Sophisticated Sophomore (Love 101 #2)

by J. Nichole

  Monica sighs and with her eyes downturned she says, “Too bad I obviously can’t have a drink with him. God forbid he finds out my actual age.”

  "Don't worry about that. We are here to have fun." My phone vibrates, and as I check the screen I smile. "It's Chris."

  "Hey, babe. We made it to the hotel and I'm missing you already," I tell him.

  “Yeah I miss you too, but I’m glad you made it safe. How’s the hotel?” Chris asks.

  "Lobby is decent. We are on our way to the room now. There are so many L.U. people here."

  “What hotel did you say you were at again?”

  “At the Hampton Inn.”

  “Alright, go check out the room. Promise me you’ll call me later, okay?”

  “Will do. Love you!”

  “Love you too, Laila.”

  Monica nudges my arm, “Boo missing you already?”

  “Yeah.”

  “We’ll have enough fun to make sure you aren’t sulking all weekend.” Monica knocks on the door to our room. We step through the door, past Jennifer. Monica places her hands on her hips, staring down both Jennifer and Nicole as she says, “You almost blew my cover. Y’all have to be slicker than that if I’m going to get some D this weekend.”

  “Be careful, Monica. That man looked very grown,” Jennifer says in a motherly tone.

  “Let’s act like this is Vegas, so what happens here stays here.” Monica looks at Jennifer, narrowing her eyes. “Alright?”

  “Fine with me. Do what you do. Don’t let me stop the party.”

  The room isn’t lavish, but not a dump either. It has a fresh scent and the furniture is contemporary. Looking at the two beds, I sit my bags down near the bed closest to the door. Nicole is kneeling near the window, digging through her bag, throwing out clothes on the floor as she goes.

  “Nicole, what are you doing?” I say.

  She jumps up, concealing her hands as she walks towards the mini bar. "It's either her or me. Jennifer, if you don't drink this, I will." Extending her arm to hand Jennifer a glass, she winks. "Couldn't come to the classic empty-handed."

  Slowly rubbing her forehead, Jennifer rolls her eyes before snatching the glass from Nicole. “Better be more where this came from.” With two gulps, whatever Nicole poured into the glass is now gone.

  “Don’t worry, if we run out I’m sure Monica’s old man won’t mind being our supplier.”

  “Hopefully that won’t be the only thing he is supplying this weekend,” Monica whispers.

  “Alright, well on that note. What’s first on our agenda?” Hopefully, Monica's promise holds true. I have to stay busy to keep my mind off of Chris all weekend.

  After taking a swig of liquor, Nicole grabs her purse. “Let’s grab lunch. And the lobby was popping. I’m sure we can go down there and mingle after we eat. Then tonight we have to hit a club.”

  Rubbing her belly, with a big smile Jennifer suggests Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles. Without hesitation, we all agree and make our way to the car. I just started losing my freshman fifteen after a summer of strict dieting and exercise, but I can't deny myself chicken and waffles.

  On the drive to the restaurant Nicole acts as our tour guide. Although she isn’t from Atlanta she’s visited more than any of the rest of us. After ten minutes driving through downtown I have counted at least fifteen different Peachtree streets. This is confusing as shit. If I didn't treasure my car I would pull over and let one of the girls drive. Nicole and Jennifer have both been drinking, and Monica has only had a license for a hot minute, so I keep steering.

  "Okay, we should be coming up on it soon. There it is on the right. Just pull into the parking lot." Nicole points in the direction of the restaurant, but instead of the restaurant, I notice all of the homeless people walking around. Nicole looks at me and follows my gaze. "Don't worry about them. They are harmless."

  Piling out of the car we turn the corner from the parking lot and meet the line for Gladys Knight’s. “Guess I wasn’t the only one who wanted the famous chicken and waffles for lunch.” Jennifer looks at us with a cheesy smile. “Hope you don’t mind standing in line.”

  "We are here now, might as well wait." Monica peers ahead, looking at the line. "Besides this is a perfect place to people watch." Eyeing a few queens in front of us dressed to the nines, she winks.

  While we wait, I send a text to Tanya to ask about Josh.

  Laila: Hey girl, do you know if Josh will be at the classic this weekend?

  Almost immediately, Tanya responds.

  Tanya: I don’t know haven’t talked to him in a minute.

  Laila: Alright that’s cool. If I run into him I’ll let you know ;)

  Monica is still people watching and calling out all the crazy outfits on the chicks and queens.

  “I don’t know if we can compete with these girls this weekend.” I point across the street to a group of girls strutting in six-inch heels.

  Jennifer, Monica, and Nicole all look at me and pop their lips. Nicole says, “You don’t have to compete. You have a man!”

  “Damn shawty. You do? I was hoping when we got inside we could join you.”

  I turn around to see a group of guys eyeing us.

  “I do. But my girls here are single.” Judging the reaction of the girls maybe they’d rather I didn’t share that information. Not even Nicole is jumping at the bait to flirt with them. Thankfully, a large group of people exits the restaurant and we are inside at the hostess stand before things get too awkward.

  “Laila, that car looks familiar. I thought Chris was staying in Tallahassee.”

  I turn to look at the car Jennifer is pointing out. “No, that’s not his car. It does look like it though.” I park a few rows over and we head into the hotel. The lobby still hasn’t cleared.

  Monica strolls in front of us before she turns around. "I'm not ready to go back to the room. Who wants to sit in the lobby with me?"

  Nicole glances around and says, “I guess we could relax over there on the couches.”

  “I think I need a nap.” Jennifer rubs her eyes. “That food gave me the itis.”

  I went overboard eating chicken, waffles, yams, and mac and cheese. I’m feeling full too. “I’ll go with you to the room, Jennifer. I could use a nap.”

  “Ah y’all are whack. Sleep is for suckers!” Monica shakes her head. “We are supposed to live it up this weekend.”

  “If I’m going to live anything up I need some rest to hang with y’all. I’ll make sure to eat light the rest of the weekend.” I wink at Monica then walk off with Jennifer.

  “Those too are hot mamas… always on the prowl.” Jennifer laughs.

  The room feels refreshing and the pillow looks enticing. I lie across one bed and Jennifer lies across the other. She grabs the remote and tunes the channel to a movie. “Jennifer, I’m glad we have some time alone.” I roll over on my stomach, resting myself on my elbows. “Are you alright?”

  Jennifer tugs at her ear. “Yeah. I’m good. Why do you ask?”

  "Well, you've been a little uptight since we've been back at school."

  Jennifer turns her head towards the window. “I don’t even know if I want to get into it right now.” She sighs.

  "Get into what? If it makes you feel better I think you should talk about it." I get up and join Jennifer on her bed. "Did something happen at home this summer?"

  Jennifer sits up and as tears roll down her face she starts whispering. “I should have just reported him.”

  Rubbing her back I say, “Your ex?”

  “He did it again. He raped another girl. Except he was brutal.” Sobbing, she collapses on my shoulder.

  I take a deep breath. “You couldn’t have known he would do it again. It was the best thing for you at the time to keep it under wraps.” I pull her face forward to look at me. “You have to forgive yourself.” I wish Nicole had left her liquor. I stand and walk over to the mini bar. I grab a glass and a bottle of water.

  Jennifer lies ba
ck down across the bed and I hand her the glass of water. “Let’s get some rest.”

  Instead of lying on the other bed I join Jennifer and close my eyes. Dear God, give her strength. I listen for Jennifer’s breathing to steady before I let myself rest.

  There's a knock at the door. I look at Jennifer to make sure she isn't disturbed. I slide out of bed and rush to the door. They have the key why are they knocking? As I snatch the door open, ready to curse them out, I am pleasantly surprised.

  “Chris, what are you doing here?” I jump into his arms then pull him through the door.

  “Some of the bruhs decided to take a last minute trip.”

  Looking him over I give him a suspicious look. “But how did you know what room I was in?”

  Laughing, Chris pulls me into a tight hug. “You told me what hotel. I was going to call when we got here but I saw your girls in the lobby.”

  “Your car is outside?”

  He looks at me from the corner of his eye. “How’d you know?”

  “Jennifer pointed it out when we came back from lunch.” Glancing over my shoulder, I say, “Speaking of which, she’s sleeping. I don’t want to wake her.”

  "I should get back to the room. I'm starving, and I think we are heading out. I don't want to keep you from your fun this weekend. Just promise me at the end of the night you'll sleep in my bed?"

  Smiling seductively I whisper, “Promise.”

  Chris turns to walk out of the door, and before I close it behind him he leans down to kiss my forehead. I’m in heaven.

  Still hoping to get in a nap before Nicole and Monica come back to the room I lie across the empty bed.

  Monica and Nicole's laughter is echoing through the room. I rise and throw a pillow over my head. What the hell?

  Nicole plops on the bed beside me. “You’ve been sleeping long enough, ladies.” Half slurring her words she tugs at my pillow. “Waaaake Up!”

  I roll over and just stare at Nicole. “What the hell have you been doing?”

  Monica staggers from the bathroom.

  "We met new friends." Monica lies out on the floor. "Oh and we saw your boo. Jennifer was right, that was his car outside." She burps. "I'm ready to hit the club." Just as she says 'club' her head hits the floor.

  “Damn Monica. Are you okay?” Jennifer finally stirs, getting a glimpse of the room.

  “I’m okay.” Monica rolls over on her back. “I’m okay.”

  “Tell us about these friends you met.” Eyeing Nicole I try to will her to focus.

  “We met a few guys in the lobby from A&T. They were having a little get together in their room.” Her eyes close. “They have a suite.” She smiles with her eyes slightly closed. “It’s nice.”

  “Okay, well maybe you two need to take a nap and sleep off a bit of that liquor they shared with you. We can’t go to the club with you both this drunk.”

  Jennifer laughs. “Monica, we are corrupting you. Your parents thought you were in good hands with us.”

  Jennifer and I glance over at Monica as she snores. I toss the throw blanket on top of Monica and lay Nicole across the bed. I crawl over Nicole and snuggle with the pillow. I’d much rather be cozied up next to Chris.

  Chapter Three

  “Damn do you see that line?” Nicole yells over the music. “It is at least ten times longer than the line at Gladys'.”

  As I circle the parking lot for the third time, the girls are getting antsy. Jennifer, who has probably had a few swigs of Nicole’s drink, is hanging out the window. “How about we hop out and get in line while you find a spot.”

  “By myself?” They must be crazy if they think I’m going to be the designated driver and walking a mile by myself.

  Monica leans forward and says, “I’ll stay in the car. Let these two out.” I pull up to the end of the line and let Jennifer and Nicole out of the car. Monica gets in the front seat. “Okay, earlier I had too much to drink but I’m chilling tonight.” I smile at Monica and keep circling the parking lot. “With these heels on I don’t want to walk too far but there was a public parking lot a couple of blocks back, maybe we should check it out.”

  Sighing, I turn the car around and head towards the parking lot. “Didn’t I teach you last year to bring flats in your bag?”

  Monica laughs. We finally find a parking spot and start walking towards the club. The streets are packed and extra lively. “We don’t even need to stand in line for the club. I’m sure we could have just as much fun out here.”

  “We’ll have a hard time convincing drunk and drunker to stay out here though.” Monica gives me a concerned look. “What’s up with Jennifer? We told her to chill out and she has really chilled out.”

  Monica knows about Jennifer’s situation with her ex-boyfriend, but it’s not my business to share about her issue. “When we get back to Tallahassee we should all sit down and have a talk.” I scrunch my nose and shrug my shoulders.

  “Spill it. You are the worst at lying. I know you have more information than you are sharing.” Monica stops in the middle of the sidewalk, prompting the people behind us to walk in the street to get around us.

  "Maybe I do, but I'm not saying anything. Let's go. We still have a block before we get back to the club."

  Groaning, Monica keeps walking. The line to the club is still winding down the street. Monica calls Nicole to find them in the line. At the front of the line I see a group of Ques with their gold boots and camouflage pants. I should have asked Chris where he was going to be tonight.

  "They are almost at the front of the line. Nicole said the line is moving fast, so we need to hurry and get to them." We walk as fast as our heels will allow. "By the time we get in I won't be able to do anything but sit my ass down."

  “Shit, my heels are nothing in comparison and I’ll need to sit down too.” The girls are waving as we get close. Jennifer is leaning against the wall but hops up with excitement as we slip in the line. A few minutes later and we are finally in the club. When Monica flashes her driver’s license, the lady at the door stops us.

  “Honey, you aren’t eighteen. You can’t get in.”

  The guy behind us speaks up. “Shannon, I think we can make an exception tonight, at least for this one.” Smiling at us, he squeezes by and signals us to follow.

  Loyal is playing, and before we can say thank you, the mystery man has disappeared. Jennifer leads us to the dance floor and bumps up to the sexiest group of guys I’ve ever seen. One of the guys slides in behind Jennifer and Jennifer takes it up a notch.

  The other guys try to pair up with us, but I succeed at keeping my distance. Up close, I see the guy moving in is definitely a looker. Smooth skin, straight teeth, and a fresh edge-up. He is gorgeous. He must have noticed me backing away. Leaning into my ear he says, “Don’t worry about your boyfriend tonight ma. I’m not trying to take you from him.” Smiling he slowly licks his lips. “Unless you want me to.” My mind goes numb.

  I feel a tug on my arm that breaks my trance. “I need to take a seat.” Whispering in my ear Monica says, “And you need to step away before you get in trouble.”

  We wind through the dance floor to the back of the club in search of a table. In the middle of the dance floor we see the group of Ques from the line. Moving past them I can’t help but check them out. I halt when I see Chris. Monica stops and follows my stare, and then turns to me, grabbing my shoulders. “They are just dancing.”

  The hell they are. That’s the same way he gyrated on me the night we met. "Hell naw. Just dancing would have a bit more space between it." Monica tries to pull me off the dance floor but not before Sean catches me walking away. I think I saw a grin on his face. That bastard would probably be happy to see me hurt.

  "Laila, are you going to be okay? Maybe being in the same club as your boyfriend is asking for trouble." Monica sits me down on a barstool.

  “Maybe I need a drink.” Looking around at the guys surrounding us I look for the one who would be willing to buy me a drink.
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  “Uh, the purpose of a designated driver is to stay sober.”

  Tapping the arm of the guy beside me, I smile sweetly at him. “I’m thirsty, care to buy me a drink?”

  He laughs but then asks, “What would you like to quench your thirst?”

  “Whatever you are having is fine.”

  “You may not want this.” He holds his glass at my eye level. “It’s a Hennessy straight up.”

  “You’re right. I’ll take a Long Island.”

  “I never took you for the jealous type.” Pulling my face to look at her, Monica shakes her head. “As long as Chris isn’t taking that chick to the room after the club you should be good.”

  “Except I’m in the club acting like I have a boyfriend. Did you see that dude? He was sexy as hell but I avoided getting close.”

  Monica sighs. “I’m getting nowhere with you. Drink up.”

  “Thank you,” I say to the guy next to me. “What’s your name? I think once I’ve finished my drink I’ll owe you a dance.”

  “I’m Matthew, and you?”

  “Laila.”

  “I’m headed to the dance floor. Catch me out there.”

  I bypass my straw and throw my Long Island to the back of my throat. Taking a long breath, I climb off of the barstool and head back to the dance floor.

  Monica snatches my arm. “No ma’am, not that way. Let’s go this way.” I reluctantly follow her. I don’t want to see Chris dancing with that girl. But I do want to see him dancing with that girl.

  Before we can get back to Nicole and Jennifer, a group of guys is fighting in front of us. This night couldn’t get any worse.

  Grabbing Monica’s arm, I guide her around the guys and we find Nicole and Jennifer. Jennifer and the guy are still dancing. Monica grabs Nicole and whispers in her ear. Before I can object, we are leaving the club, with the guys following behind us like sick puppies.

  When we get outside of the club, Jennifer exchanges numbers with her guy, and then catches up with us. “Just when we were starting to have fun.” She looks at me and laughs. “You better be glad I love you.”