Page 5 of Blake University: HBCU Chronicles: Brynleigh & A.Z.

If I wanted to date a female or have friends, I didn’t seek approval from my parents, and I had learned to keep my business to myself.

I was trying my best to help Tyra without involving our parents, but she was making it hard for me.

If I got a tattoo my mother would faint, but I was an adult.

I didn’t have the desire to mark my body up unless the tattoo had some kind of significance or meaning though.

I wasn’t sure what I wanted to get just yet, but I was getting something, eventually.

The tattoo shop wasn’t too far from the University.

We smoked on the way there which was something I rarely did.

Justin calmed his nerves by drinking vodka.

“I heard you’re not supposed to drink before you get a tattoo,” Smoke stated.

“Yeah, some people say that, but my pops posted a video of him getting his tat, and they had Penz’s studio smoked out. They were smoking weed and taking shots. I don’t think it’s going to hurt anything.”

We got out of the car and walked into the shop.

The moment I crossed the threshold, I spotted her.

The chick from the kickback that was selling pills.

The one that cursed me out after I told Tyra that she didn’t need to be around her.

Shorty let my ass have it. I wasn’t my mother.

I couldn’t look down on her for how she made her money, but hell nah I didn’t want Tyra hanging with her.

My sister had too much to lose, and I’d never apologize for how I felt.

She was already over doing it with the drinking.

She didn’t need to add drugs to the list. Tyra damn sure couldn’t become a doctor if she flunked out of school.

Before coming to Blake U, my sister had never gotten in trouble.

She was a straight A student that never broke curfew or any of the rules that our parents had in place.

Her friends were all nerdy and smart like her, and she’d never even had a boyfriend.

She was the poster child for the perfect child.

If my parents could see some of the things I’d seen, they’d shit bricks.

I didn’t think Tyra wasn’t supposed to have fun or explore, but not the way she was doing it.

Ole girl smiled at Justin and Smoke. “Hi, welcome to Inked by Penz. Do you have an appointment?” The moment her eyes landed on me, the smile remained on her face but left her eyes.

Quickly, she adverted her gaze to Justin.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Okay cool. Just fill out this form, sign this one, and Penz will be right with you.”

I would never apologize for wanting to protect Tyra, but something in me wanted to apologize to shorty.

What would I say I was sorry for if it wasn’t for what I said?

She walked toward the back of the shop while Justin filled out the forms. She was dressed in blue leggings, a fitted blue, baby tee, and white sneakers.

Her sleeve was dope as fuck, and her artwork made me eager to figure out what kind of tattoo I wanted.

When Justin was done with the form, we followed her to the back where Penz was waiting for Justin. I tried to recall if I’d heard anyone say her name that night but until Tyra had me seeing red, I’d been pretty drunk. If I did hear her name, I didn’t recall it.

Justin talked to Penz about the kind of tattoo that he wanted while Smoke looked at some of the pictures Penz had hanging on his wall.

“Brynleigh, can you go get me a pack of needles?” Penz asked.

Brynleigh. That was her name. My gaze followed her out of the room.

She wasn’t in college, and she worked in a tattoo shop.

Not only did she work in a tattoo shop, but she had hella tattoos, and she sold drugs.

My mother would probably call her a menace in a skirt.

Brynleigh was bad ass for real. I’d never dated a woman that was as eccentric as her.

She walked back into the room, and our eyes locked.

She rolled hers and sucked her teeth simultaneously.

Brynleigh passed Penz the needles and walked back out of the room. “Let me hold the keys. I think I left my phone in the car,” I lied.

Justin passed me his keys, and I walked out of the room. Brynleigh was leaning on the counter looking through her cell phone.

“I’m sorry about the other night,” I stated as she continued to stare at her phone screen.

“Umhmmm.”

“I really don’t even have to apologize. I didn’t say anything that was a lie. I don’t want my sister tempted to take pills, and you were selling them, right?”

Her head snapped up. “Why the fuck are you talking to me?” Brynleigh snapped. “Are you the Feds? Lame ass wearing a wire? You keep some shit in your mouth that you don’t know anything about. Fuck out my face,” she mumbled.

“Lame?” I scoffed. “You got me fucked up.”

“Nah, you got me fucked up!”

Sniffing, I ran one hand over my waves and went back to the room that Penz and my boys were in.

I wasn’t used to anyone talking to me crazy male or female.

It took every ounce of restraint that I had not to curse Brynleigh out.

There was no need to give her any energy.

I didn’t know her, and she was irrelevant to me.

As long as she stayed away from my sister, we’d be good.

My nostrils flared as Justin busted in my room like a lunatic. “Nigga, what have I told you about busting up in my shit like an idiot. You don’t knock or nothing.”

Justin shrugged passively. “Shit, Tameka was just here last night, so I knew you weren’t beating your meat.”

“You have two seconds to tell me what the hell you want.”

“I came to see if you were getting dressed. I know you’re not missing the kickback tonight to study,” he frowned.

“That’s why you were on academic probation last semester. You’re the only person I know that acts like studying and doing homework is a sin. I have a test Monday, and I have to pass it. I’m too close to graduation to be messing up.”

I goofed off a lot my freshman year and when I was in danger of failing not one but two classes, I had to learn how to balance fun and work.

I didn’t want to hear my parents’ mouth if I flunked out of college.

They had no problem spoiling me or Tyra as long as we did what we were supposed to do.

I wasn’t afraid to admit that I didn’t want to lose my car or monthly deposits to my bank account because I chose to fuck off rather than handle my business.

Me, Justin, and Smoke had been invited to The Hideout.

The Hideout was located in the basement of an abandoned bookstore.

It held exclusive invite only events and security was tight.

Trying to get in uninvited would get a person embarrassed.

A person had to be popular and well known to receive invitations.

When I got invited my freshman year, Justin and Smoke were both impressed and envious.

It took them a few years to start getting invited.

Being an athlete, a member of a fraternity or sorority, and being popular and well-known were the only ways to get an invite.

There wasn’t anything I didn’t get invited to.

“I have two more pages to read, and then I’ll take a shower and get dressed. A party at The Hideout isn’t going to get me a degree.”

Justin groaned. “Oh my God, he’s starting to sound like an old man. Dawg, we have a few months before we have to become stick in the mud, boring, responsible, adults. Don’t kill the vibe by acting like the father of the house.”

“Can you close my door?”

When I had to reread the same sentence three times just to comprehend the words, I became annoyed and slammed my book shut.

It had been a few days since I saw Brynleigh at the tattoo shop, and she had crossed my mind more than a few times.

It had to be because she seemed to hate my guts.

That would make bagging her a challenge, and men loved challenges.

That had to be it. I mean, she was fine for sure, but she wasn’t a woman I’d take home to my mother unless I was trying to give her a heart attack.

Again, I didn’t need my mother’s approval, but I also wasn’t sure I wanted to be with someone that I’d have to fight my mom tooth and nail on.

Shit, it didn’t really matter because I wasn’t interested in a relationship anyway.

I was going to enjoy my final months of freedom before I started dedicating my entire existence to starting a record label.

My ex, Rhia made me realize that I could treat a woman well and be faithful, and she’d still find some shit to complain about. I was good on the relationship tip.

Since I couldn’t concentrate on what I was reading, I decided to get ready for the kickback.

After I showered and brushed my teeth, I dressed in gray cargo pants, a white shirt with gray writing, and gray and white sneakers.

I clasped a watch around my wrist before spraying some cologne.

I had been with Tameka the night before, so I wasn’t sure if I was going to try and bring anybody home with me.

Three single men living in an apartment meant women coming and going almost constantly.

I’d never forget when my parents popped up uninvited on a random Sunday and saw two females in the living room passed out on the floor wearing nothing but thongs.

I thought my mother was going to beat my ass.

The Hideout had to be soundproof because walking up to the building, I didn’t hear anything.

Security got things moving quickly, so there wasn’t a line.

The street was also pretty dark and quiet.

No one would ride past the bookstore and think that a party was going on inside.

The moment we stepped inside, I heard the sounds of Ken the Man playing through the speakers.