I mean Caleb wasn't ugly, just wasn't attracted to him. He had pale skin and stood at 5'11. It's crazy to actually think that if you as a male, constantly whine and beg, and plead, you can get the girl. It just won't last too long. It probably didn't help Caleb's case that I was pretty much in love with my best friend's brother as well.
"What do you want?" I was so over Caleb I didn't want him speaking to me at all. The only reason he said anything to me was because Adrianna, nor Payton was walking with me. Adrianna had cheerleading practice and Payton was blessed with a half day today. She left after lunch.
"I can't talk to you?"
"Why would you want to?"
"Well damn. Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to han-" he was interrupted by someone yelling my name. The person came up behind me and put their arm around my waist.
"Hey mamas, what's going on here?" I didn't need to look to know that it was Malique. Already, I could tell clear as day who it was.
Looking at Caleb, he looked pissed in a way. Me and Caleb hadn't even spoken to each other in about 2 months, been broken up for 4 months. After chasing me for years, it took my bestfriend and her brother leaving for me to finally even look his way. And after about a year of them being gone I finally decided "why the hell not." After the break-up Adrianna made sure she walked with me to ensure that he wouldn't talk to me. Telling Adrianna how he was basically trying to force sex between us she hadn't been his biggest fan. Before Caleb walked away, we made eye contact and he gave me a creepy smile.
I turned around and threw my arms around Maliques neck. "Thank you for saving me."
"You welcome mamas, now come on."
As we walked across the parking lot all eyes were on us. I don't know if they knew who Malique was, or if they were just in shock of me walking to a car with a guy they had never seen before. Regardless, people needed to mind their business.
"So what are we doing?" I ask, wondering what he had planned for us.
"Don't worry, just sit back and let me take you places," Malique says, smirking at me. Curiosity got the best of me so I nodded and sat back like he said.
A little while later we pulled up to a designated area that was just us. He stopped the car and turned to look at me.
"What?" I ask, confused as to why he is looking at me.
"You are so damn beautiful. No makeup, your natural hair. You're just beautiful." my mouth dropped as he said these things to me. I didn't wear makeup because we couldn't afford it, and we can't afford to pay someone to do our hair, so I learned to do my natural hair to the best of my abilities. No one really stopped to look at me in such debt. Even Caleb. He saw me as a pretty face and shaped nicely but even when we got together, he showed what he wanted from the very beginning. Sex. And I wasn't willing to just give it.
What does he want from me?
"What do you want from me?" I couldn't help but to ask.
"What do you mean? I don't want anything." He rebuttal but I didn't believe him in the slightest.
"You can't just feed me compliments like this and expect me to think that you don't want something in return." I say it as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. I mean, isn't that true? Someone that compliments you this way must want something? Right?
"Why can't I just call you beautiful? Why I gotta want something in return?"
"Because no dude is just going to compliment a female without wanting something back in return."
"That's not even true. Like right now, I called you beautiful and I don't want anything in return."
"Mmk," I say, not really knowing if I should trust him about it.
"So why don't you get those things?" he questioned, looking at me as if I was the most interesting thing in the world.
"What things?" I ask not knowing what he was talking about.
"You know, the weave and makeup and stuff?"
"Because we could never afford it. I mean I always wanted to do it but I mean, no big deal." I shrug it off.
"I got you," he says as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a stack of hundreds.
"No, no." I protest against it. "I can't just take your money. I don't even know you like that."
"Really I don't mind. Here." he hands me the wad of cash.
What on earth could he possibly be doing that he has money on hand and doesn't have a problem with giving it away to me? I want to ask him but will he get offended? Tell me it's none of my business?
"No, really I can't accept this. I don't know you like that and it's not right."
"Why won't you just let me take care of you ma?" he chuckles a little.
"Because we don't know each other," I tell him like it's the most obvious thing in the world because in my mind it is. You shouldn't expect so much money from someone you don't even know. Right?
"Fine, okay, I respect that. Well let's get to know each other a little more, and then we'll see where it takes us."
"I'm down with that."
"Alright, say less." He starts up the car and pulls off into the road.
After about 5-7 minutes of complete silence around us minus the bumps, we cross the road and mother nature around us as our windows are down. "Tell me something about yourself," Malique asks me out of nowhere.
"There's not a lot to tell, literally. So like what?" I say back to his question.
"Umm... like who do you live with? You have any siblings. Stuff like that."
"Well, I live with a single mother. And I have 2 little sisters. I'm the oldest."
"Awe okay."
"What about you? You have any siblings?" I ask and his jaw tightens and his fist clenches the steering wheel. Looks like I hit a rough spot without trying too.
"I have a sister and an older brother... I don't live with them. I don't live with anyone." I can't believe he doesn't live with anyone. What happened to his mother? His father? Why doesn't he live with any of siblings?
"Oh, well I'm sorry." I don't know what else to say.
He looks at me and smiles. Why is he smiling at me? "It's okay, don't sweat it." I smile as I look down at my hands in my lap.
We talked more in depth as he was driving me home. "Wait so you mean to tell me you never had a steak dinner?"
I laugh, "No I haven't or tried real seafood."
"Oh my god, you really are missing out. I'll take you to a restaurant soon." he winks at me and looks back on the road.
+++
Finally getting home it's 7:00 and I am bombarded with questions from my mom.
"Where the hell you been? Have you been out since school? Who the hell was that dude that dropped you off?"
"Well, dang momma. Hey to you too."
"Don't you dang me, you want me to slap you?"
"No, ma'am."
"So who was that? He has a nice car."
"Yea, I guess. He's someone I meet."
"Where? What does he do to be able to afford that car?"
"I met him outside the store the day I came home with the money. And I don't know, I didn't ask." She was annoying me but hey, this was my mom and I definitely expected it. Doesn't make it any less irritable.
"Does he go to school?" the question I was dreading from the very beginning.
"I don't know," I honestly replied as I strolled into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.
"What do you mean you don't know if he goes to school or not?" my mom practically shouts causing my sisters to come from their rooms and downstairs in the kitchen.
"Hey, sissy," Lisa says.
"Hey, Lisa."
"Where were you?" Mariah asks and I playfully roll my eyes.
"Touch yo nose, nosey."
"I would like to know as well." My mom jumps in.
"He picked me up from school and took me somewhere so we could talk."
"And that takes 4 hours?" mom yells once again. I shrugged, not really knowing what to say. I didn't even realize I was gone for that long.
"Okay, look I'm sorry."
"You will be sorry. I want to meet him." my mouth drops with that comment. My mom wants to meet him? For what?
"For what? He's not my boyfriend."
"He shouldn't even be your friend if he isn't going to school." She snides
"Momma, you don't know that, and neither do I. And so what if he wasn't, you don't know anything about him to know why he is or isn't in school. You shouldn't judge people before getting to know them."
"Whatever." she rolls her eyes. "I should still get to meet him if he's going to be keeping you out after hours." I internally roll my eyes. After hours? It's only 7:00pm. After hours would be me coming home at mid-night but whatever.
"Okay, momma. If we get more serious you will meet him."
"Can I at least know his name Imani?"
"Malique," I say and then run upstairs and slamming my door accidentally.
"You better stop slamming my goddamn door." mom yells up the stairs and I roll my eyes.