Chapter 6

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The rest of the first week was a blur. I can't say I remember much of it. Everyone was anticipating the first weekend of parties.

"I hear  students from other colleges come to party at Mizzou, like it's bigger than Homecoming." Twyla was blow-drying her hair, in nothing but a pink fluffy towel.

Allura sat in a robe, doing her eyebrows. I was wondering if I had any party wear that did not make me look like a little kid. Most of my clothes were things I could wear to class, not things I would wear to a party. When back-to-school shopping, I did not think of things like that.

I called on the one person that knew fashion better than me.

"Step mummy, I need your help." I Facetimed her and could tell she was in her home office. I missed her already.

"Can you not call me that? You can call me my name you know."

I preferred calling her step mummy because she was closer to me than I was with my mother. At one point my mother was my world. All I wanted in life was to have my mother and my father, together, in my life. I did sneaky things when my father dated to keep other women away from him. I would destroy their clothes, steal their phones, delete numbers and texts from my father, accidentally drop their toothbrush in the toilet, etc.

Oh, fun times!

Okay, I was a brat. Dually noted.

But Angel was different. I hated her at first, pretty, tall, thin, a little snooty and I could tell she hated my sister and me. Her energy was just all off, but of course, my father did not see it. Pretty girls like her had always had my daddy wrapped around their fingers.

Not that I was in their business, but having loud sex while my sister and I slept in the other room was not cool. I think they fought a lot. Broke up a lot. I was keeping score because the sooner Angel got out of my father's life, the sooner he could be with my mother again.

Then it happened. My mother became pregnant. She said it was my father's and I was so happy. Well...that was when I lost all respect for the woman I call mother. She lied to my father, a good father, who was prepared to do the right thing for a child that was not his.

And I began to see how happy Angel made my father. I saw that Angel loved my father, and when they finally got back together, I was a happy little girl. I loved weekends with my father if that meant I got to spend time with Angel.

Then Angel got pregnant with my little brother Antione Jr., that's my father's name, although they call him Hook and I don't know why.

Then they got married and I was a junior bridesmaid at the wedding. Now she's pregnant again, but I don't know what we're having just yet. I didn't think of Angel as my mother, I thought better, she was my best friend.

"Step mum, there's going to be a big party tonight, what should I wear?"

"Something if your father sees you he doesn't flip out."

"Well, he doesn't have to see me unless he's driving to Columbia. The party is tonight, help me pick something out."

I turned my phone so Angel could see the outfits I laid out on my bed. Angel was a model several decades ago when she was younger. She owns a hip clothing store now, that even I liked to shop in. She knew her fashion.

"Hold on Ms. Thang, is that my black skirt?"

"It looks better on me!"

"And my shoes? Ravyn, you don't wear a size ten."

"I know, but these are Louboutins, I just like to look at them." I picked up the shoes and held them out. "I would like these in my size for Christmas. Or maybe a car...yes, a new car."

"You make the grades, your father and I will get the car."

I had no problem making the grades my parents wanted me to make to get me a new car. If I continued to focus on my classwork, and not all the hotties, surely I could make decent enough grades. Maybe I could get the car and the shoes.

"That cute dress I bought you from the store."

I smiled. That dress made me look like I had body-ody-ody. Bright colors and fit my baby curves. Yes, I liked this idea. That dress was stuffed in the back of my closet, too daring for me to think to wear.

"Shoes?"

"Not mine lil girl! Bye! Have fun."

"Love you!"

"Love you too."

Ugh! I should have asked her about my hair. It was not my forte, nor Angel's. Though her hair always was laid, she paid top dollar for her weaves. I walked out of my room to see what the girls were doing.

"Either of you wants to do my hair?"

"I got you," Allura said.

Dressed, and make-up done, Allura did a simple slicked back half up-do thing with my hair and we were ready to enjoy the night. We left our room, met with Donnell and Richie, and made our way to the elevator.

"Is Diallo coming with us?" Allura asked.

"He's meeting us there, It's an ABC party so he's probably already there," I offered.

This was an on-campus party at the Rutgers Auditorium. There was a line to get in and a cover charge of ten dollars. As we stood outside waiting to get in, all kinds of guys catcalled to us. I was not flattered. They were so immature.

"Ladies, we will protect your virtue tonight," Donnell said, an arm around Twyla and me. "Any guy attempts to manhandle you, we gotcha."

"We? Bro, I'm trying to catch some honies tonight, all the honies. Short, tall, white, Puerto Rican, Asian...all kinds of flavors, thicky-thick, slimmy-slim, Megan Thee Stallion all the way down to Coi LeRay," Richie said.

"Ugh! Men are pigs," Allura said. "Can we just dance and have a good time without boys trying to catch our attention?"

"Speak for yourself, I want all the attention," Twyla stated. She was dressed in barely-there shorts and a bralette, cute on her, but yes, very attention-seeking.

Others were dressed similarly. I saw nothing wrong with women dressing however they were comfortable. That did not give guys the right to treat them any differently.

Finally in the party and the music was so loud I thought my eardrums would burst. But it was hype. We danced around, trying to find a spot on the dancefloor. There were so many people there, they could not all attend Mizzou. It was mostly Black students, though the party was open to everyone. There was no alcohol because it was an on-campus party, but that did not stop them from smoking.

"Heee-ey! My favorite people!" Gay came over to them giving them all hung. "My brother is being a dork right now so I have to be around people I know. I get stuck in a lame dorm while all the cool peeps are on my brother's floor."

"Come crash in our room anytime," Allura said.

"I will," she said, pulling her off to the dance floor. "Let's show them how to party."

"I want to dance!" Twyla said, grabbing Donnell's hand. "Come on."

That left me with Richie. Yes, he was hot, but I had moved on from crushing on every guy I saw. Richie was more like a friend to me now.

"One dance Tumbles, then I'm checking for new blood."

He would never let me live down that first day drama. We danced to several songs before he scooted on and found his new blood. I walked around the party, bobbing my head to the music, wondering if anyone else would ask me to dance.

"Hey fresh, fancy meeting you here."

"King!"

"In the flesh."

"Want to dance?"

"I'm not a dancing kind of guy."

"Then why are you here? At a dance party?"

"Some of my boys wanted to get out, why not." He leaned closer to me to make sure I could hear him. "Want to step out somewhere quiet?"

"Uh...sure."

He took my hand and lead me out to the foyer of the auditorium. It was quieter and well-light. King looked like he ruled the world in fitted jeans and a button-down black short-sleeved shirt to show off his tats. His locs loose around his shoulders.

"So you haven't called me after I gave you the digits, you trying to ghost me?"

"I umm...I uh...I'm not a talk on the phone type of person. Maybe I will text you."

"A'ight bet."

I didn't know what else to say to him, but he was looking at me as if he wanted to say more.

"I like you. You're different."

I was speechless. I did not know what to say. Here I was, the closest to being alone with a guy ever. Except we were outside of a crowded, loud party. Except for the students walking past us. Alone enough.

"I don't do the party thing. Especially when they allow us to have an on-campus party so they can monitor us, keep us in line, but the white, frat boys down the street can have alcohol and rage all night long. Systematic racism."

Sometimes when he talked I only imagined what it would feel like to have my first kiss with him, and how would the piercing feel against my lips. I think I was ready for my first kiss. 

"It's a cool party though."

"No doubt. Well look, Imma duck out, this is not my type of thing. I kicked it enough last year, this might be more your speed, fresh. Stay and have some fun."

He was leaving? I thought he wanted to hang out and have fun like the rest of my friends.

He gave me a grin and touched my chin. "Let me see those dimples."

I smiled so hard, surely my dimples were popping.

"Holla at me later. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Stay safe in there."

I watched him walk away, but I wanted him to stay. What was I going to do now? Would anyone ask me to dance when I went back in there? And was I going to be brave enough to call and/or text him tomorrow?



A/N: Do you think King likes Rayvn or is he playing with her emotions?

And I have to say, I love the relationship she has with Angel. Who knew? She was a bratty-brat-brat at first with Angel.


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