Who You Wit'?

by Paula Chase

  How can that happen in four months? she wondered, content to sit there inches from his face, his hands lightly stroking her backside.

  His left hand kept up the gentle stroke as his right hand lifted Mina’s left hand. His thumb rubbed the silver heart-shaped ring on her finger. He grinned. “Just checking.”

  Mina’s brows furrowed. “You thought I was going to stop wearing it?”

  “You know how y’all chicks do.” Brian’s thumb played with the promise ring he’d given her, twisting it around her finger slowly. He gazed at her, his eyes narrowing as if probing into Mina’s mind. “You probably just put it on ’cause you knew I was coming home. I need to do one of those spot inspections on you one day…catch you off guard.”

  Mina chuckled. “And if you do, you’re gonna be all burnt ’cause I’ll have it on.” Her heart did a small happy dance when Brian squeezed her hand lightly and winked. “Shoot, I wish you would come home one day on the fly.”

  He dropped her hand, then gently resumed massaging her lower back. “Yeah, but you know that’s not gonna happen. The season gears up for real after break.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Mina frowned. “Am I gonna see you at all?”

  “Nope. Not until school ends.” He pulled her closer so they were face-to-face, practically sharing his stool. “So you know what that means, right?”

  Mina pushed his chest and feigned pulling away. “Don’t even say something nasty.”

  His face fell in exaggerated offense. “I wasn’t.”

  “Yes, you were,” Mina said, chuckling. She gave up her weak resistance, resumed their face-to-face stance, and put on her best wary tone. “What? What does that mean, Brian?”

  “It means I only have a couple days to tap that ass, so…” He threw his hands up as if to say, “What’s up?”

  He burst out laughing and tugged at Mina as she played mad, pulling away.

  “See, I knew you were gonna say something rude,” she said, untangling herself.

  He grabbed at her, trying to pull her back, but she quickly slipped out of his grip and stood beside his stool.

  “Just for that, I’m making you wait,” she said, even as her body grew warm thinking about being alone with him.

  “Don’t be like that, toughie,” he said, laughing.

  He swiveled in the stool so she was standing between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her and she instinctively put her face up to his for the kiss she knew was coming…then pulled back, smiling.

  “Still making you wait,” she teased before walking off to join the girls and Greg at the Pac-Man game.

  “You so wrong for that,” Brian yelled after her.

  Mina blew him a kiss.

  “Brian, you must have lost your touch,” Jacinta said. “I thought y’all would have been gone.”

  “Your girl on that tease tip,” Brian said. He watched the rowdy game of Madden for a few seconds before standing up and stretching his long legs. He walked over to the more subdued Pac-Man game, bear-hugging Mina from behind. They swayed lightly, side-to-side.

  “Shoot, from what she told me, I’m surprised she didn’t jump you when you picked her up from work tonight,” Jacinta said, her grin sly. She moved away before Mina’s smack could connect.

  “Don’t be telling all my business,” Mina scolded.

  “Actually, Brian, Mina told me that she’s ready to take the pact with me,” Lizzie said. She winked at Mina and they laughed.

  Brian snorted. “What? That abstinence pact?” he hollered over the rising noise. “Todd, you still not handling your business, son?”

  A round of bawdy teasing broke out as the guys gave Todd a hard time for complying with Lizzie’s yearlong virginity pact. Todd took it in stride. The only evidence that he was embarrassed were his hands, first the right then the left, pushing through his unruly hair.

  “She’s the boss,” Todd said, his blue eyes gleaming playfully.

  “Okay, boss,” JZ said, never taking his eyes off the plasma screen. “Liz, you my girl and all, but Todd a better dude then me. I would have stepped on you long ago.”

  “Thanks a lot, Jay,” Lizzie said, scowling.

  “Hmm…Greg not saying nothing,” Jacinta said. “Which means either Kelly broke the pact and gave him some or…”

  “Or, that Greg works out a lot to distract himself,” Greg said. His hand went over Kelly’s on the game’s joystick as he helped her dodge the colorful ghosts hot on her trail.

  Kelly smiled, embarrassed, refusing to join the public discussion of her sex life or lack thereof.

  Todd ran over from the sofa, his hand up for a high five.

  “Dude, that’s what I’m saying,” Todd said. He and Greg exchanged a hand slap. He yelled over to JZ, “See, Greg knows what it’s like to live like a monk. I condition like twice a day so I won’t go serial killer.”

  The clique cracked up at Todd’s animated grimace.

  “That’s why you’re looking so buff,” Mina said.

  Brian kneed the back of her leg lightly. “Oh, so you be checking him out?”

  “Hells yes,” Mina said. She lifted her head for a kiss and Brian leaned over, planting one on her. “Seriously, though. I was like, dang, T is getting huge.”

  With all the action at the back of the room, JZ and Michael put the game on hold and joined them.

  “Ay, I just thought about something,” JZ said. He put his arm around Lizzie. “Liz, keep your stuff on lock because I think it’s helping T’s game.”

  “I know it’s helping my game,” Todd said, his eyes an exaggerated pool of sadness.

  Lizzie put her arms around his waist. “So I improved your game? Cool.”

  She stood on her tiptoes and laid an affectionate peck on Todd’s lips.

  “Son, you mad aggressive on the court lately. I never connected it with your dry spell, though,” JZ said, marveling at the thought. “Maybe I should try that.” He laughed loud and hard. “Sike.”

  The sound of Lil’Wayne penetrated the clique’s laughter. Jacinta pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and the ring tone grew louder, shushing the group.

  “Hey,” she said into the phone, walking away.

  Conversation resumed about Todd’s newfound energy and aggression until Jacinta returned and announced, “I’m getting ready to roll, y’all.”

  JZ’s eyebrow rose. “Where you dipping to?”

  “That was Raheem,” Jacinta said, pushing the cell back into her pocket. “He over at my aunt’s house, so I told him to pick me up. Girlfriend duty calls.”

  Mina caught the hardening of JZ’s stare despite how quickly it came and went. Her stomach rolled at the tension she felt in the fleeting glare and she attempted to joke it off. “Jay, looks like you gotta call one of your little jump offs tonight.”

  “Who said I wasn’t gonna do that anyway?” JZ said, smirking. “I was just waiting for all y’all couples to bounce.”

  “Geez, are you kicking us out?” Lizzie said.

  “Well, you know what they say?” A broad grin spread across JZ’s face. “You don’t have to go home, but you gotta get the hell out of here.”

  Brain dapped him up. “I know that’s right.” He squired Mina toward the stairs. “Let’s dip.”

  Kelly, Greg, Lizzie, and Todd followed behind them in the midst of a chorus of good-byes.

  “That’s messed up about you, Jay,” Mina said over her shoulder.

  He saluted her. Just as she and Brian hit the stairs, she heard Jacinta say, “You gonna walk me out, big head?”

  JZ’s voice came back strong. “For what? You don’t know your way out all of a sudden?”

  Well, that can’t be good, Mina thought. Her stomach took another mini-roll at the edge in JZ’s voice.

  That can’t be good at all.

  DAFINA BOOKS are published by

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  Copyright © 2008 by Paula Chase
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  ISBN: 0-7582-3724-3