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A week later, the weather took one of those sudden turns that signaled fall was on its way, even in Virginia. The brisk wind sent leaves scuttling across the path. Walking to English class, Chasity kept her head down. She folded her arms to her chest, wishing she had put on her leather jacket over the lightweight long-sleeved top.
The weather suited her mood. She was sure she had just failed that pop quiz in Math, coming on the heels of the Dean’s warning. He wasn’t amused that one of his professors had to kick three students out of class.
“Seriously?” she sputtered when Jason bumped into her. “Watch where you’re going!”
“My fault, Chasity. It was an accident,” he apologized.
“Whatever,” she grunted. “Just get out of my way, Jason.”
“At least you remember my name,” he pointed out.
“I never said that I didn’t,” she replied, voice not masking her irritation.
“I know,” he said casually, “I just wanted to get a rise out of you.”
“Move,” she ordered. “I need to go to class.”
“Not just yet. I want to talk to you,” he protested, stepping in her way to halt her departure.
“Talk?” she ground out, “Oh, now you wanna talk?”
“Chasity—”
“No. Talking wasn’t your main priority last week now, was it?” she scolded.
“Listen, I really did want to talk to you. I honestly didn’t want to sleep with you that night. I mean, I did, but—”
“Fuck you,” she hissed.
“Hey, I’m just kidding, don’t get upset,” he urged, swallowing a laugh.
She shot him a cold look. “Do you think you’re funny?” she asked.
“Sometimes. But honestly, I was just joking with you,” he said. “I won’t disrespect you again, I swear. My parents raised me better than that.”
“Are you finished?” she finally asked after staring at him for a long moment.
“Almost...Look, I sometimes have a rude sense of humor,” he admitted. “Sue me. It won’t stop me from pursuing you.”
“Get out my face,” she enunciated slowly.
“Listen, can’t we just start over?” he asked.
“No.” Chasity’s reply was instantaneous.
“Damn. Can you at least think about it?” he asked playfully.
She glared at him, and his smile quickly faded. She looked at her expensive silver and diamond watch and tapped the face. “You’ve just made me late for my class.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he replied, then smiled. “Again.”
“That’s funny?” she questioned.
“No, of course not,” he muttered, his smile fading.
“You’re an asshole.”
“And you’re difficult, but that won’t keep me away,” he advised.
Chasity rolled her eyes. “I hate you,” she hissed, turning to walk away.
“I know that you don’t mean that,” he called after her. “My team is having a party next Saturday, and I would love for you and your friends to come!”
“How many damn parties are you gonna throw?” she yelled back
“As many as it takes for you to have a good time,” he guaranteed.
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“Chaz are you going to Jason’s party?” Sidra whispered. Chasity made a face that Sidra had grown accustomed to. It was her way of saying ‘hell no’ without actually saying the words.
“He’s got some nerve,” Alex whispered They’d gone to the library to cram for their Psychology quiz, but huddled over their books, Chasity mentioned to Sidra and Alex about her conversation with Jason earlier that day. “To ask us to a party. After he got us tossed out of class and hauled in front of the Dean?”
“What? A party?” Malajia asked loudly from the other side of the library table.
“Shhhh,” Sidra admonished. “You don’t have to be so loud. In case you hadn’t noticed, this is a library.”
“What time is the party?” Malajia persevered. A party was far more interesting than the psych chapter she had been reading.
“Malajia, I don’t know and I don’t care,” Chasity ground out, annoyed that Malajia had been eavesdropping. “So drop it and leave me alone.”
“Look you—”
“Shhhhhh,” Sidra repeated, nervously looking around. She’s always so damn loud.
“I will not leave you alone. How could you accept an invitation to a party, and not find out what time it is?” Malajia asked, exasperated.
“First of all, I never accepted his invitation,” Chasity tossed her notebook down on the table. “Secondly, I don’t give a shit about this party because I’m not going.”
“Ugh, are you out of your mind?” Malajia asked.
“No stupid, I’m not,” Chasity responded slowly, shaking her head.
“This is Jason Adams that we’re talking about here,” Malajia continued.
“No, we should be talking about Psychology here,” Alex said, tapping her book with her pen.
“That can wait,” Malajia protested.
“No, it can’t, Malajia,” Sidra chimed in. “We have a quiz tomorrow.”
“Fine.” Malajia picked up her notebook and leaned back in her chair. “I wonder what I’m gonna wear.”
“Malajia,” Sidra called, prompting Malajia to look up at her. “Shut. Up.”
Alex looked over at Chasity. “Did you take notes in History class?” she asked.
“Yeah, why?” Chasity asked, curious. Alex had been sitting right next to her during class.
“I need to borrow them. Mine are a mess. I wasn’t paying attention,” Alex explained.
“Yeah. Go ahead,” Chasity replied as she pointed to her notebook.
“You seem preoccupied.” Sidra took a long look at Alex. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, I just have something on my mind,” she replied, skirting the truth. She hadn’t had a civilized conversation with Paul in over a week, not since he’d hung up on her. Not quite sure why, she’d kept her problems private, not sharing them with anyone.
“Forget Alex,” Malajia exclaimed, grabbing the girls’ attention. “Did Chasity just do something nice?”
“What?” Chasity frowned. “You hype because I gave Alex my notes?”
“Uh, yeah,” Malajia replied, “Since you’re in such a generous mood, can—”
“No,” Chasity supplied before Malajia could continue.
“You don’t even know what I was going to ask,” Malajia complained.
“Doesn’t matter, the answer is ‘no’ no matter what you ask,” Chasity responded. Malajia sucked her teeth as Sidra giggled.
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Alex threw her books on the table. “Hey, Emily,” she greeted. “Girl, I’m glad that Psych quiz is over. I think I aced it.”
“Hi,” Emily said softly. “That’s good news. Alex, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, sweetie. You can ask me anything,” she answered, flopping down on the bed next to Emily “What’s on your mind?”
“Uh,” Emily faltered, not sure she actually wanted to know the answer. “Do you guys mind me hanging out with you?”
“What? No, of course we don’t mind,” Alex stammered. “Why would you even ask that?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I do,” she said, fiddling with her hands. “I just get the feeling that you guys let me stick around because you feel sorry for me.”
“That’s not why we hang out with you,” Alex protested. “You’re a good person, sweetie. I mean, come on; you’ve seen how the rest of us act. We have to have someone nice in the group.”
“You mean, a naive little girl who can’t stick up for herself,” Emily amended, “but a nice addition to the group.”
“We like you. You just need to loosen up a little. You’re in college. It’s okay to go out and it’s okay to miss your mother’s call every now and then, and if someone says something to you that you don’t like, it’s okay to tell them. How are we supposed to know that we are upsetting you if you don’t say anything?”
“It’s not that you guys upset me,” Emily fumbled for an explanation. “I’m just so used to my mother standing up for me that I’ve never had to do it for myself. Now I’m paying the price I guess. I’m going to try, but it’s hard, and I don’t want you guys to stop hanging out with me because of it.”
“Emily, honey, you don’t have to worry,” Alex assured. “Malajia and Chasity can be a couple of jerks sometimes, but they’re harmless. Just be yourself okay, you don’t have to worry about trying to please us.”
“Okay,” Emily sniffed. “Thanks...Thanks for talking to me about this.”
“Anytime sweetie,” Alex smiled, and threw her arms around Emily.
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Chasity and Alex were in the gym working out, while Malajia watched the guys work out.
“Damn he’s fine,” Malajia sighed and pointed at the tall, light-skinned guy lifting weights.
“Look at all those muscles. You better lift those weights, you sexy thing.”
“I’ll bet twenty dollars you’re thinking about sex,” Chasity challenged.
“Girl why would I take that bet?” Malajia laughed back. “You think I’m dumb? I’d lose. And I need my money.”
When Sidra walked in wearing sweats with her gym bag over her shoulder, Malajia’s mouth dropped to the floor.
“Miss Sidra? No dress slacks, no silk blouse?” she gaped. “What have you done with my friend?”
“Funny,” Sidra fired back with an equally phony smile. “At least I actually wear clothes.”
“Ooh, you shouldn’t hate honey.” Malajia cautioned, fiddling with the strap of her red sports bra. “Jealousy doesn’t look good on you.”
“Give it a rest, Malajia,” Alex interjected. “Nobody is jealous of you, and you know that.”
“Alex, I wasn’t even talking to you,” Malajia complained. “Can you at least try to mind your business?”
“I’ll mind my own business when you start wearing clothes that have more than two strings of fabric to them,” Alex retorted, picking up her water bottle.
“You’re just mad because you’re fat,” Malajia huffed and walked away.
“Hey, I’m not fat!” Alex yelled after her. She turned her focus to Sidra “Since when is being curvy, fat?”
“She doesn’t think you’re fat really; she’s just being a jackass,” Sidra assured her, knowing her childhood friend all too well.
“What’s up, ladies?” Josh greeted, ambling toward the group with Mark and David in tow.
“Where are my hugs, ladies?” Mark demanded.
“In the trash!” Malajia shouted from a few feet away.
“I wasn’t including you!” Mark yelled back.
“Being around the two of them is gonna make me go deaf,” Sidra predicted and rubbed her ears.
Alex watched as Mark walked up to Malajia and started swatting her with his towel while he screamed like a fool. “Seriously? You play too much!” Malajia hollered while he walked away laughing.
“Sidra, Mark is an idiot,” Alex commented.
“Every day,” Sidra giggled.
“Hey, Jason,” Josh called out. “Want to play some ball? We’re having a pickup game.”
“Be there is a sec,” Jason replied, setting the barbell he was using back on its rack. He picked up his towel and wiped the sweat off his forehead and arms. After wrapping the damp towel around his neck, he took a deep breath, and walked over to the elliptical machine. Chasity was putting the machine through its paces.
“Hello, beautiful,” he whispered and rested his arms on the control console. Chasity checked her stride for an instant, then resumed her punishing pace.
“Go away,” she groaned.
“Can’t you just say hello or hi?” he asked, cocking his head at her. She looked great, so toned, glistening, and disheveled.
“Nope,” she shot back and tightened her grip on the machine’s handle bars. “Go away.”
“Not until I find out if you’re coming to my party.”
“I’ll be there Jason,” Malajia interrupted. She’d scurried over as soon as she saw Jason corner Chasity. “Just tell me when.”
“Uh, hello...um....” Jason stuttered, searching for a name.
“Malajia Lakeshia Simmons,” she put in enthusiastically.
“Please,” Chasity muttered, rolling her eyes at Malajia’s eagerness.
“Any chance you might persuade your friend here to come too?” he asked with a conspiratorial wink.
Chasity turned her lip up. “Friend?” she scoffed.
“I don’t like her,” Malajia sneered, pointing to Chasity. “Besides, there’s no chance that she can be persuaded.” She knew Chasity well enough now to guess that persuasion wouldn’t work. Just for spite, the girl wouldn’t go, and would tear through anybody who tried to make her.
“Y’all want to stop talking about me like I’m not here?” Chasity sighed, irritated that her workout was being disrupted.
“If you would stop ignoring us, we wouldn’t have to,” Jason stated, grabbing his towel with both hands.
Malajia tapped Jason’s arm, smiling slyly “Jason, she’s just extra. She’s too afraid to come to your party. Don’t even waste your time.”
Chasity snapped her head towards them. “Afraid? Of what? Him?” she blurted out, halting her stride.
Malajia shrugged. “Obviously it’s something, if you don’t want to go to this party.” Jason suppressed a smirk as he watched how easy it was for Malajia to work Chasity into a frenzy.
“Don’t play yourself; I’m not afraid of a goddamn thing.” Chasity hopped off of the elliptical machine. “Y’all make me sick.”
“Oh, she’ll definitely go now,” Malajia murmured to herself as she watched Chasity grab her gym bag. “You just have to know what buttons to push.” Jason gave her the thumbs up sign, before walking off to play basketball with the guys. Malajia let out a long sigh of pure pleasure. Now she had a whole week to think about the men that would be at the party, and more importantly, her wardrobe.
