Faces of the Game (9 page)

If this bitch calls me out one more time, I’m going to get up and leave her fucking class.
  Chelle thought to herself, knowing she wasn’t going to just get up and leave without the syllabus.  The day wasn’t going good at all, and Chelle was ready to just go home and go to sleep for the rest of the day.  As the students continued to introduce themselves, Chelle went into her zone…
I can’t wait until I get out of here, I am calling this mother fucker and he better answer the phone, I just don’t understand why he would do this shit to me, and I thought he really liked me.  Oh well a nigga will be a nigga at the end of the day.  All men are dogs either way you look at it, hmmm what should I say when he answers.
  “…and my concentration is Media Broadcasting” Chelle tuned back into the class and heard the last student introduce himself.  As he sat down, the professor stood up “Alright class, if you came in late come get a syllabus, and I will see you on Wednesday.”  Chelle went up to the podium and got a syllabus from the professor, “I don’t want to see you walk in that late again, you missed half of the class”  “I will try, but its hard finding a parking spot out there” Chelle replied in an apologetic tone, “Well get here earlier the next time” the professor said and gestured Chelle’s dismissal.  Chelle excused herself from the class, and headed towards the car.  As soon as she got in her car, she called Chip; the phone rang once and it went to his voice mail, Chelle was even more pissed than before, she started to cry but then she realized that she was over reacting.  She had caught so many feelings for him so fast, only because they had spend so much time together already, she had never fell for someone this fast. 
Maybe he’s testing me to see how far he can push me
, she thought to herself.  In the mean time, she called Ash back, “Hey girl, let me tell you about your cousin”  “Oh gosh, what now?”  “Girl, this nigga asked me if I was going to wash his clothes today because he is running out of clean underclothes”  “Oh my goodness, was he serious?”  “Yes!  He acts like I don’t have to go to school, then work, then come home and do homework, cook and who knows what else.”  “That’s what else today, you better wash that mans draws, hahaha”  “You know what, he can go get whoever he stayed out with all night long to wash his darn clothes, I am not doing it”  “Child please, you know you probably said yes baby, as soon as he asked I don’t know why you are acting.”  “Yeah right, I told him to go buy some more clothes then because I am on a break.”  “What did he say after that?”  “Girl he went off, he goes; ‘all I ask you to do is wash a load of clothes and you tell me to buy some more what is wrong with you, you act like you have to wash them out on your hands damn Ash, just throw them in the washing machine and dryer.’  So then I said, if it’s that simple you do it.”  “Oh my goodness Ash, he is going to kick your ass”  “Man forget him, anyway where is Chip?”  “Child I don’t know, I tried calling him but he still didn’t answer I am confused, like did I do something that turned him completely off after all of this chasing he did?”  “I don’t know girl, let’s ride by his house.”  Ash suggested.  “You can do it, I am in Greensboro and I don’t plan on coming back to Winston until Friday after class” Chelle responded “When do you go back to work?  You don’t ever go to work.”  Ash joked “Stop hating, I don’t go back until next Monday, I took an extra week off.”  Chelle said as she pulled up at her apartment complex, she checked the mail since it had been so long since the last time she checked it.  “Whatever, I wish Chip would call you so you will stop blowing me up” Ash said laughing.  “Oh whatever Ash, you are so messed up.  Let me get in this house and finish my note cards I will call you later, and wash them damn clothes!”  Chelle said laughing.  “Whatever bye” Ash said laughing too and they hung up.  Chelle went back into her apartment and threw her books on the desk.  She went into her bedroom, laid down and dozed off thinking about Chip.  She dreamed that she called him and he answered the phone, they talked as if nothing ever happened and he asked her if he could take her out to dinner later on that night.  She said yes, and he never showed up then she got upset all over again.  She continued to sleep for the next couple of hours and she woke up at 5 p.m.  She checked her call log, she had a missed call from her mom, Neese, Tera and finally Chip.  She instantly called him back, but he still didn’t answer the phone she was so mad at herself for falling asleep instead of studying, so she called her mom back.  “Hey mama, what’s up?”  “Hey baby, how was class today?”  “It was alright, I am taking the second part of PR case studies, it’s called PR Case Briefs and Legal Practices I think I am going to like it” Chelle said.  “Oh, you liked the case studies class didn’t you?”  “Yes, and I have the same teacher for this class.”  “Oh good, what did you get out of her class last time?”  “I got a B, but I think I can make an A this time if I study harder.”  “You will, just try your best” her mom said with confidence.  “You know I will, so what are you doing for the rest of the day?”  “Nothing, I went and got my nails done after work today, I have to keep my nails done because this new ring your dad got me wouldn’t look right if I didn’t have my nails done” they both giggled.  “How was work?”  “Same old shit, I get so sick and tired of those people not doing their jobs the right way.”  “I know, but that’s how it is in the working world.”  “Like you would know, when do you go back to work?”  “Next week, I took an extra week off so I can get back into the swing of things at school.”  “Oh, okay well I will talk to you later your daddy is coming in.”  “Alright, tell him I said hey.”  “I will.”  They hung up.  Chelle rolled back over and dozed back off, she heard her phone ring so she jumped up thinking it was Chip, but it was Neese.  “Hey girl are you finally done with your classes?”  Chelle asked Neese.  “Yes girl, I am exhausted why does every teacher act like they are the only class you have?”  “Girl I don’t know, I hate it and I just thought about it I need to check my online classes to make sure I don’t have anything due soon”  Chelle said as she got up and went into the front room.  She logged onto the schools website and checked blackboard for any assignments, she did have anything due until Sunday at midnight.  “Oh whew, I don’t have anything due in either class until Sunday, I will have it done by this weekend.”  Chelle said relieved that she wasn’t behind in her online classes.  “Well girl, let me go to the cleaners and pick up these clothes, I will call you later on” Neese said.  “Okay bye girl” Chelle said as she hung up the phone.  Chelle finished studying for her quiz on Friday, although her professor called it a quiz, she knew it would be more like a test so she made sure she studied diligently for the rest of the night.

Back to Life

              Chelle rolled over and hit the end button on her cell phone so the alarm clock would stop going off.  She checked her call log, but still Chip hadn’t called back.  “You have got to be kidding me man” she said aloud while rolling out of bed.  It was 8:30 a.m. and her class started at 10, but as slow as she moved she knew she should hurry up and start getting ready.  She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and then she got in the shower, then she went in her closet and got a brown and burnt orange sweat suit out, she grabbed her Timberlands and laid her clothes on the bed.  As she dried off, and put her lotion on her cell phone rang this time she didn’t expect it to be Chip and of course it wasn’t.  It was her grandmother, “Hey what you doing?”  She said into the phone, “Hey granny, I’m getting ready for class” she answered while putting her grandmother on speaker phone.  “Oh, so are you ready for this semester?”  “Yes ma’am, I am ready” she said smiling and putting shea butter on her face.  She put on her under clothes and socks then she grabbed a tight white-tee out of her dresser and put it on.  “So what are you doing today?”  Chelle asked her granny as she put on her sweat suit and threw her hair up in a wild ball.  “Oh nothing, just looking through the paper right now” granny replied.  Chelle laced up her Timberlands loosely so they would be comfortable, and she grabbed her small Coach bag threw a pen and some lip gloss in it and told her grandmother she would call her when she got out of class.  She hung up the phone and put it in her bag as well and she grabbed her notebook and her text book along with her keys on the way out the door.  It was 9:26 a.m. when she looked at the clock in her car, so she knew that she was making good time since her clock was ten minutes fast.  Like usual, she cruised down the highway listening to her morning show on 102 jamz and laughing with the DJ’s.  As she approached the exit, she noticed that there were police cars swarming the exit.  She didn’t know what was going on, but she didn’t have time to go through a license check or anything else that they had jumping off so she went pass the exit and got off at the next one.  She pulled up on campus at around 9:35 a.m. she was so proud of herself for being on campus in enough time to find a parking spot without sweating and worrying.  When she got into the parking lot that she usually parked in if there were any spots available, she sat and waited for classes to let out she knew that students would be coming out of the building at any moment and she got a parking spot rather quick. 
Hmmm, I should leave early more often
she thought to herself while pulling in the parking spot.  As soon as she stepped out of the door, her cell phone rang which reminded her to put it on silent.  “Hello” she said into the phone without looking at the caller id.  “Hey baby, sorry I haven’t called you…” Chip started before she cut him off in the middle of his sentence, “Hey, I’m about to walk into class so let me call you whenever I get some time” she said in a busy but collected voice.  “Okay make sure you call me too” he said trying to sound sincere, “I will baby, just answer the phone” she said sounding calm, then she hung up.  She walked into class before it started for once, she was so happy and she was already starting her day off right.  Although she didn’t get the chance to talk to Chip, she was relieved since he finally called.  She took a deep breath and the professor walked in, “Good morning class” she said as she opened her roll book “if I don’t call your name, see me after class” she said.  She began calling the roll, and students were still walking in class, as each student entered she asked their names so she could count them present. 
Wow, this teacher seems pretty cool I think I am going to like her
, Chelle thought to herself.  The professor went over the syllabus and explained how the class was designed, what the students would learn and how it would help them to build their portfolio; she seemed like a wonderful teacher.  It was always good to see a young and happy professor, which let Chelle know that she could get along with them with no problem.  As the teacher continued to explain the guidelines and regulations, she sounded like she meant business but she was also a very patient teacher willing to help the students as much as she could.  She dismissed class ten minutes before it was time to get out, and everyone walked out of class happy.  Chelle grabbed her phone and called Ash, “Girl, he called but I had to keep my cool because I was walking to class” Chelle said as soon as Ash picked up the phone, “Call him back Chelle” Ash said.  “Duh, I can hardly wait but what am I going to say?”  Chelle asked.  “Ask him why the F he didn’t call you back!”  “Bye Ash, I will tell you how the conversation went”.  Chelle took a deep breath and cranked her car up; she turned the music down, and pulled out of the parking lot.  She opened her phone and dialed his number, “Hey, what’s up?”  He answered on the first ring.  “Hey, umm are you busy?”  Chelle asked sort of nervous about how she was going to come off on him, while on the other hand he was hoping that she wouldn’t ask him about him disappearing at all.  “No, what’s up?”  “How in the hell are you going to just leave me at your house without saying anything, you didn’t even leave a note or anything, that was fucked up and you know it”  she said without hesitation.  “I had to handle some business” he said in a manipulative tone.  “Oh and you think that shit is going to fly with me?”  “Damn, I was gone for a day and you act like it was a week chill out,  I was taking care of business you don’t need to know my every move”  He responded, not eager to continue the conversation.  “Well you could have said something damn Chip, I was worried and it was two and a half days not one; who the fuck taught you how to count?”  Chelle spat back, pissed at his nonchalant attitude.  “Man I will talk to you later, you are tripping” he said mad that she didn’t just let it fly.  “No, we might as well finish this conversation now while it’s fresh on both of our minds, where did you go all of that time?”  “I told you crazy, I had to take care of some business.”  “Oh really, it took two whole days to take care of it?”  “Yeah.”  “Well you don’t need to handle that type of business then, sounds pretty dangerous.”  “Oh so now you’re telling me what to do?”  “No, I am making a reasonable suggestion.”  “Okay, well I am sorry.”  “That’s it? You’re sorry? Wow, you don’t care see that’s why I didn’t want to involve myself with someone like you I knew this would happen eventually” Chelle said so upset now that she was about to shed a tear.  “Man I know you ain’t about to cry” he said feeling guilty.  “No, I’m just frustrated and you don’t have a good excuse you are basically telling me something to shut me up, you must think I’m stupid.”  Chelle said now letting her mind wonder, creating all types of scenario’s in her head.  “You probably were with that hood bitch Kiki or that dike as bitch Mo but it’s cool, I got you.”  “How…what, who man who have you been talking to?  Who put that bullshit in your head?”  “Nobody, that’s just how I feel” Chelle responded glad that she could shock him out of the blue.  “How you know about Mo anyway?”  Chip asked Chelle as he scratched his head and threw on his Jordan sneakers so he could go to her house and make it up to her the best way possible.  “Umm, didn’t I tell you I know everything?  Nigga I know every fucking thing.”  “Well, I’m on the way over there if that’s alright with you.”  He said hoping she wouldn’t turn him down.  “Na, I’m going to be busy all day long, sorry maybe some other time.”  She said crushing his feelings.  “Whatever, I’m on the way anyway.”  “You can come over here all you want, but I don’t have to open the door.”  “Please, I said I was sorry damn.”  He said now frustrated as hell, he hopped in his car and almost forgot to let the garage door up he was so upset. 
Damn - I have to get it together, - I really like this girl and I can’t let her go this easy.  What if she is done with me that quick, what if she is frustrated and can’t deal with me, oh God what do I tell her?  I need to come up with a good story but I’m not a good liar, I don’t think.  Maybe I should just tell the truth and get it over with, she might respect me more… hmm, and that’s what I will do just tell the truth.  We should have an honest talk, I wonder if she will go for it?  Oh gosh, I just don’t want to loose her or make her feel like I don’t care about her. 
He talked to himself the entire way to Greensboro, not once did he touch the radio.  He debated on whether to tell the truth or lie over and over again.  He finally concluded that he would tell the truth and test his chances, he figured that she was the type that would respect that more than him making up a good lie; and he was right.  Once he got off of the highway, he called Chelle to make sure she was still at home.  He was so relieved to find that she was home, and she didn’t sound as pissed as she was before.  She opened the door before he got to the steps and she looked at him as if her eyes could pierce through his heart.  “What’s up?”  He said as he walked up the stairs.  “What’s going on?”  She said and rolled her eyes and trying to hold her smile in at the same time as they walked into her apartment.  “So… give me what you’ve got.”  She said waiting for him to let the lies roll off of his tongue.  “What do you mean?”  He asked afraid to even start the conversation.  “Just be honest with me, remember we promised to keep it real with each other no matter what.”