Unlikely

8. Connections

[Leon]

"See you later, baby." Amanda kisses me bye from the driver's side of her car. I savor her tender lips. If that girl couldn't do anything else, she could kiss which only made me wonder what else she was good at. "Baby, I have to go. You're going to make me late for work." She giggles and I finally pull away and step back from her lime green Beetle.

"You just taste so good, girl." I tease. Me and Amanda had decided to go public today, and I enjoyed flaunting her in front of everyone. I listened to my granddad about everything in regards to school and grades but when it came to women his advice was purely old school.

"Boy bye," She grins as she places name brand sunglasses over her eyes. "Just remember to call me tonight. Oh, and to do something with that hair." I wave off her last comment, and she begins to pull out of the student parking lot. I maneuver my way through the line of traffic and sit on a bench in the breezeway as I wait for it to die down. I'm texting some people on my phone when I see Marrisa coming from the building, the hair that she usually has secured in a ponytail is blowing wildly in the wind.

"What you doing coming out this way?" She and her girls often gathered in the front of the building instead of the back. Marrisa jumps when she hears my voice and pushes the hair out of her face so she can see me.

"I'm walking home." She sighs. "It's a closer walk if I come out the back."

"Where are your precious besties?" I mock. As she stands before me, I note the blouse and doll shoes that she has on. "You must be trying to look cute for someone?" I chuckle.

"¡Vete pa'l carajo!" She tells me to go to hell along with flipping me the bird. "Anyway, my girls are...busy." She stalls, and that's when I remember the fight that they had in the hallway. I didn't see it, but a couple of people told me about it last period.

"Or are you still mad at them or Sasha in particular?" Her response is an eye roll. "What were ya'll fighting about anyway?" She gives me a real funny look before saying it was "nothing" and shrugging it off.

"Why are you out here?" She finally sits next to me and takes off the flats that leave indention marks around her toes.

"My aunt lent me her car today since she's off and Justin's out sick." The line of cars begins to trickle out of the lot. "Come on," I stand and knock her shoulder. "I'll give you a ride since your feet are obviously going to give out and your hair is going to strangle you."

"Shut up; you always got jokes." She pushes me as we make our way to the car. Just as we get on the car line-up, traffic slows down. I sigh heavily as the sun beaming through the driver's side window burns my skin.

"So what's been up?" There was no point in blasting music in a complete halt so talking would just suffice. "It's been a minute since we've really talked."

"I'll say. You didn't even tell me about Amanda." She socks me in the arm though it doesn't hurt.

"Oh, that lil sit-chi-a-tion." I chuckle as I think about how I hadn't had an actual girlfriend since freshman year. "It just kind of happened, you know? At first, I was just trying to hit, but she's cool I guess, and she's fine as hell."

"So you're basically just dating her because she's fine?"

"Hell yeah." I give her a side eye. "Liking these females comes later."

"Why not date somebody that you know you like?"

"I know I like her fat ass and juicy ass lips, that's all that matters right now." The line creeps along ever so slowly. "Plus, we could be the next Beyoncé and Jay or some shit like that...just without Jay's ole ugly ass." I laugh.