“Nandy, wanna go next?” Travis quipped, moving things along.
“Shot,” I decided, not wanting to take a chance with truth and too lazy to accept a dare.
“My type of woman.” Travis passed his flask to me.
Upon taking a sip of the harsh liquor, I found myself coughing. Call me a lightweight, but I was a cooler type of girl, something fruity and simpler than beer, straight liquor, or even worse, vodka. Yuck.
“Now, how about—”
“I’m calling who’s next,” Chad cut Travis off. “Tyson, how about you go?”
Tyson lifted a brow as he peered at my boyfriend. Despite him hating being called by his first name by anyone other than me, he kept his cool. “Truth.”
“Why the hell are you here? Why aren’t you home ‘chilling with the homies’ in Lindenwood?” Chad’s tone was icy.
I sat up and held my hand out to Tyson. “Don’t answer that.”
“Why not? We all wanna know,” Chad went on.
Everyone looked between Tyson and Chad, waiting for an outcome.
“That was two questions,” Tyson finally said.
Chad shrugged. “Take your pick.”
His jaw clenched, but Tyson answered, “I got shot, and had to move.”
The confession gathered a few murmurs and looks of judgment around the bonfire. None of us had known anyone who had dealt with such an extreme. Looks of doubt ran across some faces, namely Chad’s.
Chad snorted. “You got shot? I’m guessing they had bad aim, then, huh?”
He’d gone too far, especially considering Tyson’s father’s aim had been deliberate in killing his mother.
Tyson’s nostrils flared as he kept his focus on Chad. Chad sat nonchalant, unafraid of the enraged bull he’d just flashed red at.
The more the two of them stared at each other, the more it seemed like they were silently daring the other to make a move.
Eventually, it was Tyson who suddenly stood and walked off, leaving the bonfire.
“If you can’t take the heat,” Chad mumbled as he looked at his friends.
Fed up, I pushed my boyfriend. “You didn’t have to do that. You’re being a jerk!”
Chad glared at me. “Well, you’re my girlfriend, so I guess I’m your jerk.”
I got up and went after Tyson, who had stopped a few yards away and seemed to be collecting himself. “Hey.”
With his eyes closed, he inhaled deep then slowly exhaled, as if focusing to calm himself down. “Hey.”
“Listen, he’s just an asshole sometimes. I’m sure if you two actually talked or something...” But then, I wasn’t so sure. From the moment they’d met, there’d been tension between them.
Tyson opened his eyes. “Would you be mad if I hauled off and beat his ass?”
I shouldn’t have, but I laughed just a little. “Maybe a tiny bit.” I displayed the amount with my thumb and finger.
Tyson cracked a smile. “I don’t belong here, and I’m never going to fit in.”
“That’s not true.”
His gaze was on Shayne. “Only a few people don’t care. The rest, they do.”
I bit down on my lip, watching him watch her. “Go.”
Tyson shifted his attention to me. “Huh?”
“Go and be with her,” I told him. “She doesn’t care about Lindenwood, or any of this. I’m sure sitting there with her would be a whole lot better than sitting there with us.”
Tyson appeared thoughtful before he nodded his head. “See you at home?”
My heart sank. “Yeah.”
He walked away and sat with Shayne. She laid her head on his shoulder, and they stayed like that, remaining quiet, it seemed from where I stood.
With nothing else to do, I put my tail between my legs and went back to my group.
25 | Trice
The Smiths were running around in a frenzy. It was the night of cotillion, and everyone had descended into madness. Max kept yelling out things from a checklist as she meandered through the house, and Parker and Nandy were like a couple of marionettes obliging.
I sat in the family room, writing in my composition book about my youth. I had to admit, Lydia might have been onto something. It felt calming to get my thoughts out. Chronicling my earliest memories put everything into perspective for me. From what I could recollect, I started with preschool and how I vividly remembered being the quiet one, how Tyson and my mother once sat down with a counselor to see if anything was wrong with me, because I was so introverted. My mother thought I just needed to come out of my shell on my own and meet someone who was going to help me. Tyson thought I was strange.
By the time I turned five, things had gotten bad between my parents, and Pops came and started taking me with him into Pacific Hills to landscape. I could remember being dressed in a sweater and khakis and feeling out of place. Pacific Hills was full of the uppity type, the kind of folk you had to stay polite and clean around. I followed Pops silently as he went from house to house doing yard work and greeting the few friends he’d made.
Then came time to do the Smiths’ yard.
I would remember it for as long as I lived. Pops had me standing beside him, strong and up-front. Max had come to the door prepared to go somewhere, but she’d stopped to smile at Pops and then at me, and unlike the others from Pacific Hills, Max had meant her smile. I didn’t smile back, but I nodded and greeted her with a hello.
Then, I looked over and I saw her.
Peeking out from behind their front door was a little girl. Her curious dark eyes lingered all over me, as if she had never seen a boy before, and I had to admit I was curious to see what she looked like as well.
Thank God for Max, because she looked back and opened the door wider and revealed the little girl who had been spying.
And there was Nandy.
The cushion next to me filled with a body, and I pulled away from my writing to find Jordy joining me on the sofa. We were both dressed and ready to go, but Jordy’s hair was kind of a mess. I just knew that Max was going to throw a fit about it. She had stressed all week about wanting us all presentable, one reason that I’d gotten a haircut from the local barber with Ashley on Tuesday. Though I admired Jordy’s careless approach as he lay back on the couch revealing that he was wearing sneakers with his dress pants.
“Writing in your diary again?” he asked as he began thumbing his handheld.
I shook my head. “It’s not a diary.”
“Do you write your thoughts in it?”
“Some.”
“Tales from events in your life?”
“Yes.”
“Then, dude, it’s a diary.”
I eyed the little pest beside me. “No, it’s not.”
“Say it’s a diary and I’ll let you play with this during the ceremony,” Jordy said as he waved an extra handheld.
I snatched it from him and tossed him a smile. “You were saying?”
Jordy grinned and went back to his game.
We both were going to be bored out of our minds.
I tried refocusing on my composition, but I was stuck on Nandy. Where to begin. How to describe her. How to give depth to what I felt—and felt for her.
Even if the composition was for my own personal viewing, I wanted to write Nandy right. She was my past and my present, and the words needed to do her justice.
As if summoned by my mind’s jumbled confusion, Nandy appeared in the doorway. She had gotten her hair done Monday morning, and she stood before Jordy and me with all the added length pulled up in a bun as she wore a dress that hugged every bit of her, accentuating her hourglass figure. Her brown face was void of makeup at the moment, making her look more youthful and pretty.
Quickly, I jotted down a note in my composition about Nandy’s features.
“What are you two
doing?” Nandy asked as she eyed her brother and me.
“Trice is writing a diary entry,” Jordy said as he snuck me a clever smile.
I shook my head. “It’s not a diary.”
“What are you writing about?” Nandy wondered.
“You.”
Nandy took in a breath, and I had no clue what she was thinking as she stood there, staring at me. Things were once again off between us. She wasn’t upset this time, just distant.
To be honest, it felt like one big mind fuck. It was like Nandy wanted something from me, and I had no clue what. Everything I did was wrong, and it was frustrating walking on eggshells around her all the time.
The doorbell rang, and the three of us migrated to the front door, just as Parker and Max also headed in that direction.
The bell rang a few more times, as if the person behind it was in a rush to get inside.
Parker opened the door, and in a blur of white fabric, Shayne stormed in.
Her hair was a mess. Tracks from her extensions were falling out, like she’d pulled on them. Her face was wet from her tears, and she was carrying a big ball of white puff that was probably her cotillion dress.
Like the mother figure she was, Max stepped forth and went in close to console Shayne. “What’s going on?”
Shayne’s pretty face crumbled. “He canceled.”
I frowned. Her father had ditched her, on a night like this, her night?
She began to sob and wipe her eyes. “He promised, Max!”
Parker went over to rub Shayne’s back. “Hey, it’s okay. Why don’t you come with us? I’ll be your escort.”
Shayne’s shoulders began to shake with her melancholy. “I’m not going.”
Max sighed. “Shayne—”
“No! I’m not going, because nobody wants me. Nobody cares about me!” She took off for the staircase, her sobs echoing behind her.
Max, Parker, and Jordy stared at the staircase, while Nandy and I both took the initiative to go after Shayne.
Max cut us off, facing the both of us. “You can’t be late.”
I went to step around her. “I’m not debuting.”
Max cut me off once more. “But Nandy is. You two go on, and I’ll stay here with Shayne.”
Nandy frowned. “Mom, I can’t. Shayne would drop cotillion in a heartbeat for me. It won’t be the same without her.”
“And just like I would with Shayne, I’d be highly disappointed in you for missing out on this. You are going to your cotillion.” Max turned to me. “All of you.”
Saying no more, she turned and went up to find Shayne.
Parker scratched at his head. “She’ll handle that. Let’s get going so Nandy can get ready.”
“Can I take my own car?” I asked.
Parker opened his mouth, but Nandy stepped up beside me. “Yeah, can we ride together?”
Parker studied the both of us and held up a finger. “You better show up.”
“We will,” Nandy assured.
Parker took Jordy and led him out of the house, and I calmed myself down from the annoyance of Nandy bogarting her way into my car.
She gathered her dress and met me at the door, stopping to study my face.
“You were gonna stay and be with her, weren’t you?” she asked.
I fished my keys from my pocket. “Doesn’t matter now, does it?”
Nandy frowned and stared down at the linoleum. “Go. Be with her. I’ll hitch a ride with Edi and the Gómezes.”
I rolled my eyes and made my way out to my car. “Just drop it. You’ve already ruined it. If we don’t show up together, I’m fucked.”
Nandy’s frown increased, but she said nothing as she went and got in the passenger side.
She had pissed me off. I couldn’t stand her constant games. She barely spoke to me, and when Shayne came around, she got needy and selfish. She couldn’t have her damn cake and eat it, too.
In the car, I turned the radio to a hip-hop station and hoped to drown out my annoyance with the emcee’s rhymes.
“Who is this?” Nandy asked in a small voice.
I blinked away some tension. “Wale.”
She looked at the radio. “You like him?”
I bobbed my head. “He’s poetic, has a message, deeper shit than what’s poppin’ on the radio most days.”
Nandy gave a small smile. “You sound like Erica. She’s stuck-up with her hip-hop.”
That was one thing I liked about Erica. She was bougie with her music, and I didn’t blame her. It was nice to be around someone who didn’t care about the beats and was more for the lyrics.
“Yeah, she has good taste.”
“I like this song,” Nandy said as she started to nod along to the radio. My anger lessened at the fact that she was off-beat, but it was kinda cute that she was trying.
That was another thing about Nandy—she was too damn cute. That was why I had always done whatever she said when we were kids.
“Yeah, he’s pretty dope,” I said.
“I’m sorry I ruined your plan.” Nandy fiddled with her hands in her lap. “I wanted to stay too, but I do have to go. My mom would kill me. We spent so much on my dress, not to mention all the preparations and planning I helped out on all year. I can’t not go.”
I shrugged. “It’s whatever. Max’ll take care of her.”
The car went silent, and the hip-hop station remained playing to fill the void.
“This summer has been a mess and it’s my fault,” Nandy confessed. “I’ve been so hot and cold, you must think I’m insane.”
Got that right. “Summer ain’t over yet. Still time to turn into a normal person.”
“Stop it.”
“I’m serious.” To ease the tension, I flashed her a smile.
We’d arrived at the venue, and I was behind a row of cars waiting to be checked in. Seeing all the families heading inside caused me to sigh and wish I’d grabbed Jordy’s handheld before I left.
“Has the summer been completely awful?” Nandy wondered.
Despite being in the Hills, my summer was straight. I had Travis and the guys. Shayne as well, not to mention late-night video game contests with Jordy. It felt so normal and healthy compared to before. It was like I’d fallen into a parallel universe and was a new Tyson Trice.
“No,” I admitted, “it hasn’t.”
“Wh-when are you happiest?” Nandy asked without looking at me.
I shook my head. “That’s not fair.”
Finally, she faced me. “Why not?”
“Because I feel like you want me to say when I’m with you, and it’s not fair. Shayne has been there for me, Travis too, and—”
Nandy opened her door as I pulled up to the valet. “Just forget I asked.”
She was out of my car fast, and I had to race to get to her as I handed off my keys to the valet.
I had my arms around her waist, halting her en route as I finally caught her inside the entrance. “Stop.”
Nandy frowned. “Just let it go, Tyson.”
I made her look at me. “What do you want from me, Nandy?”
She peered up at me, her lips parting as she took in my face and her gaze trailed to my mouth. Just as quickly as she examined my lips, her gaze darted back up to mine. Her lips trembled as if she wanted to say something.
“What’s going on?” Glancing over, and I found Chad assessing Nandy and me.
Nandy wiped her eyes and moved away from me. “Nothing. Shayne came over and was upset, and it was just this thing.”
At first Chad seemed skeptical, and then he nodded. “Yeah, what can you expect, she has a flare for the dramatics.”
I really did not like him. “Shayne isn’t dramatic.”
He smirked at me. “Oh?”
“No, she’s not.
”
He rolled his eyes. “I don’t get it. First you’re defending my girl, and now you’re defending your own. Make up your mind, Tyson.”
That was the last time he was going to call me that.
I began to walk over to him to knock the sneer off his face.
Only, Travis appeared and held me back.
“Easy,” he said gently. “This is a big event, and people know where you’re from. They expect this kind of shit. Don’t feed into it.”
“That’s right, teach him how we do things outside of the streets,” Chad said as he glared at me.
Travis closed his eyes and took in a breath through his nose, trying to hold his composure. And then he shrugged. “Fuck it.” In seconds he was nose to nose with Chad, insulting him with a few choice words. “Why don’t you go fuck yourself, Firecrotch.”
I was both amused and baffled at Travis’s insult, but not distracted enough to let him get a lick at Chad before me.
Quickly, I pulled Travis back. “I can’t kick his ass, but you can?”
He smirked. “I’ve hated him longer.”
Chad puffed up his chest, planting his hands on his hips as he took a stance. “You know what, Travis?”
“What, Chad?”
“You’re really starting to—”
“STOP IT!”
Nandy’s shout paused the fight brewing between the three of us as all eyes were on her.
She stepped away and glared at Travis and me before fixing her eyes on her boyfriend. “Enough already. I’ve had it with your little digs at him.” Now she was focusing on me and Travis. “And for peace’s sake, can’t you two just—”
“You know what, I don’t need any of this shit.” Chad undid his tie and threw it on the ground as he shot a finger in Nandy’s direction. “I’m over it, Nandy.”
People were still entering the venue, some stopping to see what was going on, while others hurried off to get ready.
“Wh-what?” Nandy’s voice was barely above a whisper as she almost appeared childlike before me.
“Bradley—” Travis tried to intervene.
Chad waved Travis off. “Fuck it, I’m done playing this game. Choose right now, Nan, me or 50 Cent over there.”
A Love Hate Thing Page 21