Chapters 3 & 4 are up!!!
THREE
When Monica arrived at Britney’s apartment, the apartment warming was already going strong. Britney ran over to her and gave her a big hug.
“I’m so glad you’re here. How do you like the apartment?”
“From what I can see, it’s great. Who are all these people?”
“Just some people I know. So where have you been? The party started an hour ago.”
Monica stared at the blank TV without a response. She did not want to tell Britney that she was trying to cheer up Riana at a fraternity party.
“I had some things to do.” She hesitantly said.
“Like what Mon?”
“Does it matter Britney? I’m here aren’t I?”
Britney gave a Monica a little smirk at the last comment. She had an idea where Monica was, which did not sit well with her.
“You were with Riana, were you?”
“What if I was? Britney, you need to let go of this vendetta you have against her. It has been four months since the incident and you still walking around mad at the world.”
“How I’m supposed to act? Take Riana in with open arms and say I’m sorry for being a bitch to you? If you think that, you’re truly delusional to even think I would give that backstabber a second of my time.”
“Why not? She gave you a second chance when you messed up. I can see why Shawn is upset; but you, I don’t see why you are. You started this game where you can do whatever you wanted and not suffer the consequences, but when someone else does something to you that you don’t like, you have a problem with it.”
“So you saying this is payback for what I’ve done?”
“I’m not saying anything. That’s something you have to figure out for yourself. All I’m saying is that it takes two to mess up a relationship, and Marcus was right in there with Riana. So you need to cut her some slack because she been there for you through so much.”
Britney looked at Monica and sighed.
“I get it; I get that we were there for each other, but Monica, they broke my heart. I would not want anyone to feel like I felt.”
“Just think about the day when Riana found out about you and Isaac. That’s how she felt too.”
Britney tried to hold back her tears as she thought about that day. How Riana was furious with her for betraying her with Isaac. That’s the exact feeling she felt when she heard about Marcus and Riana.
“Don’t you think it’s time to let go Britney? You two did your dirt and now you can start off fresh.”
“It’s not that simple Mon.”
“Yes it is if you really want it. I can’t stay long. I promise Donnell I’ll stop by his place before I go home. But promise me you will think about it.”
“I will.”
Monica smiled and gave her friend another hug before going to the door.
While everyone was having fun and dancing to the loud music blazing, Britney felt horrible. She knew what Monica was saying was true, but she couldn’t release the pain she been feeling for so long.
I don’t know if I can ever forgive Riana.
***
“This feels so good.” Cheryl said as she cuddled up to Chris. The two were at Cheryl’s condo laying on her bed. Her dad announced at the last minute that he was going to Dallas for a few days for business, so she had the place to herself. After the long day she had, she needed to see Chris and spend time with him.
“Yes it does.” Chris agreed and kissed her neck.
“I wish we could be like this all the time.”
“We could have if you agreed to get a place together.”
Every time Chris brought up the issue of moving in together, Cheryl started to tense up. She does not understand why he would just drop the subject and let her be. She wanted to be able to have everything for her own and not have to share it with anyone. Including Chris.
Cheryl looked at him and smiled.
“You know I want to remain on my own for a little while. Although I am living with my dad at the moment, I feel this is a setback to my goal.”
“Cheryl, don’t you think it’s time that things between us go to the next level? I mean, we been together for almost two years.”
“Chris, I made a promise to myself to be independent. I don’t want later on in life to feel like I regretted any decision I’ve made in my life.”
“So you are saying that you would regret living with me?”
“I didn’t say that. I want to be able to say that I went out into the world and did things on my own without any help.”
“I get that, but you can still do all of that with me.”
“Can we just drop the subject please?” Cheryl asked in a anxious tone.
“Yeah, whatever. So how was the party tonight?”
“It was good for a moment. Monica and I were able to get Riana to forget about Shawn for a second.”
“That’s an improvement. How did you two do that?”
“She met a guy. He seems pretty cool. He’s president of Omega Si.”
“Terrance Hamilton? Yeah I know him. He’s a good guy.”
“But there was something there that was a little disturbing.”
“What was it?”
“We saw Shawn there with his new girlfriend.”
Chris looked at Cheryl without giving an expression.
“You not at all surprised. You knew?”
“I just found out today. How did you think I felt when I saw the two? I’m Shawn’s best friend and he didn’t even tell me.”
“Well, from what I saw she’s a real bitch. Hopefully I won’t see her around campus.”
“Shawn’s in a bad place right now. Although he’s with someone new, he’s still in love with Riana.”
“Just like Riana is with Shawn. But one life lesson I learned while in college is that everyone has flaws. You just have to overlook them to see the actual person inside.”
“Look at you being all logical.” Chris said as he climbed on top of Cheryl.
“I try every once in awhile.” She said and kissed him.
“Maybe you can give me some more lessons. Maybe in sex education.”
“I think I know a of few of those.” Cheryl said in a seductive tone.
And the two began to kiss each other.
***
Shawn and Dominique walked into his apartment in silence. Since the altercation he had with Riana, he did not feel like talking to anyone, let anyone having company. He tried to tell Dominique he wanted to be alone, but she wouldn’t hear of it. Instead, she drove his car to his apartment so he wouldn’t take her back to the sorority house.
“Shawn, will you please talk to me? You’ve been quiet all the way here.” Dominique said as she set her oversized Coach handbag on Shawn’s black leather couch.
“I don’t feel like talking Dominique.” He said as he went into the kitchen.
“I know it’s about your ex. I need to know one thing. Am I wasting my time with you? Because I feel as if she’s a part of this relationship when it should be me and you.”
Shawn walked back into his living room with a bottled water. He sat down on the matching leather recliner and stared directly at Dominique. She stared back at Shawn with a nasty expression.
“Well am I? Don’t just look at me without saying anything.”
“Why should I? You already said what you wanted to. There are a lot of things I’m trying to process right now and one thing I feel like I shouldn’t have done was rushed into was a relationship.”
“So you saying you don’t want one?”
“I’m not saying I don’t, I’m just saying I rushed into it when I was on the rebound.”
Dominique looked down at the hard wooden floor as she tried to figure out what to say next. She looked at him with a worried expression.
“So what do you want Shawn? How do you want this to progress?”
“I want to be able to get to know you Dominique. I don’t want any type of baggage hanging on to me if I want to pursue a relationship with you or with anyone. I want to be able to start things new and clearer, not with issues every time I want to be near you.”
“But I thought we established all that earlier? I thought over the summer we were able to get through all of that.”
“I thought so too, until I saw Riana tonight. The way she looked at me when I basically called her a bitch in her face.”
“Don’t you think she deserve it?”
“You don’t even know the situation.”
“I know enough. I also know that when you’re in a new relationship, all talks about your ex are off limits.”
“That’s why I feel that maybe we should cool things off for a little bit. Just until I can get myself together.”
She shook her head in disbelief and grabbed her Coach bag and walked past Shawn to the door.
“Take all the time you need Shawn, because I’m done. Don’t bother taking me home. I’ll call a cab.” she said as she opened the door and slammed it.
Shawn threw his head back on the recliner in frustration. He wanted to go after her and tell her he’s sorry for being a jerk, but his legs would not move. Instead, he wondered if he could ever be in another relationship again.
***
After the talk with Monica, Britney decided to give her advice a try. When the last of her guests left for the evening, Britney got into her car and headed towards Baker’s Hall. But when she approached the visitor’s parking lot, she started to rethink her decision. She did not know if she wanted to patch things up Riana, but during the past few months she been apart from her best friend, she wanted more than ever to renew their friendship.
Monica’s right. We’ve been friends far too long for anything to come between us. If Riana can forgive me for Isaac, than I can do the same.
She stepped out of her car and went up the double steps to the front entrance. She opened the door and went down the long corridor. After want seemed like an eternity, she was finally in front of Riana’s door. Before leaving her apartment, she noticed a piece of paper with her name on it sitting on the front table. Turns out it was a note from Monica leaving her Riana’s dorm number.
‘I figure you would be going by Riana’s soon, so I wanted to give you her dorm room number. Good luck 🙂
Monica knows me too well. Britney thought as she looked at Riana’s door, wondering whether to knock or walk away. After five minutes of just standing by the door in a complete daze, she took a deep breath and quickly moved her hand. As she started to knock, she turned around to see Riana coming to her with a laundry basket. She looked at Britney in shock, wondering what she was doing at her door.
“Hey.” Riana said softly.
“Hi. I guess you weren’t expecting me to be here.” Britney said nonchalantly.
Riana gave her a weak smile. “To be honest, no. You’re the last person I expected to see.”
“Riana, I think it’s time we talk.”
She nodded and went to the door. She opened and let Britney go in first.
She gave Riana a surprised look.
“This place is magnificent. You must have paid a grip to stay here.”
“Yeah. Mainly financial aid took care of it, but I love it.” She said and put her laundry basket on the floor by her TV.
“You want anything to drink?”
“No thanks.” Britney said as she sat down on the cream colored couch seated next to the entertainment center. Riana sat down on the opposite end of the couch and looked at Britney with a perplexed expression.
The two sat in silence for several minutes before Britney started to talk.
“It took me several minutes to knock on your door.” she blurted out.
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t know whether to talk to you.”
“How did you know where I stayed? Or should I ask.”
“Monica told me. She insisted we talk about what happened.”
“So Monica put you up to it. Are you doing it for her or for yourself?”
“I’m doing it for us. I think we need to clear things up, try to find some common ground on what happened.”
“Brit, I know things got so complicated the past few months. What happened between Marcus and I was really stupid and I regret everyday that we were together. I guess at the time I was lonely and Marcus was there.”
“But why you had to pursue Marcus? Was it because of what you saw at the apartment?”
“No. It was because he’s a genuine person. He was sweet and nice. He helped me get over the loneliness I had toward Shawn.”
“Why you just didn’t talk to Shawn about how you felt? Why did you shut him out to be with his brother?”
“You don’t think I’ve tried? He was so focus on his internship he didn’t care about anything else. Including me.”
“You really think that was true? Shawn loved you too much to not focus on you. It just the fact that he was doing what he could for his future while you was out laying up with his brother.”
“Come on Britney. You know it was more than that.”
“What was it Riana? Tell me because I don’t know.”
“It was the fact that I wanted to do something different for a change. I know it sounds crazy, but I wanted to be sponteous for once in my life. I’m always the one who’s looking out for everyone, but when I ever got the chance to just do what I felt was good or right at the moment?”
“What the hell are you talking about? So you saying that you slept with Marcus for a thrill? Riana, not only what you did hurt people, but you hurt yourself in the process.”
“What about when you were with Isaac? How did you feel when you were with him when you knew he was mines?”
Britney looked at Riana with tears in her eyes.
“Isaac was completely different.”
“How so Britney? He was involved with someone when you were with him. Was it a thrill for you to be with him?”
“No because I was in love with him. I actually thought there was going to a relationship between us.”
“Why would you think that? You knew if he was cheating on me with you, he was going to do the same thing; which he did.”
“Because I was blind. Just how you felt with Marcus.”
Riana looked at Britney and smiled.
“I guess we have something in common.”
“Yeah. We’ll fall for whatever we want to hear.”
“Britney, I’m sorry for all the pain I’ve caused. If I can go back and change things, I would.”
“I know you would, but unfortunately, you can’t. I thought about that with the things I’ve done. Being with Isaac was one of the biggest mistakes of my life and it hurts me to even think that I had feelings for him, especially after all the things he did to me and to you.”
“How did things get to this point? In high school, we would never even go down that road with messing with each other’s boyfriends.”
“Things change in college. People change.”
“So, what does this means with us?”
Britney took her hand and squeezed it.
“It’s going to take some time for us to get back to where we were. But I know I can’t live my life without my best friend. We been through so much and I don’t know where I would be without you.”
Riana nodded and extended her arms out to Britney.
She moved closer to Riana and the two gave a hug that meant much more than ending a feud. It was about new beginnings.
FOUR
“What a day.” Marcus said to himself as he looked at his fourth shot glass of vodka. Not only did he waste it by lounging around his apartment all day, but he drank so much at Lewis’s Bar that he now might need a cab ride home. As he looked around at the people inside the bar conversing and having fun, he thought about the times when him and Shawn used to hang out.
Every since the fling he had with Riana, things became so out of control, that he did not know how to handle it. He didn’t know whether to fix things between with him or just let things be. He chose the latter option and completely cut all ties with Shawn, which only made things worse. He didn’t know what he was doing when he got involved with Riana. Even though he was always attracted to her, he didn’t think he would pursue any type of relationship. But one day, after getting to know her, it made him want her more.
After the altercations he had with Shawn, Marcus completely shut himself off from everything and everyone. He started to slack off at work, which caused his temporary suspension, and he started to drink, which basically taking a toll on him. From morning to night, he continued to drink, and he doesn’t want to stop.
I don’t like the person I’m becoming. He thought as he looked at the empty glasses in front of him.
Even Chris tried to help him, but Marcus didn’t want to be caught in the middle of his and Shawn’s friendship.
Just the look on his brother’s face the day he saw him and Riana together made Marcus’s heart tightened. He didn’t want to hurt his brother. Sure they had their share of sibling rivalry, but it was never over a woman. That’s a promise they always made and that was to never push up on any of their girlfriends. Now Marcus broke that rule, and he may have lost his brother forever.
“Can I get another drink?” Marcus asked the bartender.
He looked at him with annoyance.
“Man, you already had four. That’s the cutoff.”
“Come on, I only want one more drink and that’s it.”
“I should have cut you off after two. I’m not serving you anymore.”
“Why not? I’m a paying customer. I should be served?”
“Not if you’re drunk, man. I could lose my job if I served you anymore.”
“You know who I am? I work for the police department and if I want service, I’m gonna get it.”
“I don’t care who you work for. I’m not serving you. If you weren’t so busy getting drunk, you could be protecting the city.”
Marcus jumped over the counter and grabbed the bartender by the throat. Several people that were around them either jumped up or moved away. The bartender gasped for air as Marcus tightened his grip.
“Let him go. He can’t breathe!” someone yelled.
As someone tried to get Marcus off of him, he pushed him away with his other arm, causing him to stumble backwards and almost hitting a table nearby.
“Now I told you to serve me again, so you better go do it now before I break your neck.”
Suddenly, two un- uniformed police officers ran towards Marcus and pushed him off of him. One of them threw Marcus on the ground while the other put handcuffs on him.
He couldn’t believe what was happening. All he wanted was a drink and now they’re arresting him!
“What are you doing Marcus?” one of the officers yelled.
“I just wanted a drink.” He said in a drunken tone.
While the officer who put the handcuffs on read him his rights, Marcus looked down on the dirty bar floor and sighed.
Now he can add an arrest to his share of problems.
***
A Few Days Later: And the start of the fall semester. Riana walked out of her dorm suite in a hurry, nearly colliding with someone who was walking the opposite direction.
“Watch where you’re going.” the girl said as she looked at Riana angrily.
“Sorry.” Riana said quickly as she was running down the hallway.
Her day was already starting off wrong. After going out with Britney the other night, she completely lost track of time and ended up coming back to the dorm at two in the morning. Not only did she oversleep for an hour, but she has five minutes to get to her first class.
The start of the semester and I’m already off track.she thought as she jumped over a water puddle that was on the middle of the sidewalk.
Riana was happy that she and Britney were friends again. But the person that was really excited was Monica, as she burst into tears when she heard the news. Everyone, including Cheryl, went out to celebrate with dinner and dancing. Now Riana is paying the price as she rushed down four flights of stairs to Hudson Building of Communications. When she pushed open the front doors, she almost hit them on someone that was behind them.
Riana covered her mouth with her hands in complete shock.
“Dang girl. I almost lost some teeth.” Terrance said as he quickly stepped away from the doors.
“I am so sorry.” Riana said slowly as she looked at Terrance with apologetic eyes.
“It’s cool. It not like you actually hit me. I have good reflexes.”
She smiled as she walked over to the side to let two girls go in.
“Why are you in such of a hurry?”
“I’m late to my first class. I overslept this morning.”
“What class are you taking?”
“Intro to Broadcast Technology with Professor Caldwell.”
“I took that class. He’s real cool. He doesn’t care if you’re late, as long as you show up. Majority of the time he’s late himself. So you can definitely relax.”
“Oh really. Do you know that from experience?”
“Pretty much, but I did learn a lot in that class.”
The two started to look at each other longingly until Terrance interrupted the long silence.
“Why you haven’t called me yet?”
“I’m supposed to call you? I always thought the man did when he’s interested?”
“What year are you living in? So you saying you wouldn’t call me first?”
“I don’t know. If I’m real interested, I will.”
“That’s cold.”
“I’m kidding. I was going to, but a lot has happened in the past couple of days.”
“Like what? If you mind me asking.”
Riana looked at Terrance with a smile. She could not stop staring into his brown eyes. She can definitely say that he has a face for TV.
“My best friend and I patched things up, so everything is slowly going back to normal.”
“That’s good. But what does that have to do with you calling me?”
“You going to keep asking, are you?”
“Until I get a good answer.”
“You know it goes both ways.” Riana said flirtiously.
“I got you. Since we’re conversing now, I was wondering if you had any plans this afternoon?”
“You already asking me out? I thought you would want to do the phone conversations first?”
“What is it with you and making assumptions? I was hoping you would like to see my fraternity in action today. Since this is pledge week, the sororities and fraternities show off their stuff on their respected rows so pledgees can see what we do. We’re doing a step show outside our frat house and I would like to know if you wanted to stop by.”
Riana looked at Terrance and smiled.
“Sure. But you do know that I am thinking about pledging Gamma Zeta Gamma . My cousin and I are going to their open house today.”
Terrance nodded his head in approval over the comment.
“Good choice. So I will definitely see you there at 3 then.”
“3 it is.”
Terrance smiled and went to the brick steps and to the sidewalk. Riana watched as he went to the crowd of people heading to the library.
*** As Riana was walking into Professor Caldwell’s class, she knew she was more than five minutes late. Even though Terrance told her not to worry, she had a feeling that today would be quite different. She slowly opened the classroom door and several students turned around to see who the late person was trying to sneak in. One of the students who turned around was Shawn, who was sitting in the front row. Just the look on his face made Riana wanted to turn around and walk out without hesitation. Professor Caldwell looked up from the projector and noticed Riana walking in. His expression was just the same as Shawn’s: aggravated.
“And you must be Ms. Robertson? You the only one who showed up late to my class this morning.”
“Yes, Professor Caldwell. I’m so sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“I’m sure it won’t. Take a seat in the front please.”
Riana’s expression changed from anxious to worried when she noticed where the seat was located. Right next to Shawn. She slowly walked to the tiny aisle, hoping by the time she reached the seat, class might be over.
“Any day now Ms. Robertson. Some of us would like to see tomorrow.”
She walked at a normal pace and went to her seat and put her totebag beside her.
Professor Caldwell shook his head as he focused his attention back to the class.
“As I was saying before I was interrupted…”
She opened her totebag to take out some paper and a pen. She looked out of the corner of her eye and saw Shawn staring at her. She rolled her eyes and began to write the information Professor Caldwell left on the projector.
After the introduction presentation, Professor Caldwell decided to release the class early. Riana was shuffling papers into her totebag while getting out of her seat. When she started to walk to Professor Caldwell’s desk, she bumped into Shawn, who was about to go to the door.
“Sorry.” He said quietly.
“It’s my fault. I should have looked where I was walking.” Riana said as she shifted her totebag from her left shoulder to her right.
“Riana, I want to apologize for what I said at the party. I was way out of line.”
Riana looked at Shawn and sighed. She didn’t know whether to believe him or not for the harsh things he said. But as she looked into his eyes, she knew that he was being sincere.
“It’s okay. You’re still angry over what happened. I understand. I’ll see you around.” She said and quickly went to Professor Caldwell’s desk.
Shawn looked at Riana and without another word went to the door.
Riana couldn’t be around Shawn for long and talk to him. Just being around him was nerve-racking enough. She just needed to cut her ties with him, and he should do the same.
Professor Caldwell was putting away his course materials in his briefcase when Riana approached him urgently. He took off his glasses and gave her a once over before continuing.
“If you’re going to give me an excuse about why you were late Ms. Robertson don’t bother. I heard them all before. If anyone told you that I am laid back with tardiness that was when I was a first-year teacher. As you can see, things have changed. One more tardy and you will be kicked out of my class.”
Riana looked nervously at Professor Caldwell, wondering if she should ask him anything.
“I understand Professor Caldwell, and trust me; I will be on time next class. But that’s not why I wanted to talk to you.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’ve heard from the Communication department that you are the advisor for the Shaw Giliette. I was hoping I could talk to you about landing a position on the paper. Right now I’m trying to decide which area I want to go in Journalism and I just want to test out some ventures before I decide.”
“I think you need to talk to Clerice. She’s the editor of the paper.”
“I know. In fact I went to the paper yesterday to talk to her and she told me to talk to you.”
Professor Caldwell sat down on top of his desk and gave Riana a stern look.
“Have you ever written anything before?”
“I done a bunch of free-writing articles for websites and I was a reporter for my high school newspaper.”
“Why now? Aren’t you a junior?”
”Well yeah, but I thought this would be a good time to weight out my options. Besides, I figure this would be good on my resume if I decide to go the print route. Professor Caldwell, all I’m asking for is a chance. Maybe if I do a trial article, then that can be the deciding factor.”
Professor Caldwell got up from his desk and walked over to his briefcase. He picked it up and went to the door. Riana looked at Professor Caldwell, wondering what he was thinking.
“I like your determination. That’s how reporters usually get their stories. So I’m going to give you a chance.“
“Thank you so much. You will not regret this.” Riana said excitedly.
“Don’t celebrate too fast; I haven’t given you a topic yet. I want you to create a story that is not only informative, but productive. I want you to dig up whatever you can find that will get me to notice you as a writer. Be gritty, but stay on your standards.” Professor Caldwell suggested, and he went to the door. He turned around and added.
“And I want it on my desk by next week before the first issue is released.”
Riana smiled at the exciting news. Now she has to come up with a juicy topic.
And how am I going to do that?
* * *
Shawn walked down the steps of the communication building in a daze. He still wondered why he cannot forget about Riana after everything she did to him. After the confrontation he had with Dominique, he don’t even know where their relationship stood; and to be honest, he really wasn’t the least bit concerned.
He was heading to his Business and Leadership class and noticed the person he was thinking about standing by his car looking lost and confused. She started to walk to Shawn making him wonder if he should even talk to her.
“Hi Shawn.”
“Hey Dominique. I’m surprised you’re still talking to me.”
She smiled as she went closer to him.
“I’m surprised myself, especially since you didn’t cared how I got home the other night; but I couldn’t help myself. I needed to see you.”
Shawn looked to his car and wondered why he should talk to Dominique. Although Dominique is extremely beautiful and has a great personality, he cannot see himself pursuing a relationship with her. Not now and not ever.
Because I’m still in love with Riana.
He did not want to lead Dominique on in anyway. But how can he tell her this without hurting her feelings?
“Dominique, we really need to talk…”
“I know we do, that’s why I was waiting for you until your class was over. Shawn, I know you still haven’t gotten over your ex and I understand that. When you love someone, it takes awhile to get over them when the relationship ends; but don’t you think you need to really move on since it’s been four months? How do you know if she hasn’t move on already?”
“When I said we talk, I wasn’t referring to my ex. I was talking about us. I didn’t think to get in a relationship so fast with you after I broke up with Riana. In fact, I wasn’t even looking for a relationship; it just happened; and I don’t want to be unfair to you if I’m still haven’t got over my ex.”
“So you’re saying you don’t want to be with me?”
“I’m not saying that. I just want us to take things slow. See where things are heading.”
Dominique smiled and went up to him. She put her arms around him and gave him a hug.
Although Shawn just told Dominique that he wanted to slow things down, why does he have a feeling she did not hear anything he just said.
***
Cheryl walked out of class feeling pretty confident. Her schedule for this semester was not only her easiest but by far the most interesting. As she began to pull out her car keys from her purse, her cell phone started to ring. She looked at the name on the screen and noticed it was Chris calling her. Although she wanted to talk to him, she decided to put the phone on ignore and put it back in her purse.
She still doesn’t know what to do about him pressuring her to move in with him. She loved Chris and wanted things to progress between them, but she does not want to be tied down in a relationship that she might not be able to control. She wanted to be able to provide the life she wanted without having others do it for her. Even though she tried to do the exact thing last semester, which nearly cost her life, she knew she has to think more carefully about her choices and try to pursue them the best and safest way possible.
Once she got to her car, she saw Monica walking to her with a huge smile. Cheryl gave her a little wave as she waited for her to come near her.
“I’m so glad my class is over. Now I can relax all day.” Monica said while leaning on Cheryl’s car.
“I have one more class today before Riana and I head over to Sorority Row. You want to come?”
“No, I’ll pass. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Greek life, but pledging is not for me.”
An idea popped into Cheryl’s head as she looked at Monica.
“Can I ask you something?”
Monica looked shock at Cheryl.
“Cheryl Thompson asking me for advice? This is the first.”
“Well, there’s a first for everything. Anyway, it’s about me and Chris. He wants to get an apartment and he wants me to move in with him. I’m not sure if I’m ready for it, let alone even want to move in with him. I know you went through this with Donnell, so I just need your advice on the issue.”
“And look how that turned out? I ended up moving out and we’re trying to fix our relationship. Cheryl, save the trouble and be honest with Chris. Although he will be upset, he will be glad you were upfront with your feelings. Trust me, I wish I would have done that with Donnell before things went out of control.”
Cheryl gave a huge sigh and looked at the clear blue sky.
“How can I do that without breaking his heart?”
*** Several hours later, and Riana and Cheryl were on Sorority Row for Pledge Week. While Cheryl was excited to meet the sisters of Gamma Zeta Gamma, Riana was more excited to see Terrance. Since their run-in earlier, she couldn’t get her mind off of him. She had a set-back with Shawn in their Broadcast Technology class; she knew she could slowly move on with Terrance if she tried.
Although she still disliked the idea of pledging a sorority, Riana had to admit that the energy on Sorority Row was electrifying. Various sororities were situated in front of their homes decked out in their respective colors luring prospective college girls to pledge their organizations. Riana smiled at the multiple groups, thinking that maybe this experience won’t be so bad after all.
Cheryl noticed the smile and gave her a little push.
“Is that a smile I see?”
“Yeah. I have to admit, this is pretty exciting.”
“I told you.” Let’s go find the GZG house.”
While the two walked further, they noticed the sorority houses were ending and were entering into Fraternity Row. The two stopped to take in the step show, in which Omega Si was beginning. Riana immediately noticed Terrance wearing the fraternity colors of red and blue. Riana couldn’t take her eyes off of him as they begin their routine. Cheryl looked at the group and then at Riana, noticing her eyes was glistening with desire at the sight of the performance in front of them.
“You’re not going to have an orgasmic moment right here are you?” She asked.
“I think I can keep my hormones in check, Cheryl.”
But as she continued to watch the performance and how sexy Terrance looked throughout it, she automatically knew where her feelings were.
“Okay, so I’m attracted to him. So what?”
“No one said anything Ri. I’m just glad you finally deciding to move on.”
“Just because I’m attracted to another man doesn’t mean I’ve moved on.”
Once the show was over, Terrance walked over to Riana. He gave a sexy smile, making Riana suddenly hot.
“I’m glad you came.” He said in a low tone.
“I wouldn’t have missed it.”
“So, have you talked to the sisters at GZG yet?”
“Not yet. Actually, we stopped here first.”
“Well, I’m glad you did.” Terrance said as he took Riana’s hand.
“I know we talked about this earlier, and you completely shot me down…”
“I don’t think I did.” Riana interrupted.
“Well, I’m going to try again. Riana, would you like to go out with me?”
Riana smiled as she looked into Terrance’s eyes.
“I would love to.”
After agreeing to go out later that night, Riana and Cheryl headed back to Sorority Row. Riana quickly became nervous of the thought that she was going out with someone else.
How else will I move on? She thought as they went up to the Gamma Zeta Gamma house. Many of the rush sisters were outside, greeting potential pledgees with hugs and flyers.
When the girls reached the rush sisters, they gave them the same treatment, providing the two a flyer of the sorority’s history.
“This is so exciting. I’m actually getting nervous.” Cheryl said and grabbed Riana’s arm.
“Don’t be too excited. You’re kind of hurting me.” Riana said.
Cheryl let go of Riana’s arm when the two stopped in the doorway, causing them to bump into someone behind them.
“I don’t believe this.” Riana said softly.
Dominique was standing in the foyer wearing a pink empire dress with a gray sweater. She looked at the two with a wide smile as she held out her right hand.
“Welcome to Gamma Zeta Gamma.”
Cheryl and Riana both exchanged worry glances as they slowly stepped into the foyer.
“I’m Dominique Morris, the president of GZG.” She said while shaking Cheryl’s hand first, then Riana’s.
Cheryl and Riana looked at her wondering what her angle was. Why was she pretending she didn’t know them?
The two decided to play along with her game and accepted her handshake.
“Cheryl Thompson and Riana Robertson. I have to admit, joining GZG is a dream of mines.” Cheryl said.
“I’m so glad. We have a rich history at Shaw; not only with our stance with the university, but with the community in general. Please, take a moment to visit the house and get to know the sisters. You never know, you could be a part of this organization soon.”
“We hope so.” Riana said as she gave Dominique a smirk.
Dominique looked at Riana trying hard not to roll her eyes.
“I hope you enjoy your visit.” she said.
The two smiled and ventured into the house, looking at the various pictures taken from several functions and community services.
Someone walked up to Dominique with an evil expression.
“Which one is she?” the girl asked while taking a sip of her punch.
“The one with the dark brown hair,”
“What are you up to?”
Dominique looked at the girl with a mischievous grin.
“Trust me, once I’m through with her, she’ll wish she never set foot at GZG, or messed with me and my man.”
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