Page 5

When I found out Rondell had gotten physical with other women, it scared the shit out of me. When we drove home that night, he noticed my energy was off, and it set him off. I suggested we take a break and give each other space to focus on ourselves, but Rondell wasn’t trying to hear it. He revved the engine and hopped on the highway, driving over 90 miles an hour. When I asked what he was doing, he made it clear that there was no breaking up and that he would kill us both if I tried to walk away from the relationship.

His actions scared me shitless, and since then, I hadn’t brought up the subject of leaving. I thought about telling one of my brothers, but the crazed look in Rondell’s eyes from that night kept me silent. The last thing I wanted was to involve one of them and put their safety at risk. They were both married with children, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if my drama put them in harm's way.

Rondell would be graduating soon, and he was set to be drafted into the NBA in a few months. In my mind, once he joined his team, I could make a clean break, or maybe he would end things on his own when he realized how many other options he had. I loved Rondell, but our relationship had grown far too toxic, and I felt more fear than happiness.

My best friend, Solomon, begged me to spend time with him, but I avoided him because it became harder and harder to hide the bruises Rondell left behind. Solomon was observant, and while I had managed to avoid him for the last few weeks, I knew I couldn’t keep him away forever. He would eventually want to know why I had been acting so strange, and even if I tried to give him a bogus excuse, I knew he would see right through it.

I must have spoken him up because I received two back-to-back messages from him. I giggled when I saw the caps and exclamation points. Solomon was usually calm and nonchalant, but with me, he had no problem expressing his feelings when something wasn’t right.

Bestie: YOU GOT ME FUCKED UP!

Bestie: I would suggest you get your life together, but it’s all good because yo ass will be seeing me soon. I don’t know what da fuck you got going on, but I’m about to set some shit straight. STOP PLAYIN’ WITH ME, HONEY BEE!

Part of me was afraid to reply, but I had no choice because he could see I'd read the messages.

Me: I promise I’m not playing with you. I’ve been really busy, bestie. I’m sorry.

Bestie: You must think I’m slow like that punk ass nigga you call yourself dating. It’s all good, cause I’ma show you better than I can tell you.

Me: Wait, what does that mean?

I bit my bottom lip lightly as I waited for his response.

Bestie: Just wait and see

All I could do was laugh because he and my brothers always threatened me whenever I went too long without calling or responding to their messages. They didn’t care about my excuses and would pop up whenever they felt like it.

“Aye, why haven’t you been answering your phone?”

My body went still the moment I heard his voice because he was supposed to be tied up for the rest of the day. At least that was what he told me when I spoke to him last night.

My girls were staring at me, waiting for me to respond, so I fixed my face to make sure they didn’t suspect anything.

“Hey, babe. I’m sorry, I just left class not too long ago and wanted to grab something to eat before I head to the library.” I tried to keep my voice even, but my smile was fake as hell.

“I need to talk to you. Tell your friends you’ll see them later.” His tone was playful, but I knew better than to believe he was calm.

“Bye, boo. I’m sure you probably won’t be coming home tonight, but don’t forget we’re going to Sunset tomorrow for the spoken word night,” Rahel reminded me.

“I won’t miss it. I’ll y’all later.” Tossing my bag onto my shoulder, I got up from my seat with a million thoughts running through my mind. I hadn’t done anything to upset him, as far as I was concerned, but lately it had been harder to pinpoint the root of his anger.

We walked in silence, and he stopped every so often when random students greeted him and wanted to take a picture. I had grown accustomed to his popularity, but it didn’t make it any less annoying. A simple walk to the car turned into fifteen minutes. I wanted to say fuck it and walk ahead of him but thought better of it.

When we finally made it to his car, he opened my door and let me in. I figured it was for the people watching, because he wasn’t usually a gentleman.

I answered a few messages, then silenced my notifications and put my phone on DND. Rondell hated it when I was on my phone too much while we were together, which I found hypocritical since he kept his phone glued to his hand most of the time.

“What’s up, Peso? Naw, I’m about to grab some food and then head to the crib with my lady.” Rondell answered one of his teammates while holding the driver's side door open.

“Yeah, I’ma catch up with y’all. If I don’t see you tonight, I’ll definitely get up with you tomorrow. Peace!” He said his goodbyes, then finally got in the car.

My heart thumped loudly, and I wondered if I was the only one who could hear it. Rondell fumbled with his keys for a moment, then turned on his music once he started the car. We drove in silence for a while, which was unusual. The awkward energy between us was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

“What do you have a taste for?” Rondell asked in a low tone.

For the first time since I got in the car, I looked him in the eyes. He was such a handsome man with his honey-brown skin, deep waves, and perfectly lined goatee. I remember the first time I saw him in the student union. We bumped into each other as I entered the room, and I almost forgot how to speak because I was so enamored.

“You’ve got to start watching where you’re going, pretty mama. You’re already short as hell. I could have tripped over you.”