Heyyy my boo loves!
Thank you babes (proper thank-you messages coming soon I promise):
Jazavelli, Mrs. HoneyBunns1, Nicky7994, taydo-the-potato, anon, janiyah, ladyrere1985, LovinHueyFreeman, Steven, bunnybabe247, natasha annalise, Lets do it, PippElulu, wavymc, Toto Yoshio, viperkishino, Mrs. Uzumaki, sncjana, leogirl321, bunnyboo11, Guest, and rampagingmuffins.
Sorry for the wait. Warning you now, it's somewhat of a filler-y chapter. Explanations below :)
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks or any of his characters.
"If I'm lucky, I'll find me a nice white woman with a flat booty who will listen to my problems."
Robert Jebediah Freeman (AKA Granddad); The Garden Party
Cindy's POV
She scanned her group meticulously, bobbing her head and clapping her hands to the beat. It was looking good. Damn good if she said so herself. But she always wanted more from them. And she knew they could give her more.
"Five, six, seven, eight, and hit, hit, hit, hit!" Cindy called out loudly, mirroring their movements. "Harder, ladies… give me more… and dammit, SMILE y'all! Have fun with it… thank you… alright now, that's more like it… yasss, work!" She grinned, starting to feel it more. After the last chorus, they danced through the remainder of the ending loop and finished it by holding their poses like a gang of bad bitches.
"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Cindy smiled as she applauded them. Her advanced female class beamed at her praise and gave each other hugs. There were four of them total not including Cindy, along with four guys that she recruited that were there for backup and support.
"We killed it." Kalani agreed, still trying to catch her breath.
"I'd say they would agree." Tamar smirked, subtly nodding towards the exit of the room. There were viewing windows where three guys were watching the girls intently.
"Girl, if you don't get off your elementary-ass shit," Jade sucked her teeth. "You and Babyface over there undress each other with your eyes every time we in here. Just go talk to him!"
"Shh!" Tamar whacked her as Kalani laughed.
"You know she's right though." She cracked.
"Whateva."
"Look, why don't you all go get a drink? We can run it through one last time after you get back." Cindy suggested. The three girls nodded and headed off, whispering indiscreetly as they had to walk out the doorway and past the group of boys. Cindy rolled her eyes with a grin and turned to the remaining trainee still standing near her. "What's up, Ri?"
"Do you really think it looks okay?" Rihanna asked quietly before gently biting her lip. She was the youngest of her trainees at 16 while the others were between 17-18 and she was certainly the most reserved of the four. It was one of the reasons that made Cindy give her the lead in the dance, to break her out of her shell a bit. To her surprise, and most likely Rihanna's as well, she was doing awesome with it. So awesome with it that she felt encouraged to participate in her school's talent show using the choreography. Her friends Tamar, Kalani, and Jade also attended her high school and were ecstatic to be able to perform in front of an audience. And although Rihanna was excited as well, Cindy could tell she was very nervous.
"What, the dance? Yeah, it looks great! You guys are nailin' it." She told her with a smile.
"Not just the dance itself, but visually you know? Me in particular. Like, am I giving this dance enough life and enough of a vibe?"
"I mean, I could always use more out of all you guys, but that's just me." Cindy grinned. "But you guys look really great. And I know you'll be great for the show."
"I'm just getting nervous." Rihanna confessed. "We only have one week until the competition to practice... I just want it to be perfect."
"What are you scared for though? It really does look good. And you know I wouldn't lie to you."
"Because…." Rihanna sighed. "You know me, Cin. Maybe not as well as the girls, but you do get me. Having an audience is something I'm not exactly comfortable with. Being the center of attention in front of an audience is definitely not something I'm comfortable with. That's just not me. I love this choreography and I love this music but… I'm just worried I'm not going to be able to do it justice. Certainly not like you. I don't think anyone can do it as well as you."
Cindy listened patiently as she nodded. Then she shrugged a shoulder casually. "You right." She replied, causing Rihanna to cast a questioning look. "You're absolutely right. Nobody can do this dance like me or do it as well as I can. Just like nobody can do it as well as you can or Tamar or Jade or Kalani. Your style doesn't compare to anyone else's and it shouldn't even be a thought in your mind. The audience is going to get out of it what you put into it. If you walk on stage and own this shit like you the baddest bitch in the room like I know you can, I promise you that you have nothing to worry about."
The uneasy look that Rihanna wore had finally started to fade while Cindy spoke. She even managed a light smile. "Thanks, Cindy."
"No problem, girl. You got this. And you already know I'mma be there to see the performance next Saturday so y'all better work."
"Promise."
"Girl, you better. Probably think I won't come up on that stage, shit."
"Oh, I know you're that crazy." Rihanna giggled. "We'll do our best to make you proud."
"That's what I like to hear." Cindy grinned, extending her fist for a bump. They soon heard the sound of laughter as the rest of the group filed into the room.
"Guess who finally got homeboy's number, y'all?" Jade smirked as she approached them.
"Damn, your voice is extra loud." Kalani nudged her with a grin. "They still watchin'."
"Congrats. It's about time." Rihanna smiled.
"Well if you would've came with us, you would've been there to witness the occasion." Tamar playfully huffed, dramatically pushing her bangs out of her eyes.
"Hold up. He did NOT write his number down on the back of your hand." Rihanna exclaimed while Cindy's jaw dropped.
"What? It's cute!"
"Umm, don't y'all have cellphones?" Cindy raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, but he had a pen in his pocket. I think he just wanted an excuse to hold my hand." She practically swooned. Cindy shook her head in disbelief.
Teenagers.
"Okay then." Cindy said, deciding to drop it. "So we only got about 15 minutes left. Do you guys wanna call it a day or run through it one more time?"
"One more time!" They all said, surprising Cindy.
"Damn, y'all still like it that much?" She chuckled.
"Hell yes! This is my favorite that we've done so far." Jade nodded.
"I'm glad." Cindy said proudly. "Go 'head and get into your positions."
"Join us this time." Rihanna suggested. "You can lead."
"We can both lead."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It'll be a little bit more freestyle though." She then turned to the group. "Alright guys, I'm gonna reblock this a little differently. Jade and Tamar, you guys stand on opposite sides of us like normal but take a few steps back. Kalani, I want you to stand in the back positioned between them. Rihanna and I are going to stand side by side in the front but will be far enough apart to make a window for you so everyone's visible, alright? Nathan, Jakey, and Kaden, you guys are good with your normal partners. Doug, because Ri and I are leading, you can sit this one out." She explained while everyone got situated. She then turned back to Rihanna.
"You and I are kinda gonna battle."
"What?" She chuckled nervously.
"For mostly just the chorus. We can start off the first verse similarly, but still. I want it to be fierce, I want it to be sharp, and I want you to defend your leadership during this song. Don't let me steal the spotlight. Make me work."
Rihanna pursed her lips and eyed her. "You know I'm not gonna win."
"Maybe… maybe not… but you can still try." Cindy shrugged. "Impress me."
Rihanna nodded and got into her position. "I gotchu." Cindy smiled as she got into her position as well and nodded for Doug to start the music. Cindy felt it all over again as soon as she heard the beginning melody start to play.
Keep It Movin' by Serayah McNeill and Yazz, otherwise known as Tiana and Hakeem from Empire.
"I'm so dangerous." Cindy mouthed during the intro with a sultry expression.
"Tiana." Rihanna mouthed along to Hakeem's ad-lib. Although from the mirror, Cindy could've sworn she had mouthed her own name instead, to which she gave her kudos to making it her own. They waited until the end of the intro until they began to dance.
Listen to me
Here we go
I got a body like a weapon
It goes ba-ba-bang, bang-bang
And every time that we're together (what's up, baby)
I drive you insane, insane
Got me up in here, what ya gonna do with it
Y'know I need a man that can aim, let's get it
Get a little trigger happy, daddy
Get a little trigger happy, daddy
Cindy's feet and body were on auto-pilot as they danced through Hakeem's verse. She fucking loved this song and had been obsessed with it ever since it made its debut on Empire. She had been so excited to choreograph a dance to it. Admittedly, it was one of the less structured dances that she had designed, but she had intended for it to be more for fun. She just felt so resonated with it. She could assume it was due to the lack of intimacy in her life along with the bullshit going on with Riley. Ever since the shit that had happened last week, she had barely seen or spoken to him. As always, his pettiness was lasting for days. At first Cindy had been hurt, then she had just gotten pissed. But when she listened to this song, she felt more and more fucks starting to be given. And that was starting to be okay with her.
"And five, six, seven, eight, let's go!" Cindy shouted as they approached the chorus.
And I don't got time for love
Don't got time for love (I ain't got no time)
Keep it movin', keep it movin' (uh-uh)
Keep it movin', keep it movin'
And I don't got time for love
Don't got time for love (I ain't got no time)
Keep it movin', keep it movin (uh-uh)
Keep it movin', keep it movin'
Whoaaaaaa
Keep it movin', here we go
Keep it movin', here we go, g-g-go, go, go, go
Jazmine's POV
She leaned back on her headrest and enjoyed soaking in the sun's rays as the wind blew through her hair heavenly. She needed her own car. Preferably another convertible. Jazmine had had one… once. For her 18th birthday, her parents had surprised her with a cherry red Porsche convertible that was the most beautiful inanimate object she had ever seen. Until… three weeks after her parents had presented it to her… she had totaled it. After driving up a hill, she noticed Cindy and Riley walking together and had pulled over to quickly parallel park. She left her car running and hopped out, not realizing that she had not fully shifted the gear to park. While her back was turned, her car slowly rolled down the hill before picking up speed and smashing into the intersection. No one had gotten hurt, but her parents had been pissed. Her father, the drama queen that he was, basically deemed her too irresponsible to have her own car and vowed that he and her mother wouldn't help her purchase a new one until she was 30.
So she was in the process of saving up her money… and hitching rides from her friends.
"Thanks for picking us up, Cin." She said with her eyes closed, still reveling in the sunlight.
"What she said, boo. 'Preciate it." Caesar chimed in, leaning up between the driver and passenger seats.
"Sure thing." Cindy replied as she cruised through town. Right around the time she usually got off work, Jazmine sent her a text to see if she was free to hang out, which of course Cindy had sent her the reply of duh; it wasn't a surprising text considering their crew almost always did something during the weekend. Cindy had offered that she could come over to her apartment and she could swing by to pick her up. Jazmine had asked her to meet her at McDonald's and had randomly run into Caesar there five minutes before Cindy arrived. He was having car troubles, go figure.
"So where'd you park, Ceez? Do you need me to drop me off to get your car later?" Cindy asked.
"I took the bus to town. My truck's in the shop." He shrugged. "I just went to get food before heading back to the bus stop."
"Huey can drive you back with us when he picks me up later." Jazmine told him.
"Solid."
"Where is McHater this evening?" Cindy turned to Jazmine.
"He actually had an interview in Baltimore about an hour ago. He should be on his way back home soon I'm guessing."
"Real shit? For what?"
"He interviewed to work at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum to present some of their African-American exhibits."
"Nice. You do realize he'll only be there for a short time, right?" Caesar smirked from the backseat.
"Oh hush, he will not!"
"Bet money he lasts one week tops." Cindy added.
"Why do you say that?" Jazmine demanded.
"Jazzy honey, it's Huey… c'mon. You know your dude. He gonna make a white girl cry on the first day of the job." Caesar explained to her patiently.
"Several." Cindy muttered under her breath.
"…He has self-control." Jazmine grumbled stubbornly. Both Cindy and Caesar shot a quick look at one another before nodding faintly.
"Sure." They replied simultaneously.
"Oh whatever." Jazmine huffed. "I was applying for stuff today too."
"Yeah? Where at?" Caesar asked.
"Well, I was just down at the library before I met you at McDonald's. I applied to work there with the other librarians."
"Good Lord."
"What?" Jazmine glared at Cindy while Caesar cracked up.
"Seriously? You at a library, Jazz? Really?" He said through his laughter.
"What's so funny about that?"
"Because it's YOU." Cindy smirked.
"Your shrill-ass voice can't handle the quietness of a library."
"I can too!"
"See there, that was loud. Fired."
Jazmine pouted and crossed her arms. "Meanies." She said before turning back to the window while they laughed. Caesar leaned near her and rubbed her arm.
"We love you, babe. We're just lookin' out for you."
"Mmm-hmm."
"Fine, ask Riley his opinion on you working there when we see him…." He said casually, causing Jazmine to turn back around and look at him with subtle interest.
"When we see him?" Cindy repeated, beating Jazmine to it.
"Yeah, I texted him to meet us at your place. That's cool right?" He asked innocently enough, but Jazmine knew better.
"Sure, that's fine." Cindy replied with nonchalance, gazing straight through the windshield. Jazmine looked back at Caesar and gave him a discrete smile as he smirked back.
Operation Catch-This-Wannabe-Coy-Couple was back in effect.
About 15 minutes later, they had arrived to Cindy's apartment complex and walked inside, looking for Riley. They had already spotted his car in the parking lot and suspected he'd be in either the lobby or waiting for Cindy on the top floor, maybe even inside her apartment if her door was unlocked. But sure enough, he was only relaxing on a lounge couch with one arm behind his head as he texted leisurely. Once he noticed the group approaching him, he slid his phone in his pocket and stood up.
"What's good, youngblood?" Caesar greeted, extending his fist for dap. Riley looked unimpressed, but dapped him anyway.
"Yo."
"Hey Riley!" Jazmine smiled with a friendly wave.
"Sup." He supplied her a head nod. Then he turned and looked at Cindy, his gaze and his tone remaining very neutral.
"C-Murph."
"Reezy." Cindy shot back coolly before she started to immediately head to the elevator. Both Jazmine and Caesar raised their brows as Riley rolled his eyes slowly.
"Umm, did we miss something?" Caesar casually commented as they followed behind them.
"Miss what?" Cindy asked over her shoulder as she pressed the elevator button before they entered.
"The hostility?" Jazmine chuckled, looking back and forth between Riley and Cindy's reactions. "What's up? You guys seem tense with each other."
Riley sucked his teeth and looked at Cindy. "Ain't nobody tense, Jazz. Cindy just wanna act like her ice-princess-y self." He shrugged.
"And clearly Riley wants to be on his lame-nigga status." She shrugged back at him, practically the model of attitude.
"All this because I forgot? Really though, C?" He asked her, giving her a look.
Cindy tilted her head slightly and crossed her arms, remaining silent but giving him a questioning look back.
"Y'all wanna know why this girl is mad at me?" Riley finally tore his eyes away from Cindy and looked at them. "The other day I promised her that I would meet her on the court to play some hoops after work and I forgot and went home instead. And my phone died so I didn't see any of her texts or get her phone calls. This happened like two days ago and she still mad."
"I don't like when niggas make promises they can't keep." Cindy lightly glared at him as the elevator dinged and they stepped out together.
"I'm sorry. I already said I was sorry. Let it go, boo." He smirked, sliding his arm around her waist as they walked down the hallway.
"You let it go." Cindy retorted, pushing his arm away.
"I already did, so gimme a damn hug and stop bitchin'." Riley lightly snapped with a smirk before engulfing her in one.
"Dammit boy, if you don't get off." Cindy told him, even though it was obvious she was fighting her smiles and giggles.
"Hug me then!"
"Fine." She replied through her teeth as she wrapped her arms around him.
Jazmine watched from behind them with a grin, as she couldn't get past them in the narrow hallway. They were hopeless. She reached into her pocket as she felt a text.
To Jazmine: Don't buy none of this shit.
She casually looked over at Caesar who had gotten out of the elevator last. He was looking right back at her with a look that said, yeah right. Clearly he had noticed something she hadn't.
He was also really good at detecting BS.
"Y'all are real cute cuddlin' in the hallway or whatever, but can we go inside? I'm thirsty." He announced.
"It's always something with you, isn't it?" Cindy grinned, letting go of Riley and stepping up to her door to unlock it.
"It's always something with you two. Don't get it twisted." He smirked, following them inside.
"Whateva. Y'all can figure out what you wanna watch on TV. I'm gonna go make drinks." Cindy said, heading towards her kitchen.
"I'll help you." Riley offered while following her.
"Just tea please, Cindy." Jazmine requested.
"Long Island Iced Tea coming up!"
"No, just a regular-"
"That goes double for me, thanks!" Caesar cut her off, pulling her arm to sit down on the couch as he clicked on the television. Then he got serious.
"Tell me you ain't buyin' their shit." He muttered quickly and quietly as he turned up the volume on the remote.
"What?"
"Keep up with me Jazzy and talk fast. You think they're story is legit?"
"I-don't-know-why-it-wouldn't-be-I-mean-it-does-seem-like-something-Riley-would-do-and-something-Cindy-would-be-mad-about-but-I-don't-know-if-that's-all-that-happened-or-if-it's-something-else-completely-"
"Brakes." Caesar cut her off with a grin. "I definitely think it's something else."
"Why, what do you think?"
"Did you see the way they were looking at each other in the elevator? Like when Riley told her it was all because he forgot? Cindy was looking at him like she had no idea what he was talking about, and Riley was looking at her as if to say, 'follow my lead.' I definitely don't think that was the reason Cindy was pissed at him."
"They have been acting weird." Jazmine said thoughtfully. Then a memory occurred to her. "Oh, there was something else too!"
"What?"
"Early-this-week-on-like-Sunday-Monday-and-either-Tuesday-or-Wednesday-I-can't-remember-which-but-anyway-I-had-talked-to-Cindy-and-asked-her-if-she-had-seen-Riley-during-the-weekend-and-she-had-said-no-and-then-I-asked-if-she-was-gonna-see-him-or-had-talked-to-him-later-in-the-week-and-she-had-still-said-no-and-it-was-weird-you-know-because-she-didn't-go-into-it-or-elaborate-on-anything-she-just-changed-the-subject-and-I-hadn't-thought-anything-of-it-but-maybe-"
"Brakes… damn, girl." Caesar chuckled. "…But maybe some shit had already happened. You said she was acting strange about him early in week?"
"I asked her on Sunday and Monday for sure and either Tuesday or Wednesday if she had plans with him or had spoken to him and she said no." Jazmine explained, finally slowing down.
"Interesting, considering how Riley was saying that he pissed her off Wednesday night. Why would Cindy be acting funky unless something had already happened?"
"They're lying." Jazmine whispered, her eyes wide.
"Somethin' is definitely goin' on. We gotta watch how this all plays out, Nancy Drew."
"Watch closely, Sherlock." She grinned, looking towards the TV as she noticed Cindy and Riley making their way in from the kitchen.
"Drinks and popcorn are served." Cindy said as she set a tray of tall glasses and a large bowl of popcorn down on her coffee table. "Drink up, Jazz. It's sweet and you don't have to drive tonight."
"Thanks." She grinned sarcastically at her best friend.
"I gotchu." She winked taking a seat on the opposite sofa next to Riley.
"Y'all find somethin' to watch?" He asked, draping his arm on the back of the couch.
"Let's Be Cops is about to come on." Caesar told him.
"Nice."
"Is it funny humor or stupid humor?" Jazmine asked as she winced her nose.
"More funny than stupid I promise. It's a good movie." Caesar assured her.
"Just sit back, relax, and watch." Cindy told her, leaning back in her seat. Jazmine grinned, glancing at Caesar in the corner of her eye.
Trust me, we are.
Cindy's POV
This… fucking… nigga.
Cindy had to forcibly restrain her urge to mollywhop the hell out of him as he wrapped his arm around her as if it were sweet. As if it was sincere. But they both knew that it wasn't.
He had just told her it wasn't, not even two hours ago.
"You need to get it together." He muttered loud enough for her to hear as he placed a packet of popcorn in the microwave. To "help with drinks" her ass.
"Ex-CUSE you?" She had started as she whirled around on him, but hadn't gotten too loud before Riley had quickly shook his head and gestured to the living room where Jazmine and Caesar currently were. "What the hell are you talking about? And what the hell was with that story in the elevator?" She snapped quietly.
"Oh I'M sorry. Would you have rather told them that you were pissed at me because I almost put a baby in you?" He replied with blunt sarcasm.
Cindy glared at him dangerously. "You need to watch it Riley and I mean it."
"You need to watch it. If you're still all pissed, whateva but-"
"I'M still pissed? YOU'RE the one that stormed out of here when I said that I needed some time!"
"I don't even care about that anymore! Take all the fuckin' time you need. I'm just tellin' you that you need to lose the attitude with me and act like we're fuckin' good. Do you want them to think somethin's up? Yes or no?"
"No, I don't." Cindy said through her teeth.
"Then act like it. Drop the drama, put on a smile, and get cozy babe. Act like we fuckin' do."
How DARE him.
"I love that movie." Cindy said as it ended, leaning up eagerly to escape the warmth of Riley's arm around her.
"It was good. I liked it." Jazmine grinned, sipping on her second Long Island.
"Did you ever text Huey?" Cindy asked casually. The sooner he got here, the sooner they all, especially Riley, could get the hell out of her crib.
"Yeah, I did… he knows I'm drinking." She giggled. "He's on his way now. He should probably be here in ten minutes."
Never thought I'd be happy to hear the Afro-Maniac was on his way. Cindy thought, resisting her eyeroll.
"Awesome."
"Awesome?" Caesar repeated with a smirk. "You ready to kick us out already, girl?"
Dammit Ceez.
"Boy if you don't hush." She brushed him off. "I'm gonna come down with you to get my mail. I haven't checked it in weeks."
"That's not good." Jazmine giggled as she stood up. "We can head down now and just wait for him in the lobby."
"Cool. Getcha ass up, Reez." Cindy said, giving him a look as she rose from the couch. He was still sitting there, his arms draped over the back of the couch as he looked up steadily at her. Knowing him, he was probably directing vulgarities at her in his thoughts.
She was silently directing a few of her own right back at him.
Five minutes later, they were in the lobby heading to the wall of mailboxes. Cindy was preoccupied with a silly Jazmine that was totally not surprising. She had made her drinks strong on purpose. She was so funny when she was tipsy.
"Are you expecting or waiting on anything?" She asked while Cindy opened her box and sorted through the envelopes.
"Just bills really." She shrugged.
"I'll tell you what I've been waitin' on." A male voice said behind her before she turned around. "You."
Unbelievable. It was Nick. The thirsty guy she had told Riley about.
"Hey, what's up?" Cindy greeted casually, trying to keep it light.
"Cindy McPhearson… what's up with you? Haven't seen you around in a while, girl. You been hiding from me?" He asked with a toothy grin as he closed his mailbox and leaned against the wall.
Cindy had to fight the urge to cringe. Nick Cramer. Was he cute? Sure. He looked like a knock-off Cam Gigandet but twice as douche-y, probably because he knew he was attractive and was obviously proud of it.
"Not at all. Just collecting my mail and seeing my friends off." She said, gesturing to them. Nick locked eyes with Jazmine immediately.
"Hey sweetheart, I'm Nick." He said, extending a hand.
"I'm off-limits!" She replied cheerfully as she shook his hand. Caesar about fell out in laughter while Nick just looked confused as he let go.
"Yes she most certainly is, bro. Trust me, you don't want that problem." He explained, wiping away a stray tear. "I'm Caesar." He introduced. Nick gave him a light head nod but didn't look amused or impressed.
"Riley." Cindy was surprised that Riley had even said anything, but it was lost upon Nick as his attention was back on her.
"So Cindy," He turned to her again, rudely ignoring Riley. "When we gonna link up? You busy tonight?"
She grinned and rolled her eyes playfully as she thought. "I didn't notice anything on my calendar." She said aloofly with a shrug.
"Would you mind penciling me in then, gorgeous?" He asked as his eyes lit up.
Cindy giggled at the compliment. "What time?" She didn't know why she was humoring him like she was. Usually when he asked, she gave him a brief excuse before moving along. Maybe it had something to do with the feeling of Riley's heated scrutiny.
"How about 10:30, my place?" He suggested with a grin.
Cindy pretended to contemplate as she looked to her friends for guidance. Jazmine still had that loopy smile on her face that told her to go for it. Caesar was giving her a look like she probably shouldn't. And then there was Riley. He had such a hateful expression on his face as he glared at Nick, then directed his gaze onto Cindy's. The disapproval in his eyes was evident. It was like he was demanding her answer to be no. Practically forbidding it.
That was all the clarification she needed.
"It's a date then." She smirked as she turned back to Nick. Then she casually sauntered off, leaving her friends to follow behind her.
"See you then, babe." Cindy rolled her eyes as her back was to him and her friends. She would definitely need another drink before she went to visit him.
"Daaamnn." Jazmine let out when they walked outside to the parking area. "You're really gonna go with him?"
"Why not? I'm free of plans for tonight." She shrugged.
"Just be careful, Cindy. I don't trust that dude." Caesar told her seriously.
"She just wants to have fun, Sherlock." Jazmine giggled, nudging him. Caesar snapped his head down to her and gave her a fake smile.
"And I'm sure that's exactly what homeboy wants too." He said, making her squeak as he pinched her side. "Behave, tipsy."
"I'll be fine. I'mma big girl and can handle myself." She told them. The honk of a horn caused them to turn to see Dorothy parked in a nearby stall. "Huey's here. Y'all better get over there before he leaves."
"Bye, girl. Call me tomorrow. Be safe! Bring some-"
"Alright girl, damn! You really have had too much. Ceez, get her ass to Huey." Cindy chuckled, letting go of Jazmine as she transferred her over to Caesar. He nodded as he gave her a look.
"Seriously Cin, be careful and be smart." He told her, giving her a one-armed hug.
"Always. Hold on to her for real though." Cindy said, gesturing to Jazmine.
"I'm fine, I can walk myself." She huffed, marching away to the car.
"You're not stumbling at all, huh?" Caesar rolled his eyes, following beside her with a steady arm around her.
Cindy chuckled and turned to Riley who was still standing there. She raised an eyebrow and waited for him to speak but he didn't. He only glared at her.
"You comin', Reez?" Caesar called over his shoulder, but didn't turn around.
Riley looked over at them and then back at Cindy one more time as he glared at her. He seriously looked like he wanted to choke her, which Cindy didn't get. All because some guy wanted to hang out with her? Cindy couldn't even count the number of hoes that wanted to fuck Riley and he had the nerve to act like this over one freaking guy? He had some goddamn nerve.
"Yeah." Riley said, his hard voice startling Cindy. "I'm coming." He glared at her one more time before he turned away from her and headed to the car. Cindy glared at his back, wanting to do nothing more than to flip him off and scream obscenities at him. But she held it back.
If only he knew that he was the reason she was even thinking about hanging out with Nick in the first place.
Later That Night; 11:45 pm
It had barely been over an hour. One hour. And Cindy was surprised she had even made it this far.
She had her doubts when he had answered the door wearing nothing but loose basketball shorts. She had her doubts when he repeatedly asked to make her drinks. She had obliged one, but the boy was insistent on getting her drunk. Fat chance. But now her doubts and her temper were continuing to be put to the test the more and more as he kept trying to make moves on her.
"Alright, hands." Cindy said, her voice sounding testy as she glared at the hand on her thigh that kept trying to inch higher.
"My bad, my bad." He told her before taking a big chug of beer, but didn't make any attempt at removing his hand.
"How do you accidentally slide your hand onto my leg?" Cindy deadpanned, brushing his hand off herself.
"What can I say? My hands are attracted to you." He grinned once he sat his beer down and wrapped an arm around her. Although Cindy had abstained from drinking, Nick had been tossing them back since she had arrived.
"Oh-kay, Nick. I think I should probably go home now." Cindy told him, trying to pull out of his grasp.
"Go?" He echoed, gripping her a little tighter as he looked at her. "Why? Just stay the night with me. I promise you won't regret it."
And I promise that you will. Cindy thought with a glare.
"I don't usually do that, Nick." She told him evenly.
"Make an exception."
"NO." She really didn't appreciate him telling her what to do. "I don't stay with someone unless I'm dating them." Yeah it was a lie, but whatever.
"Dating? Who said anything about dating? I just wanna fuck you-" He grunted in surprise as Cindy slapped him across the face.
"No, fuck you." She spit as pushed away from him and rose to her feet, heading to the door.
"Cindy, wait!" He cried, one hand on his cheek as his other hand grabbed her wrist.
"Let go of me now, Nick." She warned, balling her fist. Apparently he noticed because he promptly released his grip and stared at her. Then he scoffed.
"You know what, fine. Go. There's the door, don't let it hit your ass on the way out."
Cindy's jaw dropped. Oh now this bitch-ass wanted to talk some shit? Oh FUCK no!
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Cindy barked, stepping up to him. "Who the fuck do you think you're talkin' to like that?!"
"A petty-ass bitch." He derided her cruelly, stunning her to silence. "You think I don't see you with other guys? Guys that head up to your room late at night? Especially that one ghetto-ass I met today. Wylie or whatever the hell his name is. You don't fuck before you date? You're full of shit. You let all the other guys in town have a turn, you might as well let me-" His words ended when Cindy delivered a hard kick to his groin.
"You FUCKING… PIECE… of SHIT!" She screamed, delivering a hard blow to his face, his gut, and his balls once more. He fell to the ground writhing in pain as he coughed and moaned loudly.
"You stay the hell away from me, you little bitch. Don't you ever come near me again." She commanded, stepping firmly on his fingers as she walked over him and out the door. She slammed it closed and stormed down the hall, fighting the tears that were threatening to break through. As much as she knew he was just a tool and that his actions shouldn't have been that surprising, his words had hurt.
Fuck them all.
Cindy pressed repeatedly on the elevator button for it to arrive so she could go upstairs and cry herself to sleep. But as the doors opened, she was shocked not only to find a person already inside, but for the person inside to be… Riley.
"Reezy?" She asked in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing in here? And on the 3rd floor?"
"I came to check on you." He said, stepping out of the elevator. "I just got off work and came over cuz… I knew you were goin' to that dude's apartment… and I didn't trust him." He explained, almost embarrassedly. "I went up to your place first and when you didn't answer your door I was heading down to his room."
"How did you know where he lived?" Cindy was so confused.
"I looked at the number on his mailbox when y'all were talking." He mumbled, still looking embarrassed. Cindy didn't know why, but it was almost enough to bring her to tears again.
"Thanks, Reezy." She said, trying so hard to keep herself together.
"No problem but… aye, what's wrong?" Dammit. "Talk to me, what's up?"
"Nothing, you're just sweet." She tried.
"Nah, what's up?" He said, already on to her. "You leaving his room early. What happened?"
"Nothing surprising, Riley. He's a stupid guy… just like I told you." She answered him quietly.
"Tell me right now, did he do anything to you?" Riley stepped closer, holding her arms and looking her over seriously. He looked like he was about to go break his door down. The sincerity in his eyes finally made Cindy crack as she let a tear fall.
"He didn't." She shook her head, quickly wiping it away. "I'm just… happy to see you." She confessed with a light smile.
Riley studied her face carefully before taking her into his arms in an embrace. Cindy melted into him and let a few more tears fall silently.
"I'm sorry." He told her quietly.
"I am too." She whispered against him.
Riley's POV
He wanted to know. He wanted to know so fucking bad what had happened when she went to that ass-wipe's apartment. It had to have gotten ugly. Cindy was near tears when he saw her, a rare sight for her. But Cindy didn't want to talk about it.
Homeboy had better hope that he didn't run into Riley anytime soon. Or ever.
"I'm fine, really." Cindy told him tiredly as she sipped a glass of water.
"Fine my ass." Riley muttered. They were sitting on the couch together talking, but Riley kept smoothly re-directing the conversation back to the matter at hand.
"Reezy, let it go." She gave him a look.
"I just don't understand. Say the word and I'm down there beatin' that ass, no homo. If he touched you, or disrespected you, or tried some shit-"
"Reezy." Cindy gently took hold of his chin to make him look at her fully and finally stop talking. "I know that you've got my back."
He nodded slowly, her hand still touching his face. "I do."
"Thank you." She smiled at him, brushing his jawline.
Riley remained still, trying not to stare too much at her waiting lips. He wanted to respect her. He knew that he had been an ass, almost all week after the pregnancy scare. He had just been mad. What they had was a good thing and to feel it all ripped away like that had fucked with him, not that it was an excuse. He had made it way too much about him and not been there for his best friend. She deserved better than that, especially from him.
He cleared his throat. "You're welcome." He said, giving her a gentle smile. It had seemed to snap Cindy out of it as she had suddenly pulled her hand down from his face while she blushed.
"So… what are your plans tomorrow?" She asked breezily.
"Nothin' really. I'm off work finally, so I'm probably just gonna chill."
"Same." Cindy nodded. "Maybe… we could hang out?"
"That'd be good. I ain't got shit to do." Riley smirked.
"Yeah, when do you ever?" Cindy chuckled as she nudged him.
"True." He shrugged. Then he noticed the clock on her wall. It was already going on 12:30 in the morning. "I should probably head out so you can get some sleep." He patted her leg as he started to stand.
"And you too. You got off at 11:30 right? What time did you start?" Cindy asked, following him.
"Around two." Riley rolled his eyes. "They work me like a slave over there, I'm tellin' you."
"But you do make dat money." Cindy grinned.
"There is that." Riley smirked. He stopped when he got to the door and turned around to look at her. "Aye… don't worry about that nigga. You already know you're way out of his league."
Cindy smiled and looked down. "Thanks, Reezy. And thanks for stopping by to check on me tonight. I really appreciate that."
"No problem." He said, stepping over to give her a hug. She wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled into him as close as she could get. Riley closed his eyes and held her body tightly against his. When he started to pull back, he paused as Cindy gazed up at him, her arms still around him. Then she surprised him by leaning up and planting a gentle kiss near the corner of his mouth. Riley couldn't stop himself as he leaned down and brushed his lips slowly over hers in response. He kissed her once more before pulling back slightly and resting his forehead against hers. He was silent for a moment before he spoke.
"I can't say I'm sorry cuz I'm not." He told her huskily, looking into her eyes.
"Don't be." She whispered back.
"I wanna do it again." He murmured, rubbing his hand slowly down the side of her body. He tried to force his brain to re-gain control, but he knew it was useless. And he knew where it was headed.
"Then do it more." She replied before Riley kissed her deeply, sliding his tongue into her mouth and pulling her hips against his. They kissed feverishly while they caressed and petted each other avidly, clearly missing the touch of one another.
"Reezy," Cindy said breathily while he kissed along her neck. He knew the question before it even left her lips but wanted to hear it.
"Hm?"
"Stay with me." She whispered. It wasn't even a question. It was a statement. A needing request. A matter of fact.
And it was fine by Riley.
He answered her by lifting her into his arms and carrying her to the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and removed her clothes, then his clothes, still while they were both kissing and touching each other in pleasure. Then, after he had put on their protection, he slid into her fully, making her gasp loudly.
He had known… it was only a matter of time before they were both back in the position they currently were.
YO. This chapter took a minute. Sorry again that it was super filler-y in the beginning. I needed some setting up of the chapter because… yeah… I just did. Sooo happy I finally got another one of these chapters out! I do in fact miss this story :) Y'all are some silly peeps thinking I was just gonna abandon it. Never!
Disclaimers (cuz it's been awhile): Keep It Movin' by Serayah McNeill and Yazz, Empire, Porsche, McDonald's, Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Long Island Iced Tea, Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes, Let's Be Cops, Cam Gigandet (so handsome, so not a douche), and any other thing I forgot.
For those of you who enjoy this story AND BWUR/The Sequel: Alrighty, so here's the dealio (because I'm apparently one of those people who says the word "dealio"). First things first, as I've already stated, I am NOT repeat NOT abandoning any stories, so breathe :) However, I'm warning you guys in advance that it's unfortunately going to be a while until my next update :( In addition to taking THREE online courses during the summer, I've also been granted an internship traveling out west for a while where apparently internet connectivity can be tricky. Obviously it's the summer and I wanna enjoy my freetime as much as I can but I'm very serious when I say, I'll have VERY little of it. The only writing I'll pretty much be doing is for my classes and this internship work. A girl's tryna graduate in December, y'all. I still have plenty more ideas for my stories and plan to add to them, but I sadly won't be able to start working on them again until mid-August. I know I've been kinda MIA for a bit now (sorry), but believe me when I tell you school and life have been totally cray. I'm just tryna survive and get this degree. And then it's smooth sailing from there. I appreciate all my loyal readers and for every person who reads even a paragraph or two of my chapters. Your support is everything to me and I will do my best to give you a story that you'll enjoy. Feel free to inbox me any questions, suggestions, or just to chat! Love you guys to pieces and I'll be back as soon as I can!
~Schweetie