Page 2 of Her Loyalty
Pulling up to Connor's house, I sighed heavily. This was nothing new for me but I hated every moment of it. I hated this place as a whole.
"Babe." He smiled, standing out front of his house.
"Hi." I slickly rolled my eyes as I slammed my car door closed, making my way around it.
"What's up? What took you so long?" He asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder as we made our way into the house.
"Oh, I was just stuck over at a friend's." I lied through my teeth, walking by his side.
"Stuck?" He asked, flipping his blonde hair.
"Yeah. My car wouldn't start.."
"What?" He asked in disbelief, opening the door for us before we walked in.
"Yup." I nodded my head, trying to sound as believable as possible.
"Welp, I told you about those shitty Kia's." He joked and I tight smiled, walking into the living room.
Looking around, I became mesmerized by the chandelier and art work all over the walls.
I'd do this every time I came here because honestly, this was all I wanted.
I wanted to graduate, get my degree then live like this with Dom.
But unfortunately, I had to go through so much to get it. Including lying to him.
"Your mom called." Connor spoke from behind, startling me.
"Huh?" I furrowed my eyebrows, still clouded by my thoughts.
"I said your mom called. She'd told me you were on your way hours ago."
"That's why I kept calling." He laughed, snorting like he usually does.
"Oh yeah.." I trailed off, nodding my head.
"Well where's the love? Where's my kiss?" He smiled, pulling me into him.
"Sorry, I'm just kind of out of it." I told him, quickly pecking his lips and pulling away.
"I understand." He nodded as we weirdly looked at each other.
"Are you staying over tonight?" He went onto ask and I shook my head.
"No, I just came over to study for the test tomorrow and then go back home." I admitted and he simply nodded.
"Alright, I'll go grab my history book and some cheese for us to eat."
"Okay. While you do that, I'm going to use the bathroom." I told him and he nodded before we slowly parted ways.
Quickly making my way to the nearest bathroom, I slammed the door behind me as I broke down into tears. This was nothing new for me but every time I did it, it felt so wrong. I was cheating and lying to Dom while he was home thinking he has a faithful girlfriend.
I mean, I didn't want to do this him at all but my mother pressured me to be with Connor. She felt he was more fit for me than Dom was. She didn't like that Dom lived in the hood and she despised everything about him, making it harder for us.
She'd told me two months ago that if I didn't leave Dom then she was no longer paying for my schooling because I was throwing my life away being with a drug dealer.
So here I was with the white man she wanted me to be with all along.
One whole month of cheating on Dominic, with graduation five months away.
At this point, I was just trying me best to hold it together.
Getting myself together, I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were now red and puffy and I knew that I couldn't do this any longer so I'd mentally prepared to leave within an hour. I needed to get out of here.
Interrupting my thoughts, my phone buzzed in my pocket and I quickly remembered that I'd told Dom that I would call him when I got home.
"Babe." I answered without even looking at the caller I.D.
"I thought I told you to call me, Tiana."
"I just walked in the house." I lied, looking at myself in the mirror while I did.
"Oh." He said simply, making me smile.
"My fault, baby. I just wanted to know that you was good."
"Yeah, I'm fine." My smile slowly falling, hearing a knock at the bathroom door.
"Whatchu doing though? I want to talk to you a little bit. Can I do that?" He asked and I sighed heavily.
"I wish I could but I really have to study, babe." I expressed to him and I could hear him sighing.
"Please don't be like that, okay?"
"Aight, Tiana. I guess I'll talk to you later on tonight then?"
"Yes. I'll call you before I go to sleep. I promise."
"Aight."
"I love you." He huffed.
"I love you too. I really do." I expressed to him while my voice cracked, my emotions obviously taking over me. I knew that this was wrong.
"Yo." He spoke more alert now, obviously hearing the sadness in my voice.
"What's wrong, T?" He asked and I shook my head as if he could see me.
"Baby, talk to me. What's wrong?" He asked again as I began to cry, hearing soft knocks at the door again.
"Nothing. I have to go, Okay?"
"I love you." I spoke quickly, hanging up the phone.
Wiping away my tears, I grabbed the door knob and swung back the door. Connor was standing right there as his eyes landed directly onto mine.
"You alright, babe?" He asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Yes, I'm fine." I forced a smile onto my face.
"Let's study."
*
Dom An hour later
"This shit hitting." The homie, Piro, spoke as he took a pull from the blunt full of weed I'd just sold to him.
"I'm gon' need two more." He told me, pulling out a hundred dollar bill.
Discreetly, I took it out of his hand and I slid him two more bags.
"Thanks for this shit, nigga. Ima gon' hit you later." He told me and I nodded, before dapping him up.
Making my way back to the crib, I sighed heavily with Tiana on my mind.
I knew she was stressing out about her moms and school and that shit had me on ten.
I never liked when she was upset especially when it wasn't shit I could do about it.
That shit had me ready to pull up, tell her to pack all her shit and come live with me but I knew that was out of the question, Tiana got goals.
Breaking me away from my thoughts, I skipped steps, making my way back into my crib.
"Yo Dom, you good?" My sister, Deja, asked as I came through the door.
"Yeah, I'm aight." I stressed, closing the door behind me.
"Where'd Tiana go?"
"She left, she had to go home." I told her, making my way over to the table, where everybody once was but now it was only her and I.
"What? Why'd she leave?" She asked furrowing her eyebrows as I took a seat.
"She got class in the morning, nigga." I pressed, I hated when she asked too many questions.
Especially about T or our relationship. I was just a private person but I knew she meant no harm, my sister always gave us good advice.
"Well excuse me then, motherfucker." She said making me laugh as she passed me a blunt.
"Is she good though?" She asked and I nodded, taking a pull from it.
"Yeah, she aight. Just stressing about school and shit, you know her." I looked down, blowing smoke from my nose.
"Yeah, that girl stay in them books."
"She graduates in May, right?"
"Yeah." I nodded, taking another pull before passing the blunt back to her.
"So I guess y'all plan on moving in together afterwards?" She asked, making me look up.
"Man.." I trailed off.
"I want to and I'm tryna get this money right but T.." I scoffed, shaking my head.
"I don't know what she want. She let her mom control everything, even her thoughts."
"Right." She nodded, already knowing how T was when it came to her moms. They had plenty of talks about it before.
"And I ain't tryna make no decisions for her."
"Well did y'all at least talk about it?"
"Na' not yet. I plan to though." I nodded, already knowing that we'd have to talk about it sooner or later. Shit's getting down to the wire, I'm 23, she's 21, we ain't kids no more.
"Yeah, man. Just talk to her and see where her head is. I mean, y'all been together for five years going on six."
"At some point, she's gon' have to grow up and allow y'all to take next steps." She shrugged.
"Her mom can't control her life forever."
"Exactly." I nodded while my mind ran a mile a minute.
"But I just ain't tryna pressure her and make her feel like she gotta do some shit she ain't ready for."
"Right." She nodded, exhaling smoke.
"And you know how T is, she'll get defensive real quick."
"And I ain't even tryna go there with her." I admitted.
"I understand, kid. Just communicate, that's all I can really tell you." She said, passing the blunt back and standing to her feet.
"But I'm going to the bar on the corner. I'll see you later." She said before leaving and I nodded, still sitting there, taking another pull from my blunt.
*
Thoughts on Tiana's situation?