but I knew it would come this week. That’s why I was trying to… You know. On my birthday.”
Sex. Tori made clear she wanted me to take her virginity on her birthday.
“Ahhh…” I breathed out my revelation. Then I tried reaching for her face to land a kiss. “But I wanted that for my birthday.”
She lifted her head to peer into my eyes. “Why did you get to have it for your birthday and I couldn’t for mine?”
Because you deserved to have your first time with a guy who didn’t have an official or unofficial girlfriend, Nabby-girl…
“The Prince of Zamunda gets to have things his way.” I laughed when she rolled her eyes.
“What time is checkout?” Tori sat up straight. “It’s getting late. Is it afternoon yet?”
“I asked for a late checkout. Wanted you to sleep.”
“Well, I’m up now.” Her head swung around the suite.
“Are you hungry? I know girls get cravings around this time of the month.”
“Yeah. I’m hungry already. I can get something when we get back to campus.”
“Nonsense. We can grab something on the way. I know of this pizzeria whose Margherita pies rival Verti’s.”
Her deep chestnuts blossomed wide. “Really?” I nodded, pleased by the simplicity of her contentment. “Okay. Just give me a minute to make sure the place is straightened up.” She stood from me.
I snorted while standing to my feet. “You don’t have to. I tip well, McNabb.”
Tori shook her head. “Margaret Maureen would never let me not make sure I didn’t leave an extra mess like I wasn’t raised with class.”
If I wanted to dispute her argument, I couldn’t. Tori leaped into the kitchen on a conspicuous limp without expecting another word.
I’d finally stepped out of the bathroom from blow-drying my hair. It was in a knotted mess from the hotel. After having banging-ass Margherita pizza from the restaurant he mentioned, we stopped at a Wal-Mart just before heading back into BSU town. I needed a blow-dryer, something ShawnNicole had been telling me to get. She even gave me the name of it. Ashton tried to pay for it, but I wouldn’t let him. I had the thirty-five dollars.
When I got back to my dorm room, I showered, washed and conditioned my hair, then dried it. It felt like a never-ending task. Then I got super annoyed when I heard, in between parts, Samantha’s friends come in. I wasn’t in the mood for humans. But I finished up, and felt proud of myself. Now that I was done, I had to face the music.
“Hey, Tori!” Lyricah’s eyes sparkled with warm familiarity. Her face tightened for a second as she eyed my legs. “Why are you walking like that? Looks like you got a limp, champ.”
She smiled as her lashes batted, forcing me to look away.
“Hey,” I returned, headed to my desk to see if my Blackberry had finished charging. I wanted to see if Ragee replied to an email I’d sent him on my ride back to BSU. Samantha was at her dresser, tossing things into her purse. “Working tonight?” I asked Samantha while tapping away to get inside my inbox.
“Yeah,” she sighed. “But I won’t be in until late, late.”
I paused to glance up at her. “Your shift is over at like two in the morning.” Samantha did inventory at the grocery store sometimes, too. “What’s later than that?”
I wasn’t clocking my roommate. There was just something suspect in her announcement. I could tell I was missing something.
She turned to face me, whole body tense while fighting a stupid human-girl blush. “Dre wants to hang out after I get off.”
Oh…
“You get it. Right, Tori?” Lyricah asked, her happiness more evident than Samantha’s masked one. “They’ve been talking for almost a month now. He seems to really be digging our girl here.” My eyes jumped over to Samantha. She was finally full-on cheesing. “You’re gonna be okay, Tori,” Lyricah assured. “She’ll be back in the morning.
“Why wouldn’t Tori be okay? She spends nights out with her beau-thang.” Samantha giggled, going back to bag stuffing. This time, I caught mouthwash and a travel-size toothbrush. “She’s just now getting in from being with him last night.”
“Oh, shit,” Lyricah swore under her breath, shocked, I guessed. “So, Tori really has a boyfriend.”
“Of course, she does.” Samantha’s arms shot up in the air. “What did you think?”
“So, why don’t you talk about him?”
At first, I didn’t know what to say. Why was she asking about this?
I licked my lips and shrugged. “It ain’t a big deal. We