Chapter 30
Rhonda hadn't left her room since going to her mother's house. She didn't know what to do to get Denise back. She lay on her bed listening to Patsy Cline's “Crazy” over and over as loudly as the radio could play. She heard a knock on the door but didn't respond.
“Rhonda, this is Kim, the RA. If you don't answer the door, I am going to come in.” Rhonda continued to ignore the door.
Kim unlocked the door and walked in. The smell of rotting food caused Kim to cover her nose. “Oh, hell no! Girl, you can't have this room like this,” she said as she turned the music down.
Rhonda snapped when she didn't hear Patsy anymore. “What the fuck are you doing in my roooom-mmm?” she screamed.
Other people started coming around.
“What are you doing here?”
“Chill out, Rhonda,” Kim said, putting her hands up. “I'm resident assistant. I can come in whenever I think there's a problem, and there is.”
“Get out of my room!” Rhonda pointed to the door.
“Rhonda, you need to drop the tone. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Get out! Get out!” Rhonda continued to yell.
Kim knew the situation could get volatile. “I'm calling security on you.” Kim walked out the room.
Rhonda slammed the door. She looked around her room. She knew she was about to be in trouble. If security came she would be shipped back to the mental health facility for good.
She followed Kim into the hallway. “Kim, please don't call security. I'm just going through something. I was dumped.” Tears rolled down Rhonda's cheeks.
“Rhonda, we all have been there. I've been dumped before. But you can't let your room get like that. If you get bugs, we all get them.”
“I'll clean it up immediately. Thank you.” Rhonda walked away.
Kim walked to Rhonda's suite mate's room. “Hey, Dayza.”
The thick, red-boned woman looked at Kim. “Is she gonna stop?”
“Yeah, I talked to her.”
“Thank God. 'Cause I thought I was going to have to kill the crazy bitch.” Dayza smiled and closed her door.
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“You know I'm supposed to be kicking your ass right now.” Cooley laughed as she walked in Nic's dorm room.
“Cooley, it's been three days. She hasn't contacted me. What's going on?”
“She's pissed off. Man, what the hell happened?” Cooley said, sitting in the desk chair.
“Larissa kissed me. I was talking to her about Carmen going to see Tameka and she fuckin' kissed me. I pulled away immediately and came back here.”
“So you didn't fuck her?”
“Hell, no. I didn't even kiss her. She kissed me.”
“Man, I'll talk to Carmen. You know she got issues.”
“Yeah, but why she taking shit out on me? I ain't Tameka,” Nic complained. “She actually compared me to her.”
“Man, just let her cool off. I'll talk to her. Now that I know you didn't fuck the girl, things will be a'ight. Let me grab some of her clothes, and I'm outta here.” Cooley picked clothes out of Carmen's closet.
“Tell her I love her.”
“I will.” Cooley closed the door behind her.
Nic felt her world falling apart.
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Denise opened the door and smiled as Stephanie walked in.
“You wanted to see me?” Stephanie smiled.
“Yeah, I did. Um, I wanted to talk to you about ... well, you know.” Denise smiled back.
“Dee, there is nothing to explain. I understand where you were coming from. It actually made me respect you more. No love lost. But, trust, when school is out, I'm gonna get you,” Stephanie boasted.
Denise laughed. “Dig that then. I hear ya.”
“So, are you ready for the games?” Stephanie asked as she sat down on the couch.
Denise sat down next to her. “I guess. I really don't seem to care one way or the other.”
Stephanie looked at Denise in disbelief. “You don't care? Dee, these are the last games of our college careers. For some it's the last time to truly play ball. And you don't really care?”
Denise thought about Tammy. “I guess I just have a lot on my mind. But I feel you on that.”
Stephanie sighed. “Man, this is my last time to shine. My last time to make a good impression. I want it so bad, Dee.”
“I know you do, and I'm going to do all I can to make sure you get your shine on.”
Denise leaned over and kissed Stephanie. “Damn, my bad. I just really wanted to do that.”
Stephanie blushed. “Well, by all means, continue.”
They embraced each other, sensually kissing until they were interrupted.
“Now that's what I am talking about. That's some
Love and Basketball
type shit,” Cooley teased as she walked into the room. “It's about damn time. Now let me go save this other damn relationship.” Cooley walked out of the room.
“Not as glad as I am.” Stephanie kissed Denise again. She stood up. “I better get back to the dorm. I got to get some studying and packing done.”
Denise walked Stephanie to her car. “Look, as much as I wanted to do that back there, we probably shouldn't do it again until after the last game.”
“Well, in that case ...” She hugged Denise and kissed her again. “I just needed one more.”
Denise watched as she drove off.
Rhonda hit her steering wheel. “I knew that bitch was trying to take my girl,” she said, looking at Denise going back toward her apartment. Rhonda had been watching from across the street for weeks, waiting to get proof. She watched Stephanie drive off. “Bitch, you got me fucked up.” She peeled off, leaving skid marks on the pavement.
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“Carmen, go get ya girl,” Cooley said.
“I knew you were going to be on her side,” Carmen said and snatched her clothes from Cooley.
“Carmen, you buggin'. Nic didn't do shit wrong. Now you on the other handâHow the fuck you gon' go see that bitch when you know how Nic feels about it? How you gone put her in that situation.”
“I just had unfinished business.”
“You realize the last time you had unfinished business you ended up getting back with Tameka? How is Nic supposed to feel, knowing you did it once before? Put yourself in her shoes.”
Carmen knew Cooley was right. “Was she OK?”
“Hell, naw. That girl look like she ain't had a bath in days.” Cooley looked around the room. “Hey, where's Misha?”
“She left for Atlanta yesterday.” Carmen could see the hurt in Cooley's eyes. “So when are you two going to work things out?”
“That ship has sailed. We can only be friends, maybe fuck every now and then. I'm not opening myself up to her again.”
“To just her, or anyone?” Carmen said.
Cooley didn't respond.
“Well, go get ya girl.” Cooley kissed Carmen on her forehead and walked out the room.
Carmen picked up her keys to go to Nic but paused. The image of Nic kissing Larissa entered her head again. She put her keys down. She couldn't do it.
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Misha looked at Patrick. He was definitely a handsome man. She knew she was wrong for letting Cooley sex her, but she felt so good. She wondered if Patrick was going to be enough for her, or if she would always want to sleep with women, especially Cooley.
“Misha, is something wrong?” Patrick said, noticing she wasn't eating her dinner.
Misha quickly snapped back to reality. “No, baby, everything is fine. Just one of my friends is going through a lot right now. Her mother is dying.”
“Damn, baby, I'm sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do for them?”
“No ... but, Pat, I think I'm going to take a break from coming down every weekend. All my friends are trippin' about me not being around. It's our senior year and they hardly see me. And with this going on, I need to be there for her and them.”
Patrick didn't like Misha's decision, but he respected it. “I understand, baby. How about I come up there every weekend?”
“Pat, you have work, and you know they are going to trip if you aren't available and something important happens. You spend most of your time when I'm here in the office.”
Patrick took a sip of his beer. “You're right. I guess I can go a few weeks without you. And in a few weeks I'll come down. I think it's time for me to meet your crew anyway. I really want to meet Brandon Redding and Denise Chambers.”
Misha knew that he couldn't meet them. “Baby, we'll see, but don't make any plans yet. They're both very busy people.”
Patrick studied Misha's facial expression. “Misha, why is it that you don't want me to meet your friends?”
Misha was shocked. “What do you mean?”
“Just what I said. When Lena was in town, you didn't want me to meet her then. And now you're telling me I can't come and meet them. Why are you trying to hide me? Or is it you're the one hiding something?” Patrick responded.
Misha could hear the concern in his voice.
“Patrick, it's not that. I would love for you to meet Carmen and Lena. There is something that I haven't told you, and I didn't know how you would react. Carmen is gay. Nic is not a man, but her lover.”
Patrick couldn't believe it. “Are you saying that fine-ass woman is a dyke? Damn.”
His words cut her like a knife. “Can you please not use that word? And, yes, she is gay.”
“I'm sorry about the dyke thing, but hell, I just never would have thought such a beautiful woman would be gay. That's a shame.”
“Why is it a shame?” Misha was waiting for this. She could see what he truly thought.
“Nothing, baby. I'm just shocked. Tell me, have you ever been with a woman?”
Misha almost choked after that comment. “What!”
“I'm just kidding. I know you would never go that way. But, seriously, I do want to meet them all. Maybe around graduation, since it's only a month and a half away.”
“Maybe.” Misha took a bite of her food, unsure of what to do. She knew now that she had to keep it from Patrick. She hoped she didn't have any more lapses. She was going to have to try to stay away from Cooley, the main girl who still knew how to get her hot.
Chapter 31
Denise stood at the bus with Michelle. It was time for the last set of away games before the NCAA tournaments. She was going to be on the road for two weeks. The bus began to load, but they still didn't know where Stephanie was.
The coach walked up to them. “Ladies, let me get your attention. Something has happened.”
Denise and Michelle looked at each other as coach continued. “Stephanie ... Stephanie was hit by a car in a hit-and-run.”
“What!” Michelle yelled.
“Coach, what happened? Is she gonna be OK?” Denise said as her heart dropped.
“She was driving down Winchester last night and someone hit her. The police think the person was drunk, because it looks like they hit her more than once.”
“Is she going to be OK?” Michelle said.
“Honestly, it's too early to tell how her extensive injuries will affect her, long term. But I have talked to her. Her main concern, believe it or not, is us winning this championship.”
Denise's body felt tense. The news seemed surreal to her. She knew she had to get hit after leaving her house. “Man, all she wanted to do was play.”
“Tell me about it,” Michelle added. “Man, this doesn't even seem right.”
Denise and Michelle got on the bus.
“You want to stay in my room now?”
“Yeah, that's a plan,” Denise said. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.
Carmen walked into the Life Support meeting. She looked around, but there was no sign of Tammy. As the meeting was about to begin, she noticed a woman slinking into the room. She breathed a sigh of relief. It had been weeks since the incident, and Denise still hadn't come around. Carmen used the Life Support meetings to check on Tammy. The fact that she was there let her know she was still alive.
“Tammy, how are you doing?” Carmen asked as she hugged her. She could feel Tammy's ribs.
“Making it, I guess. I feel real bad today. How is Denise?”
“She's fine. She's on the road with the team right now. They have the last set of away games before tournament time.”
Tammy smiled. “She is going to go pro?”
“I'm not sure, but everyone thinks so. If not in America, she definitely will be picked up overseas. They tried to get her in Spain and Italy last year.”
“That makes me happy. I want her to get as far away from this city as she possibly can. I have something to share with you.” She handed Carmen a piece of paper.
Carmen opened it and found a picture and an address.
“That's Denise's father.”
Carmen's eyes widened. She studied the picture of Denise and her mother and father. They looked so happy together. “Why are you giving me this?”
“The truth is, her father didn't run out on her like she thinks. I was using drugs and he found out. He tried to make me stop, but I wouldn't. Finally he gave up. He threatened to take her from me, but I took her and left for Little Rock.”
Carmen couldn't believe what she was hearing. “Then why does she thinkâ”
“Because that's what I told her. That's what I told everyone. When I moved back to Memphis I told Mema that he ran off on me. It was a lie.”
“But why wouldn't he try to find her?”
“I don't know. But I do want you to find out. I would like to make that up to him, give him the chance to know her.”
Carmen shook her head. “Honestly, I don't think she's gonna go for that. I know my friend.”
“Well, just try. Maybe you can contact him first.”
“I don't know.” Carmen realized things were getting to be too much for her.
“It's up to you. But if she ever mentions him, please give her that address. He doesn't know that I have it.”
Carmen nodded her head. They headed back to the meeting. Carmen realized that three familiar faces were now gone. She knew one day soon that would also be the case with Tammy.
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Cooley looked at her phone. It was Tara. She pressed ignore. She had lost her mojo after the night with Misha.
She hadn't had sex since, and didn't want to.
Lynn handed Cooley a drink and sat down next to her.
“Baby, is everything OK?” Lynn said as she scooted closer to Cooley.
“I'm good,” Cooley said, staring absently at the television. She knew Lynn was trying to entice her, but she had long lost interest in sexing Lynn. Lynn rubbed Cooley's hand against her nipple. It was rock-hard.
Cooley sighed and moved her hand. “Lynn, not tonight.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Lynn stood up and protested. “You haven't touched me in weeks ever since you got back from sleeping at Misha's place. Are y'all fucking again?”
Cooley looked at Lynn. Her anger was amusing. “Girl, sit down. I don't want to have sex. I am not having sex with anyone.”
“I don't believe you. You love sex too much to not be getting it from somewhere.”
“Lynn, damn, I am telling you I'm not having sex with anyone. And even if I was, it's not your business.”
Cooley quickly felt a slap to her face.
“Not my business? I sit up here and play wifey with your ass all year, and you tell me that it's not my business? Well, if you're fucking someone else, just tell me, and I'll roll out. I'm not endangering my life for you or anyone else!” Lynn stormed back into Cooley's room.
Cooley followed. “What the fuck is your problem, huh? Do you know how many girls would love to be in your place? For your information, I haven't been fucking anyone but your ass. I give you all my time. What the fuck else do you want?”
“How about commitment? Yeah, you are with me all the time, but when we go out, I'm introduced as your friend. I'm tired of being your friend, Cooley. I want more.”
“I can't give you more, Lynn! Damn, why you acting new? We've been through this before!”
Lynn started packing things that she had in her own drawer. “You know what, that was cool at first, but it's been damn near the whole year. Hell, we acting like we together. Why can't you just say the damn word?”
“Because I don't want to be in a relationship!” Cooley snapped. “I don't want to be tied down.”
“And you think I like the idea of being replaced? With this shit, I can be replaced at anytime.”
“If I was to call you my girlfriend, you could still be replaced.” Cooley couldn't believe how angry she was becoming. It was just like with Misha. “Look, fuck this shit. I told you before, I'm not ready for a relationship. I'll be leaving for Miami soon. I told you on more than one occasion to date other people besides me.”
“You know what, if that's what you want me to do, fine. I'll talk to you later.” Lynn stormed past Cooley.
Cooley wanted to tell her to stop, but she knew it was best to let her go.