trade-off wasn’t worth it if I lost everything.

Now’s the time to buckle down and focus. Yenn doesn’t get it, but she wouldn’t get it. My father worked in ministry; her father is a tech mogul.

We are not the same, and it’s times like these when that difference is really apparent.

“Shae, I’m just worried about you. This obsession with grades and perfection isn’t healthy. You need balance.”

Balance. There are too many things I’m trying to balance as it is—I don’t need to add on anything else.

I can’t afford any distractions.

I try to smile at her and push back any annoyance. “I am balanced, Yennifer.” I stand and pick up my supplies, trapping them to my chest like a shield.

“Girl, the only man in your life is Thurston Mills!” she practically yells.

I shake my head once, hard. “ Who ?”

“Thurston. Mills,” she repeats, but this time she points to the textbook I’ve bundled together with my piles of paper.

Advanced Macroeconomics by Thurston J. Mills.

“Har-har,” I say, my voice flat.

Yenn whips around to Ezra. “Ezra, really! Please help me get through to her.”

Ez sighs and puts the bong back on the coffee table. Standing, he walks over to me and takes my books from my arms.

“I think what Yenn is trying to say is that we love and miss you. And we don’t want you to look up and see that your twenties are gone with nothing to show for it. These years are meant to be happy. Reckless. Wild. And you’re about as wild as dry toast right now.”

Storm Sandoval could definitely help in this department.

I suck in a sharp breath, and Yenn nods vigorously behind him before stepping up to me.

“I’m gonna hold your hand while I say this, Shae.” She actually grabs my hand. “You are going to work yourself into an early grave. Stress kills.”

I squeeze Yenn’s hand back. “I appreciate your concern, bestie. But I promise you, I’m okay.”

Yenn rolls her lips inward, thinking, before popping them out and pursing them. “Orgasms are excellent for your health, you know. And the vag is the portal to creation, quite literally. You wanna get into Harvard Biz? You need to come more.”

Ezra sighs and moves around us, heading for the kitchen.

“Yenn,” I drawl, giving her the biggest side-eye in history before moving toward my bedroom, ignoring her.

She follows me anyway and takes up residence on the wall next to my bed.

The exposed brick doesn’t bother her, even though it’s scratchy as all get out and I have to keep my bed a few inches from the surface to keep it from getting scuffed.

“Princess Yennifer King, please stop this. I beg.” Needing to get away from her, I pull sleep clothes out of my dresser and head to my ensuite to place them on the counter. I almost sprint out of the bathroom when my drawers start opening and closing.

“What the hell are you?—”

“You don’t even have a vibrator in here? What are you doing with your life, girlie!”

“ Yenn-i-fer! ” I groan, releasing all the breath in my body to extend the sound of her name. “What do I need to do to get you off my back about this?”

“Just one date. Just one! And the only reason why I’m on you about this is because I care about you. I love you like a sister, and you know that! So I really don’t want you to die!” Her lower lip quivers, and I know her emotional response isn’t just because she’s a little high.

I sigh.

“Yenn…” Pinching the skin between my eyebrows, I spin through my already too-full to-do list. I think about all the tests and papers and work assignments I need to prepare for. I think about how I’m going to keep my damn grades up, and?—

“I can even set you up with someone if you want!” Yenn says, perking up.

“No,” I say, my voice low.

Shit. Maybe Yenn has a point. There is a lot I’m tackling this semester…so it might be a good thing for me to let off some steam.

A one-night stand might be just what I need to get me through the next few months.

Storm Sandoval probably has the kind of stroke game that will have you seeing God.

I clear my throat and shake my head at the same time. “No, I’ve got it. I don’t need you to set me up with anyone.”

Her face morphs, and she claps like a coked-up seal, jumping up and down before seeming to freeze. “Wait. What do you mean, you’ve got it? Or, I guess I should say, who ?”

I crane my neck to look at the can lights in the ceiling.

“It’s not even a thing at all,” I reply.

“Oh? Tell me about this ‘not even a thing.’ Who is it?” She shakes my arm, and I look back at her, blinking now that I’m not staring into the light.

“Do you know Storm Sandoval?” I ask, and she makes a weird face that has me fearing that maybe she hooked up with him. Which is fine, because what claim do I have over him? But still.

“Ugh, yes, I know Storm and his little girlfriend, too. Was he trying to step to you, Shae? Don’t get me wrong—you need to get dicked down ASAP, but I don’t think Storm Sandoval is the right one to do it.”

My lips twist as I consider her words. “Why?”

“He’s a man ho, babes. Plus, that fragile-looking girlfriend of his seems like she’ll break into a million pieces at the slightest offense, but also like she’ll take a pen to your eye socket a la The Faculty.

” Yenn crosses her eyes before shaking her head and sitting on my bed, making herself entirely too comfortable.

“Got it,” I reply. Because what else is there to say?

“Great. We’ve just got to find you someone else. Someone more…acceptable.” She taps her chin as if in deep thought.

“Really, Yenn. Don’t worry about it. I have options,” I say. It’s a lie because my hookup list is drier than the chicken patty sandwiches they serve in the caf on weekends, but I know if anything I’ll be able to end my streak with someone.

…someone who isn’t Storm Man-ho Sandoval.

“Yay! Okay, but because I know you, you need a deadline. So when are you gonna get the bottom knocked out of it?”

I can’t help but laugh at that. As intrusive as my best friend can be, I know she genuinely only wants the best for me.

“Let’s go out this weekend and see what happens, okay? Is that acceptable to you, Princess?”

She scrunches her nose as if she’s smelled a fart, and I laugh again just because I know how much she hates her legal first name.

“Yes,” she says. “But no stalling. You need a boo-thang before cuffin’ season.”

I roll my eyes, mentally forcing myself to push out the fact that there are only four months until the end of the year.

“Deal,” I reply, and because we’re goofs, we shake on it. After a moment, she pulls me in for a tight hug, and I squeeze her back with just as much force.

“I love you, Shae-Shae,” she whispers, and I murmur back the same.

We break apart when a loud crash followed by Ezra’s “ Shit! ” comes from the direction of the kitchen.

Rushing in, we skid to a stop in unison. Our stand mixer is tipped on its side. What looks like pancake batter oozes all over the counter, and splatters against the adjoining wall and Ezra.

“All I wanted were some pancakes,” Ezra practically wails.

We’re all silent for a few heartbeats before Yenn and I erupt into laughter.

Taking a cleansing breath and wiping my watering eyes, I resign myself to cleaning up the mess.