All That and a Bag of Chips (23 page)

Joshua was eating a sandwich and said, “I knew about it.”

Venice hit him. “Why didn't you tell me?”

He looked at her and replied, “Cause the man told me not to tell you.”

The band began to play a medley of famous love songs.

Craig started out by saying, “I'd like to dedicate this song to a very special lady who's wearing my heart around her neck and to all the other beautiful ladies here tonight.”

The crowd went wild and Monique hollered, “Please tell me he's talking about you! What does he mean, wearing his heart around your neck?”

Venice showed Monique and Joshua the necklace. “He gave it to me this afternoon.”

“Go on with your bad self, girl.”

Joshua said, “That was a true playa's move.”

Venice gave him one of her looks as she stood, stunned. Craig and his group hit all the notes as the band accompanied them. He had a beautiful voice and his group blended right in with him. The crowd went wild at the end of their performance. Venice was
unaware of the tears, which streamed down her cheeks. She couldn't believe what she'd just witnessed and she couldn't wait to see him. This must've been her surprise.

Craig, how could I not love you
.

Once the half-time show was over, the stands emptied with fans heading for the concession stands. Monique was hungry so they joined the hundreds of others headed for some grub. Venice could wait no longer. She paged Craig and it wasn't long before her phone rang.

“Hello?”

The voice on the other end was laughing. “Hey, baby! So, what did you think?”

“I'm speechless! Why didn't you tell me?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise.”

“You have a beautiful voice. I'm really impressed. Where are you?”

Distracted, he hollered at someone passing. “Thanks, man! Sorry, baby. What did you say?”

“Where are you?”

“I'm over by the T-shirt stand, the one with the red and white awning. Where are you?”

“I'm to the right of you at the concession stand with Monique and Joshua.”

“Stay put. I'll be right over.”

Venice hung up the phone and chills shot through her body.

Several guys were passing Venice, admiring her. A couple of them stopped to ask if she wanted some company. Venice told them no thanks as she scanned the crowd for Craig. Joshua walked up and put his arm around her shoulder, acting like he was her man. He then said, “Venice, look at you. My baby's all grown up.”

“You're silly. Are you having fun?”

“Hell yeah!” Joshua paused. “Have you heard from Jarvis yet?”

Venice replied solemnly, “Nope.”

“So, what's up?”

“What do you mean. What's up?”

“Never mind.”

Venice turned and said, “I told you he's not speaking to me right now. I guess he's still pissed off about me not returning his page.”

“I didn't mean to upset you.”

“I know. I'm okay.”

They left the conversation at that.

I hope you're having a good game, Jarvis. Please don't be mad?

Monique was talking to some guys over to the side when Venice's phone rang.

Chanelle asked, “Venice, where are you?”

“I'm over by the concession stand with Joshua and Monique waiting on Craig.”

“V, I almost had a heart attack when they announced his name. You're wearing a heart or something around your neck, aren't you?”

Venice laughed. “Yes! I'm still in shock, too. I had no idea they were going to sing.”

“Call me when the game's over.”

“Okay. Talk to you later.”

They hung up the phone and Monique bought Venice a hot dog. They decided to hang out in the crowd for the rest of the game. They saw several friends from the dorm and chatted briefly. Then she saw Bryan and his friends. Of course they were acting “buck wild.” Bryan was enjoying himself so much with his partners: Gator, Tate, and Derrick. It would've been a different story if Sinclair had come.

Bryan loudly walked over to her and said, “What's up, baby girl?”

He picked her up and gave her a big hug. He finally put her down so she could introduce him to Monique. Bryan gave Joshua a high-five, then introduced his partners to Monique. Venice already knew them. They continued to talk and watch the game. Bryan was really wild! Galen was playing exceptionally well. Bryan said he heard some NFL scouts were in the crowd. Hopefully, Galen would get drafted when he graduated. Venice said her prayers for Jarvis also.

Venice couldn't wait for Bryan to meet Craig.

What's taking him so long?

Finally, she felt arms around her waist and a kiss on the back of the neck. This was Craig's signature approach. Bryan looked at him like he wanted to kick his ass. He and his friends had been drinking and tailgating all day, so he was trippin' a little.

Venice saw Bryan coming over and said, “Bryan, this is Craig. Craig, this is my big brother, Bryan.”

Bryan put his hand out to shake it and said, “Man, when I saw you grab my sister like that, I started to jack your ass. Brothas have been rolling up on her all night.”

Craig shook his hand and said, “Nice to meet you, Bryan. Venice, has somebody been messing with you?”

“No! Don't pay Bryan any attention. Any guy talking to me raises his protective radar.”

Bryan went on to introduce Craig to his partners, then pulled him to the side.

Venice saw this and said, “Bryan! Don't start!”

“Girl, I got this! Chill!”

“Craig, do you like my sister?”

“Yeah! I like her.”

“So that was my sister you were singing about, right?”

“Of course.”

He told Bryan to look at the necklace Venice was wearing, if he wanted to verify it. He explained that he'd given it to her earlier in the day. It was a gold heart locket.

“All I'm going to say is, I trust my sister's judgment and don't play with her. You catch my drift?”

Craig understood the big brother concern and responded with, “No problem, Bryan. I love Venice. I'm not going to do anything to disrespect her.”

They shook hands again and went back to join the others.

The game was nearing the final minutes and Dawson U was clearly winning the game. Many people had already started leaving the stadium to get ready for the after parties. Craig joined some of his friends a little away from Venice and her group.

Bryan turned to Venice and said, “He seems to be all right. Do you like him?”

Venice put her arms around her brother's waist and looked him in the eye. “Yes, I do. He's told me on several occasions that he loves me.”

Bryan gave her his undivided attention. “Oh really? What have you told him?”

Smiling, she said, “I love him, too.”

“What about Jarvis? I know you've still got it bad for him. Right?”

“Always.”

“Didn't you go see him the other week?”

“Yes and we had a great time.”

“Did you sleep with him when you were up there?”

Venice looked at him and grinned. “Lord have mercy!”

He said, “I knew it! Hell, you can't help yourself, can you? Venice, you ain't never gonna get that man out of your system. You need to quit trying to fight it and face the fact.” Venice held onto his arm. “Face what fact?”

“That he's the one for you and he always will be.”

“It's not the sex, Bryan. You know that. Jarvis and I fit. But Craig, he also fits in a different way.”

Venice had always been able to tell Bryan “anything.” He was the one she had all her sex talks with. It was odd that Bryan never felt uncomfortable talking female stuff with her either. He kept the lines of communication open with her so he'd always know what she was getting into.

“Maybe you're right, Bryan, but I can't worry about that while I'm here. I'm with Craig at this moment and he's sweet and he's so fine!”

“You say that, but I know you and I know Jarvis. This is just a temporary fix for you so be careful, little sister. That's all I'm going to say. You know Jarvis has always been a fool for you? Craig seems smooth enough to shake you and Jarvis' happiness up a little. Watch yourself, all right?”

“I will.”

“Just remember to keep protecting yourself if you're going to be messing around with both of them. Okay?”

“Okay, Bryan.”

“Venice, I don't want to see you get mixed up in anything you can't get out of and you know what I mean. I'd hate to have to get involved if one of them decides to snap or something. But, we'll talk about it later. Okay?”

Venice agreed and they ended their conversation. They went on to talk about something else. Craig had noticed the deep conversation between brother and sister so he kept his distance a little longer.

The game finally ended and the crowd began to pour out of the
stadium. Galen came over to the fence to talk to them for a moment. Bryan and Joshua were congratulating Galen on his good game. Craig was now back over with them and he held Venice's hand and asked her if she was ready to go.

“Let me tell Bryan goodbye.”

Venice went over to her big brother and hugged him and told him she would call him tomorrow. As she hugged him, she whispered in his ear, “Thanks.”

Bryan gave her a kiss on the cheek and told her goodbye. Venice gave Galen a high-five and walked off with Craig and Joshua.

Venice let Craig choose which party to attend. Monique called to find out where they were going. Venice called Chanelle and Spoonie and told them where to meet them. The site would be at the convention center, not far from the campus. The party was being sponsored by one of the fraternities. When they got there, the parking lot was full of cars. Many others were also just arriving. It was about eleven-thirty and Venice was ready to get her dance on. She knew she was looking good and she had her man on her arm. Nothing could ruin her night.

As Venice exited the dance floor and thanked another guy for asking her to dance, she spotted Miranda talking to Craig. She wasn't just talking though. She had her arms around his waist and was pressing her body against him. She was tiptoeing, trying to whisper in his ear. Craig was trying to get her arms from around his waist. They didn't see Venice, but she knew Miranda must've realized she was in the room.

Venice stood back to see how Craig was going to handle the situation. Miranda was clearly getting agitated as Craig kept trying to walk off from her. She grabbed his arm and used subjective motions with her hands, seemingly arguing with him. Craig grabbed her forearm and put his finger up to her face in anger. Venice was unsure if she should go over, then decided to do just that. Besides, Craig was with her.

Venice walked up and said, “Hello, Miranda. What's going on?”

Miranda looked at Venice with disgust. “This doesn't concern you, little girl! You need to mind your damn business!”

Venice pushed Craig aside and got in her face. “He is my business!
You need to take your ass on somewhere and get on with your life.”

Miranda tried to put her finger in Venice's face. That's when Craig pulled Venice back and said, “Miranda, what is it that you don't understand? I can't figure out why you can't get this through your head!”

As they walked off, they heard Miranda say, “It ain't over, bitch!”

Venice turned to respond, but caught herself. Craig pulled her through the crowd and out the room. Venice was steaming. She paced back and forth in a six-foot area of the hallway.

She wasn't saying a word until she erupted with, “Craig, what the hell is wrong with that fool? How could you have ever been with someone like that?”

Craig couldn't answer her right away because he was wondering the same thing. He was also trying to go back in his mind to figure out the point when Miranda turned sour. When he was with her, she didn't seem so bitter. Or rather, he didn't notice.

“Venice, let's go for a walk.”

Craig knew Venice needed to cool off. He'd never seen her so pissed off. However, the way Venice went off on Miranda told him that she could definitely take care of herself.

Joshua came out and asked if everything was okay. Craig told him everything was cool. They exited the building to walk around the hotel's garden. Craig found a bench in the garden near a water fountain. They sat down and he put his arm around Venice's shoulder.

“Venice, I'm so sorry about everything. I had no idea Miranda would come here and try to cause problems. I want you to know that, regardless of what you may hear, you're the one I want to be with. I see now, Miranda has a lot of hate in her and I'm not sure how far she'll try to go. She still has some friends on campus who may try to start something with you. If that happens, you make sure you let me know.”

“If any of her skank friends start anything with me, I'm going to put them in their place.”

Craig smiled, still amazed by Venice's temper.

Venice asked, “What are you smiling at?”

“You. I'm surprised. You're dangerous, girl.”

She tried to keep from laughing. “Stop trying to make me laugh. I'm still mad.”

They both burst into laugher.

“You were wild. That messed my head up when you pushed me out of the way.”

“It was a reaction. I didn't even think about it. That chick knows how to yank my chain.”

“I'll take care of this. I promise.” Craig gazed lovingly at Venice and said, “You owe me a dance, Venice. Let's go.”

Venice cooled off as they went back inside. When they reached the dance floor, Miranda was over to the side looking like she was mad at the world. She watched Craig and Venice dance and realized she was out of luck with Craig. She felt a little satisfied that she was able to cause a little turmoil.

Miranda told her partners, “Look, I'm out of here!”