“Yeah,” I snapped. “Yeah, I can handle it.”
(Two months later)
“Will you be still?I swear, you worse than a toddler!” Kera exclaimed, tapping me on the head with the comb.
I winced and slapped at her hands. “Ouch, girl! Let me remind you that I’m a volunteer! I don’t have to be sitting here taking this torture!”
Ignoring me, she made another part in my hair and started combing. Kera was cornrowing my hair so she could practice her sew-in skills. I usually didn’t mind her experimenting on me, but I was feeling tender-headed for some reason. Sighing, I sat back in the chair and focused on her soothing pink and gray décor. Maybe I could dream I was somewhere else.
“Anyway, I’m going as fast as I can so we can get downstairs.”
Frowning, I tried to look over my shoulder at her. “What’s downstairs?”
“Some of Seth’s fine ass friends stopping by.”
I shook my head immediately. “No, Kera! I don’t wanna be here when them niggas get here!”
“Girl, you just worried about Mekhi?—”
“Don’t nobody give a fuck about Mekhi!” I snapped back. “Hurry up!”
“Wait a minute!” She walked around to stand in front of me. I rolled my eyes as she put her hands on her hips. “Ooh! You got an attitude for real?”
“Can you just finish the first part so I can go?”
I did have an attitude, and part of it was because she’d figured me out exactly. I didn’t want to run into Mekhi Venzant. The couple of times I’d seen him since the mall had been awkward. I just seemed to lose all ability to function around him which led to him making little, sly comments about me. If he called me bougie or stuck-up one more time…
“The attitude is not necessary. Let me just finish cornrowing it,” Kera said, salty.
I knew I should apologize, but she had no business springing this on me. We sat there in a strained silence as she combed my hair. Finally, fifteen minutes later, she mumbled, “There!”
“Thank you,” I responded, already grabbing my backpack and stuffing my things in it.
I finished and made my way out of her room and to the stairs, Kera right behind me. We bounded down the stairs and into the living room where I immediately froze. For all my efforts, I was too late. Sitting there, his long body draped over their love seat, was Mekhi Venzant. He looked up at us and a lazy smile appeared on his perfect face. I swallowed, unable to lookaway from him. Unexpectedly, I felt warm and off-center, like suddenly there wasn’t enough oxygen or something.
“That was you running down the stairs? What, you been in the hood too long and tryna get away?” he taunted me.
Kera poked me in my back, like that would knock some words out of me, but I stayed silent. I couldn’t help it; words, which always came easily to me, literally would not come. Seth looked up from where he was fooling with his phone and a speaker.
“Khi, leave that girl alone,” he said, grinning at us.
I felt a blush sweep over me as my ability to move returned. I hurried toward the door, anxious to make my exit and get away from Mekhi’s slick mouth.
“You not even gon’ say bye? Just no manners, huh?” his deep voice sounded from behind me.
“Mekhi—” Kera started.
I whirled around before she could finish. I was sick of him and his smug attitude.
“Shut up, Mekhi!” I snapped.
He gave a fake gasp. “What? You mean, I’m not invisible to you, shorty? You just been ignoring me?”
Ugh!I hated his sarcastic ass. Shaking my head, I reached for the doorknob.
“I’ma walk you to your car,” Kera said.
I nodded, refusing to turn around.
