being denied by him and harassed by Aivery and her crew doesn’t seem all that appealing to me. Coming back to Blakewood State is off the table for me, too.” She pulled the suitcase from the bed, holding it at her leg.
“So, you’re going to quit college?”
“There are other schools. I’ll just have to figure it out.” Samantha opened the door to leave. “My mom will be back to get the rest of my things.”
When the door closed, once again, I went weak at the knees.
Chapter Twenty-Five
-THEN-
Karmen opened the door.
“Where is she?” I asked, prepared for her to lie.
She didn’t. Karm actually opened the door, speechlessly inviting me in. Stepping into the kitchen, I caught the view of a portion of her leg and headed straight into the small common area.
I ripped into her ass right away. “Who the fuck do you think you are, posting that shit all over Greener?”
Pettiford jumped from the sofa, unmistakably consoling a swollen-faced Aivery. “Don’t come in here with that bullshit, bro!”
“Man, fuck you!” I dismissed him. Benjamin tried for a comeback, but I shouted over him, “Why would you post those printouts about that girl like that? Don’t you, Karmen, and Andrea have better shit to do the last two weeks of your undergraduate career?”
“Andrea ain’t do nothing,” Karmen added behind me. “That two-faced ass bitch!”
I swung my body around. “If two-faced is the type of bitch she is, then what type are you?” Karmen sucked in a breath as though about to speak, but thought wisely to think again. “Yeah, I didn’t think so. Everybody catching shots out this muthafucka today!” Teeming with violent energy, I turned back to the two clowns.
Benjamin rounded me, leaving out and slightly disappointing me.
“Where are you going?” Aivery cried after him.
He didn’t break his stride when he returned, “I’ll be back.”
“I wish you’d stay to catch these fake ass tears she dropping. Now, answer me! Why the fuck would you do that shit?”
“You know why! You cheated on me with that diseased bitch!”
“No, I didn’t. Try the fuck again!”
“You did!” She stood, fists balled at her hips. “I know now! I know it all. You tried breaking up with me the day I moved in, and it’s because you were fucking that dog! Even you knew she was trash. You barked at her. You cheat, not with a baddie like me, but with a dog from nowhere New Jersey!”
“First of all, that dog shit is played out already. She’s a woman. A smart, talented woman.” Aivery’s eyes flashed wide, her palm going to her chest. “And I didn’t even know Tori on the day you moved in.”
“You fucking liar! Athletes move in before non-athletes. You knew that bitch and had fucked her by the time I’d moved in last semester!” She stabbed me in the chest with her index finger. I snatched my torso out of her range. “But what I want to know is when did you catch feelings for that bitch? Was it after you flew her broke ass home for Thanksgiving, or while you took her home for Christmas?” She popped back with her hands on her hips.
My head shook slowly, face tightened. “Who told you that?”
“Oh!” Her head whipped back. “You ready for this? Your porn bitch told me! She called me on the phone this morning and told me everything. She told me about tutoring in your apartment, her sleeping over, the trips to Jersey, and you taking her molded ass virginity on your birthday. Really, Ashton? You took her to see Tyler Thomas then fucked her? How does that even match? You’re falling off big time. I’ve seen it, even told your grandmother, who now agrees. Oh, yeah!” She nodded. “I called her this morning, telling her everything! She told me about the creature you had over for Christmas dinner. The diseased dog, Ashton. Apparently, even NormaJean knows you caught fleas laying down with that fucking canine!” Disgust colored her almond-hued face.
I was winded. NormaJean? Why the fuck would she do that? And not for a moment did I believe Aivery was lying. I talked to no one else but NormaJean about taking Tori’s virginity on my birthday. But Aivery, in a fit of hysteria, conflated the facts. How could I had taken Tori’s virginity on my birthday if I’d been fucking her since August?
“A fucking dog?”
“Yeah.” She moved closer to me. “A fucking dog.”
Out of nowhere, Pettiford appeared at my side. His eyes were narrowed, locked threateningly on mine.