I rolled my eyes. “Mom, its ‘Bye Felicia.’ That is the saying. And it’s from the movie, Friday.”
“I don’t know about all that.”
“Seriously, it’s from Friday with Ice Cube.”
“It’s bye, somebody.” She shrugged. “That’s not the point. What did you say to Jay, when he asked?”
“I told him that I wasn’t ready to think about all of that, but I would consider dating him.”
She tried the word on her tongue as if she’d never heard it before. “Dating?”
“Yes.”
“Dating?”
“Yes, Mom, when two people meet and learn about each other, and I don’t know.”
“And how many people will be in this dating situation?”
“Only him and me.”
And then Mom shocked me with her next words. “That’s a good start.”
“Is it?”
“Jay’s not going to give up on trying to be with you. Lord knows I’ve threatened him enough and sent pictures of my bullets with his name carved right on it. You know he texted me back and said that he hoped I would shoot him in his leg and not in his throwing arm?”
I raised my hand. “I would prefer you not shoot him at all.”
“We’ll see.” She returned her attention to Mr. Shaw on the balcony. “I think that you two dating wouldn’t be bad. This would only work if you’ve both actually learned something from the other relationship you had. Both of you have to not only respect each other but respect yourselves.”
“Yes, but did you not hear the whole engagement part?”
Mom rose from the couch and continued to stare at Mr. Shaw. “Evie, you’re apparently the only one in the world that didn’t see the proposal coming. I figured he would’ve waited until he signed with a team.”
“Excuse me?”
“He’s in love with you. That’s never been the problem. It’s always been obvious. It’s just what he chooses to do with that love that I’m monitoring him on. Love is good, but action is where it really matters.” She formed her mouth into a sad frown and continued to watch the balcony. “I used to think that only one person was meant for another. When your father passed away, it crushed me. I vowed to never love another. I did a good job of closing my heart away from any man for years. And plenty men came around.”
“Ewww.”
She took a few steps toward the balcony’s door, her gaze never leaving Mr. Shaw. “One guy never stopped. Poor man. I never made time for him like I should, just nagged at him to be better. Never really let him into my heart. We both had lost so much.”
“Who?” For some reason, I felt betrayed, if not for me, for Dad. “What’s this guy’s name?”
“None of your business.”
“How can I understand the lesson of the story, if I don’t have all of the information?”
“Doesn’t matter.” She smoothed down her shirt like it had a bunch of wrinkles in it and patted down her hair. “Time and action reveal love. That’s the lesson. Don’t rush into anything with Jay. Take your time. Keep your eyes open. Focus on his actions, not his words. Make sure he respects you, and overall protect yourself.”
“But what about this guy—”
“Just don’t wait too long.” She let out a long breath, headed to the balcony, and walked out there, sliding the glass behind her.
Thinking about her words, I sat on the couch, grabbed a pillow, and watched Mr. Shaw and Mom’s embrace. The man wouldn’t let her go. He rested his head on her shoulders and cried. This wasn’t a first for me, seeing them hold each other and deal with a painful tragedy around them. They’d both lost their spouses. Sometimes I considered the chicken-or-the-egg question, with all of our parents. Who had become true friends first? Our parents or us?
When are they going to get out of here? Better yet, when are Jay and I going to get out of Miami?
I continued to watch them, more because I had nothing else to do. However, Mr. Shaw did something different this time than when he usually hugged Mom. He pulled back and studied Mom’s face, combing his fingers through her curls and whispering something.
“One guy never stopped. Poor man.”
I watched them for another minute before looking away. “No. She wasn’t talking about Mr. Shaw. That would just be weird.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Jay
Hot water streamed down my body. I must’ve stood in that shower for several hours, and I didn’t plan on leaving it anytime soon.
So much had happened.
My ignorant images flooded the media. My friends acted off kilter. Our families worried for Evie, Pipe, and me. None of us had won any adulting points this week. Our threesome ranked high on the what-the-fuck scale and seemed less likely to succeed. Once I’d had that conversation with Pipe and returned to his scared shitless father, I recognized how bad things had become. Things had to change before we fell off the cliff of mania and had nothing and no one to help us.
We continue like this and we’ll all crash.
Steam rose in the shower. Lines of water squiggled down every curve of muscle on me. Magazines begged my publicist to do a nude photo shoot. They added that I could hold the football in front of the appropriate places if I was bashful.
Now, my naked form prowling across a balcony played out on TVs, computers, and cellphones everywhere.
Something has to change.
Mrs. Elaine’s prayer came right on time. We’d lost ourselves in this time away from home. Our beliefs thinned out to nothing. It seemed like Pipe, Evie, and I had stumbled off our course in various ways, injuring those around us or destroying ourselves.
Cynthia’s a mess. Not that Evie and I caused that, but I don’t think our situation helped her. Pipe fell in love with a psycho. What did he get from that dark relationship? How can he get better? And Evie and me? What did we do to each other? Will a ring be enough? Maybe I need to do more.
I lathered myself in soap. Suds journeyed all over me. I wished I could ask Evie to come in. My cock jerked a little with that desire, but nothing could happen with Mrs. Elaine and Mr. Shaw there.
How am I going to make sure Evie stays with me?
She’d said yes to dating, but that was it. I had to prove myself. It was clear in her eyes. I couldn’t mess up or falter, fuck around or disrespect her in anyway. This represented my last chance.
I have to look at this like football. If I have a tough team and season, what will I do?
I leaned back under the showerhead. Water heated my skin and pushed all the suds away.
I would practice and work hard toward whatever the goal was. Stay dedicated and committed. Never give up. Never surrender. And I would believe . . .
I rubbed water out of my eyes, turned off the shower, and stepped out of it. My wet image reflected in the mirror. My cock pointed out. I should’ve taken care of it while I washed, but there was something about masturbating while Mrs. Elaine sat in the other room that made me want to vomit. If anything, she was my mother. She’s earned the title. I couldn’t do that.
I’ll have to win back Mrs. Elaine too. Focus. Stay motivated. Dedicated. Never surrender. Never give up.
I toweled myself off and dressed as quickly as I could. Plans rose in my head. Ideas that I could carry out formed in my brain, and I prepared for war.
Never give up. Never surrender.
When I finished getting dressed, I entered the suite. Mr. Shaw’s legal team had disappeared. No notebooks or files rested on the table like before.
What are they going to do? Are they going to get Malcolm?
On the balcony, Mrs. Elaine and Mr. Shaw sat at the table and talked across fresh roses. The sky had shifted to a bright blue with no chance of rain coming anytime soon. Birds flew by. A few even landed next to the balcony railing as if expecting one of the adults to throw them a breadcrumb.
Mrs. Elaine pointed at one and Mr. Shaw laughed. Evie stayed on the couch, watching them as if they were a movie.
“They look like they’re in a good mood.” I sat down behind her.
“Yeah. Too good of a mood.”
“What?”
“Nothing.” She twisted around to me. “You smell delicious, and you’re all refreshed. You walked in the bathroom a tired man and came out renewed. Maybe I should use your shower. It must be spraying out coffee.”
“I’m feeling a bit inspired.”
“Yeah? What are you inspired about?” she asked.
“I’ve got some plans in my head.”
“Involving?”
“Don’t worry about all of that.” I raised my hand to her face and followed its curved outline. “When do you want to leave?”
“Soon.”
“What about Pipe?” I asked.
“He wants to make sure that you and I leave today. I don’t know how we’ll see him before we leave. If we don’t get to, then maybe we can ride back down to him after the semester closes. Although you will be busy this summer.”
“Yes. By then, the draft will have already happened in May. I’ll know what team I’m signing with.” A faint ache hit me, but I pushed it away.
“Yep, but that’s a good thing. We’ll take the time to celebrate for a weekend. Pipe would love that.”
I ran my fingers through my wet hair. “Is he going to be okay, Evie?”
“We prayed. We offered help. What else can we do?”
“Give him time and space,” I admitted.
“Yes.”
“So we leave today?” she asked.
“He promised to see us before we left.”
“That won’t happen now that his father and my mom are here.”
I glanced at the laughing pair outside. “Yeah. And they’re looking a bit cozy out there, as if they don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”
“Exactly.”
“We leave tonight?” I asked.
“Yes. We can both text Pipe and figure out the next time he wants to see us.”
“Sounds good.” Unease sat at the pit of my stomach. “How do you really think Pipe is doing?”
“He’s not himself.”
“No, he’s not.”
“And it’s not just the scars.”
“No.”
Evie inhaled and then let out a long breath. “So, in the bathroom—”
“No.” I moved my head from side to side and wouldn’t stop until she closed her mouth. “I don’t even want to know what happened. You get how I feel about you? I heard enough to understand that I would hate further details. And then it’s the fact that I care for Pipe like a brother.”
“I just thought you should...” She tapped her foot against the carpet. “You should just understand that I’m serious about you.”
“You don’t have any choice.”
“Jay.”
“I would never let you go.”
“Pipe likes men anyway. He’s just scattered brain and—”
“No.” I couldn’t stop correcting her. It was time to end the pretending. “Pipe has something for you, and it hasn’t always been brotherly. I don’t bother him. He touches you—”
“When we’re drinking.”
“He’s never that drunk.” I grabbed one of her kinky curls and relished in its softness. “He sends you gifts all of the time.”
“Only on holidays.”
“He makes up all of those holidays.”
“Best Friends Day is an actual holiday.”
“And what about Evie Day?”
“Okay.” She laughed. “That might’ve been made up, but there should be that day.”
“He enjoys spoiling you just as much as I do.”
She held up one finger. “But as a friend.”
“It doesn’t really matter to me.” I played with her hair some more, twisting the strands around my finger. “I already called dibs back in fourth grade.”
“Dibs. You’re such a gentleman.”
“And he could never love you like me.”
“We don’t even need to discuss this,” she said.
“I’m just telling you what needed to be said.” I moved my hand down to her cheek. “Scattered brain or not, I will not lose.”
“It’s not a competition.”
“Let’s hope not. I love him, but if it’s you or him—”
“We don’t need to talk about this anymore.” She backed her head away from my hand.
“Whatever happened in the bathroom stays there.” I figured he kissed her again. The old Pipe would have. This new Pipe, I wasn’t so sure. And if he touched those lips, what the hell had he been thinking about in his mind? “I won’t lose.”
“Wait a minute.” Evie’s words halted my thoughts. “Do you get how crazy this topic is?”
“Yeah.”
“Pipe is confused and lost. We don’t need to be dissecting his movements. We have to make sure he gets help.”
“Yes. I just want this to be clear between us.”
“I know. Now can we change the subject?”
“Yes.”
Evie and I talked more about possible solutions. We promised to make this summer break about Pipe, go to wherever he lived, and hang out with him as much we could. We also decided to involve his father and her mother more. We probably should’ve said something to somebody the first time we found him cut up in his hotel room. I hadn’t understood how to deal with it. Maybe someone else could’ve stepped in.
For some reason, I’d thought that turning twenty meant I was an automatic adult and didn’t need any of my usual authority figures’ advice. But in adulthood, I yearned for their approval even more. The world proved to be difficult to navigate. Lately, I wished I could return back to high school and start all over again. Try things out a different way.
After having that difficult conversation with Evie, I decided to start my plan. “So, I have a couple surprises for everyone today.”
“You’re not trying to do something else that will make you go viral?” she asked.
“Funny.”
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
“I have to win your mom back.”
Evie smirked in disgust. “I can’t think of why. She’s still infatuated with you.”
“Yeah, but she’s wary too.”
“She’ll be fine.”
“I’m going to treat you both to a nice spa day. Afterward, we can fly out.”
“A spa day?”
“It would be fun.”
She glanced at her nails. “I think the spa attendants would kick me out if I showed up with these chewed-up ends.”
“All the more reason to go.”
She hit my leg. “You’re supposed to say that my nails are still amazing.”
“No.” I thought of what Pipe had said on the balcony. “I won’t lie to you.”
“Hmmm. So you’re treating Mom and me to a spa day, and what are you going to do?”
“I have things that I need to get done.”
“Like what?”
“Things.”
“Don’t make me get my mother in here to make you spill it.”
“That would be cruel and wrong.”
“Then tell me.”
“No.”
She tried to hit me. I blocked her hand and wrenched her to me. “You keep on touching me like that, and I’ll bend you over this couch and show your mom what you can do.”
“You better stop.”
“Never.” I nipped at her lip. “I can’t wait to call you my wife.”
She blushed.
I laughed. “I like scaring the shit out of you like that.”
“It’s not funny.”
“It is.”
“We have to take our time.”
“We will.” I consumed her mouth, not caring if the adults witnessed it from the balcony. They’d have to deal with it. I breathed her in and encased my arms around her.
“I take back what I said last night,” I whispered against her lips. “I won’t even share you with
Pipe.”
“Shh, and finish kissing me.”
And I devoured her. It took several knocks from the balcony glass door to get me off of her.
Evie left my room and returned to hers to get ready. I chose that time to sneak out on the balcony with Mr. Shaw and Mrs. Elaine. They had something I needed, things that could help everything go into motion. It must’ve been a good thirty minutes of me explaining to them my surprise. Everything had to go as planned. Each detail had to be on point. I must’ve gone on and on, stumbling over sentences and probably looking like a damn fool. It didn’t matter. Enough had happened. It was time to start making good memories.
But when I finished, they both exchanged worried glances.
Please, help me. I need this. It could change the game.
“How fast can you get those to me?” I asked them both.
Mr. Shaw laughed. Mrs. Elaine frowned.
“I’m serious.” I shrugged. “Either you can help us, or you could sit back and watch with no opinion.”
“This is my daughter,” Mrs. Elaine countered. “I’m always going to have an opinion in her life.”
“Wishful thinking, Elaine.” Mr. Shaw chuckled. “Jay, I can get everything to you by this afternoon. I’ll have some people gather it all. But this is a big decision. One that can wait for several years.”
“Thanks, but I don’t want to wait.”
“You have no idea what she’s going to say,” he said. “Are you really sure about this, Jay?”
“Yes.”
Mrs. Elaine eyed me suspiciously. “You really want to do this?”
“Yes.”
An exasperated breath left her. She grabbed Mr. Shaw’s and my hands. “Then we really should pray. I thought I would be happy when all of you became adults. Sometimes, I think I’ve worried more now than when you all were kids.”
“I second that.” Mr. Shaw grabbed our hands.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Pipe
I arrived at my studio. The painting was gone from my room. No shock hit me. Kush had the keys since he owned the property and it was his creation after all. It was only a matter of time before he would’ve figured out a way to grab it.
The COMPLETE Coventon Campus Series: Books I, II, & III Page 55
