Youngin' Blues: The Story of Reed and RaKeem

by Mercy B

  Fifteen minutes after she’d scarfed down her noodles, KinZu’s phone still hadn’t rang. Grabbing it from the bed, she dialed Jonathan up again. She got the very same results as the first two times. Deciding to text him, she pulled the phone from her ear and disconnected the call.

  She texted two question marks, and waited for a reply. Instantly, she saw that he’d read her message. The read receipt had given her the notion. Next, the three dots popped up, and KinZu waited impatiently for a response. Seconds later, the bubble with the dots disappeared.

  “Hmph.” KinZu’s shoulders slummed.

  She repeated her text, sending two more question marks. This time, he didn’t bother reading or responding. KinZu was saddened, immediately. Blowing out a frustrated sigh, KinZu tried to control the nerves that had began to run haywire. Tapping her phone against her leg, she tried to reason with herself. Guessing that Jonathan had gotten tied up momentarily, she waited another ten minutes before calling Jonathan back.

  “Dammit, Jonathan. You always do this!” she yelled, throwing her phone back on the bed. “Why?” she questioned.

  Feeling defeated, she pulled the chic top over her head. Next, she stood and pulled the skirt from her waist. Laying them both on Reed’s bed, neatly, she remained thoughtful of the fact that Jonathan would probably just be late. Keeping her face painted on, she laid across her bed and logged into her Facebook before following up with Instagram.

  Devastation crossed KinZu’s beautiful face as she stared at a photo taken just minutes prior. Rachel Gregory stood in front of a full sized mirror with brass trimming and gold highlights. Her left hand was on her hip as she puckered her lips with her head tilted. Happiness was written all over her demeanor as she snapped the image. It wasn’t her that bugged KinZu, but her surroundings.

  Seemingly, she was inside of Jonathan’s bedroom. KinZu had been enough times to remember the entire space, vividly. Continuing to stare, she recognized the white laundry basket in the corner. Also, she noticed the food and water bowl of Chino, Jonathan’s bull dog. Closing her eyes, KinZu rubbed her hands over her face, hoping that when she looked at the picture once more, the surroundings would change. To her dismay, everything remained the same.

  Overwhelmed with emotions, she took a screenshot of the photo and sent it to Jonathan. Not bothering to wait for a reply, she stood. Grabbing a few facial wipes, KinZu stood at the mirror on the wall opposite of her bed and began to remove her makeup. She tried holding back, but the tears came.

  Even under the thin layers of makeup, KinZu was flawless. She hadn’t needed it one bit, but she preferred to add the slight confidence booster anyway. She’d wanted to look extra special for Jonathan, and he’d stood her up once more. As time passed, it was more of the same thing with him. His neglectful ways were of habit, now. They were leaving KinZu to question all that she was attempting to build with him.

  “I just don’t understand.”

  She spoke to no one, but herself. Not searching for a response, she shook her head. Men could be so unbelievably selfish. While KinZu was waiting patiently for his arrival, he was home ignoring her –while entertaining someone else.

  Rachel Gregory was one of the campus sluts. Being that she was a very attractive girl, she gained most of the athlete’s attention. Whereas others knew that all attention wasn’t good attention, Rachel soaked it up. She’d dated numerous players, both basketball and football. Jonathan was her latest.

  Once KinZu was satisfied with the cleanliness of her skin, she oiled it down. The moisture that had been removed with the routine that she’d maintained over the past few years, KinZu needed to replace it. Her smooth dark skin was instantly refreshed and feeling much better. However, she was still in a funk about the image that she’d saw.

  Logging back onto Instagram, KinZu found the photo and double tapped, liking it. Sure that Rachel and her cattiness would lead to her telling Jonathan. It was the only reason KinZu dabbled in her games. She was pretty sure that Rachel was only posting to be the messy young woman that she’d grown to be.

  Hurling her cell across the bed for the hundredth time, KinZu pulled the covers over her head a screamed. She was so tired of being treated like the scum of the earth. For the past two years, she’d been nothing but good to Jonathan. Like many other men, he just couldn’t seem to get it right. It had been so long ago since things between the two had been okay, and KinZu didn’t see them getting better any time soon.

  Heaving, KinZu’s chest caved in as the weeping commenced. Giving Jonathan the power over her being once more, she allowed his foolishness to bring her down –both emotionally and mentally. Each time he refused her, it hurt a bit more. KinZu hated the feeling.

  The sniffling pulled Reed from the temporary trance that she’d placed herself into. Opening her eyes, she looked towards the area that was occupied by beds. Two twin sized beds sat next to one another with matching comforters and string lights trailing the posts and bottom. To the right of her was roommate’s side of the room, where the sniffles were coming from.

  “KinZu.” Reed called, lifting herself from the floor.

  Standing, she placed her purse on the small table that they’d placed by the door. Dropping her keys right beside it, Reed stepped out of her shoes, and placed them at the foot of her bed. When she found the time she would place them where they needed to be. At the moment there were more pressing issues, such as her roommates unwanted tears.

  “Kin.” She called her by her nickname.

  “Huh?” KinZu cried, seemingly breaking down more just as she answered Reed.

  “Honey, it’s okay. What’s the matter?” Reed asked, climbing into KinZu’s bed. KinZu was hiding under her covers, where the light was unable to reach. She’d been crying for the last two hours. By now, her head was hurting, nose was snotty, eyes were puffy, and her voice was horsed.

  “I… I…” She couldn’t get her words out without crying harder, so Reed intervened.

  “It’s okay. Calm down and then we can talk. Lift up.” Reed slid under the covers and waited for KinZu to lift her head. She grabbed the book that she’d need to study with and then got situated. KinZu laid down on her legs once she’d gotten comfortable.

  Opening her book, Reed zoned out as KinZu finished getting her tears out. Knowing that she just needed to be comforted, Reed didn’t bother trying to get anything out of her. Soon, she’d be ready to talk. Already knowing that her tears were results of something that her lousy boyfriend had done, Reed could wait for the details.

  Ten minutes later, KinZu was up, wiping her face and getting herself together. Reed hadn’t taken her eyes off of her book. This was nothing new to her. Every week, KinZu was crying over something new. She’d be so happy when she just dumped the scum that she considered a man.

  “What happened?” Reed closed her book, and focused on KinZu, ready to hear the newest “mistake” that she was willing to cry about and then cover.

  “Johnathan and I made plans tonight, but he stood me up. I’ve been calling him all evening, and I’m getting nothing.” KinZu admitted. She hated when that happened. She and Johnathan hadn’t been able to hang as they usually did. With basketball in season, they barely saw one another. He’d promised to sit some time aside for her, but she had yet to be on the receiving end of any. It was only lie after lie. “But, Rachel just posted on Instagram. She’s over his house, and I can tell because of her background. I know his room.” She added, biting her lip.

  Reed knew that there was more to the story. “And why are you in here crying? I mean, wouldn’t it be justified if you went over?”

  Reed couldn’t understand KinZu half of the time. She loved her to death, but she wasn’t for the stupidity. Had Keem ever tested her in the many ways that Johnathan had KinZu, he’d be one sorry ass nigga. As much as she loved him, he was never to play her like a fool.

  “I don’t want to start any drama, Reed.” KinZu shook her head from side to side.

  “Drama? You wouldn’t b
e the one starting it. When people willingly play with your emotions, anything that comes behind it is their fault. At least that’s the way that I see it. I’m so sick of him walking all over you. I swear Kin, you think that sticking this shit out makes you a rider or makes him consider sticking around any longer, but it doesn’t. Continuing to let him treat you like this won’t solidify anything. When it’s his time, he’s going to go. I suggest you leave or toughen the hell up. For real. He’s doing whatever the hell he wants because he knows that you’re not going to do a thing about it.” Reed rolled her eyes into the back of her head at the thought of Jonathan. He was so damn whorish that it barely made sense.

  “I know. I just feel like this will all pass. Once he realizes that I’m the one who’s really for him, things will change. I know they will.”

  “Kin, you’re my girl, but you should really listen to yourself. So how long are you willing to wait for this change that may or may not happen? Sorry, but I just don’t see it.”

  “I’m going to wait until I can’t anymore. I know you may think that I’m crazy, but I can’t leave because you want me to. I’ll always go back. I have to get tired, Reed. When I get tired, I’ll leave.”

  KinZu was correct about one thing. She had to want to leave for herself. Otherwise, she’d forever run back. Reed just prayed that she grew tired of Jonathan’s shenanigans sooner than later, because she deserved so much more than what she was being offered. If she let him, he’d only continue to break her, and she didn’t deserve to be broken. KinZu was the sweetest girl that Reed had ever known.

  “You’re right, Kin. I just can’t help but to get upset at the fact that you’re crying your eyes out every single week about this guy. He doesn’t deserve anymore of your time or tears. That’s just the fact of the matter.”

  “I understand and you’re absolutely correct. I’m not taking anything from what you just said, but I really think that he’ll get it together. We’re just young Reed, and I signed up for this.” KinZu tried convincing herself that their age had everything to do with Jonathan’s maturity, but the truth of the matter was he just wasn’t ready to be tied down. It didn’t matter how old he was at the time. if he wasn’t ready, he just wasn’t ready.

  “Kin, how dare you blame it on age. This has nothing to do with your ages. I’ve seen things like this work before. Look at Keem and I.” Reed gave the perfect example, or so she thought.

  3

  Keem listened on as Reed closed her dorm room door. Once he was sure that she was securely inside, he took off down the hallway. With his head hung low, Keem avoided everyone that was in his path. He couldn’t run the risk of being seen as he made his dash for the stairwell. Pulling out his linen, he held the railing of the shallow stairs, and took them two by two. Looking through the small glass opening on the door to the floor just above the one he’d left, Keem was sure to check and make certain that the coast was clear before stepping out.

  Upon seeing that he had the green light, Keem swung the stairwell door open and pulled his keys from his pocket. Stuffing the linen back into his pocket, he used his right hand to pick apart the keys and chose the one he was looking for. He found it, and shoved it into the knob that was attached to the second door to the right of the stairwell entrance.

  Twisting right, he unlocked the door and pushed it open. Inside, the atmosphere was relaxing and the smell of vanilla penetrated Keem’s nose. The candle warmer was doing its job as it tossed out relaxing fumes from the wax stick that had been placed inside. Soft jazz music belted from the mini speaker that rested on the computer desk near the entrance of the room.

  From his position, even in the darkness, Keem could see his victim sprawled across her bed, fast asleep. Much like Reed, her skin glowed even in the darkest of places. Thoughts of Reed tugged at RaKeem’s heart. He knew for certain that his actions were questionable, but he loved Reed with every fiber in his being. However, he was a man… A young man. At his age, he had certain desires, and Reed wasn’t willing to acquire. Being that it was the case, he’d sought out satisfaction elsewhere.

  “Danity.” Keem nearly whispered, shaking her from her sleep.

  “Hmmm.” Danity questioned. She slightly opened her eyes, already knowing who’d shown his handsome face. “Hey, baby.” She whispered. “I tried waiting up.” She felt the need to explain her sudden fall into sleep.

  “It’s aight. You look tired. You can go back to sleep. I’ll just holler at you later.”

  “No.” Danity jumped up, fully awake. She couldn’t bare the thought of Keem leaving her. He rarely had the time to sneak away, so she cherished each moment of their time together. It wasn’t much, so she got what she could.

  “You sure.” He asked, ready to walk.

  “I’m positive. Didn’t you miss me?”

  Keem and Danity had been seeing one another, secretly, for a little over three months. He’d searched and searched for the feelings that she had seemingly found for him, but they were absent in his heart and mind. Of course, she was growing on him with each passing day, but not enough to be barking out such statements.

  “You already know that.” He played the part, never actually admitting to the question.

  “Good, because I sure missed you.”

  Keem sat on the bed and removed his shoes. He had no plans of leaving until the morning. He had a few business calls to make and that was about it. There was no rush to get home. He’d texted his driver and given instructions to pull off. RaKeem wouldn’t be needing him until the morning.

  Keem climbed on the twin sized bed, just after pulling his jeans from his ass and allowing them to hit the floor. Irking Danity, he caused her to sigh. She was a nut case when cleaning was involved. She had the disorder. If anything was ever out of place, it freaked her out.

  Because of her disorder, she had requested a single room for herself. Had she gotten a roommate, there wasn’t any way that she’d make it through a full semester without having a nervous breakdown. She liked what she liked, where she liked it. It had been this way since she was a kid.

  “Keem, I told you about that.”

  “My bad, Dan.” He called her by the pet name that he’d assigned.

  “It’s fine.” She eased up, never staying upset for much longer than a few seconds.

  Danity was twenty-one years old. A junior in college, she majored in Political Science. She was unsure of exactly what she wanted to become, but she knew that it would consist of something scientific. She loved the complexity of the subject itself, forcing her obsession with it.

  Unlike Reed, Danity was very petite. She was nearly two feet shorter than RaKeem, standing at only 5’2. Keem towered over her small frame. Her curves were slowly taking shape, and pretty soon she’d be super fine. Her torso was long, even with her being short, giving her the sexy stance that many women wished that they possessed.

  Danity had dark colored eyes, with kinky hair that she kept in twist outs. Naturally, she was just gorgeous. She had no need or desire for the extras, but she had no problem getting pretty every once in a while. There had been a couple of times that Keem had seen her all dolled up. As small as she was, she could be picked out of a crowd. Her beauty was just that unlikely.

  After Danity had placed RaKeem’s pants in a more respectable place, she made her way back to the bed. The small glimmer from the light outside allowed her to see through the room, slightly. Keem wasn’t hard to miss, though. His skin was as light as the sun. Climbing onto her bed, she straddled him. Kissing his lips, she reached down and grabbed the base of his shirt. He’d removed his jacket long ago. Thankfully, he’d hung it where it needed to be. Lifting up, she pulled it over his head as he lifted his arms to help her out.

  Danity laid his shirt on her night stand, next to her bed –after folding it properly. Leaning back over, she rubbed her hands up and down his ripped chest. Her night shorts were soaked, and she couldn’t wait until they were taken off of her. Danity kissed Keem again, and allowed her lips to ling
er a bit longer than the time before –attempting to savor the moment.

  Pushing RaKeem backwards, she laughed when his head hit the pillow, causing it to puff up on the edges. As silly as they came, Danity would laugh at almost anything. It was one of the qualities that RaKeem adored about her. She could get a laugh out of him.

  Grinding her body back and forward, Danity caused an arousal from RaKeem. He rocked up instantly. Her fat ass gyrated on his dick, damn near causing it to break. It had been a week since he’d been up in her, and he was craving some of that juicy shit that she held as her own.

  Between business and Reed, he lacked much free time. As business partners, he and Reed were together almost always. If not, she was in school, or he was out of the country. There weren’t many passes given, but he took each one that he could. The impromptu meeting with Fad had earned him his latest pass. Otherwise, he’d be home taking care of other things. Even when RaKeem wasn’t busy, he was thinking of ways to get busy. Money was forever on his mental. Acquiring as much as he possibly could was his motive.

  “Get it wet.” Keem whispered.

  Falling to her knees, Danity obliged. Whatever RaKeem wanted, he always got. She never sassed off or gave him much back talk. Danity prided herself in allowing him to be the man. There was never an incident when she tested his manhood. Keem felt superior in her presence. Whereas with Reed, she’d slice him with her words in a minute. Surprisingly, he adored her for her feistiness. Once upon a time, she’d been afraid to check him when need be. Her growth was magnifying for RaKeem in many ways.

  With her knees on the cold concrete that served as a dorm room floor, Danity pulled RaKeem’s junk from his expensive briefs. His man was begging to be released. It sprung out, nearly popping Danity in the nose. Of course, it caused her to giggle.