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“Sounds like a plan. I took the day off to check on my best friend, so I’m down for whatever.” Solly expressed.

A small smile spread across my face because no matter how much I stressed him out, he always made sure I was okay.

“I’m gonna go get dressed. Y’all can chill in the living room until we’re ready.” I nodded to the small space on the other side of the room.

“Alright, but don’t take all day. You don’t need to put on any makeup or anything. You’re already the prettiest girl on campus, best friend; let the other girls have their moment today.” Solomon called out after me.

I giggled, but I knew he meant it. He hated when I wore a lot of makeup because he swore I didn’t need it. Most men didn’t understand that makeup was simply an added accessory that we used to enhance the beauty we already possessed.

“I hear you, Solly. I’m only gonna do my brows and put on some lip gloss.” I crossed my fingers and placed them near my heart.

“Yeah, whatever. We’ll be here for two damn hours messing around with you.” he grunted.

“Oh, please. You’re making it sound worse than it really is. The only time I ever kept you waiting long was on my birthday, and you can’t even hold it against me because everybody was late. Beauty takes time.” I blew him a kiss before I headed back to my room.

As soon as I made it inside, I placed my back against the wall and let my panic attack take over. My body was in no condition to go out in public. It took everything in me not to cry when Solomon hugged me because my back was tender.

“Okay, Honesty girl, what are we gonna do?” I whispered to myself as I wiped my face. I stepped in front of my full-length mirror and lifted my hoodie over my head, followed by my shirt. My torso was covered in black and blue bruises, and there was no way I would be able to cover them all.

I stood there racking my brain trying to figure out what I could wear to the festival where I could be cute, comfortable, and not stick out like a sore thumb. After ten minutes of panicking, I decided to keep it simple and wear a cut-up graphic tee with a tank top underneath it and some black distressed jeans. I added some concealer to my thighs because some portions were showing, then I went to the bottom of my stomach and my wrists where Rondell grabbed me.

I felt so much shame trying to cover up the damage from his beatings, but I decided to put it to the back of my mind for the moment so I could enjoy myself. My best friend came to see me, and I wanted to show him a good time.

After brushing my hair into a sleek ponytail, I added the diamond earrings my brother Rule bought for me, the diamond tennis bracelet my brother Messiah got me, and the honeycomb necklace my bestie gifted me on my birthday. The men in my life kept me spoiled, and I had no shame in it.

It took about forty minutes, but I finally managed to get myself together. As I checked myself out in the mirror, I couldn’t help but admire my beauty. I didn’t look anything like what I was going through, and I was grateful. Life hadn’t completely stolen my light, but I needed to figure out how to keep it that way.

With a deep sigh, I grabbed my Chanel crossbody and exited the room. The fellas and Tommie were standing in the kitchen when I walked out. Everyone’s eyes landed on me, but for some reason Solomon’s gaze seemed more intense than the others. My body shifted as I grew nervous under his gaze as he stepped closer to me. My breathing became erratic while he observed me from head to toe. Once he was satisfied with what he saw, he nodded his head.

“You look beautiful.” His eyes were filled with love and admiration, and it made my heart gallop wildly. It was a different look than I was used to from him. Not the one you would normally receive from your best friend.

“Thank you,” I spoke in a whispered tone.

Solomon held his hand out for me, and I grabbed ahold of it without a second thought. Draike and Tommie were cracking jokes and talking to one another like old friends. Tommie usually got along better with men, so I wasn’t surprised to see them hit it off.

We all walked out of the apartment together and headed downstairs. Our complex was close to the campus, so we chose to walk instead of trying to fight for a parking spot with all of these students and visitors. Smoke wafted through the air, but it smelled heavenly. One thing I looked forward to with these kinds of events was the food because these folks knew how to throw down.

The place was packed and, just like Tommie said, there were food trucks, and vendors set up all over. I recognized a few tables that we set up for sign-up for various clubs and activities around campus. I thought about joining a few, but the upperclassmen around here were weird, and I didn’t feel like dealing with their bullshit.

We walked around until Draike and Solomon settled on which rib stand they wanted to try first. Each group had their own table set up for people to try their ribs. When we first entered, we were all given a colored game chip. We tasted ribs from each table, and at the end, we were supposed to drop our chip into the bucket of the group who had the best ribs.

“Damn, I thought it was gonna be easy to pick a winner, but the homies threw down. I know who ain’t getting my vote though.” Draike shook his head in disgust as he held up the burnt piece of meat from the Doms.

“I wouldn’t even feed that shit to a stray dog. They know they had no business being on the grill serving charred hockey pucks.” Solomon frowned.

The festival was an all-day thing so the winners wouldn’t be announced until the end. We all walked around eating and having a good time with one another. I hadn’t realized how much I needed a good laugh until I got around them. Draike was a fool, and Tommie was no better. They cracked jokes on anyone and everyone, while Solo remained quiet, only speaking when they asked him a question.

He never let my hand go, and I never tried to let go. I should have been worried about what people would think or it getting back to Rondell, but I wasn’t. With the way he showed his ass last night, his feelings were the last thing on my mind. I was over it all and ready to move on with my life.

While we were walking, a group of girls walked in our direction. I recognized a couple of them because they hung around Rondell and his teammates. A few of them were cheerleaders for the basketball team. I used to try being nice to them, but they didn’t like most of the girlfriends of the players. The ringleader was Leora, a pretty chocolate beauty with a shitty ass attitude. For some reason, she hated my guts, but I had never had a conversation with her.

“Oh, I can’t wait to tell Rondell about this.” She spat with her phone out as she recorded Solly and me.

“Do we have a problem?” I asked, wondering where all of her hostility was coming from.

“Leo, let it go,” her friend, Tanashe, urged.

“I’m done letting shit go. He’s always acting like she’s so perfect and innocent, and here she is out with the next nigga while he’s constantly comparing me to his precious Honesty,” she spat.