“That’s cool.”
Keith looked around the room again and then he stared out the window for a minute.
“Can I get you anything?” I asked.
“Nah, I’m just thinking. I never came that close to death and it’s a scary feeling. I’m just grateful to be alive and see all of this around me.”
I stood up and walked up to the bed. I took his hand, squeezing it with mine. “I’m grateful too and I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for putting you in the middle of my relationship with Lexi. I had no idea that she was crazy like that and you have no idea how horrible I feel for my mistakes.”
“It’s not your fault. I wouldn’t necessarily say that Lexi was crazy. It’s just that love can make you do some crazy things sometimes. I don’t know if you told her about us or not, but maybe you should have. Then again, it may not have made a difference, because I’m sure that losing a woman like you wouldn’t be easy for anyone.”
“I’m glad you can see it like that, but to me she was crazy.”
I told him about Lexi being shot and killed by the police. I also showed him the numerous stitches I’d gotten from where she stabbed me. He couldn’t believe it. He chuckled and retracted on his statement.
“Maybe she was a bit coo-coo then, but all I’m saying is if the mind isn’t as strong as the broken heart is, you’ll have a problem. My suggestion: Always be honest with people. The truth may hurt, but it’ll set you free every time.”
Keith was so right. We talked for a while longer and I couldn’t help but to think about the secret I was keeping from Kayla. Whether the truth about Cedric and Evelyn would hurt her or not, she needed to know. I wanted to set myself free and get all of what I had known about Evelyn’s and Cedric’s relationship off my chest. I didn’t want a repeat of what had happened to Keith and this time there would be no blood on my hands. With that in mind, I stayed with him for a little while longer. I then prepared myself to go home and tell Kayla the truth.
I bent over Keith’s bed, giving him a lengthy kiss. “I’m getting ready to go home and take care of a few things. I’ll be back tomorrow, okay?”
“That’s fine, but when you come back tomorrow will you do me a favor and bring me something real sweet?”
“Daaang, you got me. What more do you want?”
He chucked a little and held his stomach. “I didn’t know I had all of you, but that’s good to know.”
“All of me and then some. And that’s just a little something that I thought you should know. Now, as for the sweet thing you’re in need of, tell me what you want and I’ll bring it to you.”
“Are you good at baking cakes?”
“It depends on what kind of cake you want. Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker . . . what?”
“Homemade. One of those homemade, buttery pound cakes with that light glaze on top. My grandmother used to bake those all the time. I would love to have one of those.”
“I know exactly what you’re talking about, but you told me to be honest with you, so I will. I can’t go there like that and any cake that I make you will not be homemade. I will do my best to make you one very close to it, and are you sure you’re supposed to be eating that kind of stuff already?”
“I would love to be eating you, but I’m settling right now, all right? Do your best on the cake and I’ll appreciate whatever you bring me tomorrow, even if it’s a Snickers bar.”
I laughed and leaned in to give him another kiss before leaving. On my way home, I stopped at the grocery store to see what I could put together. I wanted to bake the cake from scratch, but I didn’t have a good recipe. I did have my cell phone, though, so I looked up the ingredients on the Internet and filled my cart with the items I needed. I also got Duncan Hines cake mix, just in case the homemade cake didn’t pan out for me.
As I waited in line to pay for my groceries, I spotted Cynthia waiting in another line. She was with another lady I recognized from church, but I didn’t know her name. They appeared to be real chummy with each other. I turned my head to ignore them. What Cynthia had going on wasn’t my business anymore, and it was so funny that I now found myself not attracted to her.
The clerk rang up my groceries and when the bagger put them into my cart I strolled out the door. I put the bags in my trunk, but as soon as I opened my car door, Cynthia came up to me.
“You’re not going to speak,” she said.
“Oh, hey, Cynthia. I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”
“Yes you did. I saw you watching me in there, and don’t be jealous because you were the one who started acting funny with me. You didn’t expect for me to wait around for you to get your act together, did you?”
“No, I really didn’t. And if you’re happy, I’m happy. Just do yourself a favor and come clean with Pastor Clemons. I know the hurt behind what he has done to you is making you this way, but tell him how you’re feeling inside and go to counseling. Maybe the two of you can work things out, maybe y’all can’t. But what you’re doing to yourself is no good. In the end. Somebody may wind up getting hurt.”
Cynthia threw her hand back at me. “I hear enough preaching on Sundays. Thanks for the advice, but save it for someone who needs it. My husband and I will be just fine. I do appreciate your concern for him, especially since you’re in love with his wife. Unfortunately, sweetheart, I’m taken.”
She walked away, sashaying her hips from side to side. The other lady was eyeing me, trying to see what was up. She wasn’t going to catch any hell from me. I was done; finished with that mess, and the only love on my mind right now was Keith.
I entered my apartment, wondering if Kayla would be there. She wasn’t, but I was surprised to see Evelyn standing outside of my door.
“What are you doing here?” I asked in a snobby tone.
“I got a call from Kayla. She wanted me to meet her here so we could talk. I need to get some things off my chest too, so I thought it would be wise to stop by and chat with the both of you.”
Without saying a word, I put the key in the door to unlock it. Evelyn took a seat on the couch while I put up the groceries and went to change into my jeans and a T-shirt. While in my bedroom, I kept rehearsing in my head how I was going to break the news to Kayla about Evelyn and Cedric. Then again, maybe Evelyn was here to do it. She said that she wanted to get some things off her chest, but that could mean anything. I pondered about what I could say to get this mess out in the open, just in case Evelyn wouldn’t step up to the plate.
“They’ve been having sex . . . screwing each other . . . no, fucking,” I mumbled. “He doesn’t love her and I think. . . . no, I want you to stay strong, and screw him. Let them stay together . . . girl, fight for your marriage and to hell with Evelyn.”
I didn’t know how to break it down to Kayla, so I let out a deep sigh and returned to the living room where Evelyn was. Before I could say one word, Kayla came through the door. Her braids were gone and almost all of her hair had been cut off. I was surprised to see her hair shorter than mine, but the nearly bald cut looked decent on her. It showed the roundness of her face more and it also revealed her almond-shaped, pretty eyes. Her eyes showed sadness, though, and I could see the puffiness underneath them. It was obvious that today wasn’t a good day. I assumed that she had just finished meeting with her attorney. Evelyn stood to look at Kayla, but she didn’t say a word.
“So how did it go?” I asked, referring to her meeting.
Kayla appeared to be out of it. She walked slowly into the living room and sat on the couch. “How did what go?”
“The meeting with your attorney. What did he say?”
“I didn’t go. I changed my mind about meeting with him.”
My brows rose as I sat in the chair next to her. Evelyn sat back down too and started to question Kayla. “Why? What changed your mind?”
Kayla moved her head from side to side. “I . . . I just don’t want a divorce. I’m not giving up and I’m going to fight to save my family.”
“Bu
t you can’t save your family, Kayla,” I said. “What’s done is done. Don’t you think you should consider moving on?”
“I am moving on. I’m moving out of here by the end of the week and I’m going back home. I’m going home to be with my husband and son.”
“I don’t think so,” Evelyn said. “That wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“Why not?” Kayla hissed. “And why are you always being so negative?”
Evelyn folded her arms across her chest. “I’m not always being negative, but the question is, Why did you ask me to come here?”
Kayla squeezed her forehead and frowned. “Forget it, Evelyn. I was thinking crazy stuff when I called and told you to meet me here. The truth is, how I feel about you right now doesn’t really matter.”
“Well, it matters to me. And now that we’re all here, I have a few things that I want to say.” She looked at me first. “I apologize for how I treated you at the hospital, but please understand that your news was very hard for me to swallow. I thought about it over and over again. And you know what, Trina? Do you. Who am I to judge you, when I have my skeletons too?”
She was right about that, but I wasn’t worried about my friendship with Evelyn. There was a bigger issue and it revolved around her and Kayla. I figured the day would come when we would reconcile our differences, yet I was surprised that Evelyn had approached me first. Normally, I would be the one who reached out to her.
“Your apology is accepted and I apologize for saying some of the hurtful things that I said to you too. But we all need to stop with the lies. If we’re going to call ourselves friends, then we need to start acting like real friends, instead of haters. Is there anything else that you would like to share with me or Kayla? Now is the time to do it.”
Thank God the direction of Evelyn’s eyes shifted to Kayla. “I don’t know where to start, Kayla, but I owe you an apology too. This is so hard for me to say, but as your best friend, I have betrayed you.”
Kayla appeared out of it. All she did was move her head from side to side and bite her nails.
“I saw you at my house today. I went there to get Cedric to change his mind, but he didn’t want to do it. He said that he didn’t love me anymore, and I can’t believe that he . . . just . . . does not love . . . me . . . anymore.”
Kayla was in a daze. She looked straight ahead and didn’t even turn to look at me or Evelyn. What in the hell was going on?
“What did you see going on between him and Evelyn? Did you see something?” I questioned. Evelyn sat still and waited for Kayla to respond.
Kayla rubbed her hands together and stood up. She paced the floor then stopped to squeeze her forehead. “I didn’t see anything, but something is going on. I can feel it. You know how you have this . . . this eerie feeling inside that something is wrong. He said she was there for money, but I think there’s more to it. I really do, but I just can’t . . . I can’t put my finger on it.”
I was trying to pull this out of Kayla, especially since she was speaking as if Evelyn wasn’t even there. “Well, put your finger on it and touch it. Open your eyes and see it. What are you feeling? Say it, Kayla, say it and don’t lie to yourself anymore. Don’t ignore what you know. Your gut has been telling you things, but you’ve been ignoring it. Rewind the tape and play those images in your head. Ask yourself: What do you see?”
Kayla closed her eyes and tears cascaded down her face. When she opened her eyes, she locked them on Evelyn. “I see Cedric and I see you, Evelyn. I’ve seen the way he looks at you and I’ve seen the way you smile at him. I saw him at your place one day,” Kayla paused, sucked in a deep breath and released it. “And . . . and I saw your earrings and nasty panties in his car. I saw his account where he transferred thousands and thousands of dollars into your account and I . . . I smell the scent of my husband when I walk into your home. So the questions are: Are you fucking my husband, and if so, why didn’t either of my best friends tell me what in the hell has been going on behind my back?”
I sat speechless, figuring that Kayla must have known about my betrayal as a friend too. Evelyn swallowed hard and sat with teary eyes. She blinked and scooted to the edge of the couch. “I’ll answer your question, but for the record, you have never seen my nasty panties in Cedric’s car. Those panties must have belonged to someone else. As I said before, I do owe you an apology—not for fucking your husband, but for allowing him to fuck me and use me to hurt you. For that, I am deeply sorry and I truly hope that you will one day forgive me for interfering in your marriage when I shouldn’t have.”
The room fell silent. Kayla glared at Evelyn without a blink and her fists quickly tightened. My breathing halted and I felt as if cement had been poured over me—I couldn’t move. I could see beads of sweat dotting Evelyn’s forehead and a slow tear slid down her face. The only thing that transformed the moment was the unique ring from Kayla’s cell phone. The sound snapped her out of thoughts and she hurried to answer.
“I’ll call you back, Jacoby,” she said through gritted teeth. Then her face fell flat and her eyes widened. “What! Oh my God! I’ll be there soon! Stay there!”
Kayla cut her eyes at Evelyn and me. She snatched her purse from the table and bolted to the door.
“What happened?” I yelled and jumped from my seat. “Please say something before you go.”
Kayla didn’t respond. The door flung open and slammed against the wall. A cool breeze blew in and I was left standing their counting the mistakes I had made while trying to refer to somebody as a best friend. I was in no position to call myself that and shame on me.
I hurried to call Jacoby, just to see if he would tell me why Kayla rushed out of there. When he answered his phone, I could hear loud cries over the phone.
“What’s wrong, Jacoby?” I rushed to say. “Please tell me what’s happening.”
He gasped and released staggering cries. “My fa—father, Cedric, is dead. I think my mother killed him! She was so upset that she—she killed him!”
I thought about Kayla’s unstable demeanor that was similar to Lexi’s. My mouth opened wide and I dropped the phone, seeing it crash to the floor and break into pieces like our lives.
“What did he say?” Evelyn shouted out to me. “Why are you looking like that?”
I slowly turned my head to look at her. My mouth cracked open and I was now the one in a daze because I feared what Kayla had done.
“She—she killed him. Kayla killed Cedric.”
I was shocked by Evelyn’s reaction. She crossed her legs and shrugged her shoulders. “Like I’ve always said, too much pussy ain’t good for you and a mad pussy is never a good thing. I’m deeply sorry for Kayla’s loss. It’s unfortunate.”
I didn’t bother to respond. I hurried out the door, hoping and praying that we would all recover from our tragedies.
Readers’ Discussion Questions
1. Which one of the BFF’S can you relate to the most and why?
2. Do you think Kayla was wrong for not giving more money to her friends? Why or why not?
3. Do you believe that Trina is gay, or do you think she turned to women because of her past relationship?
4. Was it wise for Kayla to keep the secret about Arnez from Jacoby and Cedric?
5. Cedric blamed Kayla for turning him into the “monster” that he is. Do you believe that her lies made him betray her?
6. Could you ever forgive a friend for sleeping with your husband?
7. If you knew for a fact that one of your friends was sleeping with your other friend’s husband, would you tell her? Why or why not?
8. What are your top requirements for someone to be considered a best friend?
9. Who do you believe shot Cedric?
10. Could you forgive the man in your life for giving you a sexually transmitted disease, even though you didn’t enforce the use of condoms?
Urban Books, LLC
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BFF’S: Best Frenem
ies Forever Series Copyright © 2014 Brenda Hampton
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent of the Publisher, except brief quotes used in reviews.
ISBN: 978-1-6016-2402-4
This is a work of fiction. Any references or similarities to actual events, real people, living or dead, or to real locales are intended to give the novel a sense of reality. Any similarity in other names, characters, places, and incidents is entirely coincidental.
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