Choosing Sides

by Treasure Hernandez

  Flint

  Book #1 Choosing Sides . . .

  Treasure Hernandez

  www.urbanbooks.net

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Flint - Book #2 Working Girls

  Copyright Page

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  For and foremost, I’d like to thank God for the abundance of blessings He’s bestowing me; It is with His love and guidance from which my peace flows.

  I’d like to thank Carl Weber and my girl, Arvita Glenn, for this opportunity of a lifetime to follow my dreams. Shout outs to all my brothers and sisters on lockdown. Though things may seem bleak now, please believe the sun will soon shine, so hang in there, keep it real and keep it positive. I’m looking forward to coming out in two years, but until then, holla at a sister.

  Treasure Hernandez

  c/o Urban Books

  1199 Straight Path

  West Babylon, NY 11704

  Love & peace,

  Treasure

  Chapter One

  “There go your boy,” Nikki whispered to Halleigh as they sat in the cafeteria watching Malek Johnson lope into the room.

  Halleigh glanced up, and her thin, glossy lips were instantly graced with a smile at just the sight of him. Malek stood out like a Hollywood celebrity against the crowd of Flint Central High School students milling about the lunchroom. At six feet, five inches tall and well-built, it wasn’t just his clean-cut, Sean John look, but he also had a charismatic presence that commanded nothing but the utmost respect. And he received it. He also had a smile that melted the panties off many females throughout the school, with the exception of Halleigh Walters.

  Yeah, Mr. Malek might have looked good and all, draped in his blue, gray, and white plaid Sean Jean button-up and his midnight blue Sean John jeans, and any other girl would have been happy to stitch his name on her “Vickie” panties. But Halleigh, in her own gentle presence, demanded her own respect, and she couldn’t get it by becoming just another shoestring hole in his Jordan’s, to be laced up with all those other tricks he’d been with. She had to show that she was a different kind of breed and unlike those other hoodrats he’d fucked with before.

  After realizing that she was smiling just like some of those other groupies that couldn’t wait for him to pass them by just so they could get high off of his lingering scent, Halleigh quickly got rid of it and replaced it with the twisting up of her lips and a shrug of her shoulders. “Yeah, I see him,” she said nonchalantly. She poked at the entrée that the school cook referred to as spaghetti, but from what she could see, it was just a bunch of noodles with a couple hunks of ground burger here and there. And the last time she checked, spaghetti had sauce.

  Nikki told her, “Girl, all I can say is that you crazy. I would’ve been gave that nigga some, if I was you. You know he’s going to the league. You need to be trying to have his baby. That NBA money will have you set for life.”

  As she spoke, Nikki watched Malek’s every move. His popularity was evident. His confident swagger not only demanded Halleigh’s and Nikki’s attention, but everyone grinned and called out his name as he passed, like the act of saying his name alone made them part of his dream—the one to escape the ghetto. He was the number one high school basketball prospect in the state. In the world, for all they knew.

  The students acted like paparazzi or would-be agents.

  “Waddup? Malek, you the man.”

  “Malek, did you decide where you gon’ go yet?”

  “Malek, you gon’ sign if you get drafted?”

  Malek worked the crowd, slapping hands with some of his teammates that stood in his path; a path that one would think should have been laid out with a red carpet. He gave dap to other classmates and pounds to a few of his friends he’d grown up with. Without missing a beat, he bobbed his head to an invisible rhythm, as a five-person BET camera crew followed his every move.

  Malek was expected to be the number one pick in the upcoming draft, and he was high from all the attention he had been receiving over the past couple of weeks. Malek hadn’t decided if he would enter the league or if he would try his hand at college first, and the anticipation over his decision was killing sports fans all across the country. Malek was the man of the hour, and everybody wanted a piece of him. Even Halleigh wanted a piece of him, literally. She could just taste him, but would never dare to let that little fact be known.

  “Shut up, Nikki,” Halleigh snapped. “It’s not like that with me and him. I’m not trying to trap anybody. I just like being around him.”

  “Just like being around him? Girl, you better do more than just be around that nigga. Hell, a fly buzzing around his head is just being around him. You better give him some of that thing right there”—Nikki pointed to Halleigh’s girlhood—“before the next chick steals on your man.” Nikki looked around the cafeteria at the damn-near drooling chicks. “These scandalous bitches don’t just see a good-looking brotha when they look at Malek. They see dollar signs. They practically begging him to fuck with them.” Nikki was seriously trying to put her friend up on game. Shit, I’d throw some pussy his way if I thought he would take it, she thought to herself.

  Nikki flipped her long hair out of the way before taking a bite of her roll that accompanied the spaghetti. Her dark brown locks were wavy now, after having worn her hair in French braids for the last week. Against her dark brown, smooth skin her hair made her look exotic, like she was from the islands or something. She was gorgeous. A chocolate delight, to say the least. Standing at average height, around five foot, six inches, Nikki was also of average size, a twelve in winter months and a ten in the summer months. She made it a point to shed any extra pounds she had accumulated in the winter months by the time the school year was up. She had to look good in a two-piece for whenever she went to the pool. All the ballers hung out at the pool, on the prowl for a summer bunny, which meant for some lucky female, three months of shopping, eating out, and as a bonus, maybe they’d even get a tennis bracelet. She had managed to earn two since her ninth grade year. And if her best friend played her cards right with Malek, she too could begin her collection. That’s why she had to come to her from the hip, letting her know that if she didn’t show her hand, another bitch might trump her ass.

  “I’m not worried about the next girl,” Halleigh said. “I know what me and Malek got. He ain’t worried about nobody else but me. It’s me and him against the world.”

  Halleigh was, in fact, as confident as she sounded. Ever since she first met Malek back in eighth grade, long before he became the high school basketball star that he was today, he had always been nothing but kind and respectful to her. Back then, they had shared a history class together when the two of them, along with two other students, were placed in a group to work on a project together. At the time, Malek was kicking it with some girl named Nessa, but his attraction to Halleigh was evident from the way he stared at her whenever she was discussing something about the project. Malek was fine,
and no girl in her right mind wouldn’t have had a mutual attraction. But what really drew Halleigh to him was the fact that he never came on to her. She assumed it was because he respected his relationship with Nessa.

  After their history class together, Malek and Halleigh didn’t really talk much, but whenever they passed each other in the halls, the unspoken attraction took up the space between them. Even after Malek and Nessa broke up, when other girls would swarm him, trying to be his next chick, Halleigh never pushed up on him. She figured if he wanted her, he’d come to her; she shouldn’t have to chase after no man.

  By the same token, with all the girls chasing after him, Malek felt that if Halleigh was interested in being his girl, then she would show her interest by doing the same thing the other girls were doing, but she didn’t. So Malek did go on to kick it with plenty of other girls before finally, in eleventh grade, putting his pride aside and going after Halleigh and making her his one and only.

  When they first got together all kinds of whispers and rumors made the rounds of the school. “Girl, he just gon’ screw you and dump you like he did all them other girls.”

  “Don’t get comfortable. He loves ’em and leaves ’em.”

  “If all the other chicks didn’t have what it takes to keep him, what makes you think you do?”

  “I hear he’s sleeping with you and every other girl in the school.”

  And although, in most cases, the gossip might have gotten to other couples and put a dent in their relationship, it only made Halleigh and Malek more bound and determined to prove everybody wrong.

  Halleigh never let the rumors that Malek was fucking so-and-so get to her. Some of the girls started the rumors themselves, just to try and break up the couple so that they could have dibs, but it never worked. And it never convinced Halleigh to give up her own virginity just so she could keep her man.

  “Yeah, all that is cool, but you never gonna lose that cherry if you keep waiting for shit to happen. You have to make shit happen.” Nikki eyeballed Halleigh with a knowing look.

  “Yeah, whateva.” Halleigh tossed her hair flippantly. Her hair wasn’t as long as Nikki’s, but it was a good length, to her shoulders. Halleigh always wore it flat-iron straight with feathered side bangs down her face. Light skinned and not as gorgeous as Nikki or as tall, she was still cute in the face. Cute enough to have Malek sniffing behind her for all those years, anyway. And she had a nice figure that was lean and toned, but meaty and thick in all the right places.

  Somewhat peeved, Halleigh arose from the table and made her way over to Malek. Halleigh didn’t care what Nikki said. She didn’t see her with any steady boyfriend, so what did she know? All those drawers she had dropped, and where was her man? Doesn’t matter how beautiful a girl is on the outside, if niggas know that everybody done been inside, they ain’t trying to make her wifey. And although Halleigh loved Nikki like a stepsister, she was the prime example of why she hadn’t given it up. She wanted to make sure that when she did have sex, it would be with someone who she knew loved her for her and not for what was between her legs. And last night, she had come to the conclusion of who that person was.

  After making her way to Malek, Halleigh quickly took her place under one of his arms. He introduced her to the world as he gazed into the cameras. “This is my girl, Halleigh.” He looked down at her and kissed her on the forehead. “This is my boo.”

  This time, Halleigh let the smile stay painted on her lips as she mouthed, “Hi” to the cameras and waved. Standing by Malek’s side while he was being interviewed, she was so glad she’d worn her orange designer dress to school that day. She couldn’t stop smiling if someone had paid her. Every time she was around him, she felt lucky to be a part of his life.

  Standing there together in front of the cameras, they were in sharp contrast to one another. He was tall and slim; she was short and thick. He was a dark sienna brown, and she was a rich persimmon color. He was full of personality and animated, and she was laid-back and plain.

  Even though Halleigh looked innocent, a lot of people thought that she was a freak behind doors, that usually it was the quiet ones that you had to look out for. So they figured Malek was probably only with her for what she could do for him behind closed doors. And a lot of people also thought that she was only with Malek because of his promising future, but she knew the deal. She was with him because she loved him. They had been dating since their junior year and were friends long before that, not to mention he knew her like no one else did.

  Halleigh stood by him until the end of his interview, and then they strolled out of the cafeteria together. He kissed the top of her head as they made their way down the hallway. “So what’s all that you were talking on the phone last night?” Malek asked. He couldn’t wait for the opportunity to bring up that conversation today. He needed to make sure that his conversation last night with her wasn’t just a dream, or that she hadn’t been half-’sleep when she’d called him up late last night.

  Halleigh blushed. She thought back to the conversation she’d had with him the night before. The phone call she’d made after coming to the conclusion that Malek really did love her for her and not just for the sex. Because she hadn’t given him any. But now she wanted to. She knew deep down inside that she didn’t have to have sex to keep him. She wanted to have sex with him because she loved him. So, before she could coward out and second-guess herself, after midnight she’d made this call telling him how much she loved him. And after he confirmed his love for her, something she already knew, she promised him that she would give him her virginity the night of the championship game, which was that night.

  She’d held out for the entire two years that they had been dating and felt like it was time to take their relationship to the next level. They would be graduating soon. They would be adults and would no longer have to put up with all the childish he-said, she-said and rumors that high school life entailed. And although she hated to admit it, Halleigh was also beginning to take heed to Nikki’s warnings.

  Now that they would be leaving the high school life behind, there would be the real world. She’d be up against real women. She didn’t want to give another girl room to take her place. She wanted Malek to be completely satisfied with her, mind and body. “Can I ask you a question?” she inquired right when the school bell rang.

  Malek stopped walking, once the two stood at his locker. “You know you can ask me anything.” He fumbled around with his lock, trying to put in his combination, but was unsuccessful.

  Halleigh, who knew the combination, operated the lock for him and successfully unlocked it. While Malek opened up his locker and began shifting through it, she glimpsed around at the throngs of student flowing throughout the high school corridor. She made sure no one was within earshot then said, “I’m not saying that I don’t want to, because I do.” She inhaled a deep breath. “But ... if we didn’t have sex, if I never called you last night and told you that I would, you know . . . would you leave me?” Halleigh’s face scrunched up and worry tinged her voice. “I mean, with all those college girls out there, or just women, period.”

  Malek looked down at her as she lowered her head and tried to avert his stare. He placed his finger on her lips to silence her. “Is that what you really think? I mean, is that what you think”—he gently poked her heart with his finger—“and not what somebody is putting in your ear?” Malek knew how other broads were, how they liked to get into other girls’ ears who weren’t out sexin’ everybody like they were.

  Halleigh didn’t reply.

  Malek, after getting everything he needed from his locker, closed it and continued talking. “Hal, you don’t have to do nothing you don’t want to do.”

  “I know, I know, but I don’t want none of these other chicks offering you something that I’m not giving you. Eventually, you will get what you want from someone else,” she whispered, clutching her books to her chest. “It’s not like you ain’t gotten it before.” She turned to walk toward her next
class, her eyes watering from the very thought of Malek choosing another girl over her. None of that stuff had ever bothered her before, but now, all of a sudden, and now that life after high school was approaching, she couldn’t shake off the thoughts as easily as before.

  “It’s not like that with us,” Malek tried to assure her, as they walked side by side. “I thought I’ve shown you that by now. I’m not trying to fuck with nobody but you. These girls only chasing after me because they think I’m about to come into some money. I know where your head is at. I had to chase after you, remember?” he said in a playful manner. He lifted her chin while the two continued walking down the hall. “I’m gon’ be with you always. I’m with you for you, the same way that you are with me for me. I know that if all the material shit that comes along with being a basketball star is gone tomorrow, you would still be here holding me down.” Malek stopped walking. Then his tone became serious. “You the only one who really cares about me on the inside. Everyone else just wants to use me and get a piece of me.”

  Halleigh stood still next to her man, absorbing his every word.

  “I love you, Hal, and I’ll wait as long as you need me to. I’m not going to lie, I know you mentally and emotionally, but I’m trying to know you physically too. But, baby girl, I’ll wait until you are comfortable. You’re my world, you know that. At least, I thought you did.”

  Halleigh stared into her man’s eyes, searching for congruency between what his eyes said and the words his mouth uttered. His eyes didn’t crinkle teasingly like they did when he was joking with her. He was dead serious. It was more than just his eyes that told the truth. Halleigh could hear the sincerity behind his words, and in her heart, she knew that after the game that night, she would be in his bed. “I know, I know,” she replied.

  “So you gon’ let me get up in that or what?” he whispered in his ear, pushing her hair behind her double-pierced ears that held the diamond studs he’d purchased for her as a birthday gift.